Original Item: Only One Available. This is an interesting item with a good story behind it. Just before the Civil War in 1855, the U.S. issued a Patent for a "drilled through Cylinder", known as the Rollin White Patent. It was properly titled "Improvement in Repeating Fire-arms", and was a very important patent that affected the entire industry. Many firearms companies chose to ignore the patent however.

WILLIAM P. UHLINGER of Washington D.C. saw an opportunity, however he patent for drilled cylinders however was NOT his property, so what he envisaged was a Patent Violation. He purchased gun manufacturing machinery from William Hankins, and started producing his own version of a breech loading revolver. These were made in .32 rimfire caliber and featured a protected "Spur" trigger, and a removable cylinder for loading from the rear. The revolvers were made to a high quality and fitted with fine wood grips.

It was not long before he received a Cease and Desist Order, however all he did was change his marketing, using a different name, making revolvers actually marked "UHLINGER" very rare. He then masked the origin of his products, using markings such as "D.D. CONE WASHINGTON D.C.", for a patent attorney who, as far as is now known, did not market any of these arms. He also used the name "W.L. GRANT", who is listed as a dry goods merchant in Camden, N.J., and "J.P. LOWER", who at time of manufacture was merely a clerk for a large Philadelphia arms dealer.

We do not know how he ended up, but it is felt some 10,000 of these Revolvers in violation of the Patent were produced and sold. Most of these seem to have ended up in the Confederacy. The Rollin White Patent became the property of Smith & Wesson and NOT William P. Uhlinger.

Our example is in very nice service used condition, and is Marked W. L. GRANT on the top of the barrel, with no markings on the left side of the frame. The revolver has serial number 203 on the bottom of the grip frame, the underside of the cylinder, on the arbor pin, and on the side of the cylinder. It is even marked on the inside of the left grip scale! The only marking missing is what would usually be on the loading gate, however that has broken off on this example.

It is in lovely condition with a worn patina overall, and the grips showing a lovely dark red brown color with moderate wear on the exterior. They are quite striped, leading us to believe that they may be made from rosewood, and not the usual walnut. The revolver functions correctly, however action can be a bit finicky, as it is over 150 years in age. The cylinder lockup is relatively weak, as the lock is worn, so the cylinder can be rotated a good amount even at full cock. We checked the bore, and it is in very good condition, still showing clear lands and grooves, with some light to moderate overall fouling and wear. Definitely above average for a Civil War period black powder revolver. It still retains the spring-retained ejector rammer under the barrel, which are almost always lost.

The markings on this revolver are minimal and very small, for obvious reasons and this is a very fine revolver in nice service used condition, ready to display!

Specifications: 

Year of Manufacture: circa 1860
Caliber: approx. .32 cal
Ammunition Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 5 inches
Overall Length: 10 1/8 inches
Action: Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

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.