RARE MERWIN & HULBERT EARLY MODEL ARMY SINGLE ACTION REVOLVER WITH BIRD HEAD GRIP.

RARE MERWIN & HULBERT EARLY MODEL ARMY SINGLE ACTION REVOLVER WITH BIRD HEAD GRIP. SN 4447. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Nickel finish with 7″ rnd bbl, integral half moon front sight with 1-line Merwin & Hulbert address with patent numbers and Hopkins & Allen manufacturer’s address on left side. Left side of frame is marked “CALIBRE / WINCHESTER 1873”. This is the early style revolver with open top frame and 6-shot cyl with the first style scooped flutes. Frame is scarce bird head style with skull cracker that has a lanyard hole in butt strap. Mounted with 2-pc checkered hard rubber grips numbered to this revolver. Production records for these revolvers are unavailable but according to Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms only a few thousand were produced in the period 1876-1880. This revolver is somewhat enigmatic in that it is the early style with scarce bird head grip but in the later Winchester caliber instead of the earlier Merwin & Hulbert caliber. All combined, these features make this a quite rare revolver. The SN is found on the bottom right of the butt strap and the assembly number “2346” is on the left side of front strap under grip which number is also found on the cyl spindle, rear face of cyl and rear face of bbl lug. No further disassembly was effected to check for additional matching parts. These revolvers were very popular on the frontier due to their ease of loading & unloading and their accuracy with a heavier cartridge. The Merwin & Hulbert Co. was not a manufacturing company but simply dealers & promoters who contracted manufacturing of their designs with established firearms companies, in this case Hopkins & Allen. In spite of their advanced designs the company was not able to successfully compete with Colt and Smith & Wesson given their late start and lack of established distribution channels. Colt, with its single action Army in 1873, was well established on the civilian market and with the military by the time Merwin & Hulbert brought out their Army model. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus, possibly unfired, retaining virtually all of its orig factory nickel finish with some slight dulling from handling & storage and some faint pin pricks in the finish around sideplate. Hammer & trigger guard retain most of their orig factory case colors, moderately faded. Trigger retains most of its bright fire blue. Grips are sound showing a couple of spots of high point sharp edge wear, probably from sliding around in a drawer and have turned chocolate. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore, probably unfired. 4-40897 JR189 (7,000-9,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2010

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	2308	$0.00	RARE MERWIN & HULBERT EARLY MODEL ARMY SINGLE ACTION REVOLVER WITH BIRD HEAD GRIP. SN 4447. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Nickel finish with 7″ rnd bbl, integral half moon front sight with 1-line Merwin & Hulbert address with patent numbers and Hopkins & Allen manufacturer’s address on left side. Left side of frame is marked “CALIBRE / WINCHESTER 1873”. This is the early style revolver with open top frame and 6-shot cyl with the first style scooped flutes. Frame is scarce bird head style with skull cracker that has a lanyard hole in butt strap. Mounted with 2-pc checkered hard rubber grips numbered to this revolver. Production records for these revolvers are unavailable but according to Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms only a few thousand were produced in the period 1876-1880. This revolver is somewhat enigmatic in that it is the early style with scarce bird head grip but in the later Winchester caliber instead of the earlier Merwin & Hulbert caliber. All combined, these features make this a quite rare revolver. The SN is found on the bottom right of the butt strap and the assembly number “2346” is on the left side of front strap under grip which number is also found on the cyl spindle, rear face of cyl and rear face of bbl lug. No further disassembly was effected to check for additional matching parts. These revolvers were very popular on the frontier due to their ease of loading & unloading and their accuracy with a heavier cartridge. The Merwin & Hulbert Co. was not a manufacturing company but simply dealers & promoters who contracted manufacturing of their designs with established firearms companies, in this case Hopkins & Allen. In spite of their advanced designs the company was not able to successfully compete with Colt and Smith & Wesson given their late start and lack of established distribution channels. Colt, with its single action Army in 1873, was well established on the civilian market and with the military by the time Merwin & Hulbert brought out their Army model. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus, possibly unfired, retaining virtually all of its orig factory nickel finish with some slight dulling from handling & storage and some faint pin pricks in the finish around sideplate. Hammer & trigger guard retain most of their orig factory case colors, moderately faded. Trigger retains most of its bright fire blue. Grips are sound showing a couple of spots of high point sharp edge wear, probably from sliding around in a drawer and have turned chocolate. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore, probably unfired. 4-40897 JR189 (7,000-9,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2010 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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