Original Item: Only One Available. This is a beautiful fully engraved example of one of the small revolvers made by Whitneyville Armory, located in Whitneyville Connecticut. This area, today near Hamden Connecticut, was so named due to its association with the famous Eli Whitney, the inventor of the Cotton Gin. Whitney also manufactured firearms, such as Springfield Muskets, and his son, also named Eli Whitney, followed in his footsteps. The factory was expanded, and the area became known as "Whitneyville", making firearms throughout the 19th century. Eventually, after several consolidations, the factory became "Whitneyville Armory."

This is a lovely 5 shot .32cal rimfire pistol, made for self protection, and would easily fit in a coat pocket. Whitneyville Armory termed this their No. 1-1/2 model, and with a brass frame and blued steel, it is quite lovely. It is definitely an upmarket exzample, and features lots of engraved designs on the brass frame, including "bank note" style scroll work with punch dot backgrounds. There are also engraved accents on the barrel and cylinder, really making it as showpiece. The revolver is marked with serial number 148 on the bottom of the grip, the cylinder arbor pin/ejector, on the bottom of the barrel, and on the rear of the cylinder. The inside of both grip scales is also marked with serial number 148, which makes this a very nice "All Matching" example, with no parts swapped out!

It also is marked on the top barrel flat with the early single line address marking:

Later produced examples would have the patent information listed, however when this revolver was made the patent had only been applied for, not approved, which means it was made 1871-1872. There is some lovely engraving surrounding the address marking as well. This is one of many revolvers made in the late 19th Century patterned after Smith & Wesson Revolvers, firing rimfire cartridges and having spur triggers. These were so prolific that the major makers such as Smith & Wesson, Colt, and Remington virtually abandoned the small pistol market.

The revolver is really in great shape, and while the brass components have lost almost all of the original nickel plating, except for under the grips, the original high gloss blued finish is still very well retained on the barrel, cylinder, and even on the ejector portion of the arbor pin. There is some denting on the front of the frame near the arbor pin, which may have gotten stuck. It is fitted with lovely American Black Walnut wooden grips, which show light wear and still retain most of their original "piano varnish" finish. We did note that there are some dents and dings on the right grip scale.

The revolver cycles beautifully, with accurate indexing and a solid cylinder lockup. It has a crisp dry fire, and we did not notice any of the usual finicky behavior we often see on revolvers of this age. We checked the bore, and it is in very good condition, showing clear lands and grooves with a partly bright finish. There is a bit of oxidation in the grooves, as expected for a revolver that has seen use, but it is definitely well above average.

A fantastic engraved example of a Whitneyville No. 1-1/2 revolver. Fully cleaned and ready to display!

Specifications:

Years of Manufacture: c.1872
Caliber: .32cal
Ammunition Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 3 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 7 3/4 inches
Action: Single Action
Feed System: 5 Shot Revolver

NOTE: As this is chambered for .32" rimfire ammunition, this revolver may not be considered "obsolete calibre" in the UK. International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these.

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. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers". 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.