REPRODUCTION Griswold & Gunnison Black Powder .44 Caliber Revolver
Item #: WR853
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This is a Reproduction black powder Griswold & Gunnison cap and ball revolver made by Pietta of Italy. Operators of a cotton gin factory before the war, Samuel Griswold and his partner Arvin Gunnison were one of only three manufacturers that took advantage of the interest free loans and contract terms the Confederate government offered to southern factories to convert their factories to produce revolvers for the Confederate Army. Of the three, Griswold & Gunnison was the only company that achieved any success as a gunmaker. In 1862, the Confederacy gave them the go-ahead to produce as many pistols as they could, to supply troops that were carrying everything from Colt dragoons to antique flintlocks, but the South never caught up to the North in sheer numbers of armaments, owing to a dire shortage of raw materials. The Griswold and Gunnison pistol was a near-exact copy of the .36 caliber percussion cap and ball 1851 Colt Navy revolver, except it had a brass frame instead of steel -- due to the scarcity of metals in the south--and its barrel was round rather than octagonal. It was a good quality weapon, but the factory was only able to produce about 3,600 pieces before it was destroyed by Sherman during his 1864 march through Georgia. The brass frame is stamped on the bottom with the serial number of 121292. The barrel is stamped adjacent to the frame stamp with the last three numbers, 292. Instead of a 7 1/2" barrel, this reproduction has a 5" round barrel. The bore and rifling are in excellent condition, it doesn't appear that this one has ever been fired. The barrel is stamped on the left side "BLACK POWDER ONLY-MADE IN ITALY". It is also stamped Cal. 44 on the same side of the barrel. The right side of the barrel has the PIETTA logo and the letters PN, representing Black Powder. The cylinder and right side of the brass frame are stmped with the same logo and letters. The gun has an thin, but complete bluing on all the metal parts, and a nice dull golden patina on the frame and back strap. The mechanics of this reproduction Griswold work perfectly. The grips are in very good condition, with no bumps or dings on the sides of the grips. They fit the gun like a glove and have no repairs. This is a very nice reproduction of a Confederate manufactured revolver that will work nicely for your Confederate reenacting impression!
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