Allen’s Side-Hammer Lipfire Revolvers
The Sidehammer Lipfire revolver is distinguished by its unique design, which features an overhead rack-and-pinion ejector system. It was manufactured exclusively in .32 Lipfire caliber and offered with 4-, 5-, or 6-inch barrels. The majority of surviving examples were produced during the Allen & Wheelock period and are marked with patent dates of 1858 and July 3, 1860.
Two variations of the distinctive ejector system are known. The first features a square ejector housing with a full-length ejector tube that completely encloses the ejector. The second incorporates a beveled ejector housing and a shorter ejector tube, allowing a portion of the ejector to remain exposed. This latter variation is known only on revolvers produced during the Allen & Wheelock period.
As with the rimfire revolvers, production of the Lipfire models ceased in November 1863 as a result of a patent infringement lawsuit. Production resumed in 1869, during the E. Allen & Co. period, after the expiration of the Rollin White patent. The later E. Allen & Co. examples differ from the earlier Allen & Wheelock production only in their blade-shaped front sight and barrel marking.
Ethan Allen & Co Side-Hammer Lipfire Revolver
This well-preserved 32 Lipfire revolver retains traces of its original blue finish and dates to the E. Allen & Co. period. It features the additional 1861 patent date stamped on the barrel and is fitted with the characteristic blade-shaped front sight typical of E. Allen production.
From the P.O. Collection
Ethan Allen & Co Side-Hammer Lipfire Revolver – 32RF Conversion
This revolver also dates to the E. Allen period, but it features a rare nickel-plated finish.
As lip-fire cartridges became increasingly scarce, revolvers of this type were often converted to fire the more widely available rimfire cartridges. The conversion required milling a thin slice from the top of the cylinder, as seen on this example.
Note also the number 784 on the ejector housing. This specimen is the only one I have observed with a number on the housing and I have no idea what it is referencing.