Original Item: Only One Available. Here is a very cute .31 caliber percussion revolver with a fluted five shot cylinder made by the Bacon Manufacturing Company. Thomas K. Bacon had been a gunsmith working with the Manhattan Firearms Manufacturing, and then left to found his own company Company and established the Bacon Manufacturing Company in Norwich, Connecticut. The first pistol that they marketed was the fully engraved .31cal "Excelsior" model pistol, with a round cylinder and barrel.

Shortly after that model came Bacon's "2nd Model", which is the only version to have the fluted cylinder, like this example has. They were available in 4, 6, and 8 inch barrel lengths. These revolvers were great favorites with Union Officers, who purchased these as a personal second revolver to take into battle. They were easily concealed and most effective, giving the officer an additional 5 shots when needed.

This fine example has the standard standard BACON MFG. CO. NORWICH CONN. marking on the top of the 4 inch barrel, and is 8 1/2 inches in overall length, perfect for a pocket. Approximately 3300 of the 2nd model were made, but only 1400 had the Bacon address. There is no engraving on the frame, as sometimes seen on special order examples. The revolver bears matching serial number 356 on the Grip frame, Trigger Guard, Cylinder rear, Loading Rammer, Barrel, Barrel wedge, and even on the retainer for the loading rammer. This is a very desirable "ALL MATCHING" example, and it's a good one!

The revolver shows a nice worn finish, the original bluing now faded to a gray mottled patina from decades of cleaning. The original grips are quite nice, and still retain almost all of the original factory varnished finish, though the left scale is missing the bottom front toe. The action works great, with accurate indexing, a strong cylinder lockup, and a crisp dry fire. We did not notice any of the usual finicky behavior we can see from revolvers of this age.

The bore is in excellent condition, showing crisp rifling with a bright finish, and very little oxidation or fouling. It's very rare to see a Civil War era percussion revolver with such a fantastic bore! The cap nipple cones are all present and clear, showing only light wear, indicating that the revolver most likely saw very little use.

A great Civil War Private Purchase revolver from the short-lived Bacon Mfg. Co, ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: circa 1860
Caliber:  .31cal
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 4 inches
Overall Length: 8 3/4 inches
Action: Single Only
Feed System: 5 Shot Revolver

More on Bacon Firearms:
Thomas K. Bacon was a very ingenious gunmaker in the mid 19th century, though sadly he never never achieved the level of success that his designs warranted before his death in 1873. He associated with several different New England gunmaking firms, including Ethan Allen, Allen and Thurber, and three other companies which bore his name. He originally had been a "jobber" for Ethan Allen, also of Norwich, but when that company moved to Worcester, Bacon opened "Bacon & Company", which was a manufacturer of single-shot, underhammer, and pepperbox pistols. Unfortunately this venture did not turn out successfully, and after a failed attempt to raise capital, closed in 1857.

Bacon then worked with Manhattan firearms, also located in Norwich at that point, but decided to start another firm under his own name in 1858, Bacon Manufacturing Company. This company started out by manufacturing Colt-style pocket percussion revolvers, and then turned to the production of small cartridge revolvers in .22, .25, .32 and .38 rimfire. Unfortunately at the time Smith & Wesson still held rights to the Rollin White patent for a bored through cylinder, which resulted in lawsuits and subsequent royalties being paid. Bacon was forced to put the Rollin White and Smith & Wesson patent information on all of the revolvers produced after this point.

In 1863, the chief shareholder of the Bacon Manufacturing Company became displeased with Thomas Bacon’s performance with the company, and forced him out. With Bacon gone, the company continued in business through 1868 but with lackluster sales and minimal success. The firm was subsequently reorganized in 1868 and was reestablished as the Hopkins & Allen company, remaining in business through the second decade of the 1900s.

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