Original U.S. Civil War Era Jacob Rupertus 1864 Patent .22 Rimfire 8 Shot Pepperbox Revolver - Serial 659

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an example of the unusual firearm system known as the "PEPPERBOX" revolver, where instead of a cylinder with a single barrel, the gun features assembly of multiple barrels. They were so named because the muzzle is similar in appearance to the business end of a Pepper Pot from the the early days of Queen Victoria: a circle of round holes. Recently acquired at a military auction, this is a very nice condition American manufactured Pepperbox percussion pistol utilizing the 1864 patent of Jacob Rupertus. It is an 8 Shot .22 rimfire Pepperbox Revolver designed and produced in the mid to late 1860s, with a total production of only 3,000, far less than the vast numbers turned out by companies like Sharps.

While having an 8 shot barrel cluster may be good on paper, it was a bit overkill, and the system was also somewhat problematic. The revolver is equipped with a tapering 3 inch barrel cluster features a breech plate that would rotate 90 degrees counter clockwise to expose a loading gate, which also functioned as a safety for the gun. After loading the breech plate is turned back so that the pistol can be fired. The knob on the front of the barrel cluster is supposed to be an ejector rod that pulls out, however we were not able to get it to release, no matter how many times we turned in either direction.

These seem to have varied quite a bit during production in terms of markings, and we do not see any markings on the side of the frame on this example, just a maker marking on the bottom of the grip:-

The pistol is marked on the right side of the brass frame around the hammer pivot screw with:-

RUPERTUS' PAT PISTOL
MFG CO PHILADELPHIA

The revolver features a brass frame with a steel barrel cluster, and what look to be walnut grip scales, and it is similar in size and shape to other designs, except for the barrel cluster and ingenious safety / loading system. The grips look to be walnut, and still retain much of the original "piano varnish" finish used during the period. Removing the grips shows serial number 659 clearly on the left side of the grip frame and on the insides of both grips. The back of the cylinder is also marked with 6 5 9 ▲ S, which makes this a great "All Matching" example, without any parts swapped out over the years.

The Pepperbox is in very good condition, fully operational but NOT sold for firing. It displays a lovely matured patina overall, with no signs of misuse, just age and cleaning. It functions very well in single action only, with the cylinder cycling correctly and a crisp dry fire. The hammer lines up slightly off center, which looks to be correct, and one of the benefits of the pepperbox system is that cylinder barrel alignment is a non-issue.

A lovely example of a hard to find pepper box revolver, ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: circa 1864-66
Caliber: .22"
Ammunition Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 2 3/4 inches
Overall Length: 5 1/4 inches
Action: Single Action Only
Feed System: 8 Shot Revolver

Jacob Rupertus (1822/1823 – 1921) was an American handgun designer and manufacturer. He was born in the Kingdom of Bavaria sometime around 1822 or 1823 and died in Laurel Springs, New Jersey, on February 14, 1921. This Jacob Rupertus should not be confused with another Jacob Rupertus (1827-1900), who also lived in Philadelphia, but was not involved in gun manufacturing.

Sometime around 1849, he wed Caroline Bechtel, who had been born on February 12, 1831, in Leiterswiller, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France; she died in Laurel Springs on February 26, 1911. They were buried in the now defunct American Mechanics Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Rupertus founded the Rupertus Patented Pistol Manufacturing Company, which was located 1924 North 4th Street in Philadelphia and was in operation between 1859 and 1899. On July 19, 1864, he received the US patent No.43.606 for a revolver with a rotating multi-shot barrel group (pepper-box)

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