Allen & Thurber Pepperbox

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ivankerley said:
never paid them much mind, now this thread has me thinking "maybe?":D
Does anybody know who besides hoppes made reproductions?
The OP's pistol is beautiful the repro that Dixie sells looks nothing like this
Gene
Click to expand...
Dixie Gun works used to sell a repro made in Spain by Astra*. It was scaled down to .22 and had an all-metal gripframe (no separate grip panels) and was a true DAO pepperbox like the Allen & Thurber this thread is about. However, I've got no idea if DGW still has 'em for sale. I didn't bring it up earlier because there was no way on earth I could see mistaking one of them for or stamping over or whatever to make it appear to be like the OP's A&T.


*Astra, IIRC; I've got one and I'm too lazy to go downstairs and check right now
 
I saw one of the 22 caliber repros at a flea market a while ago. I think those went off the market a long time ago.
I knew that to satisfy my pepperbox fascination I needed an old original. It's too bad nobody makes a faithfull replica of one. I would really like to have one to shoot.
I'm pretty sure I could shoot this one if the nipples or hammer aren't worn too badly, but I don't think I'd want to risk shooting it much.
I'm not sure if the hammer comes close enough to the nipples for it to fire. There is definitely a little space between the face of the hammer and the nipples. The hammer rests on the frame.
I'll have to put some caps on it and see if it will set them off.
 
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Hi, Johnny,

Mine has the date 1845 on the hammer, which is consistent with the U type mainspring. There is no date on the barrel cluster, which does not have ribs, and is marked "Allen & Thurber Worcester" in one line with the markings apparently done with two separate stamps. Yours, with the two dates on the same gun would seem inconsistent, but would not necessarily mean two different guns. If A&T was like other companies, it is quite possible that they assembled those parts that would work, without worrying about the details. If they did a FILO on their parts bins, that would lead to many of the odd and inconsistent guns we see reported.

Jim
 
Johnny C, correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like you're getting into collecting these type of firearms? It seems like there are a lot of originals out there in great shape like yours. If you get into collecting these let me know and I'll keep an eye out for some goods ones up for sale.
 
Not sure if I'm going to start collecting them or not. I've been collecting mainly Colts and S&Ws for years but thought I'd try something a little different.
 
What size percussion caps

I know that this is an old thread, but I'm working on an old Allen & Thurber Pepperbox. I appears to be a .31 caliber (6 shot) with barrels slightly more than 3".

Looks like the client has "cleaned" up the outside, but the barrels have rust inside. The action worked when we took it apart, but we've noticed that the nipples are smashed and flared a bit. I've not been able to find any information on what size percussion caps are supposed to fit on the nipples. They are too flared for a Rem #10 or Rem #11, they don't appear to be deep enough or wide enough relief for an old top hat style.

Can anyone confirm what size nipple/cap this is supposed to be? Been through all the books in the shop, searched online and read lots of posts. Pretty sure we have an authentic pistol but cannot find anything to identify the cap size.

Thanks for your help.
 
I have a pepper box. It was a kit, 36 cal and in the white. I have shot it a few times and accurate out to 50 feet. The right cap was a hassle I had to trim number 10s shorter as they were to long for the short nipples. I found cap gun caps worked the best for reliable fireing.
 
This is what I once thought a "revolver" was and I guess technically it is.


Twain called the one on his stagecoach- an "Allen's Revolver."..."It was a cheerful weapon..."
 
Actually when Capt. Sam Walker was in Washington trying to get support from the govt.and the army for an order for Colts new .44 cal revolver, everyone thought he was trying to sell them this multi barrel pistol design. He corrected them saying the Colt was totally different revolutionary design, not a mere ".popgun" as he derisively called the multi barrel pistols.
Around that same time period A&T was making a large .36 cal "dragoon size" belt pistol. These , I believe are the "popguns" Walker was referring to.
I've had a strange affinity for pepperboxes ever since I sent off a couple of bucks and box tops from Kelloggs Corn Pops (with Guy Madison as Wild Bill Hickock and Andy Devine as Jingles on the box) to get a full scale plastic model of one. I think Pyro Plastics made it and other full size firearms models.
I recently picked up an Spanish made Astra six shot .22 cal cb that uses 5-10 grains bp and a .22 cal airgun pellet. Not very accurate, but a hoot to shoot.
 
I had one of those plastic Allen and thurbers and probably got it the exact same way. seems like mine was a kit thought and it looked pretty good. (We are friggin' OLD, aren't we?)
 
Coyote Bob,

Not sure what size they are. I couldn't find any of my number 11s percussion caps kicking around to try on it. My suspicion is that it wouldn't fire at all because the nipples are so worn down that the hammer doesn't even make contact with them before it hits the frame. The problem with the Allen design is that the nipples are machined right into the barrel cluster and not removable. Probably not worth going through all the trouble but a good gunsmith could probably cut them out and drill and tap them for conventional nipples. But that would probably ruin any collector value the gun has.
 
I wonder what accuracy will be like when you shoot it.
Click to expand...

I had the chance to actually fire an original Allen & Thurber .31 cal. Pepperbox a couple of years ago. Can't remember what size caps we were using but the spent caps were problematic.

As to accuracy....I had all I could do to hit a man size paper target at 7 yards. The trigger was heavy and with no sights, it's a chore to hit anything farther away than across a card table.

Was a GREAT experience though!
 
CoyoteBob:
You may or may not know that the "nipples" on the A&T pepperboxes were machined in place and not removable. You might be able to "dress" the mushroomed tops to get a cap to fit over them. Modern caps are mostly too long and get jammed inside the nipple shroud after firing, if they actually do go off. Usually when these guns are found in someone's attic after a century or more of neglect, the nipple directly under the hammer is totally eaten away from rust. There is not enough metal at the barrel/chamber's breech to thread and install another.
 
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