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A Slight Taste of Bacon... by Richard Overall |
Sometime between 1848 and 1850, Thomas K. Bacon, who had moved there from Massachusetts with Ethan Allen, set up shop as a pistol maker in Norwich, Connecticut, calling his small company Bacon & Co., and producing a selection of single shot pistols and an interesting underhammer six shot pepperbox. Norwich, being on the eastern seaboard and easily accessible by railroad was an ideal location for light industry, and attracted many firearms manufacturers. Bacon, it would seem, was not as great a businessman as he was pistol designer and his company faced serious financial difficulties within a few short years. In 1857 the opportunity presented itself for Bacon to take the appointment of general superintendent of the newly formed Manhattan Firearms Manufacturing Co. whose first factory was also situate in Norwich. Manhattan Firearms had been formed by a group of investors with little to no firearms making experience, and Thomas Bacon was available and clearly willing to lend that essential element. There is evidence that an agreement existed whereby he could also provide certain items (“cones and barrels”) to Manhattan as an inside contractor. Evidently Bacon had it in mind to resume pistol manufacturing in his own right and so, in 1858, he quit Manhattan Firearms and established the Bacon Manufacturing Company. The lawsuit followed whereby Manhattan sued Bacon under the terms of a “no compete” agreement, but this action never reached a conclusion in the courts, and Bacon’s new company was able to continue production. I first became interested in the guns of the Bacon Manufacturing Co. a few years ago when I was given a cut-down and converted second model percussion revolver by Randy Schmelig, a dear friend and the minister of the church I attended in Florida. Upon discovering the faint markings on the top of the barrel, I just had to find out more, and so began my quest for knowledge and further examples of this maker’s guns. I have achieved a small amount of success in both ventures and am taking the opportunity to share some of them with the readers of this edition of The Texas Gun Collector.
The first firearm marketed by the new company was ‘Bacon’s Excelsior Model,’ as it was advertised. This was a .31 caliber, five-shot, ‘powder and ball,’ pocket revolver with an octagonal barrel (4” and 5”) and a straight sided cylinder, and which very closely resembled the pocket revolver being manufactured by Manhattan Firearms. The differences between the two were fairly minor - Bacon’s five cylinder stop slots vs. Manhattan’s ten, and in the detail of the loading lever catch.
The Excelsior was
followed by the Second Model which sported the same frame and grips as the
former, but had a round barrel (4”, 5” and 6”) and a semi-fluted
cylinder. The Third Model eventually appeared combining some elements of each
of the first two - round barrel (4”, 5” and 6”) and the straight-sided
cylinder. I believe that all Excelsiors and most second and third models had
simple rose vine scroll engraving on the frame, some second and third models
being manufactured with plain frames. A few presentation models were treated
to more elaborate engraving on the frame and a small amount on the barrel. |
Bacon Manufacturing Co. were a six-shot pocket revolver chambered for .32 rimfire (4” and 5” octagonal barrels), with a small framed seven-shot variation chambered for both .22 and .25 rimfire, each with a 2½” octagonal barrel.
An unusual design of the Bacon Manufacturing Co. in the early 1860’s was that of a revolver requiring the trigger guard to be unscrewed before the cylinder could be removed for reloading. This model came with two slightly differing frame/cylinder sizes to accommodate .32 rimfire short and long. This gun is one of the rarer models available today, production being swiftly curtailed by legal action by Smith & Wesson. Bacon preceded S&W with a swing out cylinder by some 34 years having been assigned Charles W. Hopkins’ 1862 patent. The cylinder, chambered for .32 rimfire, swung out to the right of the frame to a degree sufficient to allow the loading of one round at a time. These guns were made with 4” and 6” octagonal barrels. A small frame version chambered for .22 rimfire cartridges was also manufactured.
Perhaps the most desirable of the revolvers made by the Bacon Manufacturing Co. are the three (or is it four) variations of the so-called “American Navy Pistol.” This large framed cartridge revolver with spur trigger was made with a 7½” octagonal barrel, its cylinder chambered for six .38 rimfire caliber cartridges. Bacon Manufacturing was optimistic that the US Navy would place a contract for this pistol, but was passed over, apparently because the government had concluded that the company would not have been able to produce the guns in the quantities required. The Navy model was initially made with the unusual feature of a screw-off, knurled disc at the rear of the cylinder which had to be removed to enable reloading after removal of the cylinder from the frame. A later variation of this revolver dispensed with the disk in favor of a more well defined recoil shield. The third variation features the same swing out cylinder resulting from C.W. Hopkins’ patent as was found in the smaller framed .32 caliber revolver discussed above. A few examples of a fourth, and very rare, variation are known to exist. This gun is distinguished from the earlier models by the button style cylinder pin reminiscent of the .32 rimfire pocket revolver. Even in the days of the repeating revolver there was a demand for single-shot pistols, and the Bacon Manufacturing Co. was able to help meet the challenge.
Two distinct models were made, the large frame type (high standing recoil shield) and the small frame type (flush recoil shield). Both had the swing barrel breech-loading feature and both were chambered for the .32 rimfire cartridge. These pistols had octagonal barrels (4” and 5”) and the small frame type will also be found with 6” barrels as well. A brass-framed variation of the small frame type was also made. In 1863 Thomas K. Bacon was ousted from his position with the second company he founded, the Bacon Manufacturing Co. However, it remained in business until 1868 when the assets were sold to several of the major shareholders who proceeded to form the Hopkins & Allen Manufacturing Co. Bacon formed the Bacon Arms Co. which stayed in business until 1888, although Thomas himself departed at the end of 1865. The three companies
founded by Thomas K. Bacon of Norwich, Connecticut produced many different
types of handguns (and one shotgun) - more than I could hope to cover in a
brief article of this nature, and very many more than I can ever hope to
collect. In this brief article I have concentrated on the products of the
second of these manufacturing firms, it having produced the largest variety.
Although I have not covered all models nor all variations brought about by
engraving (or lack thereof), by barrel markings or of original finish, I trust
that I have indeed given the reader a slight taste of Bacon. |
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BIBLIOGRAPHY: Norm Flayderman; Flayderman’s Guide to
American Antique Firearms, 6th Edition; 1994 DBI Books
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