Hall Breech-Loading Pistol
date: label: date made
content: ca 1810
name: label: maker
content: Hall, John H.
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description:
label: Description
content: This .50 caliber breech-loading percussion smoothbore pistol was made by John Hall. It was converted from flintlock to percussion. It has a brass barrel and breech, a checkered grip, and a pin fastened full walnut stock.
label: Description
content: There are no visible stamps.
label: Description
content: History:
label: Description
content: John H. Hall shares a joint patent with William Thornton for the breech loading flintlock rifle on May 21, 1811. Because of this patent, this pistol had to have been produced after the invention. Hall was employed by many different armories including Harpers Ferry from 1816 through 1840. There is a possibility that this pistol was made at Harpers Ferry around 1820.
label: Description
content: While this particular pistol has a brass barrel, typically Hall barrels are bronze or iron. This type is extremely rare. There are only four known bronze barrels in existence today.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition
label: Description
content: Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p. 82.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: See more items in
content: The Bitter Collection of Firearms
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: The Adriana and Edwin W. Bitter Family Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1987.0014.15
label: accession number
content: 1987.0014
label: catalog number
content: 1987.0014.15
label: collector/donor number
content: P122L
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pistol
label: Object Name
content: pistol, percussion, breech-loading
label: Other Terms
content: pistol; Firearms; Percussion Fire; .50 In; Smooth Bore; Breechloader; 03
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (part material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (part material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 3/8 in; 36.5125 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 3/8 in x 6 in x 1 5/8 in; 36.5125 cm x 15.24 cm x 4.1275 cm