Original Item: Only One Available. The Volcanic Repeating Arms Company was an American company formed in 1855 by partners Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson to develop Walter Hunt's "Rocket Ball" ammunition and" lever action" mechanism. Volcanic made an improved version of the Rocket Ball ammunition, and a carbine and pistol version of the lever action gun to fire it. Unfortunately, due to financial issues, the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company was short-lived. The "Rocket Ball" cartridges were also highly problematic, being grossly underpowered due to their design.

However, the descendants of the company, Winchester Repeating Arms Company and Smith & Wesson, both became major firearms manufactures, changing the entire landscape of the U.S. firearms industry. Winchester took the original Volcanic designs, and by using rimfire and later centerfire ammunition, was able to "Win the West" with their model 1866 and 1873 repeating rifles.

This is a great very early example of the Volcanic Repeating Arms Co. .31cal repeating pistol, which we have seen referred to as a "Number One" pistol by some sources. With only about 3000 pistols and rifles ever produced, there was a lot of variation, and collectors have itemized and named just about every variation. The pistols were produced in .31 and .41 caliber, and even had some .41cal "Naval Carbines" with detachable shoulder stocks. The rifles were all .41cal, and available in a variety of barrel lengths. As with the later Henry and Model 1866 Winchester repeating rifles/carbines, the Volcanic pistols and rifles featured very attractive "Gunmetal" frames. This metal would not rust, and was much easier to work with than steel.

The pistol is marked with serial number 318 on the bottom of the grip frame under the wood grips. The insides of both grips are also stamped 318, so these are the original grips that came with the pistol. As far as we can tell, no parts have been swapped out on this revolver, and with such low production, it is unlikely parts were even available. That makes this a very nice "ALL MATCHING" example, and it's a great one!

The top of the barrel still bears the original address marking:

NEW HAVEN CONN.
PATENT FEB. 14. 1854.

Research indicates that Volcanic used five separate dies for the markings on their guns, so the order and content of the address markings varied widely. In almost every case, such as this one, the lines are not correctly aligned. On the larger surface area of the rifles, the barrels were usually marked as follows:

THE VOLCANIC
REPEATING ARMS CO.
PATENT NEW HAVEN CONN.
FEB. 14. 1854.

You can see from this that the 5 dies used read "THE VOLCANIC", "REPEATING ARMS CO., "PATENT", "NEW HAVEN CONN." and "FEB. 14. 1854.". With only about 3000 firearms produced, they probably never had a need to make a more complete set.

Overall the pistol is in fantastic condition, with a nice worn gray patina on the steel components with little sign of oxidation or peppering. The "gunmetal" portions of the gun have the fantastic yellow patina that has made the Winchester "Yellow Boy" M1866 such a collectible gun. There is no sign of refinishing or major oxidation, just over a century of careful cleaning.

The pistol has a crisp tight action, which cycles smoothly without any hang ups. The bore is in very good condition, showing clear rifling and a mostly bright finish. There is just a bit of oxidation speckling, and the pistol does not look to have seen much use at all. The original grips are also in good shape, with a lovely color. There right grip scale has had the front toe expertly replaced long ago, with the correct walnut. The front of the pistol can have the magazine follower pushed forward easily so that the muzzle swivels to right side, allowing the magazine to be reloaded.

These are extremely hard to find, especially in this very good condition, now is your chance! A massively important stepping stone in the evolution of American firearms, ready to add to your collection and display!

Specifications:-
Year of Manufacture: c.1856
Caliber: .31cal
Ammunition Type: "Rocket Ball" cartridge
Barrel Length: 3 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 9 inches
Action: Lever action Repeater
Feed System: 5 Round Tube Magazine

More on the History of "Volcanic" Repeating Firearms
The original 1848 Volcanic Repeating Rifle design by Hunt was revolutionary, introducing an early iteration of the lever action repeating mechanism and the tubular magazine still common today. However, Hunt's design was far from perfect, and only a couple of prototypes were developed; the only one known is currently in the Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming. Lewis Jennings patented an improved version of Hunt's design in 1849, and versions of the Jenning's patent design were built by Robbins & Lawrence Co. (under the direction of shop foreman Benjamin Tyler Henry) and sold by C. P. Dixon. Horace Smith was also hired by Courtlandt Palmer to improve the Jennings Rifle, patenting the Smith-Jennings in 1851. It is estimated that fewer than 2000 of these two models were made until 1852, when financial troubles ceased production.

In 1854, partners Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson joined with Courtlandt Palmer, the businessman who had purchased the Jennings and Smith-Jennings patent rights, and further improved on the operating mechanism, developing the Smith & Wesson Lever pistol, and a new Volcanic cartridge. Production was in the shop of Horace Smith in Norwich, Connecticut. The new cartridge improved upon the Hunt Rocket Ball with the addition of a primer. Originally using the name "Smith & Wesson Company", the name was changed to "Volcanic Repeating Arms Company" in 1855, with the addition of new investors, one of which was Oliver Winchester. The Volcanic Repeating Arms Company obtained all rights for the Volcanic designs (both rifle and pistol versions were in production by this time) as well as the ammunition, from the Smith & Wesson Company. Wesson remained as plant manager for 8 months before rejoining Smith to found the "Smith & Wesson Revolver Company" upon obtaining the licensing of the Rollin White rear loading cylinder patent.

Winchester forced the insolvency of the Volcanic Arms Company in late 1856, took over ownership and moved the plant to New Haven, Connecticut, where it was reorganized as the New Haven Arms Company in April 1857. B. Tyler Henry was hired as plant superintendent when Robbins & Lawrence suffered financial difficulties and Henry left their employ. While continuing to make the Volcanic rifle and pistol, Henry began to experiment with the new rimfire ammunition, and modified the Volcanic lever action design to use it. The result was the Henry rifle. By 1866, the company once again reorganized, this time as the Winchester Repeating Arms company, and the name of Winchester became synonymous with lever action rifles.

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