Original Item: Only One Available. William W. Marston was born in England in 1822. He was the son of Stanhope W. Marston, who was a gunmaker that immigrated to America sometime prior to the 1840s. Stanhope established himself as a gunmaker in New York and produced percussion pepperboxes, as well as single and double barrel pistols, some with swivel breeches. He worked from 1844-1866 and during that time received two US patents (#7,887 in 1851 and #45,712 in 1865) for innovations in firearms design. His son William was naturalized as a citizen on April 8, 1843 and went into the family business, initially working for his father and then going out on his own. William worked from 1844 until he died in 1872, and during that time amassed at least 6 firearms related patents. These included #6,514 in 1849 for a lock design, #7,443 in 1850 for a breechloading firearm and #13,581 in 1855 for a pepperbox. He also received two patents for ammunition designs (#8,956 in 1852 and #40,490 in 1863), the latter of which was for a self-contained metallic cartridge.

Some of the most famous and intriguing of his firearms were his line of three-barrel rimfire cartridge pocket pistols. He produced them in both .22 and .32 rimfire, with the majority of the .22s being made with a sliding knife blade along the side of the 3 superimposed barrels. The larger caliber superimposed pistol was manufactured in .32 rimfire, but was made without the knife blade. However, the .32 caliber pistols did include a useful extractor mechanism to remove the spent cartridges. Marston manufactured some 3,300 of these 3-barreled “derringers’ between 1864 and 1872. They were made with either 3” or 4” barrels, and the standard configuration was a silver plated brass frame, blued barrels and two-piece wood grips. The guns were single action, and had an indicator switch on the right side of the frame that showed which of the barrels the pivoting the firing pin was going to fire. The firing pin automatically indexed from the “0”, or safe position, to #1 (bottom barrel), #2 (middle barrel) and #3 (top barrel), each time the hammer was cocked. The rotating switch gave the shooter a visual indication of which barrel had just been fired and which one would be next. After the gun was discharged and reloaded, the indicator switch was rotated by the user back to the “0” position, to be ready to fire again the next time the hammer was cocked.

Our example is really a very nice example, still retaining the complete manufacturer marking on the left side of the brass frameframe:

WM. W. MARSTON
PATENTED
MAY 26. 1857
NEW YORK CITY
IMPROVED 1864

It also bears serial number 1891 on the barrel cluster near the hinge. The retaining screw for the grip is frozen in the right ferrule, which spins in the wood, so we are not able to check the grip frame and grip scales for the serial number unfortunately.

The blued barrels of the pistol have had the original blued finish wear away, and now display a gray peppery patina, with just a few areas of rough oxidation. The pistol barrel bores are all in very good condition, showing strong rifling with just a bit of oxidation and fouling in the grooves. The hammer shows a gray oxidized finish, and the frame of the pistol has mellowed to a lovely "mustard" patina.

The action of these pistols is quite complex, and this example is currently partly functional. The pistol breaks open correctly when the top latch is rotated clockwise (with the muzzle pointed away from the body), though the retaining screw for the latch keeps coming loose. This results in a bit of wobble when the breech is closed. The indicator switch on the right side of the frame shows which barrel will be fired when the hammer is cocked. To reset the firing pin, the switch it rotated to the “0” position, so that the next time the hammer is cocked, the pistol will fire the first barrel. Each successive time the hammer is pulled back, the pin moves to the next position.

This action is currently partially functional, and there is definitely some slop in the mechanics. The firing pin selector properly advances, though the firing pin does not retract correctly some times. The trigger spring is also weak, so when the hammer is cocked, the only way to get the tumbler to hold is to push the trigger forward, or else it will not catch at all. The original rear sight notch is in place on the top of the barrel catch, and the original brass front sight blade is in place on the top barrel, near the muzzle. The extractor on the right side of the frame is also present.

Overall a really nice example of a hard to find very collectible pistol, ready to restore or display as is!

Specifications:
Year of Manufacture: c. 1864 - 1868
Caliber: .32 RF
Ammunition Type: Cartridge
Barrel Length: 3"
Overall Length: 6 1/4"
Action: Single Action
Feed System: Single Shot - Three Barrels Index Fire

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

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.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

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.