Original U.S. Civil War Era Moore's Patent Firearms Teat Fire .32 Cal Brass Frame Engraved Revolver - Serial 12816

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely patinated example of a small just post Civil War Moore's Patent revolver, with a six shot cylinder in .32 Teat-fire caliber. The frame is brass, and like most the original nickel plating is only well retained under the grip scales. It has beautiful floral and scroll engraving all over the frame, with some minimal accent engraving on the barrel. The metalwork overall shows long use and cleaning, and the black finished wooden grips now display a lovely worn look.

The underside of the barrel is marked with serial number 12816, which we estimate puts production around 1866. Additionally, the gun is marked on the rear of the barrel, on the rear of the cylinder, cylinder arbor pin, and under the grip scales with assembly number DU 16, which is even on the interior of BOTH grip scales! Only the barrel wedge is an unmarked arsenal replacement. This is a very nice "MOSTLY MATCHING" example, with no major parts swapped out over the years!

These were made by the National Arms Company in Brooklyn, NY, however only some were marked by the company, while others were marked by Moore's company. The 3 1/4" barrel of this example is definitely marked with the Moore's patent information, however it is worn due to past oxidation, and only parts are visible in the light with a magnifier:-

MOORES PAT. FIRE ARMS CO. BROOKLYN N.Y.

The back of the cylinder is also marked with patent information, which is similarly hard to see without the right light and a magnifier:-

D. WILLIAMSON'S PATENT JANUARY 5. 1864

The action on the revolver works, but the cylinder lock is completely non-functional, so the cylinder spins even at full cock. The hammer does hold correctly at half cock, firing at full. It properly breaks down when the barrel wedge is removed, and has the early pattern gate on the lower right barrel, which would allow cartridges to be removed and loaded when open. There is a small inlet on the back of the recoil shield where an ejection tool would be used to push out spent cartridges.

We checked the bore, and it is in very good condition, with crisp lands and grooves and a mostly bright finish. There is some fouling and oxidation in the grooves, but it is definitely in way better condition than most black powder revolvers we see. The brass frame still has some of the original nickel plating present under the grips, with the rest faded to a mustard patina. The grips are in good shape with a lovely color, with the factory black finish having worn off on the sides.

In lovely patinated condition with some fantastic engraving, this is definitely a very nice service used example of a Moore's Patent teat fire revolver. An interesting stepping stone in firearms development, ready to add to your collection!

Specifications:-

Years of Manufacture: 1864-1870
Caliber: .32 cal Teat-fire
Ammunition Type: Teat-Fire cartridge
Barrel Length: 3 1/4 inches
Overall Length: 7 inches
Action: Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

The Teat-fire cartridge was a .32 caliber pistol cartridge designed by Daniel Moore and manufactured by Moore and his partner David Williamson for their Pocket Revolver and was produced under both the Moore and National Arms marques by the National Arms Company of Brooklyn, New York in the mid-19th century.

The Moore Caliber .32 Teat-fire, which used a unique cartridge to get around the Rollin White patent owned by Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson, proved very popular during the Civil War, with both soldiers and civilians. The "Teat-fire" cartridges did not have a rim at the back like conventional cartridges, but were rounded at the rear, with a small "teat" that would protrude through a tiny opening in the rear of the cylinder. The priming mixture was contained in the "teat" and when the hammer struck it, the cartridge would fire. Thus, it was akin to a rimfire cartridge, but instead of having priming all the way around the edge of the rim, it is centrally located in the teat. This also meant that the revolver cylinder was loaded from the front, which is why there is a loading gate at the front of the frame, and not the rear.

Moore's Caliber .32 Teat-fire Pocket Revolver proved very popular during the American Civil War, with both soldiers and civilians. National Arms produced about 30,000 of the revolvers from 1864 to 1870, when it was acquired by Colt's Manufacturing Company.

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