Volcanic Pistols

[mkrnel]

How much do you think this crate of Volcanic Pistols would be worth on the Canadian market if they were for sale?

They are part of the Fort Whoop-Up collection, the home to the largest period firearm collection in Canada.

Before there was an Alberta . . . Before there were Mounties . . . There was a Whoop-Up!

 

[JasonGTA]

probably a lot... I would buy one maybe two! Maybe not lol looking online they for $10,000+ a piece.

 

[dingus]

there cool but can you shoot them ? ive never seen ammo for them anywhere.
course at 10 k to 20K a pop who would shoot them anyway.

 

[mkrnel]

Actually they can go as high as $50,000 USD for prime examples -

 

[geologist]

How do you mount your red dot on it?

 

[mr.e moose]

Seems that if they were pristine unfired examples they could be worth $50,000 each. Put the case up for auction and find 2 rich Montana ranchers whose great granddad was in the whiskey trade and the sky is the limit.

 

[colinjw]

How do you mount your red dot on it?

I put mine on with JB Weld.

 

[jpc]

Great Pictures and thanks for sharing ☺

 

[mooncoon]

I find it hard to believe they are real as opposed to well made and non operational copies

cheers mooncoon

 

[green]

IIRC there was a thread about these and they are repro non guns. The case is incorrect. Volcanic arms were made by Smith and Wesson and the Volcanic Arms Co.

 

[mkrnel]

IIRC there was a thread about these and they are repro non guns. The case is incorrect. Volcanic arms were made by Smith and Wesson and the Volcanic Arms Co.

I thought it would be hard to believe they would have a case of 36 of these pistols, but Volcanic Arms was taken over by Winchester (their major investor) in 1856 and who then moved the production from the Volcanic Arms factory in Norwich CT. to their factory in New Haven CT. and continued to make and sell them until about 1866. -

http://www.civilwarnews.com/reviews/2012br/jan/volcanic-lewis-b011205.html

 

[green]

Oliver Winchester took over Volcanic in 1857 and renamed the company New Haven Arms Co but continued to mark the arms as Volcanic. New Haven dropped the Volcanic in 1860 with the introduction of the Henry rifle. New Haven Arms was renamed Winchester Repeating Arms Co in 1866. The WRA box is inappropriate for Volcanics.
Source "Flaydermans' 8th Edition

 

[Stray03]

On youtube you can find a guy who made his own and cut down brass to make his special bullets for it since the original rounds were caseless. He has a build thread on one of the real gun forums, I just don't remember which one. He also has a picture of his rifle version and the pistol version in a display case, and you'd think they were originals.

 

[mkrnel]

Thanks for the video's, that guy has done a top notch job reproducing one of these unique period pistols!

Here is another interesting video about these pistols -

 

[vagrantviking]

Anyone who has a chance should definitely check out the collection at Fort Whoop up. Theres is one of the best in Canada.

As it became politically unpopular to display firearms most of the large museums have traded off most of their collections and the director in Lethbridge jumped all over everything they could find a spot for. Unfortunately after 2 floods I'm not sure how everything faired.