Bacon

[hrt4me]

Does anyone have an original Bacon Manufacturing Company revolver, either .31 or .36 caliber?
(Hopkins & Allen eventually took over Bacon Arms, so same question: does anyone have an original Hopkins & Allen black powder cap-and-ball percussion revolver)?

 

[ord sgt]

Not the kind of bacon that I was looking to see, disappointed........

 

[kje54]

No revolvers but I do have 3 pounds of uncooked bacon in my fridge..........

 

[hrt4me]

here is my original Hopkins & Allen .31 caliber 5-shot pocket revolver, which I further believe to be what is known as the 3rd Model Bacon (these are my first photos from when I initially received it from the estate, in corroded condition with some parts stuck and immovable)...

 

[hrt4me]

after soaking some steel parts in Kroil, and then gentle cleaning and scrubbing with 0000 bronze wool and applying several coats of boiled linseed oil to the wooden grip panels... here are all the parts before I completely reassembled everything (I did not try too hard to remove the 5 stuck cones from the cylinder and just left those as is):

 

[hrt4me]

I am intimately familiar with the internal workings of the common and popular Colts and Remingtons, so these innards were interesting... notice the yoke between the hammer and its mainspring! Also note the interesting trigger spring and V-shaped bolt spring... finally, note the loading lever with its spring-loaded ball detent latching mechanism versus its counterpart on Colts and Remingtons...

I plan to make the short drive over to visit pistolsmith Gary Barnes (hoof hearted) in the next day or so, and once he gives his stamp of approval as to this revolver's condition and integrity, then I will fire it (hopefully this weekend)... so far the cylinder seems to index and lock up/time properly, and the cylinder gap is not excessive, and all the hammer notches are functional

 

[Phil Coffins]

Good work!

 

[hrt4me]

Good work!

thank you, I would say it cleaned up well

so does anyone else have one of these same vintage black powder cap-and-ball percussion revolvers?

 

[leadhoarder]

The workings of that revolver look similar to modern revolvers.

 

[toot]

after soaking some steel parts in Kroil, and then gentle cleaning and scrubbing with 0000 bronze wool and applying several coats of boiled linseed oil to the wooden grip panels... here are all the parts before I completely reassembled everything (I did not try too hard to remove the 5 stuck cones from the cylinder and just left those as is):
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WOW!! that is a great looking gun now! goes to show ya what can be done to a relic condition gun!! it came out just phenomenal!!

 

[toot]

I have one in 31 CAL. that I shoot 00buck shot in it. one at a time of course in each cylinder over 10 grains of 4 FG. yes 4FG, with no problem. it is a snapper. minimal recoil.

 

[bobthemotorcycle]

Came to see bacon but got surprised by a very good story.

Love that revolver but do you trust shooting something so old? That gun is made of iron not steel, won't it be too brittle to shoot?

 

[hrt4me]

Came to see bacon but got surprised by a very good story.

Love that revolver but do you trust shooting something so old? That gun is made of iron not steel, won't it be too brittle to shoot?

This morning I loaded and fired all 5 chambers of the cylinder, never having loaded more than ~15 gr of FFFg over a round ball

 

[hrt4me]

I have one in 31 CAL. that I shoot 00 buckshot in it. One at a time, of course, in each cylinder over 10 grains of 4 FG. yes 4FG, with no problem. it is a snapper. minimal recoil.

@toot, I would love to see pics of your sample...

 

[toot]

Came to see bacon but got surprised by a very good story.

Love that revolver but do you trust shooting something so old? That gun is made of iron not steel, won't it be too brittle to shoot?

not at all. a mild load of real BP, and not substitutes as T777, that a load of it is 10 % over what the load is.

 

[toot]

@toot, I would love to see pics of your sample...

I unfortunately cannot post pictures on my BANG & OLUFSEN, lap top. wish I could. sorry.

 

[JCKelly]

Came to see bacon but got surprised by a very good story.

Love that revolver but do you trust shooting something so old? That gun is made of iron not steel, won't it be too brittle to shoot?

Too brittle, maybe yes, maybe no.
The photos of frame LOOK like it is malleable(hopefully) cast iron. Hopkins & Allen malleable iron frames were commonly used on pepperbox guns. As the frame in a pepperbox is not under stress from the powder explosion that's not too bad, being in a pepperbox. In a revolver the frame does hold the thing together when fired.
Please bear in mind that in the 19th century there was no way to know if that malleable iron was indeed "malleable" It all depended on how accurate was the chemistry of the casting, and was it heat treated right (about 1750F 24 hours)
Your P.I.T.A. metallurgist. Again.

 

[Ponderosaman]

Please post the after picture with it all put back together.

 

[hrt4me]

Too brittle, maybe yes, maybe no.
The photos of frame LOOK like it is malleable (hopefully) cast iron. Hopkins & Allen malleable iron frames were commonly used on pepperbox guns. As the frame in a pepperbox is not under stress from the powder explosion, that's not too bad, being in a pepperbox. In a revolver, the frame does hold the thing together when fired.
Please bear in mind that in the 19th century there was no way to know if that malleable iron was indeed "malleable" It all depended on how accurate was the chemistry of the casting, and was it heat treated right (about 1750F 24 hours)
Your P.I.T.A. metallurgist. Again.

I have fired ~100 round balls in my 1837 Allen & Thurber .32 caliber Pepperbox, albeit with light 15 grain charges... no apparent issues so far!

 

[hrt4me]

Please post the after picture with it all put back together.