Allen & Wheelock Pepperbox
Allen & Wheelock · Revolver · Out Of Production · 1856
Also known as: Allen & Wheelock pepperbox revolver, Allen & Wheelock 1845 Patent pepperbox
Overview
The Allen & Wheelock Pepperbox is a six-barreled, muzzle-loading cap-and-ball percussion revolver produced in Worcester, Massachusetts, between 1856 and 1865 by the partnership of Ethan Allen and Thomas Wheelock. It carries forward Ethan Allen's earlier tube-hammer patents in a compact .31 caliber pocket arm: a cluster of six smoothbore barrels rotates on a central arbor, and pulling the ring trigger indexes the barrels while cocking and dropping the bar hammer in one self-cocking, double-action stroke. Late-production examples typically wear 3 to 3.5 inch barrels and an engraved flash shield, and were among the last commercially significant pepperboxes made before Allen & Wheelock shifted to cartridge and cap-and-ball cylinder revolvers.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 480 g (16.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 190 mm (7.48") |
| Barrel Length | 83 mm (3.27") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Rotary |
| Muzzle Velocity | 180 m/s (591 fps) |
| Effective Range | 10 m (11 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 30 m (33 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .31 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball) · primary — also known as .31 cal, .31 percussion, 7.9mm ball
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Rotating Barrel Cluster
- Features: Rotating Barrel Cluster, Six Barrels, Ring Trigger, Self Cocking, Bar Hammer, Tube Hammer Ignition, Percussion Cap, Muzzle Loader, Engraved Flash Shield
Service history
Operators
- American civilians and settlers
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Production years: 1856-1865
Made during the Allen & Wheelock partnership in Worcester, MA; the pepperbox was by then a declining pocket-defense type
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Ethan Allen
Discontinued: 1865
Notes
By the Allen & Wheelock era the pepperbox was a fading design, eclipsed by Colt-style single-cylinder revolvers; production of the type wound down over the firm's lifespan. Barrels are marked 'ALLEN & WHEELOCK' and the bar hammer carries the '1845' patent date. The double-action ring trigger delivered a fast volume of fire at close range at the cost of poor accuracy.
Background
Allen pepperboxes were the definitive American self-defense pistol of the mid-19th century, so ubiquitous that Mark Twain lampooned the pattern in 'Roughing It' for being as dangerous to bystanders as to the intended target.