Dance Brothers Revolver (CSA)
J.H. Dance & Brothers · Revolver · Out Of Production · 1862
Also known as: J.H. Dance & Brothers Revolver, Dance & Park Revolver, Dance Flat-Frame Revolver
Overview
The Dance Brothers revolver, made by J.H. Dance & Brothers of East Columbia, Texas, is a Confederate percussion (cap-and-ball) single-action, six-shot revolver produced from 1862 to 1865. Built in both .36 caliber 'Navy' and .44 caliber 'Army' (Dragoon-size) versions, it is best known for one striking and unmistakable feature: a completely flat frame with no recoil shield or hump behind the cylinder, leaving the metal at the rear of the frame milled slab-flat - unlike any Colt it otherwise copies. The .36 model follows the Colt Model 1851 Navy and the .44 follows the Colt Dragoon. Each chamber is loaded from the front with loose powder and a lead ball seated by the under-barrel loading lever, then capped at the nipple, and the gun is manually cocked for every shot. With only around 350 examples made across both calibers, the Dance Brothers revolver is one of the rarest of all Confederate handguns and saw service chiefly with Texas cavalry in the Trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1130 g (39.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 356 mm (14.02") |
| Barrel Length | 191 mm (7.52") |
| Action Type | Single Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Revolving Cylinder |
| Muzzle Velocity | 210 m/s (689 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 115 J (85 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 45 m (49 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 7 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Iron In The White |
Calibers
- .36 Percussion (cap-and-ball) · primary — also known as .36 Navy, .36 Cap and Ball, .36 Ball
- .44 Percussion (cap-and-ball) — also known as .44 Army, .44 Cap and Ball, .44 Ball
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Revolving Cylinder
- Features: Flat Frame No Recoil Shield, Colt Navy Dragoon Copy, Part Octagon Round Barrel, Open Top Frame, Six Shot Cylinder, Loading Lever, Single Action Percussion
Variants
- J.H. Dance & Brothers .44 Army (Dragoon) — Larger Caliber
Service history
Operators
- Confederate States Army · adopted 1862
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 350 · Production years: 1862-1865
Roughly 325-500 made in total (commonly cited ~350), split approximately 275-350 in .44 Army and ~135 in .36 Navy. One of the rarest Confederate revolvers.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: James Henry Dance
Discontinued: 1865
Notes
The makers were James Henry Dance and his brothers David Etheldred Dance and George Perry Dance. The factory began at East Columbia (Columbia) on the Brazos River and relocated inland near Anderson, Grimes County, Texas, when Union occupation of nearby Matagorda Island raised fears of a coastal invasion. Production figures are commonly cited at roughly 325-500 total (often rounded to ~350), split roughly 275-350 in .44 and around 135 in .36. Muzzle velocity and energy values are modern chronograph-derived estimates for cap-and-ball loads, not period data; empty weights are approximate (the .44 Army ran heavier, around 1,530 g). The 7-groove rifling is inferred from the Colt pattern. Frame material varies: normally a brass backstrap and trigger guard, with some late .44s using iron parts due to wartime brass shortages.
Background
The Dance Brothers' signature is its missing metal: alone among Civil War revolvers it has no recoil shield, the frame milled dead flat and slab-sided behind the cylinder, giving it a stark, unmistakable silhouette. When Union forces occupied Matagorda Island and a coastal invasion of Texas looked imminent, the Dance brothers packed up their machinery and fled inland from the Brazos to Anderson - and surviving originals now change hands for six-figure sums.