4 Brl pistol

[fredrader]

Ok,I am sure you guys are getting tired of looking at the junk I pick up at the shows around here but....Here is another fine piece (Of something)I picked up today.
The bore measures .35 and it is a smooth bore..It doesn't rotate with the trigger but you turn it by hand and it clicks into position to fire..It was designed that way I guess.
Other than that I don't know exactly what it is..I did pick up some .36 and .32 balls to go with it.. :wink:

 

Are there any markings on it? It looks like it might be a replica that used to be sold as a kit. (I think Dixie may still sell one.) At least some of the kit guns were manually turned. Some, I think, were double action.

 

[Poor Private]

Ye old Pepperbox.

 

[silverfox]

I think what you have was sold as a replica(not exact) of either a Hopkin and Allen pepper box. There was also something very similar put out under Hoppe's name. They both seemed to be shooters with across the table accuracy which is what they were designed to do. They were are most were .36 Should be a fun gun to make noise with.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[fredrader]

Thanks guys for the info :bow: ..I saw it and as usual I had to have it..The guy wanted a hundred for it but I didn't buy it till the end of the show and he took $50 for it..I'll give it a whirl as soon as it dries up around here..What kind of a charge would I start with??
This is a pic of the only markings on it..

 

[fredrader]

I found one on line Dixie Gun Works and the possibles shop..

ETHAN ALLEN PEPPERBOX
The Pepper Box features a .36 caliber steel 4-shot rotating barrel, brass frame, coil spring action, with a Walnut grip. Made in America. The original patent was let in 1837, so the gun is correct for anytime after that for primitive folks. Overall length is 9" and weighs 2 1/4 Lb. This is considered to be an advanced kit.


Thanks guys..

 

[nkbj]

Down south that there would be one fine brush wading gun. Four snakes worth!

 

[fraungie]

If we get tired of looking at muzzleloading pictures we are on the wrong website. That's a beautiful pepperbox worth every penny. You sure talked the guy down. Remind me to never sell you a car. Chicken George had one of those in the movie roots.

 

[fredrader]

Thanks,Yea I know just about everyone that frequents the little show we have here locally every saturday and seems like nobody there buys black powder stuff..But they all know me and my obsession so they steer any black powder stuff my way so I do pretty good most of the time.. :thumbsup:

 

Surfed the web and found that the CMC pepperbox was a rather common replica a few years (decades?) ago. Recently sold for about $60 on a couple of auction sites. Did not find any information on where it was made or by whom.

 

[fredrader]

Thanks,I found some on line myself.on one auction site there is one for $60 and on another bigger auction site there is one for $125 and both ended without a bid...Thanks again :grin:

 

[RADeO]

The pictures you posted are the spittin' image of a piece sold by Classic Arms back in the 70s or early 80s I believe. They also sold a single-barrel pistol they called the New Orleans Ace, and a three-barrel job called a "Duckfoot".

I have personally seen and handled the "Ace" and the four-barrel "pepperbox" and I have to tell you honestly, the quality in those specimens was rather shoddy. Machining was rough, especially in the barrels, pins seemed undersized, and the general design appeared poorly thought-out. They are good as noisemakers, if carefully used, or paperweights.

As far as value goes, I realize value, as does beauty, lies in the perception of the beholder. My perception is, it wouldn't be a good buy even at half the lower price. I would however, consider taking one off the hands of the owner if they paid me a small consideration for my time. :rotf:

 

[Zonie]

I'm glad you didn't pay much for your pepperbox.
It is a CLASSIC ARMS/USA version of the pepperbox and IMO it is worth about what you paid for it as a wall hanger.

These guns were all kits and the company that produces them is still in business.

Dixie Gunworks is still selling the kits for about $130 but there is no way I could ever tell someone to spend that much money on one unless they wanted a $130 wall hanger.

The Pepperbox's that were sold by HOPPE'S back in the 1980's and were called ETHAN ALLEN PEPPERBOX PISTOL's were far better guns.
Externally, they differ in having a metal grip frame that is an integrally cast into the body of the pistol. Two wooden grips were attached to the frames grip. They also had an actual hammer with a cocking spur.

Your gun is firable (sometimes, when the hammer works) but all pepperboxes were very prone to multiple discharging (chain fireing) so if your guns hammer works reliably I recommend loading only one chamber.
I would also recomend keeping the powder charge under 15 grains (Dixie recommends 10 grains), under a .350 diameter ball patched with a piece of cotton tee shirt.

Sorry to be so blunt but on the plus side, you saved yourself $100 by buying your gun as you did rather than buying a kit from Dixie Gunworks.

 

[fredrader]

Thanks,I just bought it because it was cheap and something to play with..Thanks agin

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

I can appreciate your enthusiasm for blackpowder pieces. Unfortunately, as an owner of a few of the "Classic Arms" pieces, it bothers me to see those things are still around.
I was caught up in the hype when those things were first marketed. I had to get on a waiting list with the company for my "pepperbox". The prepaid wait was over a year. There was no refund offered either before or after taking possession of the item. I can tell you this, after the extremely long wait, I was very, very disappointed in the quality as well as the price. All the time, the company would send letters praising the quality and authenticity of the pieces they were turning out. People at work had purchased other "Classic Arms" pistol kits and were not happy to say the least. I was given a few of those things to tinker with. The machining was the absolute worst. The bores lookes as if they had been done with broken bits and chips in the cutters. One pistol barrel's bore actually looked as if it had been threaded it was so bad.
I will say this, I own one of their coffin handled Bowie knives. I like it somewhat. It was a kit also. You have to ask yourself how hard is it to mess up a knife kit...
In my personal experience and opinion, the "Classic Arms" products wouldn't even make a good bumper on Yugo. And, they would even make poorer rust scale.
If memory serves me, there was a lawsuit against "Classic Arms" early on. The complaints listed were long and never explained waiting periods with no refunds, and poor quality of product. I think the considered suit was settled or dropped all together. I do remember getting several letters regarding that planned action.
Not all of their pieces are made in the U.S. I have owned a few that were clearly marked made in Korea. The pepperbox was made here... at least mine was.
I wish I had something positive to say about that company and its products, but I don't. I will say that they will never see another penny from me.
Sorry if I rambled.

 

[fredrader]

I took it out back and shot it a few times today,I loaded 10g Goex FFFG and double patched .32cal balls in all 4 brls and went for it ..I tried loading .36cal ball but my .15 patches were to thick to load.I used #10 caps and had to pinch them a little to get them to fit snug.I shot it 12 times..
It worked great but since it didn't have any sights I just shot it towards the woods and listened to the balls bounce around in the trees...The trigger is kinda hard on the finger but other than that it is fun..I will get some thinner patches and maby some smaller balls and shoot it some more this spring.. :thumbsup: