Allen's Competitors
This page provides an overview of the manufacturers who imitated Ethan Allen’s designs during the 1840s and 1850s. Some produced firearms that closely replicated Allen’s pepperboxes and bar-hammer pistols, while others introduced minor modifications to the original designs.
Only a few records document Allen pursuing patent infringement lawsuits to protect his 1837 and 1845 double-action patents. This limited legal activity may indicate that competing manufacturers altered their internal mechanisms sufficiently to avoid infringing Allen’s patents, despite the outward similarity of their firearms. Alternatively, Allen may have chosen not to enforce his patent rights aggressively, relying instead on the commercial success and profitability of his own business to maintain his dominant position in the market.
Bacon & Co
Evidence from the 1846 daybook of Allen & Thurber confirms that Thomas K. Bacon supplied cones and trigger guards to the company at that time. Their association, however, likely began several years earlier. In 1840, Bacon relocated to Grafton, Massachusetts, where he registered as a machinist and purchased real estate from Ethan Allen. Although this transaction does not by itself prove a business relationship, it strongly suggests that the two men were acquainted and moved within the same professional circles.
Viewed in isolation, the purchase may seem unremarkable, particularly given Bacon’s extensive involvement in real estate transactions throughout his life. In the broader context of their later documented connection, however, it becomes more significant. Additional circumstantial evidence emerges from Bacon’s move to Norwich, Connecticut, in 1842—the same year Allen & Thurber relocated their operations there.
No surviving records directly document Bacon’s employment by Allen during these early years. Nevertheless, the timing of his moves and his later role as a supplier strongly suggest some level of involvement with Allen’s firearms business. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that Bacon likely established a professional relationship with Allen while in Grafton and continued that association after both men relocated to Norwich.
When Ethan Allen left Norwich in 1847, Thomas K. Bacon chose to remain. Recognizing an opportunity to establish his own business, he founded Bacon & Company around 1848. The firm specialized in the manufacture of single-shot pistols and pepperboxes and operated successfully for nearly a decade. Around 1857, Bacon accepted a new position as superintendent of the Manhattan Firearms Company.
Over the course of his career, Bacon founded two additional firearms enterprises: the Bacon Manufacturing Company and the Bacon Arms Company. This overview does not examine those later ventures, however, because their products no longer reflected a direct connection to Ethan Allen’s designs and therefore fall outside the scope of this study.
Given his early work with Allen & Thurber, it comes as no surprise that Bacon incorporated many of Allen’s stylistic and mechanical features into his own firearms. His earliest pistols closely resembled Allen’s designs, both in their outward appearance and in their underlying mechanisms.
Pistols
- The Under-Hammer Single-Shot Pistol
Although the frame and barrel closely resembled those of Allen’s single-action pistols, Bacon incorporated an under-hammer firing mechanism. This arrangement provided an unobstructed sight plane and improved the shooter’s ability to aim accurately. Among Bacon’s early firearms, the under-hammer pistol proved to be his most successful design.
- The Ring-Trigger Single-Shot Pistol
Bacon based this model closely on Allen’s “shotgun hammer” boot pistol. The principal difference lies in the trigger arrangement: Bacon fitted the pistol with a ring trigger in place of the conventional trigger used on Allen’s design.
- The Bar Hammer Double-Action Single-Shot Pistol
Bacon’s bar-hammer double-action pistol closely followed Allen’s bar-hammer line and appears nearly identical in overall design. The internal mechanism, however, differs slightly. Collectors can often distinguish the two by examining the position of the set screw, which reflects the modified lockwork employed in Bacon’s version.
- The Bar Hammer Double-Action Muff Pistol
Bacon’s bar-hammer double-action muff pistol closely matches Allen’s muff pistol in both appearance and construction. Some evidence suggests that Bacon may have originated this design and that other manufacturers, including Allen, subsequently adopted it.(1)
As with Bacon’s standard-size bar-hammer pistol, collectors can identify this model by the position of the set screw, which is located at the lower end of the grip.
