Allen's Double Barrel Percussion Pistols
Commercial era:
Allen & Thurber
Allen, Thurber & Co
Allen & Wheelock
Content:
Detailed pictures of collection models
Overview
This double-barreled pistol has a unique feature of a single trigger which releases both hammers individually (on two separate pulls) when both cocked simultaneously. There was however a good chance that both shots fired at the same time when the trigger was pulled with vigor since it would be hard to stop halfway through the pull.
The two parallel deep rifled barrels are in .34″ caliber and came in lengths of 3, 4, 5 or 6 inch. Marking on the top, between the two barrels, with the company name depending on production period: ALLEN & THURBER or ALLEN, THURBER & CO or ALLEN & WHEELOCK.
These pistols were only made in the Worcester period.
Early production has two U-shaped main springs and tension screws at the level of the trigger guard. This version was quickly replaced by a simplified model having a straight mainspring without any tension screws.
Since these pistols are front loaders, it is difficult to understand why Ethan Allen hasn’t equipped these pistols with ramrods.
Bruce & Davis Double Barrel Pistol
The Bruce & Davis pistols have very strong resemblance to Allen’s pistols and it is believed that these pistols where made by the Ethan Allen workshop since they bare all the characteristics. Bruce & Davis where distributers, not manufacturers, so this is another argument for the theory.
However, there are two noticeable differences between the Bruce & Davis pistol and the Allen pistol: The Bruce & Davis pistol has engraved side plates and grip backstrap. Furthermore, the pistol is equipped with a ramrod, which is a nice improvement compared to the Allen design.
