Home-made underhammer pistol

[PAParker]

I saw this under-hammer pistol at an auction. It was obviously hand made. The stock was rough, the barrel was rusty inside and appeared to be less than a .45 cal, the spring mechanism was shaped roughly on a grinder (it hits the nipple by "slapping" it once the trigger guard is pulled back).

Any info on the type of firing mechanism and the combination trigger guard and trigger is what I would like to know more about.

Thanks,

Paulie.

 

[PreserveFreedom]

The Allen & Thurber Pepperbox had a looped trigger that was kind of like a trigger and trigger guard all in one. The problem with such a design is that the purpose of the trigger guard is to keep the trigger from getting bumped and setting the gun off accidentally. If you combine the trigger and guard, you defeat the purpose.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

It's not the worlds best photo but I think I understand it. I've built similar mechanisms myself and have one in the works right now. "Similar" in the fact that the mainspring itself serves as the "hammer" to strike the cap. The trigger is the only moving part. In this design no separate guard is needed since the hammer spring must be manually cocked before it can fire and there appears to be no "half-cock", it's either full cock or full down. My versions are first brought to half-cock, just enough off the nipple to permit capping. Then a long pull of the trigger takes the spring down farther and releases it. The trigger pull is like a double action revolver so it can be operated with one hand, whereas most under-hammers must be cocked with the non-firing hand. It's about as simple and foolproof as anything could get. It does prevent placing a ramrod under the barrel, my solution is to build a ramrod loop into the holster.

 

[junkman_01]

The trigger on that pepperbox is called a ring trigger. It was not intended to be a trigger guard. The Volcanic series of guns had a ring lever which was also the trigger guard and a separate trigger which was a much better arrangement.

 

[Rifleman1776]

A better pic would be nice. If you want to see a lot of underhammer pistol actions, visit the Saunders Museum in Berryville, Arkansas. There is a large variety of UH actions on display. It isn't the best kept museum but the guns displayed is a very educational experience.