(1) Thomas K. Bacon – The Arms and The Man by Lowell J. Wagner
Pepperboxes
- The Under-Hammer Pepperbox
Bacon styled this pepperbox in the tradition of Allen’s Worcester-period firearms but equipped it with a single-action under-hammer mechanism. While the under-hammer pistol enjoyed considerable commercial success, the under-hammer pepperbox failed to attract the same level of interest. Most customers preferred the greater speed and convenience offered by double-action pepperboxes, which could be fired more rapidly in succession.
Manhattan Firearms Mfg. Co
The Manhattan Firearms Manufacturing Company was founded in 1855 by a group of businessmen from New York and Newark who sought to capitalize on the impending expiration of Colt’s patent on revolving firearms in 1857. The company began production around 1856, initially focusing on single-shot pistols and pepperboxes.
Thomas K. Bacon likely influenced this early product strategy. Although he did not officially join the company as plant superintendent until 1857, he oversaw production and entered into an agreement to supply all barrels from his own manufacturing facility. Many of Manhattan’s earliest firearms closely resembled models previously produced by Bacon’s own company, suggesting that management chose to manufacture familiar and proven designs while awaiting the expiration of Colt’s patent before entering the revolver market.
In 1858, a dispute prompted Bacon to leave the company and establish the Bacon Manufacturing Company. His new enterprise soon began producing revolvers and pocket pistols, placing it in direct competition with Manhattan Firearms.
This overview focuses exclusively on Manhattan Firearms’ early product line. The company’s later revolvers do not share a direct design lineage with Ethan Allen’s firearms and therefore fall outside the scope of this study.
Pistols
The pistols and pepperboxes produced by Manhattan closely replicate Allen’s product line in both appearance and overall design. The principal differences lie in the internal mechanisms, which exhibit several subtle variations from Allen’s original designs.
One characteristic feature of Manhattan’s bar-hammer pistols and pepperboxes is the position of the mainspring tension screw at the bottom of the grip. This arrangement differs from Allen’s standard configuration and closely resembles the system employed by Thomas K. Bacon. As a result, Bacon’s influence on the design of Manhattan’s early firearms appears readily apparent.
- The Shotgun hammer Boot Pistol
Manhattan’s shotgun-hammer boot pistol closely followed Allen’s design and is virtually identical in all major respects. One notable difference is the frame engraving, which appears on Manhattan examples but is absent on Allen’s corresponding pistols.
- The Bar Hammer Double-Action Single-Shot Pistol, standard size and Muff
Apart from differences in the internal mechanism, Manhattan’s standard-size and muff bar-hammer pistols closely replicate Allen’s bar-hammer line. Externally, the two designs are nearly indistinguishable. Note that the marking die was too big to fit on the hammer of the small muff pistols
Pepperboxes
The resemblance to Allen’s Worcester-period pepperboxes is striking. By the time Manhattan began manufacturing pepperboxes, Allen had already transitioned to fully fluted barrels. As a result, Manhattan appears to have produced only pepperboxes featuring this barrel style, likely adopting the most current version of Allen’s design rather than earlier configurations.
- The 6-shot pepperbox
Copy of the Allen Fluted barrel Worcester pepperbox. These were made with 3″, 4″ or 5″ barrels.
- The 5-shot pepperbox
Similar to the Allen 5-Shots pepperbox except that the Manhattan model didn’t have the integral nipple shield and was more a downsized version of the 6-shots pepperbox. Only made with 3″ barrels.
- The 3-shot pepperbox
The three-shot pepperbox was a unique addition to Manhattan’s product line and appears to have no direct counterpart among the offerings of other contemporary manufacturers. Compact and lightweight, it was specifically designed for easy concealment in a pocket.
Although the pistol employs a double-action lock mechanism, the shooter must rotate the barrel cluster manually between shots. Manhattan may have developed this model to compete with Allen’s highly compact four-shot pepperbox, which shared a similar barrel attachment system that eliminated the centrally located, fully bored-through barrel screw. By reducing both size and weight, Manhattan created a distinctive alternative within the increasingly competitive pocket-pistol market.
