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Aaron Newcomer -
  • Ammunition Articles
  • Gun Articles
  • Books and Documents Articles
  • Pinfire Ammo for Sale
  • Pinfire Guns for Sale
Ammunition Articles
Gun Articles
Books and Documents Articles
Pinfire Ammo for Sale
Pinfire Guns for Sale
Ammunition, Editor's choice

The Relationship Between the United States and Pinfire Cartridges

February 13, 2021 by Aaron Newcomer 1 Comment
Civil War Soldier with Pinfire Revolver
Adam Rabel of the 116th Ohio Infantry Regiment with a Lefaucheux model 1854 pinfire revolver in his belt

The pinfire system was one of the most important developments in the history of firearms. It mainstreamed the concept of fully-self-contained cartridges and breech-loading firearms.

An early 1/9 plate melainotype of a Union Cavalry Sergeant from the American Civil War. He has a Lefaucheux model 1854 Pinfire Revolver on the table next to him.
Charles Allen from Gouverneur, St Lawrence, New York holding a pinfire revolver. He was a private in the 1st New York Light Artillery.

Pinfire guns were made and used everywhere and were adopted at some point by nearly every major military in the world. Read through the following articles to learn about the relationship between the United States and pinfire.

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Reading time: 1 min
Ammunition, Editor's choice, Guns

August G. Genez – A Practical Gunmaker

August 4, 2020 by Aaron Newcomer 3 Comments
A. G. Genez, Gunsmith Shop Closeup

August G. Genez was a French Gunsmith that began working in the gun-making industry at 13 years old in France. He died on June 17, 1897 and over the course of his career he had many successful ventures as well as challenging tragedies.

This article will take a look at A. G. Genez, the gunsmith in New York, New York, and follow his 50-year career in the gun industry. We will also take a look at his successors of his gun shop, Vincent Bissig and John P. Dannefelser.

When August Genez was 21 years old he immigrated to the United States from a port in Le Havre, France on a ship named Charles Thompson and arrived in New York, New York on April 10, 1854. The ship log of his emigration record states he was from Germany but his naturalization record, son’s wedding record, various ads of his, son’s various census records all state his birthplace was France.

A. G. Genez shops map

The Genez name first shows up in the 1856/1857 issue of Trow’s New York City Directory where Genez August is listed as a gunsmith at 221 William. The same year the Wilson’s business directory of New-York City list him under the Gunsmiths section with his business at 221 William.

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Reading time: 12 min
Editor's choice, Guns

Early Lefaucheux Advertisements from the Journal Des Débats

April 17, 2020 by Aaron Newcomer No Comments
Journal Des Débats

The Journal Des Débats was an influential French newspaper that was published between 1789 and 1944. The following advertisements by Maison Lefaucheux were in various issues.

MAISON LEFAUCHEUX, 10, r. de la Bourse.
FUSILS à systéme et à percussion ordinaire.
MÉDAILLES aux Expositions de 1834 et 1839

The earliest one I have acquired so far was from the August 18, 1839 issue. It lists the address of House Lefaucheux as 10, rue de la Bourse, This is the address that Casimir Lefaucheux worked out of from 1834 – 1835 and then again from 1845 to 1850.

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Reading time: 3 min
Ammunition, Editor's choice, Guns, United States

W. Tibbals Revolving Firearms Patent Model

March 21, 2020 by Aaron Newcomer 3 Comments
William Tibbals Pinfire Patent Drawing

One of the most famous American ammunition manufacturers was William Tibbals. William Tibbals was the partner in the company, Crittenden & Tibbals, who supplied mostof the rimfire ammunition during the American Civil War.

Part of what made Crittenden & Tibbals so successful was their early relationship with firearms manufacturers such as Smith & Wesson. Crittenden & Tibbals made some of the earliest rimfire cartridges for Smith & Wesson, Bacon, Spencer and others. I am sure that within their relationship with Smith & Wesson they were well aware with the issues of many people trying to circumvent or infringe on the Rollin White patent that Smith & Wesson had an exclusive license to use; especially since some of their main customers were some of the infringing companies.

