Pepperboxes

sportee

sportee

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In the time that i have been collecting antiques i have seen a few percussion pepperboxes but i have yet to come accross any cartridge pepperboxes. I do know a fellow CGN'r that owns a remington elliot and im thinking i was a photo of a sharps pepperbox on the forum once but other than that there doesnt seem to be any interest in them.

The simple revolving barrel clusters of the percussion models seems to be pretty simple...not a lot to break or wear out but the cartridge peppers seem to have very delicate internals with revolving firing pins ect. Why are there none north of the border? or more accurately, why does there seem to be no interest? Are we all just too fixated on big bore stuff?

Just a though i was having...:redface:
 
I don't really collect antiques, but I did pick up what I think is a nice Allen & Thurber pepperbox (.31 percussion). I had to bring it in from the U.S., though. I have no idea why they're not found here, but I wish they, and a lot of other things, were.
 
Strictly speaking, is a pistol with multiple but fixed barrels, a pepperbox? There is the little Reid Knuckleduster, which is a cartridge pistol with a rotating cylinder and no barrel, and there are others, including some European pinfires. I suspect that cartridge pepperboxes are uncommon because relatively few were made. By the time cartridges were established, conventional revolvers were readily available. There was no advantage to a pepperbox style cartridge pistol.
Pepperboxes and the so-called transitional revolvers were popular for a relatively short period.
In general, pistols of all sorts were less common north of the border. I suspect that it was just not usual for someone to go armed. While there were numerous gunmakers in Canada both before and after Confederation, not many made pistols, although they certainly had the skill to do so. Jones, Booth and Mater did, but they are in the minority. Probably the market was just not there. Compare a reprint of an Eatons catalogue with a Sears Roebuck catalogue of the same vintage.
 
True enought Tiriaq...

Shortly after the metal cartridge came along there were a lot of pocket revolvers out there...the pepperbox wouldn't have been as practical.
 
I had a Sharps pepperbox in .32 rimfire for awhile before I traded it. I think the idea on the pepperbox in general was to have a small discreet gun that could be hidden in a vest pocket - revolvers tend to be wider. Also, I believe S&W held the patent for the bored through revolver cylinder use with cartridges so other makers had to make do until the patent ran out.

Here's a pic of the Sharps I used to have. I kind of miss that gun. :(

Sharps3.jpg
 
I think one of the reasons for percussion pepperboxes was to prevent jamming, particularly in the case of Colt revolvers, when a cap fell between the frame and the hammer. Percussion pepperboxes were not particularly small and were relatively heavy so I don't think they were more concealable than revolvers. I think by the cartridge era, small cartridge revolvers were reliable enough that there was no real advantage to a pepperbox except perhaps for the 4 barreled Sharp's and then only in .22 cal.

I am not sure how much I agree with Tiriaq on the abundance of pistols in Canada. I suspect they were relatively uncommon in the prairies and in the east but I have read contemporary accounts that they were almost universal amongst the prospectors in BC

cheers mooncoon
 
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almost universal amongst the prospectors in BC
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I to have read this. Those early prospectors basically went into the bush with a cheap 32, a blanket and not much else. They did'nt exactly have a long life span and the revolver was probabley used as an expediated pain killer in many a remote rocky craig after a fall on many occassions.

in 1990 I stumbled into a very remote "gold mine" complete with a wheel gun bearing 7 foot tall eastern european. He was'nt trying to but I suspect he would have been unoticable on an 1880s street corner. Prospectors might have needed guns but precious metal miners Definetley had a use for them. I left quick.
 
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skirsons said:
I always wondered if you could still find .32 rimfire ammo... gunshows I suppose?
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You can get 32 rimfire adapters from Dixie Gun works I have a set for mine they are made from brass you use a 22 short or bb cap as the primer pull the bullet dump powder fill case with fffg black press a 32 cal round ball on the end and away you go they are alot of farting around but at least you can make it go bang and then hang it on the wall
 
Mooncoon is undoubtedly correct about regional conditions. Based on the number of pistols which have surfaced, they certainly weren't rare in 19th century Canada, and there was quite a variety. I suspect though, that the ratio of longarms to pistols was rather different than south of the border.
Pepperboxes were effective, reasonably priced, repeating pistols. They were made in substantial numbers, in the US, Britain, and Europe. But I suspect that cartridge pepperboxes were only a very small percentage of production. I'm trying to think of makers. Marston was one.
 
Both .32 and .41 rimfire ammo has been made sporadicaly. Navy Arms in the US had a batch made in Brazil (I believe) a few years ago. The rounds you see in my picture were from a box of .32 rimfire ammo I bought from Epps. I believe it ended up costing me about a buck a round (when the dollar was only worth .75 !). If you keep an eye out at local gun shows you might find a box or two. Also, Old Western Scrounger is listing it on their web site: h ttp://www.ows-ammo.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/21/products_id/1003
 
Ive got a couple boxes of minty 32 Domion RF ammo but its so rare i hate to shoot it LOL
I like my little Antique pocket pistol that shoots 32 Long colt.
At least with a CF you can reload it.
This gun has a very long cylinder.
I listed it for sale for awhile till i came to my sences LOL

Its not Chambered for 32 long colt but it fits tho a tad Loose shoots the BP stuff i have just great.
Its a deadly little thing once that trigger drops you can fire 5 shots DA as fast as you can spit :D

 
You sure like showing that velodog off dont you Dingus ;)

If you guys keep an eye open you'll stumble accross some 32RF. Its out there. I actually have a couple of boxes of antique Dominion cartridges as well...32 longs and 32 shorts. But no 32 gun any more:(

From whay i know, Remington had the Elliot's in 22RF and 32RF, Bacon had a 32RF pepperbox, Sharps had a couple (4 models i think) all in 32RF and im sure there were others.
 
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sportee said:
You sure like showing that velodog off dont you Dingus ;)

If you guys keep an eye open you'll stumble accross some 32RF. Its out there. I actually have a couple of boxes of antique Dominion cartridges as well...32 longs and 32 shorts. But no 32 gun any more:(

From whay i know, Remington had the Elliot's in 22RF and 32RF, Bacon had a 32RF pepperbox, Sharps had a couple (4 models i think) all in 32RF and im sure there were others.
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LOL ya i do! its such a Neat little Unit.
I do come accross 32 RF at gun shows a fair bit so i will watch for some.
The last box with 44 rds of 32 RF shorts i got for $10 so they do come around.
I thought there was some new 32 RF around somewhere. Wasnt that Scrounger place or Buffalo arms selling it?
 
Buying old rimfire ammunition can be dubious economy. I bought a bag of about 50 32 rimfire and out of the first 6 or 7, only 1 or 2 fired. I assume the priming had deteriorated. I had a similar experience with .22 auto shells; bought 2 boxes of old ammo and one worked fine, the other only a few shells fired.

cheers mooncoon
 
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