Whitney Two-Trigger Pocket Revolver

Whitney Arms Company · Pistol · Discontinued · 1852

Also known as: Whitney Ring-Trigger Pocket Revolver, Whitney Two-Trigger Percussion Pocket Revolver, Whitney Pocket Model

Overview

The Whitney Two-Trigger Pocket Revolver is a five-shot, .31-caliber cap-and-ball percussion revolver produced at the Whitney Armory in Whitneyville, Connecticut between 1852 and 1854. Designed to sidestep Samuel Colt's patent on the mechanically self-rotating cylinder (which did not expire until 1857), it carries an unusual second trigger ahead of the conventional trigger guard: pulling it releases the cylinder so the shooter can rotate it to the next chamber by hand before firing with the main trigger. It pairs a short octagonal barrel with a brass frame, etched unfluted cylinder, and squared two-piece walnut grips. Roughly 650 were built, of which only about 50 used an iron frame, making it a scarce transitional American pocket revolver of the early percussion era.

Specifications

Weight (empty)	540 g (19.0 oz)
Overall Length	220 mm (8.66")
Barrel Length	102 mm (4.02")
Action Type	Revolving
Firing Mechanism	Percussion
Trigger Type	Single Action
Magazine Capacity	5 rounds
Magazine Type	Revolving Cylinder
Muzzle Velocity	200 m/s (656 fps)
Effective Range	18 m (20 yd)
Maximum Range	50 m (55 yd)
Barrel Rifling	Right-Hand
Frame Material	Brass
Barrel Material	Steel
Stock Material	Walnut
Finish	Blued Barrel And Cylinder With Brass Frame

Calibers

.31 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball) · primary — also known as .31 cal, .31 percussion, .32 percussion, 7.9mm

Features

Firing modes: Manual
Feed systems: Manually Rotated Percussion Cylinder
Features: Second Trigger Ahead Of The Trigger Guard That Releases The Cylinder For Manual Indexing, Five-Shot Unfluted Etched Cylinder, Octagonal Barrel, Single-Action Lock

Production

Estimated total produced: 650 · Production years: 1852-1854

Approximately 650 produced; only about 50 with iron frames, the remainder brass-framed.

Origin

Country of origin: United States

Designer: Eli Whitney Jr.

Discontinued: 1854

Notes

Sources variously list the bore as .31 or .32 caliber percussion; barrels were offered from roughly 3 to 6 inches. The defining feature is the patent-avoiding manual cylinder-indexing trigger.

Background

The second trigger is a clever piece of patent engineering: by making the shooter index the cylinder manually rather than letting the hammer do it, Whitney avoided Colt's monopoly on the self-revolving mechanism that dominated the American market until 1857.