Mariette Ring-Trigger Pepperbox
Mariette · Revolver · Discontinued · 1839
Also known as: Mariette Pepperbox, Mariette Brevete Pepperbox, Mariette Underhammer Pepperbox
Overview
The Mariette Ring-Trigger Pepperbox is a Belgian percussion cap-and-ball revolver patented by the Liege gunsmith Gilles Mariette in 1839. Instead of a conventional cylinder it uses a rotating cluster of screw-off barrels, most commonly six, that index in turn as the shooter squeezes a distinctive ring trigger. The underhammer, hammerless-profile design has almost nothing to snag on clothing, making it a popular concealed pocket revolver in mid-19th-century Europe. Barrels were typically fashioned from Damascus steel in .36 caliber and could be unscrewed for loading with a square key.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 567 g (20.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 190 mm (7.48") |
| Barrel Length | 89 mm (3.50") |
| Height | 110 mm (4.33") |
| Width | 45 mm (1.77") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 4 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 229 m/s (751 fps) |
| Effective Range | 10 m (11 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 40 m (44 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Damascus Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .36 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball) · primary — also known as .36 cal, .36 percussion, 9.1mm
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded Percussion Barrels
- Features: Ring Trigger, Underhammer Action, Cluster Of Screw Off Barrels, Concealable Snag Free Profile, Self Cocking Double Action
Service history
Operators
- Civilian pocket-pistol market
Production
Production years: 1839-1880
Produced in Liege and Cheratte, Belgium; continued by Guillaume Mariette into the late 19th century and extensively copied by other makers
Origin
Country of origin: Belgium
Designer: Gilles Mariette
Discontinued: 1880
Notes
Barrel counts ranged from three or four to as many as eighteen or twenty-four; the four-barrel .36 caliber pattern is the most common. Typical examples measured about 7.5 inches (190 mm) overall with 3.5-inch (89 mm) barrels and weighed roughly 1.25 lb (567 g). Widely supplied to the Parisian market for personal protection and extensively copied.
Background
In 1837-1839 the Belgian gunsmith Mariette patented a hammerless pepperbox with a ring trigger and turn-off barrels, one of the earliest self-cocking double-action multi-barrel handguns and a favourite concealed-carry pistol before the metallic-cartridge revolver took over.