All Articles
Eugène Pertuiset and His Revolutionary Explosive Ammunition: A Tale of Innovation in the Age of Black Powder
John Krider: Philadelphia’s Renowned Gunsmith and Innovator
John Krider was a name well-known among 19th-century American sportsmen, particularly in Philadelphia, where his…
The Curious Case of the Cartridge Machines: A 19th Century Patent Puzzle
Charles Edward Sneider and an American Pinfire Shotgun
In the tapestry of American firearms history, few threads are as colorful and as intertwined…
Fusil Robert and the 1837 U.S. Army Trials of Early Breech-Loading Rifles
In 1837, the U.S. military tested several innovative new firearm designs in a series of…
Braun & Bloem: Trailblazers in the World of Ammunition Manufacturing
The Beginnings of Gustav Bloem In the heart of Rhenish Prussia in the city of…
The Lefaucheux-Béringer Connection: Uncovering the Secrets of Early Pistols and Cartridges
The world of firearms has a fascinating history, with many twists and turns. One such…
American-made Sliding-Breech Pinfire by N. R. Davis of Assonet, Massachusetts
Nathan Russell Davis, known as N.R. Davis, was a pioneer in the American firearm industry….
The Lefaucheux Museum: Celebrating a Legacy of Craftsmanship and Innovation
Discover Our Digital Collection; Coming Soon at Lefaucheux.com Welcome to The Lefaucheux Museum, a dedicated…
Dogs and Doubles: Exploring 19th Century Portraits of People Posing with their Pinfire Shotguns and Canine Companions
The 19th century was a time of great change, as the world transitioned from agrarian…
From Paris to Buenos Aires: The Hardware Trading Company of François and Jean Dellazoppa
Dellazoppa Frères was a hardware trading company that was founded in Paris, France in 1871…
The Gun Wad Bible: The Third Edition of Christopher Saur’s Hausbieble and its Role in the Revolutionary War
The Hausbieble, also known as the “House Bible,” was a collection of three German-language Bibles…
What Is the Pinfire System? A Look at Its Invention and Impact
The pinfire system marked a turning point in firearms technology, enhancing safety and reliability. But…
Schleber’s Long-Range, Thread-Wound Shot Cartridge Cases
H. H. Schleber & Co of Rochester, New York was a manufacturer of thread-wound shot…
Henri Barthe & The Lark Mirror; with a Taste of Ortolan Bunting
L’ALOUETTE CHASSÉE AU MIROIRManufacture française d’armes et cycles de Saint-Etienne 1905 Catalog A lark mirror,…
A Treatise on the Robert Rifle by the Count of Langel
I recently picked up a Robert rifle and of course had to find as many…
A 19th Century Color Lithograph of a Hunting Scene Advertising Eley’s Sporting Ammunition
I have not come across many advertising posters like this that mention pinfire cartridges so…
Loading and Reloading Pinfire Shotshells; and an Original Patent Manuscript by Casimir Lefaucheux
Here is a patent manuscript by Casimir Lefaucheux. It is French patent number 8955 from…
Pinfire Fireworks Cartridges
Here is a selection of pinfire cartridges that were loaded with a fireworks charge. These…
American-made, reloadable, patented, pinfire shotshell by William H. Smith of Charlestown, Massachusetts
This is one of the very few American-made pinfire shotshells. It was patented on 8…
W. & C. Eley, Eley Bros, and Eley Brothers Limited Advertising Sheets
W. & C. Eley Born into a family of silversmiths and cartridge manufacturers, William Thomas…
Italian Military Pinfire Cartridges and Revolvers
Kingdom of Sardinia The story of Italian pinfire guns and cartridges begins in the Kingdom…
Hundreds of Gévelot pinfire cartridges excavated at Civil War site in Rolla, Missouri
During the American Civil War, Rolla, Missouri was a heavily garrisoned town that played a…
A Matched Pair of Early Pinfire Pistols designed by Casimir Lefaucheux
I recently picked up this pair of pinfire pistols designed by Casimir Lefaucheux. I had…
An experimental horizontal pinfire cartridge by Johann Jacob Peter of Stuttgart, Germany
This article will take a look at a horizontal pinfire cartridge that has been unknown…
Pinfire Clock Gun Display won 2021 TGCA Award
Winchesters and Colts are the major focus at gun collecting organizations in Texas and the…
US Ordnance Memoranda No. 14 and a Horizontal Pinfire Cartridge
I have had the reprint of this book for some time and always thought it…
Finding Lefaucheux on my Trip to Paris!
I recently took a trip to Germany and France with my wife and I took…
Casimir Lefaucheux’s first pistol and the death of Pauly’s Cartridge System
Casimir Lefaucheux Percussion Pistol; from Author’s collection This story of Casimir Lefaucheux’s first pistol begins…
Norwegian Military Pinfire Revolvers and Cartridges
On 12 September 1859, a Norwegian military commission recommend contracting with Eugène Lefaucheux to acquire…
Pinfire Cartridge Boxes for Sale from the Chris C. Curtis Collection
In 1983, the collective knowledge of pinfire firearms was greatly increased when Chris C. Curtis…
9mm Galand and 9mm Perrin French Thick Rim Cartridges
Comparison of 9mm Perrin and Galand Cartridges from Author’s Collection A lot of people get…
The Relationship Between the United States and Pinfire Cartridges
Adam Rabel of the 116th Ohio Infantry Regiment with a Lefaucheux model 1854 pinfire revolver…
Merry Pinfire Christmas
2mm Pinfire Guns and Cartridges
This article will take a look at some of the smallest pinfire guns and cartridges….
Pinfire Cartridges from the White & Munhall Laboratory Reference Collection
Boxes that stored individual examples of the cartridges in the White & Munhall Laboratory Reference…
Patronized by Royalty – A Sales Brochure for Charles Millichamp’s Automatic Self-Acting Field Clock Gun
Colorized by Author C.M. begs to call the attention of Gentlemen to his PATENT FIELD…
Leather Cases for Holding, Storing and Transporting Pinfire Cartridges
This article will take a look at some leather cases for holding, storing and transporting…
Mariette Patent 7mm Pinfire Revolvers
Here are a couple variations of the 7mm pinfire revolver made by the Mariette family…
Civil War poster from 1863 showing prices of uniforms, garrison equipment, weapons and more!
This is a really unique poster detailing the price of each part of a firearm…
Underhammer Pinfire Pistol by Joseph-Célestin Dumonthier
This is a really early underhammer pinfire pistol made in 1849 by the French gunsmith,…
Lefaucheux Model 1859 Carbine
The Lefaucheux model 1859 carbine was a small carbine Eugène Lefaucheux made with hopes to…
Eley Bros Factory Drawings for Pinfire Cartridges
Here is a selection of factory drawings/blueprints for how Eley Bros made pinfire cartridges. These…
The Patents for Pauly Guns and Cartridges by Plomdeur, Cessier, and Delebourse
There have been many articles written about Jean Samuel Pauly and his contribution to the…
The Pinfire Patents by James Erskine
James Erskine, a gunmaker and inventor from Newton Stewart, Scotland had a prolific career inventing…
August G. Genez – A Practical Gunmaker
August G. Genez was a French Gunsmith that began working in the gun-making industry at…
The Ironmonger & Metal Trades Advertiser
The Ironmonger & Metal Trades Advertiser was the first trade newspaper. It was first published…
.58 Schubarth Cartridge; and the Improved Breech-loading Rifle Article from The Scientific American, August 31, 1861
We have examined this cartridge previously in our exploration of the relationship of pinfire cartridges…
Extremely High Grade 16g Pinfire Shotgun by Coirier à Clermont
The story of Coirier à Clermont is a interweaved tale of partnerships and encounters that…
South American Pinfire Cartridges
South American Pinfire Cartridges are pretty uncommon! Pinfire guns had a relatively significant use in…
Journal Des Armes Spéciales and the Battle of Robert vs Lefaucheux
Journal Des Armes Spéciales 1834 – 1842 Journal Des Armes Spéciales was an important French…
Three Decades of Advertising Maund & Millichamp’s Self-Acting Field Clock Gun
Charles Millichamp of Presteign, Radnorshire, Wales was a watchmaker who owned a fishing tackle…
A Patent Pending Pinfire Clock Gun Bird Scarer
Early Lefaucheux Advertisements from the Journal Des Débats
W. Tibbals Revolving Firearms Patent Model
One of the most famous American ammunition manufacturers was William Tibbals. William Tibbals was the…
John Hall’s Patent Automatic Clock Gun
Millichamp’s Patent Self Acting Field Clock Gun
This self-acting, field clock gun was patented in England by William Maund and Charles Millichamp…
American Companies who Loaded Pinfire Cartridges
In this article we will look at a few American companies who loaded pinfire cartridges….
Union Metallic Cartridge Company Pinfire Cartridges
The .58 Schubarth, Gallager & Gladding and Other Uncommon American Pinfire Cartridges
Excavated Pinfire Guns and Cartridges from the American Civil War
Allen & Wheelock Pinfire Cartridges
C. D. Leet & Company Pinfire Cartridges
In our continuing saga of the relationship between pinfire cartridges and the United States, this…
Christian Sharps Pinfire Cartridges
Accessories for 16g Pinfire Shotguns
Full box of 16g that I plan on loading and shooting A nice 16g boxwood…