Original Item: Only One Available. This is an outstanding and exceptionally scarce Volcanic Repeating Arms Company No. 2 Navy Holster Pistol in .41 caliber, fitted with the desirable 8-inch barrel and retaining matching serial number 1323 on the frame, operating lever, and both original grips.

Few American firearms are as historically important to the development of the lever-action repeater. The Volcanic represents the direct mechanical and corporate link between the early experiments of Walter Hunt, the partnership of Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson, the work of Benjamin Tyler Henry, and the later success of Oliver Winchester.

The Volcanic Repeating Arms Company was organized in 1855 to manufacture repeating pistols and rifles based on the evolving lever-action system first associated with Walter Hunt and Lewis Jennings. Smith and Wesson refined the mechanism and developed an improved form of Hunt’s hollow-based Rocket Ball ammunition. Oliver Winchester joined the enterprise as an investor and ultimately acquired the company’s assets when it encountered financial difficulties. The operation was reorganized in New Haven as the New Haven Arms Company in 1857.

Under the supervision of Benjamin Tyler Henry, the basic Volcanic mechanism was redesigned to use dependable metallic rimfire ammunition. That work produced the famous Henry rifle, which in turn led directly to the Winchester Model 1866 and the family of lever-action rifles that followed.

The Volcanic was therefore not simply an unsuccessful curiosity. It was the essential experimental platform from which one of the most influential families of American repeating firearms emerged.

The ammunition was both ingenious and ultimately the system’s greatest weakness. The Rocket Ball consisted of a hollow-based projectile containing its powder charge and primer within the bullet itself. This eliminated a conventional cartridge case and allowed ammunition to be carried in a tubular magazine beneath the barrel. However, the limited internal space provided only a small powder charge, resulting in relatively low power. Volcanic ammunition was produced in both .31 and .41 caliber.

This example was manufactured on the larger No. 2 frame and chambered for the .41-caliber Rocket Ball. The 8-inch-barreled configuration was marketed as the No. 2 Navy Holster Pistol, while the shorter 6-inch version was known as the Navy Belt Pistol.

The 8-inch Navy Holster model is particularly desirable for its imposing proportions and 10-round tubular magazine. Period production was extremely limited. Rock Island Auction Company notes that approximately 3,000 Navy pistols and pistol-carbines were manufactured, with roughly one-third believed to have been the 8-inch Holster model.

The serial number is clearly marked on the underside of the grip frame beneath the wooden grips: 1323

The same number appears on the right side of the operating lever: 1323

Both original wooden grips are also stamped internally: 1323

The matching numbers throughout are a major collector advantage and indicate that the principal numbered components remain together as originally assembled.

The top of the barrel retains the original five-part Volcanic address and patent marking:

THE VOLCANIC
REPEATING ARMS CO.
PATENT    NEW HAVEN CONN.    FEB. 14.1854.

Volcanic used separate dies to apply the different portions of the address, which explains the uneven spacing, imperfect alignment, and varying depth often seen on surviving examples. These irregularities are characteristic of original production rather than later application.

The combination of the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company name and New Haven address is consistent with production during the period surrounding the company’s reorganization in 1857. Dating individual Volcanic firearms can be difficult because existing parts and tooling continued in use after the move to New Haven and serial numbering remained sequential across several firearm configurations.

Based on its serial number, markings, and configuration, this pistol was most likely manufactured circa 1856–1857, immediately before or around the transition to the New Haven Arms Company.

The frame is made from the attractive copper-alloy material often referred to by collectors as Volcanic brass and later described by Winchester as gunmetal. Besides resisting rust, this material was easier to cast and machine than iron or steel. Its warm aged appearance foreshadows the famous yellow-brass receiver of the Winchester Model 1866, commonly known as the “Yellow Boy.”

The frame has developed an excellent mellow yellow patina, with darker coloration in protected and recessed areas. There is no visible indication of polishing or refinishing.

The steel barrel, magazine, lever, and other components display an attractive plum-brown patina with only scattered areas of light peppering. There is no significant active oxidation or major surface damage.

The original matching wooden grips remain in very good condition, with pleasing color and a substantial amount of their old finish still present. Both grips show some cracking near the bottom, which should be visible in the accompanying photographs.

Mechanically, the pistol is in excellent condition. The lever action cycles smoothly and locks firmly without hanging up. The mainspring remains strong, requiring the expected amount of effort to operate the mechanism.

The carrier block rises and lowers correctly as the lever is cycled. The double-ended firing-pin component does not appear to move freely, and the pistol is being sold as a collectible antique rather than as a firearm intended for firing.

The bore is particularly impressive for a firearm dating to the 1850s. It remains largely bright, with strong, clearly defined lands and grooves. Some old fouling and oxidation were formerly present in the grooves but have been cleaned away. The bore is considerably better than normally encountered on Volcanic pistols.

The magazine follower can be pushed forward correctly, allowing the front barrel and magazine assembly to rotate to the side for loading. This unusual loading system is one of the most recognizable and mechanically fascinating features of the Volcanic design.

The overall condition, matching numbered components, clear barrel markings, strong action, attractive untouched patina, and unusually good bore make this a very desirable example of the No. 2 Navy Holster Pistol.

Volcanic firearms occupy a unique position in American arms history. They were among the earliest commercially produced lever-action repeaters, introduced a self-contained form of caseless ammunition, and directly inspired the Henry and Winchester designs that followed. Although the Rocket Ball cartridge prevented the system from achieving commercial success, the action itself proved revolutionary.

This pistol predates the Civil War and was manufactured during the formative period when Smith, Wesson, Henry, and Winchester were helping define the future of the American firearms industry. It is a tangible link between the experimental repeating arms of the 1840s and the iconic Winchester rifles of the American frontier.

With its scarce 8-inch Navy Holster configuration, all-matching serial number 1323, excellent mechanical condition, strong bore, and highly attractive untouched surfaces, this is a centerpiece-quality example of one of the most historically consequential American pistols ever produced.

Specifications:
Year of Manufacture: Circa 1856–1857
Manufacturer: Volcanic Repeating Arms Company
Model: No. 2 Navy Holster Pistol
Serial Number: 1323
Caliber: .41 Volcanic
Ammunition Type: Rocket Ball
Barrel Length: 8"
Overall Length: 15"
Action: Lever-Action Repeater
Magazine: 10-Round Tubular 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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