Jarre Harmonica Gun
Jarre & Cie · Pistol · Discontinued · 1862
Also known as: Harmonica Pistol, Jarre Harmonica Pistol
Overview
The Jarre Harmonica Gun is a mid-19th-century French repeating pinfire handgun built around a sliding horizontal steel block of chambers, typically ten, that advances across a fixed barrel as the gun is cocked and fired. Made in Paris by the Jarre firm in 7mm (and 7.65mm/9mm) pinfire, it offered high capacity for its era but was awkward to carry because the protruding block had to be removed for holstering. Patented in France and the United States between 1859 and 1862, it was made obsolete within a decade by self-contained centrefire cartridges.
Specifications
| Overall Length | 254 mm (10.00") |
| Barrel Length | 102 mm (4.02") |
| Firing Mechanism | Double Action |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 10 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
Calibers
- 7mm Pinfire · primary — also known as 7mm Lefaucheux, 7mm broche
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Sliding Chamber Block
- Features: Sliding Chamber Block, Pinfire, Repeating, Spring Advanced Block
Production
Production years: 1859-1870
Civilian/commercial pinfire pistol; relatively rare, no documented total
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Jarre
Notes
Inventor recorded variously as A. Jarre or J. Jarre of Paris. Genitron lists .38 caliber (likely an error); auction and reference sources consistently give 7mm pinfire with 7.65mm and 9mm variants. Dimensions vary by example.
Background
The horizontal cartridge bar slides across the barrel like the mouthpiece of a harmonica being played, which is exactly how the gun got its name. Jonathan Browning, father of John Moses Browning, independently built American slide-bar harmonica guns, tying this oddball French design to one of the most famous names in firearms history.