Hopkins & Allen XL
Hopkins & Allen Manufacturing Company · Revolver · Discontinued · 1871
Also known as: Hopkins & Allen XL No. 3, Hopkins & Allen XL No. 2 1/2, H&A XL, XL3
Overview
The Hopkins & Allen XL is an American single-action, spur-trigger pocket revolver produced in Norwich, Connecticut, and patented March 23, 1871. The small-frame XL pattern (such as the XL No. 3) is a five-shot revolver chambered in .32 rimfire with a short octagonal barrel, typically 2 5/8 to 2 3/4 inches. Spent cases are driven out one at a time by a spring-loaded ejector rod beneath the barrel. Usually nickel-plated over a solid steel frame with checkered gutta-percha or varnished wood bird's-head grips, it was an inexpensive concealable defensive arm sold widely on the post-Civil War civilian market alongside the larger six-shot XL Army, XL Navy, and XL Police service models.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 340 g (12.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 165 mm (6.50") |
| Barrel Length | 70 mm (2.76") |
| Action Type | Single Action Revolver |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 330 m/s (1083 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 316 J (233 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 18 m (20 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 90 m (98 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Nickel |
Calibers
- .32 Long Rimfire · primary — also known as .32 rimfire, .32 RF, .32 Long RF
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Revolving Cylinder
- Features: Spur Trigger, Fixed Sights, Octagonal Barrel, Bird Head Grip
Service history
Operators
- American civilian market
Production
Production years: 1871-1898
XL pocket revolvers were produced in quantity for the inexpensive civilian market; large-frame XL service patterns were comparatively scarce.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Discontinued: 1898
Notes
The XL designation covered a broad family of numbered patterns and barrel lengths. The small-frame .32-rimfire pocket guns (No. 2 1/2, No. 3, etc.) were five-shot spur-trigger single-actions with octagonal barrels; later No. 3 examples carry an additional Jan. 5, 1886 patent and a double-action mechanism. The larger six-shot XL service revolvers (Army/Navy/Police) were offered in .38 rimfire, .44 rimfire, and .44-40 centerfire with 4 1/2 to 7 1/2 inch barrels. Top-strap markings read 'HOPKINS & ALLEN MFG. CO. / XL. NO 3. / PAT. MAR. 23 1871'.
Background
Hopkins & Allen made its name on cheap, mass-produced pocket revolvers, and the small-frame .32-rimfire XL was a typical example of the spur-trigger 'suicide special' that flooded American gun shops in the 1870s and 1880s.