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MERWIN & HULBERT SINGLE ACTION ARMY 2ND
MODEL - .44 WCF – WITH ORIGINAL IVORY GRIPS:
One of the unsung firearms of the American West, the
Merwin, Hulbert & Company of New York City began
marketing a series of revolvers manufactured by the
Hopkins & Allen Company of Norwich Connecticut in 1876.
Their designs produced one of the strongest revolvers of
the period, and briefly earned a loyal following in the
very competitive market.
It has been reported that during the late 1800's, Merwin
& Hulbert revolvers were carried by many city police
departments in the East, and further, that contrary to
popular belief, more law enforcement officers carried
Merwin & Hulbert revolvers than they did Colt, Smith &
Wesson, or Remington pistols. Some well known
luminaries of the American West on both sides of the law
favored the Merwin & Hulbert, including Pat Garrett and
Jessie James.
Merwin & Hulbert incorporated a number of design
innovations which were quite popular to include folding
hammers on their pocket pistols, but the most
distinctive feature which separated their design from
the competition was their unique rotating barrel and
sliding cylinder which facilitated rapid extraction of
spent cartridges, yet left the unfired cartridges in
place, the bullet providing the additional length to
allow for this feature. When the barrel and cylinder
were so extended, the manipulation of a second button
allowed the barrel and cylinder to be released and both
removed from the frame for maintenance. This feature
also allowed the owner to purchase a second, shorter
barrel so that he could carry the pistol with its
reduced profile concealed in his clothing. These
mechanics necessarily required very precise machining
tolerances, resulting in a very well manufactured
revolver.
Merwin & Hulbert developed a nickel plating process that
is regarded by many to be superior to that of any of
their competitors. Adding to the pistol’s popularity,
the durable nickel finish served to protect the Merwin &
Hulbert revolvers when exposed to the harsh environments
of the West. Even on specimens which show heavy,
consistent period use, much of the Merwin & Hulbert
nickel plating survives.
All of these factors – one of the strongest, user
friendly designs of the period, consistently precise
manufacturing, and a durable finish – contributed
directly to the popularity of the Merwin & Hulbert
revolvers. Unfortunately, that popularity was
necessarily short lived, for in the mid-1880’s the
company closed its doors after being besieged by
financial difficulties and lawsuits regarding patent
infringements. Joseph Merwin died shortly thereafter in
1888, and with him went any future for the company.
In 1879, Merwin & Hulbert introduced this 2ND
Model which replaced the earlier form of “scooped”
cylinder flutes with the traditional open ended flutes
and a top strap was incorporated to strengthen the
frame.
This revolver has survived in excellent mechanical
condition, with all of the cocking, cylinder rotation,
indexing, and hammer-trigger functions are fully
operational, crisp, and very smooth. Likewise, the
barrel and cylinder releases function properly with no
play and no resistance – as smoothly as the day the
parts were machined. All of the major parts bear the
same matching assembly number, 8270, and the bottom of
the grip frame retains the legible serial number,
18065. The barrel retains all of the legible Hopkins
and Allen manufacturing information on the left side,
and the Merwin & Hulbert patent information on the top,
however the M & H info is abbreviated due to the barrel
having been shortened from 7 ˝” to 5”. The chambering
stamp on the left side of the frame below the cylinder,
“CALIBRE WINCHESTER 1873” is fully legible, indicating
this pistol is chambered for the famous and versatile
.44 Winchester Center Fire, or also known as the
.44-40. This chambering allowed the man to carry one
cartridge for his Winchester rifle and this pistol,
making it quite popular.
As mentioned above, the barrel was shortened during the
period of use, a common modification on the late 19TH
Century revolvers of all makers to make them more
comfortable to carry. The front sight was replaced with
what appears to be a piece of a coin, soldered in
place. The bore retains strong, clear rifling
throughout with some light patches of pitting at the
muzzle. The chambers are all smooth with no pitting or
darkening.
The original ivory grips are full form with a wonderful
naturally aged color. The panels bear matching numbers
stamped on the inner surfaces, “14”. The panels have
retained their full form with only two very minor chips
along the bottom edge of the left panel. The ivory has
a uniform checked surface, evidence of exposure to the
elements due to prolonged use, but they are both solid
with no cracks that negatively affect the strength or
integrity of the panels.
The nickel finish has suffered some wear as can be seen
in the photographs from being regularly carried in a
holster, no doubt over many years. There are some light
patches of pin prick sized pitting scattered over the
entire metal surface, but not to the point of having
roughened the surfaces. No doubt this revolver saw
constant use during the period, but the strong and fully
functional mechanics and the clean bore and chambers
testify that the owner took care of his revolver.
While Merwin-Hulbert had some very innovative and
successful designs, their revolvers were produced in
relatively limited numbers due to the short duration of
the company, resulting in fewer specimens surviving
today as compared to the larger and longer lasting
companies such as Colt and Remington. While showing use
and having been carried regularly by a man who depended
on this Merwin & Hulbert, it still presents as a
complete and fully functional specimen of a very
desirable revolver of the American West.
SOLD
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