The Rollin White patent was actually a fairly ridiculous pistol design that would have unlikely ever been made. However, there was one interesting feature about it that Daniel B. Wesson was interested in; the concept of a revolver with a bored-through cylinder which allowed metallic cartridges to be inserted from the back. This concept already existed with pinfire revolvers in Europe but it was the first time the concept was patented in the United States. So from 1855, through the next 17 years, anyone who wanted to make a revolver that loaded from the back had to go through Smith & Wesson.

During this time period there were a few notable designs that effectively evaded this patent such as the cupfire, teatfire and thuer cartridges. The revolvers that used these were designed to be loaded from the front of the cylinder and have a back that was not bored all the way through.

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Reading time: 2 min
Editor's choice, Guns

John Hall’s Patent Automatic Clock Gun

February 27, 2020 by Aaron Newcomer 4 Comments
Hall's Automatic Clock Gun

John H. Hall was a US gunsmith that invented a hybrid breechloading and muzzleloading rifle adopted by the US Army in 1819. But that’s not who we will be talking about. The John Hall we will be talking about was an auto mechanic. He lived in the small town of Wigton, Cumberland (present day Cumbria), in northwest England. Wigton had a population of 4000 people and was designated as a market town which gave it the legal right to hold a weekly market. In the late 1800s and early 1900s there were a lot of agricultural activities in the surrounding area including notable berry farms, livestock farms and many other types of farms.

John Hall owned a company called Station Road Works which was located on Station Road and very likely was the building that is the current Station Road Garage.

Business where John Hall made his Clock Guns

Hall was officially appointed by the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland and the Motor Union of Great Britain and Ireland as an automobile repairer for the Wigton area and listed in their Automobile Handbook. He referred to himself as an engineer and was likely a machinist that could fabricate parts needed to repair automobiles.

Patent Drawing of Hall's Automatic Clock Gun

On April 2nd in the year 1902, Hall applied for a British patent for “Improvements in Apparatus for Scaring Purposes, Especially Applicable for Scaring Birds.” This application for his clock gun mentions existing similar devices that used a clock and had hands attached to levers that would release weights. He mentioned that these devices were very expensive and prone to wear over time. He also mention the dangers of how each barrel was loaded at the muzzle and detonated by a cap and that sometimes people would steal or mess with the powder since everything was loaded from the outside.

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Reading time: 3 min

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About me

Hello, my name is Aaron Newcomer. I am a collector and researcher of early 19th century breech-loading firearms systems, with a particular focus on the work of Jean Samuel Pauly and Casimir Lefaucheux. I collect cartridges and documents related to these types of firearms and conduct research on these topics, furthering my understanding and knowledge of these historical firearms and their place in the evolution of firearms technology. My collection and research reflect my dedication to preserving and understanding the history and technical innovations of these early firearms systems.

Read more about me and where my work has been published.

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Featured Articles

The Relationship Between the United States and Pinfire Cartridges

The Relationship Between the United States and Pinfire Cartridges

August G. Genez – A Practical Gunmaker

August G. Genez – A Practical Gunmaker

Early Lefaucheux Advertisements from the Journal Des Débats

Early Lefaucheux Advertisements from the Journal Des Débats

W. Tibbals Revolving Firearms Patent Model

W. Tibbals Revolving Firearms Patent Model

John Hall’s Patent Automatic Clock Gun

John Hall’s Patent Automatic Clock Gun

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The Pinfire Page

The Pinfire Page was a recurring column I had in each issue of the bimonthly publication, The International Ammunition Journal. This compilation book combines together the first 5 years of my column, showcasing my research, images and other documents related to the pinfire system which was the first major breakthrough in modern ammunition.

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From Paris to Buenos Aires: The Hardware Trading Company of François and Jean Dellazoppa

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