Guns International #: 103275828
Seller's Inventory #: 2100

Category - Antique Pistols - Percussion - Antique Pistols - 1500-1850

Category
Antique Pistols - Percussion
Antique Pistols - 1500-1850

RARE RICHMOND, VIRGINIA Retailer Antique ETHAN ALLEN “POCKET RIFLE” Pistol SUTHERLAND: “Armorer of the South”

Description:
RARE RICHMOND, VIRGINIA Retailer Antique ETHAN ALLEN “POCKET RIFLE” Pistol

SUTHERLAND: “Armorer of the South”

Here we present an antique Richmond Virginia Retailer Marked Ethan Allen “Pocket Rifle” Underhammer Pistol, made circa the late-1830s in Grafton, Massachusetts. This is a rare example of a percussion underhammer with the mark of Samuel Sutherland of Richmond, Virginia, on barrel. According to Albaugh, Benet and Simmons in the book Confederate Handguns, Sutherland was a Virginian gunsmith who repaired arms for the Confederate government. Southern gunsmiths who participated in the Confederate war effort such as Samuel Sutherland were known in their communities as “The Armorer of the South”. Lacking the resources for large government armories, the Confederate government relied heavily on local gunsmiths.

Only around two thousand of these unique pistols are presumed to have been made after being developed in 1836 with a production run between 1837 and 1842. It features a very low bore axis, a part octagonal barrel, and a front and rear sight. The barrels were all marked “E. ALLEN/GRAFTON/MASS.” along with “POCKET RIFLE/CAST STEEL/WARRANTED”. St. Louis dealers Mead & Adriance frequently advertised this pistol as the “Mississippi Rifle Pistol” in the paper the Missouri Republican. This would have made a great boot pistol in antebellum America!

Ethan Allen was a true family man, investing and partnering with a nephew in a New York sporting goods retailer, hiring another brother-in-law, Thomas Wheelock, who was eventually made a partner, and similarly hiring and later making partner his two sons-in-law Sullivan Forehand and Henry Wadsworth. Because of these practices, his business was very successful. This company was founded by Ethan Allen in early 1800s and soon became a prolific gun-making firm that evolved from Ethan Allen to Allen & Thurber, as well as the Allen & Wheelock Company. It was located in Norwich, Connecticut and Worchester, Massachusetts, as well as Grafton. Eventually it became the Forehand & Wadsworth Company in 1871, after the death of Ethan Allen. 

The overall condition is good. Patina throughout. The action is strong, though the trigger requires being pushed forward as the underhammer is cocked. The bore is dim with good rifling. The grip is solid, showing use. A great New England type pistol sold in the Virginia market!

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrel is 4-3/4 inches

Caliber: .31 Percussion

Overall condition as seen in photos.    
    
Very Fast. Very Safe. FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE. Delivered directly to your door by express mail!

Guaranteed AUTHENTIC & Includes CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.

$2100

#257516

 

Antique: Yes

Price: $2,100.00
Buy Now
Pay with