Several variations of these pocket revolvers were made by William Uhlinger of Philadelphia during the Civil War from 1861-1865. However, Smith & Wesson owned the patent, causing Uhlinger to produce these pocket revolvers under several different names to avoid patent infringement. Ultimately, Uhlinger found out and was caught up in a legal battle which eventually caused the end of his career as a gunmaker.

This model was produced under the name J.P. Lower; the maker’s mark is visible on the top flat of the barrel. The .32 caliber octagonal barrel measures 5 inches, making this a rimfire model. This revolver has matching serial numbers of 1296 on the butt strap, the cylinder, and the barrel, as well as on the inside of the rosewood grips. The brass frame is a dark gray/brown finish which extends to the barrel, although the barrel is a bit darker. Some finish has worn off, exposing bright silver underneath around the cylinder.  The ejector rod is present and accounted for. The spring-loaded end of the rod is fully functional; the stationary end is just that. The rod itself fits well but it is a bit tough to get in and out as the spring is a bit tight. The loading gate on this revolver is present, which is great since those fine pieces were often broken during use. The dovetailed sight is present and shows a bit of rusty oxidization. The rosewood grips are beautiful, only one minor ding to note besides signs of normal use.

Mechanically, the gun functions very well. There is proper rotation of the cylinder and crisp action of the hammer and trigger as well.  The bore has nice rifling but could use a good scrub.

With less than 10,000 Uhlinger revolvers produced, this small-frame revolver was a solid no-frills gun which was a handy little sidearm for soldiers. This piece would make a great addition to any collection of lesser-known soldier sidearms.  [CLA] [ph:L]

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