This is one of the rarest and least often encountered variations of the M1854 Beaumont-Adamspercussion revolvers, the .50 caliber Dragoon, a true “hand cannon” of its time. The massive revolver is 13 ½” in length and weighs in at a hefty 2 lbs. 10 oz, just shy of 3 pounds. Robert Adams and his licensees manufactured these revolvers under Adams’ solid frame patent. In 1851 Adams was granted a patent for significant improvements to revolvers by patenting a unique design with the barrel and frame forged as a single piece of steel. This made the pistol incredibly strong and was a much stronger method of producing a handgun than any of the other revolver system then commonly in use, particularly those used by Colt which used a wedge to attach the barrel to the frame and had no top strap to reinforce the frame. Adams also received patents in 1851 for a spring-loaded, frame mounted safety device, and a spring based cylinder arbor latch. In 1854, he received additional patents for a frame mounted sliding safety device and screw based method of cylinder arbor pin retention. The fine quality Adams solid frame revolvers were as important to the history and development of the revolving handgun as were the developments and designs of Sam Colt. Adams additionally patented a self-cocking lockwork, which today would be referred to as “double action only”. This mechanism cocked the hammer, rotated the cylinder and released the hammer, all as the result of a single pull of the trigger. While this allowed for rapid fire, the long, heavy trigger pull inhibited accurate firing. These designs were incorporated into Adams M1851 self-cocking revolvers. In 1854, Lt. Frederick Beaumont developed an improvement for Adams’ lockwork, which produced what would be called a traditional “double action” revolver today. The new lockwork allowed the revolver to operate in the fashion of Adams’ original design, but also added the facility to cock the revolver manually and fire it with a lighter “single action” trigger pull. This refinement allowed for more accurate shooting. In 1854, Adams also patented refinements to his original frame design by adding a sliding frame mounted safety on the right side of the frame and an improved cylinder arbor retaining mechanism as well. The resultant combination of design improvements was manufactured as the M1854 revolver, known to most collectors as the Beaumont-Adams revolver. The revolvers were produced directly by Adams as part of his partnership with the London based Deane, Adams & Deane, as well under license by Birmingham makers like Joseph Brazier, Isaac Hollis & Sons. William Tranter also employed Adams’ solid frame in the production of his revolvers. Upon the dissolution of the Deane, Adams & Deane firm, Adams went to work for the London Armoury Company (circa 1857-1858), and his revolvers were produced there as well. Even after Adams left the London Armoury Company to reestablish his own firm, London Armoury continued to produce Adams patent revolvers at least until the early 1860s, well into the period when they were manufacturing Kerr patent revolver. Over the years it has been the 54-Bore (.443 caliber) Adams revolvers that have had the most association with the American Civil War, and little evidence has been available regarding the importation of the 38-Bore (.50 caliber) “Dragoon” sized revolvers. However, recent scholarship has uncovered that at least a handful of the .50 Adams revolvers were purchased and imported by the Confederacy and at least one dug example indicates that some of these pistols made it into the field. According to documents in the National Archives, eight cased Adams 38-Bore “Dragoon” revolvers were included in the cargo of the ill-fated blockade runner Elizabeth. The Elizabeth was owned by John Fraser & Co of Charleston, SC, and was captured on May 29, 1862 while trying to enter the that port. Listed in the cargo manifest was a case of revolvers, marked A within a rhomboid, and the case contained “eight Deane, Adams & Deane 8 inch revolvers, in cases complete”. The barrel length clearly indicates that these were the large bore, .50 revolvers and not the more common 54-bore guns. The pre-war barrel markings suggest that these guns were purchased from existing inventory in English gun shops, likely by arms speculators, rather than the Confederate central government purchasing agents. Further indication that these large bore revolvers saw use during the war is a dug example with a 7 ½” barrel that was recovered near Brandy Station by a relic hunter in the 1960s. This dug example, with its history and provenance, sold a few years ago from an Internet Civil War relic web site. Additionally, a small number of .50 M1854 Beaumont-Adams revolvers are known, in private collections, with the names of Confederate General Officers as well as some Army of Northern Virginia staff officers engraved on the rights side of the pistol near the barrel to frame junction. One such example of an identified and engraved .50 caliber Beaumont-Adams was auctioned at James D. Julia’s in March of 2014. That example was named to B. F. Ficklin. Lt. Colonel Benjamin Franklin Ficklin served as a staff & field officer during the war, initially with the 45th Virginia Infantry. He appears to have spent most of his service on detached duty in and around Richmond and had at least some involvement with the procurement of ordnance. It is believed by researchers that Ficklin was at least partially responsible for the acquisition of the .50 caliber Beaumont-Adams Dragoon revolvers that saw use with the officer corps of the Confederacy, primarily with the ANV. Ficklin’s gun was serial number 36,025R / B20,276. Another example is known that is named to General G.C. Wharton, who commanded a brigade composed of the 45th VA and 56th VA at Fort Donelson. Obviously, the connection between Wharton and Ficklin is clear, as they served in the same brigade. Thus, the period documentation, and at least one field recovered example indicates that the Confederacy did purchase at least a few of these massive revolvers and some of them did see use in the field.

