Sam ColtРІР‚в„ўs revolvers were considered a cutting edge personal defense weapon and were being bought in huge quantities by every nationРІР‚в„ўs military as defensive side arms for officers. LondonРІР‚в„ўs Great Exposition of 1851 would change that, and in less than a decade numerous noted gun makers would build pinfire shotguns for their customers.Р’В Lefaucheux died in 1852, but his son Eugene carried on the family business and took the pinfire cartridge in the direction of what was then a more radical design than a break-open shotgun: the American revolver. These designs remained confined to France for the next five years as gun makers from other countries such as England, America and Germany condemned the concept of a РІР‚Сљbreech loadingРІР‚Сњ firearm as weak and lacking the strength conferred by a solid sealed muzzle loading arm.

HoullierРІР‚в„ўs contribution to the effort was adding a wad to the base of the cartridge to improve the gas seal.Р’В His invention made for a more consistent round that was somewhat cleaner and could be mass produced cheaply. This would let anyone handling the firearm tell at a glance if it was loaded or unloaded (weРІР‚в„ўre not so sure if our ancestors always held to the modern safety rule of treating all firearms as if theyРІР‚в„ўre loaded).Р’В On the other hand, a pinfire round could be dangerous when dropped or mishandled because a direct impact or inertia could move the pin and cause the round to detonate.Р”Р„ fellow Parisian, Benjamin Houllier, came to LefaucheuxРІР‚в„ўs aid in 1846, over a decade after Lefaucheux developed his pistol. The pin protruded from a hole cut in the top of the breech for the hammer to strike. If the pinfire had one benefit over its contemporaries, it was safety. Keep in mind, the black powder propellant used at the time was hygroscopic and corrosive.

The obvious downside to this (with the benefitР’В of two centuries hindsight) was that the cartridge was not gas-tight therefore, pressure was low and there was an increasedР’В risks of powder going unburntР’В and gas escaping. Most early pinfire rounds consisted of a brass base and paper tube, which contained powder and projectile. However, three years later he applied for a patent extension, this time for a РІР‚СљpinРІР‚Сњ added to the base of the cartridge loaded with priming compound that ignited when struck by the hammer of the gun.Р’В It was soon referred to as the РІР‚СљpinfireРІР‚Сњ cartridge and was the first major step toward modern fixed ammunition cartridges.

The system still relied upon ignition from a percussion cap, as did most contemporary muzzle loading firearms. His original patent was for a breechloading paper shotgun cartridge in which the barrel hinged downward to load and unload. Pinfire ammunition was invented in 1832 by Parisian gun maker Casimir Lefaucheux. We recently came across an interesting revolver with a folding trigger that extends itself when the hammer is cocked.Р’В ItРІР‚в„ўsР’В a pocket pistol designed for personal defense and chambered in 7mm Pinfire.

Lefaucheux revolver 20 shot