Mass Arms Maynard Primed Manually Rotated Belt Revolver

American Civil War

.31 caliber. 6" barrel length. SN: 726. Blued and color casehardened finish, silver plated brass triggerguard, smooth one-piece walnut grip. Manually indexed and rotated Maynard tape primed tip up percussion revolver with un-fluted six chambered cylinder, notch rear sight and German silver blade front sight. Primer magazine door engraved with an escutcheon and the words MAYNARD'S PATENT/SEP. 22, 1845 surrounding an {American Eagle}. Topstrap stamped MASS. ARMS CO./CHICOPEE FALLS in two lines. Cylinder acid etched with floral motifs, lock, hammer and reverse frame engraved with simple, flowing foliate scrolls. These guns were produced in relatively small quantities between 1851 and 1857 with an estimated production of about 1,000. The manually rotated cylinder design was intended to circumvent Colt's 1836 patent which covered the rotation and indexing of a revolver cylinder with the cocking action of the hammer. The addition of the automatic priming system was an attempt to make a gun that was not as sophisticated or conventional as the Colt have some additional market appeal. In 1857 the abolitionist John Brown purchased 200 of these guns for his planned uprising, resulting in collectors referring to this revolver as the John Brown Model. A scarce revolver from the pre-Civil War period. {ANTIQUE}

From the Lifetime Collection of Robert G. Paulsen

This lot is located in Cincinnati.