Allen & Wheelock Center Hammer Army and Navy Lipfire Revolvers
The lipfire is a unique cartridge designed and patented by Ethan Allen under number US30109 in September 1860. It has a type of rimfire case where the rim only covers 1/8 of the case circumference, hence the name lip.
Fulminate was at that time quite expensive, so the lip was a cleaver idea to make a cheaper cartridge, since you need only one-eighth of the fulminate.
The Lipfire Army was a remarkably advanced revolver for its time, being the first large-caliber cartridge revolver (.44 caliber) to reach the American market. Its design was years ahead of the competition: the cartridge conversion of the Remington Model 1858, for example, did not appear until 1868—seven years later.
The most eye-catching feature is the revolver’s ingenious and distinctive ejection system, in which the trigger guard doubles as a lever for ejecting the spent cartridge cases.
The Lipfire Centerhammer revolvers were produced in two sizes: the .44-caliber Army and the .36-caliber Navy. Both are six-shot revolvers and, aside from their overall size, the most noticeable visual difference is the barrel configuration. The Army features a barrel that is half octagonal and half round, while the Navy has a fully octagonal barrel. The marking “ALLEN & WHEELOCK WORCESTER. MASS. U.S. / ALLEN’S PAT’S SEPT.7.NOV.9 1858” appears on the left side of the barrel.
Ethan Allen’s Lipfire revolvers clearly infringed upon the Rollin White patent, controlled by Smith & Wesson, which covered the use of a cylinder bored completely through to accept metallic cartridges. After four years of litigation against Allen & Wheelock, Rollin White ultimately prevailed in November 1863, forcing Allen to cease production of the Lipfire revolvers as well as his other cartridge revolvers.
Following the expiration of the patent in 1869, a number of Lipfire revolvers were reportedly assembled using parts left over from the 1863 production. Some of these revolvers were also factory-converted to accommodate both rimfire and Lipfire cartridges.
The Army version was offered exclusively with a 7.5-inch barrel, while the Navy was available with 5-, 6-, and 8-inch barrel lengths. It is clear that the Army entered production first, as early examples feature a top-hinged loading gate, while later examples have a bottom-hinged gate. Only the latter type of loading gate is found on the Navy revolvers.
Although these revolvers are generally regarded by collectors as martial arms, the designations “Army” and “Navy” should not be taken as evidence of official military adoption. Despite these names, no known contracts with the U.S. government have been documented. However, many lipfire revolvers have seen service in the Civil war as private purchased side-arms.
Centerhammer Army Lipfire Revolver – Prototype
As far as I can determine, this revolver is one of the prototype revolvers that have been produced to file the patent US33328 of September 1861. The revolver doesn’t have any markings except for the serial number 1 on various parts. I base this conclusion on the fact that the revolver is identical to the example Ethan Allen used for the patent application. That patent revolver, now preserved in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution bears the serial number 3 on the hammer. Clicking on the picture below will take you to the Smithsonian webpage where the patent revolver is documented.
Several observations regarding the collection model are worth noting.
- The revolver is unquestionably a Type 1, as evidenced by its top-hinged loading gate. However, an interesting discrepancy appears when comparing it with the classification given by Paul Henry in his book Ethan Allen and Allen & Wheelock: Their Guns and Their Legacy. Henry states that on all Type 1 revolvers, the side-plate screw enters the frame from the right side. On these prototype revolvers, however, the side-plate screw enters from the left side of the frame. According to Henry, this configuration was not introduced until the Type 2.
- The cylinder-pin latch has a particularly elegant and slender profile and is identical in form to the latch shown in the patent drawing. This design, however, appears rather fragile. On all production revolvers I have examined, the latch is considerably thicker and more robust, suggesting that it was strengthened before regular production began.
- The grip has the distinctive wide, “bell-shaped” profile. This configuration is only rarely encountered on production revolvers, the great majority of which have the narrower style of grip.
- The cylinder-rotation mechanism is of the early type but incorporates an additional spring that I have not observed on any production example.
- The serial number is stamped on numerous components, including the frame, side plate, hammer, barrel, trigger guard, wooden grips, and several internal parts. Interestingly, no serial number is present on the cylinder.
- The revolver survives in a remarkable state of preservation. Unfortunately, however, it has been reblued at some point in its history.
Centerhammer Army Lipfire Revolver – Second type
This revolver represents the second type, identified by the more practical bottom-hinged loading gate. Note the shape of the grip which is notably smaller and differently shaped compared to the bell-shaped grip of the early models. Additionally, the spring-latch cylinder pin retainer has been reinforced and a screw has been introduced to allow adjustment of the mainspring tension.
From the P.O. Collection
Centerhammer Navy Lipfire Revolver – 5″ Barrel
This exceptionally well-preserved Navy lipfire revolver remains completely original, having not been converted to rimfire.
As mentioned above, this revolver can be found in the book “The story of Allen and Wheelock Firearms” by H.H. Thomas. The picture in the book shows the revolver with a casting flaw on the frame. This flaw has been professionally repaired in recent years.
Continue exploring Ethan Allen’s legacy
Produced simultaneously with the Lipfire revolvers, the center-hammer percussion model has many design elements in common. Although never officially adopted by the U.S. military, these revolvers saw service during the American Civil War as it was purchased privately by soldiers, officers, and state militia units seeking a modern, reliable and solid sidearm.