Ethan Allen
Rifles and Shotguns Overview
Content:
- Side Hammer Target Rifles
- Inside Hammer Rifle
- Tap (Faucet) Breech Rifle
- Percussion Revolving Rifle
- Experimental Bar Hammer rifle
- Drop Breech Rimfire Rifle
- Lipfire Revolving Rifle
- Hinged Breech Double Barrel Shotgun
Introduction
It is clear that in the Grafton and Norwich era, rifle production has not been a priority for Ethan Allen. Some rifles have been produced in this period, but are rather rare. In the Worcester era, the rifle production got more attention but remained a secondary activity compared to the handguns. It is therefor quite amazing that Allen has produced a large line of long arms suitable for all types of shooting, including single and double rifles, single and double shotguns, over-and-under, as well as side-by-side rifle/shotgun combinations, breech loading percussion and cartridge rifles and breech loading double barrel shotguns.
Allen’s rifles are relatively rarely seen on the collectors market due to limited production quantities, with the exception of the drop breech rimfire rifle which had quite some success and remained in production over a long period. For all rifles, we can find many variations and quality of finish. The standard was field grade, but higher grades with beautiful engraving and finely checkered selected wood were also part of the offering.
Side Hammer and Inside Hammer Percussion Target Rifles
The characteristic feature for both the side-hammer and inside-hammer rifles is the steel wrist. Ethan Allen referred to these rifles as the No.10 side-cock and No.10 inside cock rifles. The center hammer rifles have only been produced in field grade while many side hammer rifles have higher grades finishing. Another typical feature is the steel forearm on the field grade rifles. All rifles have heavy octagonal barrels in calibers ranging from 36 to 50. The barrel was fixed to the frame on the field grade rifles, however on the higher grades side hammer rifles, the barrel could be taken down by removing a threaded bolt located under the frame.
Tap (Faucet) Breech Rifle
This rifle is know as the tap breech, faucet breech or monkey tail rifle. The patent US13154 for the breech mechanism was granted to Allen on July 3, 1855. Ethan Allen has made this sturdy and practical design very likely with military contracts in mind. There isn’t any firm prove but it is believed that field trials have been made. This could explain why Allen has waited a long time before introducing these rifles on the civil market. Unfortunately, this rifle came at the end of the percussion period which probably explained why it had only limited success. Total production is estimated at around 350 only.
The design consisted of a rotating drum located in the breech that was activated by an operating lever. By raising the lever, a paper cartridge could be inserted into the breech. Closing the breech aligned the bullet with the barrel and exposed the powder to the nipple. The rifles have been produced in 38, 42, 44, 48 and 54 caliber and with barrel lengths from 22 to 36 inches
Percussion and Lipfire Revolving Rifles
The revolving rifles are among the rarest of Allen’s long arms. These rifles have a strong resemblance to the center hammer percussion and lipfire revolvers and have basically the same design features. There are however some neat additional features on the rifles which are described in the patents US21400 and US35067. The first patent describes the gas deflection or snout which prevent that a portion of fire and gas could injure the hand holding the forearm. The second patent describes the rack and pinion system to withdraw the cylinder pin allowing for the cylinder to be removed. This system was actioned by the crank on the side of the frame. Furthermore, the barrels could be easily removed by unscrewing a screw located in the top of the frame. This is the same take down system described in patent US33033 for the Dropping Block rifle.
Drop Breech Rifle
The Drop Block Breech rifle also known as Falling Block rifle has a nice streamlined silhouette. The rifles were made in two different frame sizes. The small frame designed for the 35rf and 38rf cartridges while the the large frame were designed for the 42rf and 44rf cartridges. The standard version of the rifle has a blued steel frame and barrel, but the small frame version has also been produced with a brass frame. Production of these rifles started around 1860 and continued for the small frame model until the end of the Allen & Wheelock period (1865) while production of the large frame model continued well into the Forehand & Wadsworth period (~1880). These rifles are of the take down type: by removing a pin screw situated at the top of the frame, the barrel could be taken off the frame to ease transport or cleaning.
In the Allen’s tradition, the trigger guard is used as a lever, this time to drop the block. The swing sight, a characteristic detail of this rifle is found on all early models. However, this type of sight has been replaced on later models by a classic blade sight. For target shooting, the rifle could also be supplied with Allen’s patented tang sight.
Although the basic design didn’t change much, many variations have been made over the long production period. Later models were also available in center fire. In addition, many earlier versions have been converted to use center fire cartridges.
No official military contracts are known, but the large frame rifles are considered secondary military rifles by collectors.
Hinged Breech Double Barrel Shotgun
These breech loading rifles were introduced in the E.Allen & Co period and are not only one of Allen’s finest production firearms, but also one of the finest early American-made shotguns of its time. The shotgun were available in three grades priced from $100 to $150, making it one of the most expensive American-made shotguns of the time.
The hinged breech system is covered in patent US49491 granted to Allen in August 1865.
The rifle uses the reusable steel shot shells designed and patented by Allen in May 1865 under US47688.
Sources:
(1) Ethan Allen and Allen & Wheelock, Their guns and their legacy – Paul Henry (2) Flayderman’s guide (3) Wikipedia