2ndAmendmentForever
Moderator
I recently acquired a Hopkins & Allen Acme Hammerless No. 1.....
I was looking for an unusual antique firearm....
The top of the frame is stamped:
HOPKINS & ALLEN MFG. Co.
ACME HAMMERLESS No. 1
PAT. MAR. 28. 71 JAN. 6. 88
32 CAL. CENTRE FIRE
The bottom of the barrel is "machine stamped":
PATENT APPLIED
Then right after that, is what looks to be "hand stamped":
3555
I picked up Joseph Vorisek's book,
FIFTY YEARS OF GUNMAKING
The Story of the
THE HOPKINS & ALLEN ARMS COMPANY
1867 TO 1917
and in Chapter 6, The Merwin, Hulbert Series, on page 45, he writes:
"I have included one other revolver here, the ACME HAMMERLESS, that I have some difficulty with when I try to determine how long it was made and why it was discontinued.
It bears a strong resemblance to the M-H XL series of solid frame revolvers which indicate to me that these guns were an outgrowth of the M-H line. However a good case could be made that these little revolvers were designed to be sold by Hopkins & Allen on their own.
The only specimen I have unearthed to date was in .32 caliber and one has been reported in .38 caliber, but I suppose that they must have been made in .22 caliber as well.
What I don't understand is why they seem to have been made for only a short period of time, apparently between 1893 and 1898.
The gun itself is an inexpensive solid frame revolver with an internal hammer and a sliding safety on the top rear of the grip strap.
The gun would seem to have been a marketing dream: a small cheap hammerless .32 caliber pocket revolver.
It should have been very popular and should have sold well, yet their is little evidence that either H&A or the Hulbert Bros. ever put any effort into its sale. I have not come across any catalogs that describe it, nor any ads touting it. Instead it just seems to have appeared, stayed a while and then dropped from sight."
Can anyone provide any insight on that number 3555, or add anything more to the "Acme Hammerless No. 1?
Thanks!
I was looking for an unusual antique firearm....
The top of the frame is stamped:
HOPKINS & ALLEN MFG. Co.
ACME HAMMERLESS No. 1
PAT. MAR. 28. 71 JAN. 6. 88
32 CAL. CENTRE FIRE
The bottom of the barrel is "machine stamped":
PATENT APPLIED
Then right after that, is what looks to be "hand stamped":
3555
I picked up Joseph Vorisek's book,
FIFTY YEARS OF GUNMAKING
The Story of the
THE HOPKINS & ALLEN ARMS COMPANY
1867 TO 1917
and in Chapter 6, The Merwin, Hulbert Series, on page 45, he writes:
"I have included one other revolver here, the ACME HAMMERLESS, that I have some difficulty with when I try to determine how long it was made and why it was discontinued.
It bears a strong resemblance to the M-H XL series of solid frame revolvers which indicate to me that these guns were an outgrowth of the M-H line. However a good case could be made that these little revolvers were designed to be sold by Hopkins & Allen on their own.
The only specimen I have unearthed to date was in .32 caliber and one has been reported in .38 caliber, but I suppose that they must have been made in .22 caliber as well.
What I don't understand is why they seem to have been made for only a short period of time, apparently between 1893 and 1898.
The gun itself is an inexpensive solid frame revolver with an internal hammer and a sliding safety on the top rear of the grip strap.
The gun would seem to have been a marketing dream: a small cheap hammerless .32 caliber pocket revolver.
It should have been very popular and should have sold well, yet their is little evidence that either H&A or the Hulbert Bros. ever put any effort into its sale. I have not come across any catalogs that describe it, nor any ads touting it. Instead it just seems to have appeared, stayed a while and then dropped from sight."
Can anyone provide any insight on that number 3555, or add anything more to the "Acme Hammerless No. 1?
Thanks!