Orison Blunt’s Metropolitan Arms Prototype Percussion Revolver

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  Lot #3225  (Sale Order: 226 of 749) 
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Rare, Historically Significant Colt Competitor Master Gunsmith Orison Blunt’s Metropolitan Arms Co. Prototype Percussion Revolver

Perhaps no other name is more synonymous with the American revolver than Samuel Colt. He was, after all, the pioneer American inventor and industrialist who revolutionized mass production and mass marketing of revolvers. In the first 25 years, for instance, Colt’s company manufactured more than 400,000 revolvers. Colt’s guns virtually participated in every major event in American history whether in war or in peace since the company was founded in 1837. To retain his dominance over the revolver market, Colt filed a historic patent infringement lawsuit against the Massachusetts Arms Company. Won by Colt, the court ruling limited Massachusetts Arms to the production of the relatively unpopular revolver designs by Edward Maynard until Colt’s patent expired in 1857. The expiration of Colt’s master patent for the revolver signaled the end to Colt’s unyielding domination over the revolver market. Competitive firearms manufacturers quickly flooded the market with Colt imitations. One such competitor was Metropolitan Arms Company. As cited in Sellers and Smith’s “American Percussion Revolvers,” “Founded on February 24, 1864, the Metropolitan Arms Co. was formed to make revolvers of the Colt pattern, to fill the gap left by the fire which destroyed much of the Colt factory on February 4th. Three types of revolvers were made by Metropolitan, copies of the Colt Models 1851 and 1861 navies and the Colt 1862 police” (page 98). The founder of Metropolitan Arms Co. was Orison Blunt (1815-1879). A friend of Samuel Colt since 1837, Blunt hand built the prototype Walker revolver for Colt (see Wilson’s “The Paterson Colt Book” on pages 45-47). The Colt Walker has long been the single most essential and necessary piece for many, if not all, of the iconic, important and influential 19th century fine American arms collections over the last century. Blunt even testified during the landmark Colt vs Massachusetts Arms Co. trail in 1851. “Throughout his testimony,” writes Colt historian R.L Wilson, “Blunt convincingly demonstrated his extensive knowledge and experience on firearms and the principles involved in their design and manufacture. His comments reflected an impressive experience in the actual manufacture of guns.” It is now 1864, and Blunt is ready to go head to head with his old friend Samuel Colt with a line of his own revolvers. Offered here is Blunt’s historic hand built prototype revolver for the Metropolitan Arms Co. of which he founded. This revolver is a physical reminder of the ingenuity and inventiveness of those who dared take on Colt, the goliath of 19th century American firearms manufacturing. In the accompanying letter R.L. Wilson compares this prototype to Blunt’s other historic test revolver, the Walker prototype, and finds interesting similarities. Wilson writes, “Although several years separate the Walker prototype of 1846 from the Colt-type prototype revolver of c. 1864, certain distinct similarities are common to both revolvers. First of these is the finely formed, and graceful hammer and its nearly identically contoured hammer spur. Other common features: Cylinder configuration, lacking roll-engraved scene. Knurling on cylinder periphery…Capping cutout on right side of recoil shield without a guide groove to assist in applying caps. Cylinder stop slots without guide grooves. Relatively small size to the frame screws. All steel construction of grip straps. Oval configuration to trigger guard.” Wilson also notes that some of the listed common features are also shared with guns manufactured by Blunt & Syms, a company Blunt co-founded that was among the firms accused of violating Colt patents in Colt vs Massachusetts Arms Co. The revolver is unmarked, but so too were the early production Metropolitan Navies up to estimated serial number 1800. Another shared featured with Metropolitans are the safety notches on the back of the cylinder for the hammer nose to rest in, unlike the protruding pins found on Colt. Wilson found that the internal parts are copies of designs found on the Models 1860, 1861, and 1862. The finish appears to be brown, as was common with a number of Blunt & Syms pepperboxes, and the

Class: Antique

Fine. The revolver has an attractive smooth brown patina with darker appearance on the frame and a few areas of pitting. The grip is also fine with a couple chips on the bottom, five notches towards the top (left side), some absent silver inlay and minor dings and scratches. Mechanically functions although the cylinder does not lock and the hammer does not hold at the half cock position. A historically significant, high quality prototype revolver by master gunsmith Orison Blunt
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This item is part of Premier Firearms Auction - Day 3
 Sunday, May 19, 2024 | 9:00 AM  Central
 
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Orison Blunt’s Metropolitan Arms Prototype Percussion Revolver
Orison Blunt’s Metropolitan Arms Prototype Percussion Revolver
Lot number: 3225
Seller: Rock Island Auction Company
Event: Premier Firearms Auction - Day 3
Ends: Sunday, May 19 | 9:00 AM  Central

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