Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a well-used and patinated example of the rare .36cal "Navy" version of the "Center-Hammer" Percussion Revolvers made by Ethan Allen and his brother-in-law Thomas Wheelock in Worcester, Mass. Allen was involved in a series of different partnerships, which makes the firearms relatively easy to place in time. Now completely worn away, the right side of the octagonal barrel would have originally had the following markings:

As the "ALLEN & WHEELOCK" trade name was used from 1856 to 1865, this revolver definitely falls right into the civil war period, and most likely was in use during the period. The revolver is marked with serial number 45 on the grip frame under the grips, on the lever, and on the inside both wood grip scales, making this a very early example. The firm had successfully introduced a large .44cal "Army" version of this revolver, however it is estimated that only around 500 of the Navy model were made. It unfortunately could not compete with the well established Colt 1851 Navy for a market share of Military Contracts. Of course, Colt's own model 1861 Navy wasn't able to compete with the 1851 either.

The "Center-Hammer" revolvers were an improvement of the earlier "Side-Hammer" guns, which had deficiencies with ease of loading, as well as frame strength. Moving the hammer to the center allowed for a stronger frame, which is what the U.S. Army Ordnance Dept was looking for. There were cartridge revolvers at the time, but the U.S. Army was conservative, and only wanted the trusted technology of percussion revolvers. The Center-Hammer did retain one key feature from the side hammer version: the unique combination trigger guard/loading lever.

Despite the heavy wear to our example, it is still in partial working order and has a very pleasant patinated grey metal finish overall. The "Navy" models were available with several barrel lengths, and this is the standard 6" barrel version. The cylinder rotates when the hammer is cocked, though it indexes poorly and the cylinder lock is extremely weak, as is the main spring. It still will dry fire, and the trigger guard loading rammer still works correctly, locking back into place when finished. The arbor pin looks to be a replacement, and we cannot currently remove it, and a washer has been added at the front of the cylinder to remove slop.

The bore is worn, but still actually does show rifling. The grips are original, but also quite worn, and the left grip scale is missing a good amount of wood, and has some glue repairs. This revolver was kept in service well after it normally would have been retired, hinting at possible use by Confederate forces, who were often stuck with weapons well past their service life.

This is only the second example of this type of gun that we've ever had, and these are desirable even in this well-used condition. Very unusual and ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: circa 1860-65
Caliber: .36cal
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 6 inches
Overall Length: 11 inches
Action: Single Only
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

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IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

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Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.