Merwin & Hulbert Merwin Hulbert Long (W&M) 1st Model Merwin & Hulbert .45 Revolver

Merwin Hulbert & Co. First Model Frontier Army revolver, chambered in the proprietary .44 Merwin & Hulbert centrefire cartridge, manufactured circa 1874-1877.

The First Model is immediately distinguished by its open-top frame — no topstrap over the cylinder — and the distinctive scoop-fluted cylinder unique to this earliest configuration. It is a six-shot, single-action revolver, physically designed to compete directly with the Colt Single-Action Army, Remington 1875, and Smith & Wesson Model 3 of the same era. The revolvers were designed and marketed by Merwin, Hulbert & Co. of New York and manufactured at the Hopkins & Allen plant in Norwich, Connecticut — a dual identity reflected in the roll-stamped markings found on the barrel of surviving examples.

The .44 Merwin & Hulbert cartridge was the proprietary chambering of the first production run, comparable in concept to Smith & Wesson's .44 American but with a slightly longer case. The Second Model, introduced in 1878, brought .44-40 Winchester compatibility and broader commercial appeal; the First Model in its original calibre is consequently the scarcer configuration.

This example presents in good overall condition. The original bluing has faded across the metal surfaces — consistent with honest age and handling over a century and a half — and the bore is frosty. The wooden grips are complete and intact, an important point on a revolver where grip panels are frequently absent or replaced. Some knowledgeable authorities have regarded the Merwin Hulbert as the finest-made revolver of the late nineteenth century. A sound, unaltered First Model with matching grips merits serious attention from collectors of American antique arms.