Allen Pepperbox
Allen & Thurber · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1837
Also known as: Allen & Thurber Pepperbox, Allen pepperbox revolver, Pepperbox pistol
Overview
The Allen Pepperbox is a six-barreled, muzzle-loading percussion pistol designed by gunmaker Ethan Allen and built around a rotating cluster of smoothbore .36 caliber barrels. Pulling its ring trigger rotated the barrel group, cocked the distinctive 'bar hammer', and dropped it in a single stroke, making it one of the first practical double-action repeating handguns sold in America. Affordable and quick to fire, it was the most popular multi-shot personal-defense pistol in the United States in the 1840s and early 1850s, before Samuel Colt's single-barrel revolvers displaced it.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 700 g (24.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 235 mm (9.25") |
| Barrel Length | 133 mm (5.24") |
| Action Type | Double Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Rotary |
| Muzzle Velocity | 230 m/s (755 fps) |
| Effective Range | 10 m (11 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 30 m (33 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | 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: Repeating
- Feed systems: Rotating Barrel Cluster
- Features: Rotating Barrel Cluster, Six Barrels, Ring Trigger, Self Cocking, Bar Hammer, Percussion Cap, Muzzle Loader, Smoothbore
Variants
- Allen Dragoon Pepperbox — Long Barrel
Service history
Operators
- American civilians and settlers
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Production years: 1837-1865
Tens of thousands produced; one of the best-selling American handguns prior to the dominance of Colt's revolvers
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Ethan Allen
Discontinued: 1865
Notes
Ethan Allen patented his self-cocking ignition in 1837 (renewed 1845). The firm produced pepperboxes as Allen & Thurber across Grafton MA, Norwich CT (from 1842) and Worcester MA (from 1847). Barrel clusters of roughly 3 to 6 inches and four frame sizes covered calibers from about .28 to .36. The double-action ring trigger gave volume of fire at the cost of poor accuracy.
Background
Mark Twain mocked the pepperbox in 'Roughing It,' quipping that when it fired it might hit the intended target or, just as likely, any bystander standing to either side, owing to its notoriously poor accuracy.