Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice U.S. Civil War Era Moore's Patent No.2 "Deringer" single shot pocket pistol in .41 rimfire, made by the National Firearms Co in Brooklyn, N.Y.. The design for a single shot pocket pistol using a .41 caliber rimfire short cartridge was patented by Daniel Moore in 1861, and examples were produced by the Moore's Patent Firearms Co. until the company by the National Firearms Company during 1863. The "No.1 Deringer" was somewhat difficult to hold, so the "No.2 Deringer" was introduced with design similar to Smith & Wesson pistols of the time, with a "Bird's Head" style pistol grip. The company continued to produced these until 1870, when they were themselves taken over by Colt Firearms, after which production continued, eventually producing a Third model of the single shot pocket pistol.

This lovely example has a great worn patina from years of use and cleaning, which have unfortunately removed the markings from the top of the barrel, which originally would have read:

The pistol is faintly marked on the underside of the barrel with serial number 282, along with assembly marking 2 on the rear near the chamber. The right side of the grip frame is marked with B82, as well as assembly marking 2, while the grips themselves have no markings. We do not know if this is because it is an early example, or whether the grips were replaced long ago.

The pistol is single shot, and is loaded by pulling back on the round button on the right side of the frame, which unlocks the 2 1/2 inch rotating steel barrel. Ejection of the spent cartridge was done by hand, usually at home, as these were not really designed for quick reloading. Later examples of the No.2 Deringer would include a blade extractor, however this example was not made with one.

The pistol's frame is engraved brass, which was originally Nickel plated, however now it is mostly worn away, only retained a bit under the grips. The rest of the brass shows a lovely mustard patina, and the engraving is now quite faint due to wear. The pistol breaks open correctly, and has a crisp dry fire. The bore still shows very faint rifling, but also much oxidation and fouling, so this little pistol saw a lot of use!

In lovely condition, cleaned and ready to display!

Specifications: 

Year of Manufacture: circa 1863-1870
Caliber: .41 inches
Ammunition Type: Rimfire cartridge
Barrel Length: 2 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 5 1/4 inches
Action: Exposed Hammer Single Action
Feed System: Single Shot Rotating Barrel

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