RARE**MINT BORE**AMERICAN WILD WEST**Merwin & Hulbert Patent Hopkins & Allen Army Revolver .44 Long Merwin Hulbert & Co Obsolete Centre Fire Calibre Single Action 6 Shot Revolver. Sn 21245 .44 0 Revolver

**RARE**MINT BORE**AMERICAN WILD WEST**Merwin & Hulbert Patent Hopkins & Allen Army Revolver .44 Long Merwin Hulbert & Co Obsolete Centre Fire Calibre Single Action 6 Shot Revolver. Sn 21245 - 21245

During the mid-19th century, Joseph Merwin was involved in manufacturing and marketing a single-action revolver. He teamed up with a man named Bray in 1856 and called the company Merwin & Bray. A couple of years later, Merwin got together with William and Milan Hulbert, who also owned 50% interest in the Hopkins & Allen Arms Company. The new company, Merwin, Hulbert & Co., expanded its business profile to include all manner of sporting goods at the time, as well as designing and importing firearms. During its 12-year life Merwin, Hulbert & Co. produced no fewer than 14 different revolvers. Their Army Model was a large-frame single action & later double-action, meant to compete with the Colt Single Action Army, 1875 Remington and Smith & Wesson Model 3 revolvers. The army Model was chambered in the now obsolete in the UK calibre .44 Long Merwin & Hulbert & Co, similar to Smith & Wesson’s .44 American cartridge. It was a single-action revolver. The revolver’s design, considered one of the strongest of its time, also featured a novel case extraction system whereby the barrel and cylinder were twisted and pulled forward. Empty cases were extracted by the vacuum produced during the twisting motion, and loaded cartridges remained in the cylinder due to their mass and inertia. Joseph Merwin died in 1888 and the Hulbert family changed the name of the company to Hulbert Brothers & Co. In 1896 the company was purchased by Hopkins & Allen. Production of Merwin & Hulbert revolvers continued until 1916 when Hopkins & Allen went bankrupt. The remaining assets were purchased by Marlin Firearms in 1917. This is an excellent rare to find Merwin & Hulbert American Wild West Era Army Model revolver in .44 Long Merwin Hulbert & Co obsolete centre fire calibre made by the Hopkins & Allen. A copy of an original period Merwin & Hulbert advertising poster in which a pistol the same as ours is illustrated in image 1 (bottom pistol in the poster). The metal is undamaged and the finish has aged to a nice even matt grey. It has a 7” barrel with blade fore sight and the rear sight is a groove on top of the cylinder frame. The barrels bore is near mint, clean and bright with well defined rifling. The barrel has Merwin & Hulberts patents and Hopkins & Allen manufacturer’s detail (illustrated in the images). The frame has ‘Calibre 44 MH & Co’. The butt is numbered 18269 and has a military lanyard ring. The original finely chequered walnut grip is undamaged. The pistol’s unique action works correctly (the barrel section is twisted to the right for ejecting spent rounds and removing the cylinder when the hammer is half cocked levers on the underside of the frame & left side of the barrel block are operated together. The cylinder is side gate loading and has a sliding cylinder cover). In over 30 years of being business we have never owned one of these rare pistols. The price includes UK delivery. NB As an antique obsolete calibre revolver, no licence is required to own this item in the UK if retained as part of a collection or display. Sn 21245

£4,750.00