Allen & Wheelock .36 Lipfire Revolver
Allen & Wheelock · Pistol · Discontinued · 1860
Also known as: Allen & Wheelock Center Hammer Lipfire Navy, Lipfire Navy Third Model, .36 Lipfire Navy Revolver
Overview
The Allen & Wheelock .36 Lipfire Revolver is a six-shot, single-action, center-hammer revolver chambered for the proprietary .36 Allen Lipfire self-contained metallic cartridge. Often called the Center Hammer Lipfire Navy or Third Model, it was made in Worcester, Massachusetts around 1860-1861 with a solid frame, an octagon barrel offered in roughly 4- to 8-inch lengths, an unfluted six-shot bored-through cylinder loaded through a right-side gate, walnut grips, and a color-casehardened hammer and trigger guard. Only about 500 were produced before the design ran afoul of Smith & Wesson's Rollin White bored-through cylinder patent, making it one of the scarcer American cartridge revolvers of the Civil War era.
Specifications
| Barrel Length | 152 mm (5.98") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Revolving Cylinder |
| Muzzle Velocity | 220 m/s (722 fps) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 90 m (98 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .36 Allen Lipfire · primary — also known as .36 Lipfire, .36 Lip Fire, .36 Allen
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Revolving Cylinder
- Features: Center Hammer, Solid Frame, Octagon Barrel, Unfluted Cylinder, Loading Gate, Bored Through Cylinder, Color Casehardened Hammer, Color Casehardened Trigger Guard
Service history
Operators
- Union Army (private purchase) · adopted 1861
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 500 · Production years: 1860-1861
Roughly 500 Center Hammer Lipfire Navy revolvers were manufactured before production ceased over the Rollin White bored-through cylinder patent.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Ethan Allen
Discontinued: 1863
Notes
The lipfire cartridge carried its priming compound in a small lip protruding from the case rim, struck by a notched hammer; this sidestepped Smith & Wesson's rimfire patent but still relied on a bored-through cylinder that infringed the Rollin White patent, which halted production. Barrel length varied between examples (commonly cited at 4, 5, 6, and 8 inches).
Background
To dodge Smith & Wesson's grip on the rimfire patent, Ethan Allen tucked the priming compound into a tiny lip on the cartridge head, striking it with a notched hammer. The clever workaround still leaned on a bored-through cylinder, and a patent suit shut the line down after only a few hundred were built, leaving the .36 Lipfire Navy a prized Civil War-era rarity.