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CONNECTICUT ARMS AND MANUFACTURING CO. HAMMOND .44 RIMFIRE “BULLDOG” DERINGER, CA. 1865-1868

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This attractive, single-shot Deringer rates very good or near fine for condition with smooth metal, all original parts, sharp lettering, nice grips and near 30 percent or so original finish showing as a thin, luminous blue on the barrel assembly, with some scratches and rubs along the edges, some thin blue mixed with caramel and on the receiver and then soft, but visible case colors on the frame. The slotted rear sight/release button shows some rubs and brown. The brown, checkered thermoplastic grips are excellent. The lettering is sharp.

Brothers Henry and Lewis Hammond tried to enter the Civil War military arms business by incorporating in mid-1863 and developing a breech-loading single-shot cartridge system. A patent, however, was only granted in late October 1864 and attempts at a military contract for longarms were unsuccessful. They had a little more luck with their Deringer pistol, which used the same sort of swivel breach block that pivots to the left for inserting a cartridge after placing the hammer at half-cock and depressing a button on top of the block. The button is cross-hatched, but also slotted to function as a rear sight, and the block is fitted with an automatic ejector that will partially lift out the cartridge case for removal.

The pistol had some variations in barrel length and caliber. This is their standard production with 4-inch .44 Caliber barrel, and thermoplastic checkered grips. The pistol is elegantly styled: the rear of the pistol features very round contours with flat-sided but bag-style grips (of then modern thermoplastic) with rounded butt, and rounded sides to the receiver. The barrel, however, is octagon, with the bottom flats having rounded ends giving the impression of flutes in the frame and the barrel giving the appearance of narrowing by a tapering top barrel flat that comes to a point beyond the front sight, effectively making it seven-sided at the muzzle. Along with the use of a spur trigger, those smooth lines may also have given it some appeal to the practical-minded looking for pistol that could be smoothly drawn from a pocket, but the pistol was also robustly constructed to handle the .44 caliber round. Mechanics function properly, bore is clean with good rifling.

The markings are very good. The barrel address reads, “CONNECTICUT ARMS & MANF’G CO NAUBUC CONN.” The breechblock is marked over the forward top edge, “PATENTED OCT 25. 1864.” We have not removed the grips to check the serial number on the frame- production data is not available. Flayderman estimated a total quantity of 8,000, but also thought production lasted from 1866 to the late 1880s, but they had a much shorter run, so production may be significantly under that. The ejector and rear sight did not receive patents until mid-1866 and very early 1867, but production may have started as early as 1865 with the stamped October 1864 patent date deemed a sufficient warning. In any case, the NRA museum notes that production ceased in 1868 and Helms notes company assets were sold off in 1872, though many of the pistols remained in dealer inventories and were advertised for sale into the 1880s, perhaps giving the impression of longer production.

This would go well in a display of vest and coat-pocket pistols carried for personal defense in the early west. The pistol acquired the nickname “bulldog” among collectors, perhaps a faulty recollection of the barrel inscription “BULL DOZER” found on some of these with a nickel finish, but either nickname suits its power at close range. This is a nice example.  [sr][ph:L]

DISCLAIMER: All firearms are sold as collector's items only - we do not accept responsibility as to the shooting safety or reliability of any antique firearm. All firearms are described as accurately as possible, given the restraints of a catalog listing length. We want satisfied customers & often "under" describe the weapons. Any city or state regulations regarding owning antique firearms are the responsibility of the purchaser. All firearms are "mechanically perfect" unless noted, but again, are NOT warranted as safe to fire!

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