Plant's Front-Loading Army Revolver
Plant's Manufacturing Company · Pistol · Discontinued · 1863
Also known as: Plant's Army Revolver, Plant's Cup-Fire Army, Merwin & Bray Army Revolver, Plant's Third Model Army
Overview
Plant's Front-Loading Army Revolver is a six-shot single-action revolver produced by Plant's Manufacturing Company of New Haven, Connecticut, during the American Civil War. Chambered for the proprietary .42 cup-fire (cup-primed) metallic cartridge, its defining feature is a front-loading cylinder: cartridges were inserted through the front of the chambers, with a small flash hole at the rear for the hammer. This design deliberately circumvented Smith & Wesson's Rollin White bored-through-cylinder patent, which blocked competitors from using conventional rear-loading bored cylinders. Spent cases were pushed out the front of the chambers with a manually operated ejector rod mounted on the frame.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 850 g (30.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 280 mm (11.02") |
| Barrel Length | 152 mm (5.98") |
| Height | 130 mm (5.12") |
| Width | 40 mm (1.57") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Revolving Cylinder |
| Muzzle Velocity | 180 m/s (591 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 210 J (155 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Brass |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .42 Cup-Fire · primary — also known as .42 Cupfire, .42 Cup-Primed, Plant's .42
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Revolver Cylinder
- Features: Front Loading Cylinder, Spur Trigger, Octagonal Barrel, Manual Ejector Rod, Fixed Sights
Variants
- Plant's Front-Loading Pocket Revolver - Smaller Caliber
Service history
Operators
- Union Army (private purchase) · adopted 1863
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 8,000 · Production years: 1863-1866
Roughly 8,000 produced across first, second, and third models during the mid-1860s; iron-frame examples are rare.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Willard C. Ellis
Discontinued: 1866
Notes
Distributed by sales agents Merwin & Bray of New York, whose name appears on the left side of the barrel. The front-loading 'cup-primed' system was a workaround for the Rollin White patent rather than a ballistic improvement. Brass frames are standard; iron-frame examples are scarce.
Background
The front-loading cylinder was not designed for performance but to dodge the Smith & Wesson-held Rollin White patent on bored-through cylinders, which throttled American cartridge-revolver development until it expired in 1869. Merwin & Bray's distribution of Plant's revolvers helped launch Joseph Merwin, who later co-founded Merwin, Hulbert & Company.