Marston
William W. Marston was an innovative firearms designer active in New York during the mid-nineteenth century. In the early 1850s, he began developing multi-barrel pepperbox pistols to meet the growing civilian demand for compact and easily operated personal-defense weapons.
Over the course of his career, Marston produced a wide variety of firearms. This overview, however, focuses exclusively on those pistols and pepperboxes that closely resemble Ethan Allen’s designs.
Collectors may encounter Marston firearms marked with a number of different trade names, including W.W. Marston, W.W. Marston Armory, William Marston, Marston & Knox, Sprague & Marston, The Washington Arms Co., The Union Arms Co., and The Phenix Armory.
Pistols
In the pistol product line, the most noticeable visual difference from the Allen models is the lack of a tension screw for the mainspring, which indicates a different internal mechanism.
- The Shotgun hammer Boot Pistol
This model is almost identical to Allen’s Shotgun hammer Boot pistol.
- The Bar Hammer Double-Action Single-Shot Pistol
In all aspects identical in design to Allen’s bar hammer line of pistols except for the internal mechanism.
- The Bar Hammer Double-Action Muff Pistol
Similar to Allen’s muff pistols but the Marston models have a distinctive trigger shape and different internal mechanism.
Pepperboxes
The variety of pepperboxes produced by Marston is quite impressive, so we will just show here a few examples. The majority of the pepperboxes have been produced with the flat ribs barrel type, but later production also has the fluted barrel type.
The Spraque & Marston pepperboxes are characterized by a more rounded and longer grips.
Rather classical Worcester type pepperboxes produced by The Washington Arms Co and The Union Arms Co.
Blunt & Syms
Orison Blunt and William Syms met in New York while serving as apprentices in the gunsmith trade. Around 1837, they formed a partnership and established a gunmaking business at 44 Chatham Street. As the firm prospered, Blunt & Syms moved their principal operations to the more prestigious location at 177 Broadway, although they continued certain activities at their original premises.
Blunt & Syms earned a reputation for producing some of the finest firearms manufactured in New York City. In addition to high-grade arms, the firm offered a range of more affordable pistols and pepperboxes in various sizes and calibers. Despite their lower price, these firearms maintained a high standard of quality and craftsmanship. Although the exact responsibilities of each partner remain unclear, the surviving firearms attributed to the firm consistently demonstrate exceptional workmanship.
Beyond manufacturing their own products, Blunt & Syms also operated as firearms resellers. They sold imported arms, gunsmiths’ tools and implements, and a variety of materials and components used in firearms manufacture.
Orison Blunt was also an innovative entrepreneur and patented a unique design of the pepperbox pistol. These under‑hammer, ring‑trigger percussion pepperbox are considered among the finest of their type and were manufactured in a variety of styles and sizes.
Although the design looks very different, the double-action mechanism used in the Blunt & Syms pepperbox appears to have infringed on the patent held by Ethan Allen. Allen filed suit against the firm, alleging infringement of his 1844 patent (a re-issue of the 1837 patent). The Massachusetts court ultimately found that Allen had been deprived of $11,700 in profits due to the patent violation.
In response, Orison Blunt challenged the court’s authority, arguing that it lacked jurisdiction because neither he nor Allen was a resident of Massachusetts, thus failing the requirement for diversity of citizenship. He also objected to the damages being assessed by a Master of the Court rather than determined by a jury of his peers. Despite these objections, the court in New York—where the case was subsequently pursued—ruled against Blunt, upholding the judgment in Allen’s favor.
The Bacon & Co Ring Trigger Pistol
This is a Bacon & Co Ring-Trigger Single-Shot Pistol. These pistols were made between 1852 and 1858 in relatively limited quantities. The pistol closely resembles Allen’s boot pistol with the exception of the ring trigger. The internal mechanism has less parts than Allen’s pistol and seems more robust.