Allen Overview – Pistols and Revolvers

Ethan Allen

A complete overview of Allen's pistols and revolvers

This page provides a comprehensive overview of the full range of pistols and revolvers produced by Ethan Allen, showcasing his remarkable legacy and the extensive variety of firearms manufactured over his 40-year career. The overview is organized by gun typology and, where possible, follows the chronological sequence of their development.

For more detailed information on each firearm, simply click on the images in the overview below or navigate through the menu.

Please note that separate overviews of pepperboxes and rifles are also available on this website.

Ethan Allen's earliest firearms were the "Pocket Rifle" pistols, likely named for their "rifled" barrels. There are three distinct models in this category: (1) The "Under Cock Pocket Rifle" – A single-shot, under-hammer percussion pistol. (2) The Second Model Pocket Rifle – Also a single-shot under-hammer design, but with a completely different construction compared to the first model. (3) The "Tube Hammer" Pistol – Allen's first double-action pistol, which laid the groundwork for his later Bar Hammer pistols and pepperboxes.

The Bar Hammer pistols feature a distinctive bar-shaped hammer, operating solely in double-action. Primarily designed for self-defense, they excel in close-range effectiveness. These pistols brought Allen the first commercial success. The pistols have gone through quite some design changes over the long production period going all the way to the civil war.

The Shotgun Hammer single-action pistols are also known as Center Hammer pistols or Boot pistols. The reason behind these names is fairly easy to guess. For individuals seeking a straightforward, durable, and reasonably priced firearm with considerable firepower, this pistol stood as an excellent option.

The Side Hammer target pistols were specifically designed for precision shooting and they are an improved and heavy version of the standard single-shot pistols. The pistols have adjustable front and rear sights, a fairly light trigger pull and an extra finger grip under the trigger guard.

Despite their simple appearance, the Double Barrel Single Trigger pistols boast a unique feature of a single trigger that independently operates both hammers. These pistols were exclusively manufactured during the Worcester period.

The Detachable Breech Target pistols are among the finest quality firearms produced during the Worcester period. Production started in the Allen & Thurber period and continued into the Allen & Wheelock period with minimal design changes.

The Inline pistols, also known as the “Straight Line Single Shot” or “Straight Away,” feature a straightforward design characterized by the alignment of the percussion nipple and barrel in a single straight line. Early models have a nice look with a perfect fitting barrel. In contrast, later versions incorporated a variety of barrel styles and lengths.

The Bar Hammer percussion revolvers were the very first revolvers designed and produced by Ethan Allen. Often referred to as transition revolvers since they bear a strong resemblance to the pepperboxes.. The revolvers were produced in 3 distinctive frame and cylinder sizes: Large, medium and small.

The Side Hammer percussion revolvers were a huge improvement over the transitional Bar Hammer revolvers. These more sophisticated firearms featured unique innovations, such as a trigger guard that doubled as a loading lever. They were produced in three distinct frame sizes: a 6-shot Navy, a 5-shot Belt, and a 5-shot Pocket model.

Ethan Allen likely designed the Center Hammer percussion revolvers with military applications in mind, as their introduction coincided with the start of the Civil War. Both the .44 Army and the .36 Navy are six-shot revolvers. Aside from their size, the main visual distinction between the two lies in the barrel design: the Army model features a half-octagonal, half-round barrel, while the Navy model has a fully octagonal barrel.

The Providence Police revolver is an odd one. No markings have ever been observed on these revolvers and it is a mystery how the revolver got it's name. These revolvers have undoubtedly been produced by Ethan Allen as they exhibits all the distinctive characteristics of the Allen workshop.

The Center Hammer Lipfire Army and Navy revolvers were the first large-caliber cartridge revolvers to enter the American market. However, Ethan Allen infringed upon the S&W/Rollin White patent for the fully bored-through cylinder. After four years of litigation, Allen was compelled to cease production of the lipfire and all other cartridge revolvers. Manufacturing resumed once the patent expired.

The Sidehammer Lipfire revolver features a distinctive design with an overhead rack and pinion ejector system. Most of these revolvers were produced during the Allen & Wheelock period, while examples from the Ethan Allen & Co era are much rarer.

The Lipfire pocket revolvers are typically unmarked, leading to speculation that they were released just before the court ruling in the patent dispute with Rollin White, possibly as a deliberate provocation to Smith & Wesson.

The .22 rimfire 7-shot Side Hammer revolvers were the very first cartridge revolver developed and produced by Allen & Wheelock. This development coincided with Smith & Wesson’s introduction of their Model 1 revolver and Allen’s revolvers clearly infringed upon S&W patent. Their distinctive feature is the hammer positioned on the side of the frame. Production halted in 1863 due to patent issues but resumed once the S&W patent expired.

Production of the .32 side-hammer rimfire revolvers began shortly after the introduction of the .22 rimfire models. Apart from the upscale in size, the .32 revolvers are nearly identical in design to the .22 versions, featuring the characteristic side-mounted hammer. However, they have a 6-shot capacity. Production ceased in 1863 due to patent conflicts and resumed after the expiration of the S&W patent.

The Side Swing single-shot pistols and derringers are straightforward pocket firearms designed with a barrel that swings to the side for easy loading and unloading. Despite the variety of frame shapes, barrel styles, and calibers, they all share the same fundamental design.