Darling Brothers Pepperbox
Barton & Benjamin M. Darling · Revolver · Out Of Production · 1836
Also known as: Darling Pepperbox, B. & B. M. Darling Pepperbox, Darling Rotary Pistol
Overview
The Darling Brothers Pepperbox is an early American percussion pepperbox revolver built around a rotating cluster of six muzzle-loading barrels. Patented by Barton and Benjamin M. Darling of Bellingham, Massachusetts on 13 April 1836 and manufactured a short distance downriver in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, it used a self-cocking bar-hammer mechanism in which pulling the trigger indexed the barrel group, cocked and released the hammer in a single stroke. This made it one of the earliest double-action repeating handguns produced in the United States. Chambered for a roughly .31 caliber round ball, only a small number were made, and surviving examples are prized collector pieces.
Specifications
| Overall Length | 200 mm (7.87") |
| Barrel Length | 83 mm (3.27") |
| Action Type | Double Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Double Action Only |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Rotary |
| Effective Range | 10 m (11 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 30 m (33 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Iron |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .31 Caliber Percussion · primary — also known as .31 cal round ball, .30 caliber percussion, 7.9mm ball
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Rotating Barrel Cluster
- Features: Rotating Barrel Cluster, Six Barrels, Bar Hammer, Self Cocking, Percussion Cap, Muzzle Loader, Birds Head Grip
Variants
- Darling Single-Action Pepperbox - Single Action
Service history
Operators
- American civilians and settlers
Production
Production years: 1836-1841
Only a handful were made; among the rarest of early American pepperboxes
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Barton Darling
Discontinued: 1841
Notes
Benjamin M. Darling claimed until his death that he had invented the first American revolver, but Samuel Colt patented his revolving-cylinder design on 25 February 1836, roughly seven weeks before the Darling patent. The firm produced both single-action four-barrel 'rotary pistols' and self-cocking double-action six-barrel models. Guns are marked 'B. & B. M. DARLING / PATENT'. Production was tiny compared with later makers such as Allen & Thurber, and the Darlings never achieved commercial success.
Background
Benjamin Darling went to his grave insisting he, not Samuel Colt, had built the first American revolver. Colt won the patent race by about seven weeks and went on to fame and fortune, while the Darling brothers, working out of small shops in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, died in obscurity.