This is a Lucius Pond belt revolver from the Civil War period. In 1862 Smith & Wesson took Pond to court for patent infringements and won the suit. Pond was able to continue producing this belt revolver as long as they were stamped Manuf'd for Smith & Wesson Pat'd April 5 1855. The overall length of this single action 32 caliber rimfire revolver is 8 1/4". The octagonal 4" barrel is double stamped. The top flat is marked MANUF'D FOR SMITH & WESSON PAT'D APRIL 5 1855. The flat below is marked L.W.POND WORCHESTER MASS. PAT'D JULY 10 1860. The barrel, cylinder pin, cylinder and butt strap are all stamped with serial number 3501. The metal has a silver/gray patina with areas of darker aging, especially the cylinder and adjacent areas. The two piece Rosewood grips are in excellent condition. The little brass headed screw driver still remains with this firearm. The action one this one works great. The cylinder indexes perfectly and the hammer drops when the spur trigger is depressed. A unique feature of this revolver is the manner in which it was loaded. This revolver has a break open action, with the hinge being located above the cylinder instead of below. The detent button to open the action is located on the left side of the frame. When it was depressed the barrel and cylinder could be rotated upward, and the cartridges could fall out if the shooter wasn't careful. However, if you had fired all six shots then it made reloading easier if all the empty cartridges fell out. Since this revolver is in 32 caliber it is considered to be a Navy model. Another Civil War era pistol that is reasonably priced.

Item # AA804

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