Hall Breech-Loading Flintlock 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 .54 caliber smoothbore breech-loading flintlock pistol was made by John. H. Hall. It has a walnut stock, a pin fastened bronze barrel, a bronze breech block, brass mountings, an iron reinforcing band at the end of stock, iron strips along breech block, checkered grips, an acorn filial on the trigger guard, and decorative engravings on the tang and tang screw.
label: Description
content: The breech is stamped “55”.
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. This pistol was likely produced after the patent date. Hall was employed by many different armories including Harpers Ferry from 1816 through 1840.
label: Description
content: Because Hall was known for breech loading flintlock rifles, finding a pistol – like this one- that is a breech loader is extremely rare.
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: Maine, Yarmouth
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: 1988.0518.04
label: accession number
content: 1988.0518
label: catalog number
content: 1988.0518.04
label: collector/donor number
content: P87L
label: serial number
content: 35
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pistol
label: Object Name
content: pistol, flintlock, breech-loading
label: Other Terms
content: pistol; Firearms; Flintlock; .48 In; Smooth Bore; Breechloader; 03
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: bronze (part material)
label: Physical Description
content: iron (part material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (part material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 1/2 in; 36.83 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 1/2 in x 6 3/4 in x 1 3/4 in; 36.83 cm x 17.145 cm x 4.445 cm