Hopkins & Allen XL No. 4
Hopkins & Allen Manufacturing Company · Revolver · Discontinued · 1871
Also known as: H&A XL No. 4, Hopkins & Allen XL No.4, XL No. 4
Overview
The Hopkins & Allen XL No. 4 is an American single-action, spur-trigger pocket revolver chambered in .38 rimfire and produced in Norwich, Connecticut, on the XL pattern patented March 23, 1871. It is a five-shot revolver with a short octagonal barrel, typically about 2 1/2 inches, and spent cases are pushed out one at a time by a spring-loaded ejector rod beneath the barrel. Usually nickel-plated over a solid steel frame with a walnut bird's-head grip, it was an inexpensive concealable defensive arm sold widely on the post-Civil War civilian market alongside the smaller .32-rimfire XL pocket guns and the larger six-shot XL Army, Navy, and Police service models.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 320 g (11.3 oz) |
| Overall Length | 175 mm (6.89") |
| Barrel Length | 64 mm (2.52") |
| Action Type | Single Action Revolver |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 230 m/s (755 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 257 J (190 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 18 m (20 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 80 m (87 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Nickel |
Calibers
- .38 Rimfire · primary — also known as .38 RF, .38 Long Rimfire
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
Produced in quantity for the inexpensive civilian pocket-revolver market; the larger six-shot XL service patterns were comparatively scarce, with fewer than a thousand of each made between 1877 and 1885.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Discontinued: 1898
Notes
Top-strap markings typically read 'XL No.4 N.Y.' over the cylinder. The No. 4 sat between the small .32-rimfire XL pocket revolvers (No. 2 1/2, No. 3) and the large six-shot XL service patterns, carrying the larger .38 rimfire chambering in a compact five-shot frame. Barrel lengths ran roughly 1 3/4 to 2 3/4 inches. Some examples are marked 'N.Y.' rather than the Norwich factory address, reflecting distributor branding common to the cheap spur-trigger revolver trade of the period.
Background
Hopkins & Allen built its reputation on cheap, mass-produced pocket revolvers, and the five-shot .38-rimfire XL No. 4 was a typical example of the spur-trigger 'suicide special' that flooded American gun shops in the 1870s and 1880s.