Original U.S. "Southerner" .41cal. Rimfire Single Shot Derringer by Merimack Arms & Mfg. Co. with Shortened Barrel - Serial 2198

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice "salty" service used example of one of several .41 caliber single shot pocket pistols, usually referred to as "Derringers", after the legendary pocket pistols made in Philadelphia before the civil war. The National Arms company had made one of the early examples, which featured a rotating barrel based on a 1861 patent held by Daniel Moore. This company was later purchased by Colt, who continued production. However they were definitely not the only company that made pistols like this.

Merrimack Arms & Manufacturing Co. of Newburyport, Mass. patented their own design for a "Derringer" in 1867 as a competitor to the National Arms pistol, and it was honestly a much better design. Instead of the rotating barrel, it instead pivoted to the side, with an ejector removing the spent cartridge. They marketed the pistol as the "SOUTHERNER", intended to appeal to customers in the South, hoping to take advantage of markets farther from the large firearms industry in New England. They manufactured about 6,500 of these pistols between 1867 and 1869.

In 1869, the company was reorganized as Brown Manufacturing Co., and they would go on to produce 10,000 more of the pistols between 1869 to 1873. Of note is that this design anticipated Colt's "Thuer" model or "New Model" Derringer, which was not released until 1875, five years after they purchased National Arms, and was based on a similar concept.

This example is very good condition, showing wear from service and cleaning, which has removed the bluing on the barrel, and also removed the plating from the frame, except for under the grips. It really looks great, with a beautiful golden patina on the brass frame. The barrel looks to have seen a bit of past oxidation and peppering, and also was cut down a bit, so now it is only 2" long, and not 2 3/8". It has seen a lot of cleaning to the sides, which looks to have removed the original maker mark. The top of the barrel still bears a large SOUTHERNER marking on the top. The markings on the side of the barrel originally would have read:

BROWN MF'G. Co.
NEWBURYPORT. MASS.
PAT. APR. 9. 1867.

The pistol is marked with serial number 2198 on the bottom of the grip frame, which is still clear. This same number is stamped onto the bottom of the barrel, and on the inside of BOTH grip scales. The ejector mechanism is completely missing, so this is a very nice "Mostly Matching" example. Based on past examples, pistols marked "Brown Mf'g. Co." usually have the serial on the bottom of the grips, while the ones marked "Merimack Arms & Mfg. Co." have the serial number on top of the frame.

The action opens and closes correctly when the button on the bottom of the frame is pressed, however there is no longer any half cock position on the hammer, so the action can be opened at any time. As mentioned previously the ejector mechanism is completely missing, probably removed long ago after it broke. We checked the bore, and we can still see rifling, however we can also see a good amount of past overall peppering and oxidation, which was cleaned away, leaving light pitting and peppering. The grips look to be rosewood, and are in very good service used condition, showing a lovely color with exterior wear, but no major chips or cracking.

A lovely concealable pocket pistol from the late 19th century, ready to display!

Specifications:

Years of Manufacture: 1867-1869
Caliber: .41cal
Ammunition Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 2 3/8 inches
Overall Length: 4 3/4 inches
Action: Pivoting Barrel
Feed System: Single Shot

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