Hall & Powell. Dublin.

Joseph Hall & Benjamin Powell

Great Britain Street

Dublin

Early Revolver Production

Hall & Powell to lockplate. Stock inset to take internally mounted throat hole cock.

                                    The business end of this 18th century revolving carbine. 
                                                           

                                          

   Flintlock 3 shot revolving carbine. c.1785. 

                                          Produced by Joseph Hall & Benjamin Powell.

The overall length of this early revolving carbine is 36.75 inches. The barrel length being 15.25 inches. Bore size of the barrel increases from .640" at the breech to 820" at the muzzle.

                            3 Shot flintlock cylinder. 5.125" in length. Bore size being .675"

                                  Internally bridled and border lined throathole cock. 

Cylinder bore .675" ( nom. 16 bore)*

  Using a patched ball the transition from cylinder

to barrel (.640") should have been smooth. If used without a patch and a tight fitting ball

this could have been an early form of choking?

                                                              Component parts. 
                                     Cylinder, arbor, barrel and trigger mechanism.

              Hall & Powell Dublin trades directory entry for 1785

	Alley	George		9 Clarendon St
	Blackwell	William		2 Gt Ship St
	Devine	Thomas		194  Abbey St.
	Dixon	Thomas		32 Upp' Kevin St
	Edwards	William		24 Castle St
	Gray	John		21 Lwr Exchange Street
	Hall & Powell			149 Great Britain St.
	Hutchinson	Michael		8 Dame St
	Marshal	Thomas		4 Barrack St
	Morton	William		31 Skinner Row
	Rainsford	James		102 Grafton St
	Rigby	John		19 Suffolk St
	Tomlinson	Robert		123 Capel St
	Trulock	Thomas		28 Dame St
	Wallace	Samuel		2 William St

Prior to entering into this partnership both Joseph Hall and Benjamin Powell were working on
revolvers in their own right. Examples of their work can be seen in "Early Firearms of Great Britain and Ireland from the collection of Clay P.Bedford"  Items 951 & 1016.

It has been estimated that the rate of fire from this weapon, once loaded, would be 3 shots in 8 to 10 seconds! A very impressive volley prior to 1800.

                                   All photography courtesy of Leslie Martin.

              Hall & Powell listed originally by F. Carroll, Irish Gunsmiths and Sword Cutlers. 
                                        The Irish Sword Vol 3, No10, 1957.

                                               Dave Stroud. ramrodantiques.co.uk