This Beaumont-Adams M1854 38-Bore Dragoon Revolver is in VERY GOOD condition overall. The revolver is engraved ADAMS’ PATENT No 16,478 R. The serial number is engraved on both the right side of the frame, below the cylinder, and on the cylinder itself. There it is engraved in two lines: 16,478 / R. The revolver is also engraved on the frame with the Beaumont royalty tracking number B 666, directly above the Adams serial number. The top strap is engraved with the retailer name and address: Deane, Adams & Deane London. The lower front of the frame is also stamped DA&D over the caliber mark 38. While Adams patent revolvers are nearly impossible to date by serial number, the way you can those by Colt or Smith & Wesson guns, we can narrow the time frame for this revolver to circa 1855 for production. The revolver has the post-1854 Adams improved safety and arbor pin retention systems, as well as Beaumont’s lock improvements. The revolver has a very low Beaumont patent tracking number of 666. This means that this was the 666th Adams revolver to be produced with Beaumont’s lock work. The presence of Adams’ name on the topstrap indicates he was still in his partnership with the Deane’s, which he left circa 1857. Additionally, the gun is equipped with the rarely encountered “Rigby Patent” loading lever. This was one of the various loading lever systems that Adams dabbled with prior to adopting the Kerr Patent loading lever, which he did while working at the London Armoury Company.

The revolver is in VERY GOOD condition mechanically and functions correctly in the double action mode. The double action mechanism times, indexes and locks up exactly as it should. The revolver does not appear to have a single action cocking notch, thus it does not operate in single action mode, although the cocking action does rotate the cylinder. It is my belief that this early Beaumont style revolver was made in double action only, as it retains the safety spring on the left side of the frame that allows the revolver to be placed on “half-cock”, freeing the cylinder to rotate for loading. This safety spring also keeps the hammer nose from contacting the cones (nipples), functioning like a safety. The spring safety automatically disengaged when the trigger was pulled, placing the revolver in firing mode. This safety was a standard feature of the double action only M1851 revolvers and was omitted on nearly all of the M1854 revolvers. This transitional gun has the original M1851 safety on the left side of the frame, as well as the newly patented M1854 sliding safety on the right side of the frame.

