Hammond Bulldog
Connecticut Arms & Manufacturing Company · Pistol · Discontinued · 1865
Also known as: Hammond Bull Dog, Connecticut Arms Hammond Bulldog, Hammond Bulldog Derringer
Overview
The Hammond Bulldog is a single-shot, .44 rimfire pocket pistol manufactured by the Connecticut Arms & Manufacturing Company of Naubuc, Connecticut, from about 1865. Built on an unusually robust rotating breechblock action, the breechblock swivels to the left to load a cartridge after the hammer is set to half-cock and a cross-hatched button on top of the block is depressed; that button is slotted to double as a rear sight, and an automatic ejector lifts the spent case for removal. Production guns carried a 4-inch barrel that transitioned from octagonal at the breech to seven-sided at the muzzle, blued barrels, case-hardened frames, and checkered gutta-percha grips.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 480 g (16.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 203 mm (7.99") |
| Barrel Length | 102 mm (4.02") |
| Action Type | Rolling Block |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 343 m/s (1125 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 770 J (568 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 18 m (20 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Gutta Percha |
| Finish | Blued Barrel Case Hardened Frame |
Calibers
- .44 Henry · primary — also known as .44 Rimfire, .44 Henry Flat, .44 Long Rimfire, 11x23R
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Breech Loading
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Rotating Breechblock, Swivel Breechblock, Automatic Cartridge Ejector, Octagon To Heptagon Barrel, Checkered Grips, Slotted Breechblock Rear Sight
Service history
Operators
- American civilians · adopted 1865
Production
Estimated total produced: 7,400 · Production years: 1865-1868
Most references place total production at roughly 7,400 pistols, and certainly fewer than 8,000, before Connecticut Arms & Manufacturing Co. failed in 1868.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Henry Hammond
Discontinued: 1868
Notes
An unusual derringer-type self-defense and pocket pistol of the immediate post-Civil War era. A carbine variant fitted with a wire-frame shoulder stock is also known.
Background
Patented by Henry Hammond in 1864, the stubby, large-bore Hammond Bulldog earned its name from its bulldog-like profile and the punch of its .44 rimfire chambering. It was a popular concealable last-ditch defense pistol on the American frontier in the years following the Civil War.