Bacon Navy Revolver
Bacon Manufacturing Company · Revolver · Discontinued · 1860
Also known as: Bacon Mfg. Co. Navy Revolver, Bacon Arms Navy Revolver, Bacon .38 Navy
Overview
The Bacon Navy Revolver is a single-action, solid-frame American percussion-era cartridge revolver chambered for the .38 rimfire. Built by the Bacon Manufacturing Company of Norwich, Connecticut, it featured a six-shot cylinder, an octagonal barrel, and a sheathed spur trigger. As one of the earliest American cartridge revolvers offered in a man-stopping .38 caliber, it was considered ahead of its time, though Smith & Wesson's Rollin White patent severely limited its production. The 1st Model required cylinder removal to load and unload, while the rarer 2nd Model introduced an innovative swing-out cylinder to a large-frame cartridge revolver.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 850 g (30.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 318 mm (12.52") |
| Barrel Length | 190 mm (7.48") |
| Action Type | Single Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Revolving Cylinder |
| Muzzle Velocity | 230 m/s (755 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 257 J (190 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 70 m (77 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | 5 Grooves, Right-Hand Twist |
| Number of Grooves | 5 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .38 Rimfire · primary — also known as .38 RF, .38 Long Rimfire
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Cylinder
- Features: Octagonal Barrel, Six-Shot Fluted Cylinder, Sheathed Spur Trigger, Two-Piece Walnut Grips, Dovetailed Front Sight, 2nd Model Introduced Swing-Out Cylinder
Production
Estimated total produced: 925 · Production years: 1860-1863
Approximately 600 1st Model (all variants) and about 325 2nd Model revolvers.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Thomas K. Bacon
Discontinued: 1863
Notes
Production was hampered by litigation over Smith & Wesson's Rollin White bored-through cylinder patent. Fewer than 1,000 were made across two models.
Background
Thomas K. Bacon was among the early New England gunmakers chasing the cartridge-revolver future just as Smith & Wesson's Rollin White patent locked competitors out of bored-through cylinders. His Navy-sized .38 rimfire was a genuinely forward-looking design, but the patent fight strangled its production to under a thousand guns. Bacon drifted through various gun-trade jobs afterward and died in 1873.