The revolver remains in VERY GOOD condition and retains about 10%-15% of its original bright blue throughout. Most of the remaining finish is on the right side of the frame and under the loading lever on the left side of the frame. The finish loss appears to be a combination of loss from normal wear due to carry and use, as well as from flaking. The areas where the blue has flaked or worn away and shows a mostly plum-brown patina that blends well with the remaining finish. The 7 5/16” long octagonal barrel retains relatively sharp edges and good lines, although some scattered impact marks are present in the metal, likely from field service and some rough handling. The barrel is clearly marked with a pair of London commercial proof marks, and the topstrap legend remains partially legible, with some of the engraved retailer mark worn away. The 5-shot cylinder appears to have been color case hardened as were most of the M1851 cylinders (M1854 cylinders tended to be blued). It retains no finish now but has a silvery patina typical of case hardened cylinders, while blued cylinders tend to patina with a plum brown color. The serial number on the cylinder and the proof marks between the chambers remain clearly visible. The rear of the cylinder shows some wear and as light erosion from flash pitting. The cones (nipples) are all are present at the rear of the cylinder, and all appear to be original to the period of use. The cone recesses and chambers show some moderate erosion and caustic wear from firing and use. Most of the metal surfaces of the frame and barrel are fairly smooth with some moderately scattered surface oxidation and some lightly scattered pitting present on the frame, barrel and triggerguard of the revolver. There are areas of more obvious light to moderate pitting on the underside of the top strap and just forward of the cylinder, where the caustic gases could harm the metal. Interestingly, the gun does not have the usual Adams style light foliate scroll engraving on the frame, and other areas, and is simply plain metal. The bore is in VERY GOOD condition and is evenly oxidized, with very good rifling. The bore shows some scattered light pitting along its length, along with some patches of more moderate pitting and some areas of darker oxidation as well. The gun retains the rarely encountered Adams style loading lever, which is often referred to as a Rigby’s Patentrammer. While some examples are so marked on their reverse, this one is not. The rammer is marked with the assembly number 3780. This same assembly number is found inside the triggerguard bow and on the rear face of the cylinder. While these loading levers were an improvement over the earliest Adams system which did not utilize a loading lever, they were nowhere near as effective as the more often encountered Kerr’s patent rammer, which typified Adams revolver production at London Armoury. All of the marks are a little light due to service, wear and in the case of the cylinder some flash erosion. The Adams 1854 patent sliding safety is present on the right side of the frame and works exactly as it should. These safeties are often broken or missing, but this one is complete and functional. The Adams 1854 patent improved arbor pin retention thumbscrew is present and remains fully functional. This is not common, as this is a small part that is often missing or broken as well. The original dovetail mounted front sight is present, but the blade is worn down. The one-piece checkered walnut grip is in very nice shape and rates about VERY GOOD condition. The grip matches the condition of the revolver perfectly. The grip is solid and complete with no breaks or repairs. However, there is a 1 ½” grain crack present running diagonally on the right side of the grip, upwards from the grip cap. The crack is nearly hidden by the lines of checkering but is mentioned for exactness. The left side of the grip also shows an area of impact flattening that is about 1” long by 3/8” wide. This appears to be the result of the revolver being dropped or the grip hit by something. Otherwise, the grip retains fairly crisp and sharp checkering, and shows only the usual handling marks, bumps and dings that would be expected from carry and use.

Overall the gun has a great visual presence and displays very nicely. This is a very nice, and rather scarce, large-caliber Adams that would be a very nice addition to any collection of Civil War era or English percussion revolvers. The large majority of Adams percussion revolver production was either the standard military sized 54-bore (.44 caliber) guns or the smaller pocket sized 120-bore pistols (about .33 caliber). The mid-sized 80-bore pistol (about .38 caliber) were made in much smaller numbers, and the and Dragoon sized 38-bore (.50 caliber) pistols were made in even smaller quantities. The revolver is in very good, solid condition, showing some real-world use (but no abuse) and is in a caliber that is rarely found available on the collector market today. This is the exact pattern of revolver that has been identified to a number of important Confederate officers and would be a wonderful example of the Adams “Dragoon” revolvers that some of them acquired. This is a very scarce gun that is rarely found for sale, especially with any finish remaining. It would surely make a wonderful centerpiece to any advanced Civil War import percussion revolver collection. I have had the privilege to sell three other examples of these scarce revolvers over the last decade, but this is the most reasonably priced example I have had the opportunity to offer for sale.

ON HOLD