Original Item: Only One Available. Pepperbox revolvers were so named because of the similarity of the front view of the weapon was so reminiscent of a Pepper Pot of the time being a circle of round holes. This rare example was made by the Robbins & Lawrence Company of Windsor, VT, a company unfortunately known today more for their business failures than its successes. During the 1850s they had supplied the Royal Small Arms Factory with machinery and training to manufacture their new P-1853 Enfield Rifles. At the outbreak of the Crimean War, the British did not have the manufacturing capacity to fully arm its troops for the conflict, and so Robbins & Lawrence were engaged by the British government to produce the P-1853 2nd Model rifle. Robbins & Lawrence anticipated sales of 30,000 to 60,000 rifled muskets, and spent huge sums of money getting the tooling and machinery in order. They even added a second factory in Hartford, CT, anticipating business for years to come.

Unfortunately for Robbins & Lawrence, the Crimean War ended too soon, after only approximately 10,400 rifled muskets were completed, with the British cancelling the rest of the contract as well as any future contracts. The result was that Robbins & Lawrence went bankrupt, and several successor companies were formed by creditors to sell off the parts and machinery. This however also led to large advancements in the main U.S. Service Rifle of the U.S. Army during the Civil War, as Colt and other companies were able to incorporate the British Designs into the Springfield Rifled musket, resulting in the "Special Model 1861" and later Model 1863 Springfield rifles. While this is not the way that Robbins & Lawrence probably wanted to be remembered, they still have a solid place in U.S. Firearms history.

At this time this rare pepperbox was made, the above was all yet to pass, and the company was very innovative in its designs. These pepperbox revolvers were made based on an 1849 patent, and only about 7,000 were produced between 1851 and 1854, so every example is quite rare. Due to the rather complex design, they were unable to compete with their contemporaries, especially Colt. At the time they ceased production they were busy with the British contract, so it was probably of little concern to them then from a business perspective.

The design of these exceptionally rare pepperbox revolvers is definitely unique, and almost certainly the most complicated of the designs fielded in the U.S. market. Anticipating the later pepperboxes produced by Sharps and Starr, the Robbins & Lawrence design does not have the barrel cluster rotate, but instead has the internal hammer rotate using an internal cam. This also required that the caps for the barrels be inside the frame, so it has a top break design to allow the caps to be replaced. If that wasn't enough, the barrel cluster is two piece, and has almost a "cylinder" section and a "barrel" section, which unscrews and moves forward, to allow the breech end of the barrels to be loaded directly, and not rammed through the rifled bores.

The firing mechanism is equally complex, featuring a ring trigger that cocks the action, and trigger in front of it that actually fires the weapon. There is even a release button on the back of the grip, which releases the ring cocking mechanism so it can be gently returned to the forward position without firing the pistol. With an engraved frame, and even multiple vent holes to allow the primer and propellant gasses to escape the frame, the pistol design was really quite over-engineered in many ways.

These were available in both .28" and .31" caliber, and ours appears to be in the .31" size. It has a 5 shot cylinder / barrel assembly, and has really held up great over the yeras. The markings on the cylinder are still clear, and read:

The revolver measures about 9 1/4 inches in length, so it's a bit long to be considered "pocket size", and the barrel portion that moves forward measures 3 3/16" in length. It is marked with serial number 5670 on the bottom of the grip, which is also marked on the inside of both grip scales as well as on the side of the grip frame under the grips. We cannot find the number stamped elsewhere, and do not know if it was usually marked on the cylinder or in other areas.

The Pepperbox is in very good used condition, with a lovely patina of age, operational but NOT sold for firing. The action functions correctly as far as we can tell, though it definitely is finicky. It has some wear and the complexity unfortunately makes it difficult to maintain, probably another reason they stopped making them after only 7,000. The ring cocking lever works well, and pulling back the front trigger hard will discharge the internal hammer. We assume that originally the trigger action was much less stiff. The rocking lever release on the rear of the action is fully functional, and the action breaks open correctly to expose the cap nipple cones. The barrel cluster also unscrews correctly for reloading.

The original metal finish is mostly worn away, now displaying a light gray polished patina, with a bit of oxidation in areas. It does not look to have been majorly cleaned or refinished. The metalwork still shows clear foliate engraving, something we almost never see on revolvers of this age! There is light powder burn around the cap nipples and on the internal hammer, as to be expected when the gasses are trapped partially inside the action. The walnut grips have a lovely color, and show some great period wear. They still retain most of the original "piano varnish" finish used at the time.

A great example of an very rare and interesting stepping stone in 19th Century American firearms, ready to add to your collection! This is the first example we have ever had, and we are unlikely to have another anytime soon!

Specifications: 

Year2 of Manufacture: 1851-1854
Caliber:  approx .31"
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 3 3/16 inches
Overall Length: 9 1/4 inches
Action: Single Action Only
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

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