Pepperbox pistol 1840s?

CutlassCollector · 14th July 2025, 01:15 PM

My pepperbox is very similar to yours Jim.
It does have a maker's name W.Dooley of Liverpool - so definitely English, and an additional safety feature which locks the hammer up. Each barrel is numbered and has a proof mark.

The barrel numbers are, I think, important for loading. To help ensure you don't load a barrel twice.
Obviously, the caps go on last. There is no half cock position but if you use the safety bar you can rotate the barrels by number to load.

Firearms are mostly outside my interest but this came up at auction with no other bidders. So I was happy to take it home.

14th July 2025, 01:15 PM	#9
CutlassCollector Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Scotland Posts: 368	My pepperbox is very similar to yours Jim. It does have a maker's name W.Dooley of Liverpool - so definitely English, and an additional safety feature which locks the hammer up. Each barrel is numbered and has a proof mark. The barrel numbers are, I think, important for loading. To help ensure you don't load a barrel twice. Obviously, the caps go on last. There is no half cock position but if you use the safety bar you can rotate the barrels by number to load. Firearms are mostly outside my interest but this came up at auction with no other bidders. So I was happy to take it home. Attached Images