Original U.S. Civil War Pettengill "Self-Cocking" Hammerless Navy .34cal Percussion Revolver - Matching Serial 186

Original Item: Only One Available. These are very rare! C. S. Pettengill of New Haven, CT was granted U.S. Patent 15,388 on July 22, 1856, which was for this "Self-Cocking" design. The design was then improved by Edward A. Raymond and Charles Robotaille of Brooklyn, NY, who were granted U.S. Patent 21,054 on July 27, 1858. Production was then started in 1858 at the Rogers and Spencer production plant, being overseen by HENRY S. ROGERS himself. The first model to be produced were the .31 Caliber Pocket Model and the .34 Caliber Navy Model, which was a bit smaller in caliber than other "Navy" models of the time. The company later designed a .44cal Army model, however due to powder fouling issues it was not successful, and eventually replaced by Colt M1863 Army Revolvers shortly thereafter.

Here we have lovely example of the .34 cal Navy model revolver, also known as the "Belt model", and this is the first example that we have ever had! It is marked with serial number serial number 186 on the cylinder, on the inside of the trigger guard, on the front underside of the barrel, and the bottom of the grip frame. We checked the insides of the grip scales, and BOTH are marked with 186 as well, making this a great "ALL MATCHING" example! The revolver features the standard internal hammer and a cylinder in .34 caliber with 5 shots. The octagonal barrel is 4 1/2" long and the gun is 10 1/4" in overall length.

The top cylinder strap is marked:

PETTENGILLS
PATENT 1856

While the bottom is marked:

RAYMOND & ROBITALLE
PATENTED 1858

We did notice that there is some writing on the inside of the right grip scale, an almost certainly spurious reference to "WILD BILL" and "W.M. CODY".

The revolver displays an overall worn gray mottled patina, showing some areas of past peppering, now cleaned away, though it also still shows some areas where the original blued finish is still present. The cylinder shows some past powder burn that has now been cleaned away, giving it a matte look on the front and rear. This is definitely a revolver that looks to have seen a good amount of service, but was well cared for. The grips show the expected wear from use, and not longer show any cartouches or other markings on the exterior.

Functionally, the revolver cycles very well, with just a bit of rebounding of the cylinder after the trigger is released. The design does not really have a cylinder lock, instead using a leaf spring to prevent the cylinder from rotating in reverse. Due to this the cylinder can be revolved at any time when the trigger is not depressed to aid with loading. Removing the arbor pin retaining screw allows the arbor pin / rammer to be removed, and the cylinder to be taken out for reloading. We did notice that instead of the usual screw retaining system, this example has a leaf spring on the top of the rammer assembly, which fits into a groove and inlet onto the underside of the barrel. We also noted that the loading rammer handle has a cut down the middle and is squeezed together to fit into the retainer at the front of the barrel.

We checked the cap nipples, and they are all clear and in very good shape, showing light to moderate use, with some powder burn and oxidation on the exterior. The bore is in very good condition, showing a partly bright finish with strong lands and grooves. There are some spots of oxidation and fouling on the interior, particularly near the muzzle.

In Full working Order and in very good condition, this was the ONLY Hammerless design available during the Civil War. One of only a few examples we have ever had, and the first Navy model! Ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: circa 1863
Caliber: .34cal
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 4 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 10 1/4 inches
Action: Double Action Only
Feed System: 5 Shot Revolver

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