Original Belgian Engraved 9mm Pinfire Double Action Revolver Serial 232662 with Silver and Gold Inlay and Carved Grips - c. 1860

Original item. Only One Available. This is a beautiful highly decorated Belgian Pinfire revolver, made very much in the French style. It features fantastic high relief engraving on the frame, cylinder, and trigger guard, as well as some great silver and gold inlays on the barrel and cylinder. It even has fantastic highly caved ebony wood grips, making this a real showpiece. There were many pinfire revolvers made in this era exported to the United States for use in the Civil War, however this definitely looks to be made for domestic use, sold to some well-heeled customer.

The revolver looks to be in 9mm Lefaucheux pinfire chambering, double / single action with a 6 round cylinder. Like most we see, there are no maker markings, However it bears a CROWN / EL marking on the left side of the barrel, for manufacture in the Belgian Gunmaking city of Liège. There are also several single letter proofs under crowns, typical of Belgian production. The lower left front of the frame is marked with serial number 232662, and this is the typical location for Belgian serial numbers.

The Pinfire system was the earliest form of "Cartridge" developed with a pin projecting out at 90 degrees to the cartridge case. When depressed by the falling hammer the cartridge discharged. At the time up against muzzle loading Revolvers these were revolutionary. Like most things by the end of the Civil War technology had moved on and in the late 1860's regular type cartridges as we know them today had been introduced.

This example follows the standard French style, just a bit bigger than "pocket" size, with a 4 1/4 inch long barrel, and overall length of 9 inches. It features a standard trigger guard and trigger, most likely intended for use in a holster, not a pocket. Along with the lovely engraving and inlays, it still retains much of the original blued finish on the barrel and cylinder, while the frame is faded more to a gray color, most likely originally having been case-colored. The ebony wood grips are lovely, with "bank note" style engraving on both sides. The left side does have a crack, but it does not extend all the way through the wood. As with many of these revolvers, it has a lanyard loop attached to the bottom of the grip frame, which is intact and moves freely.

Functionally, the revolver cycles well and functions in both double and single action. It indexes well, and the cylinder lockup is strong in single action. It does however sometimes not properly fire in double action mode if the trigger is pulled slowly. A fast trigger pull ensures that the hammer move forward. The bore is in excellent condition, with a bright finish and crisp lands and grooves. The four groove rifling has a relatively slow rate of twist, and shows little sign of having been fired through. The ejector is present and functional, locking back into place in the forward position. The loading gate is present with a functional locking spring.

A lovely upmarket Belgian Pinfire revolver, ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: circa 1860
Caliber: 9mm Lefaucheux
Ammunition Type: Pinfire Cartridge
Overall Length: 9 inches
Barrel Length: 4 1/4 inches
Action: Double / Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

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