Lefaucheux 4-barrel Pocket Pistol

A remarkable and rare Lefaucheux Derringer-style double-action pocket pistol.

This type of pistol gained popularity after the 1865 assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. The weapon used was a small-caliber pistol manufactured by the Philadelphia gunsmith Henry Derringer.

The pistol shown here is equipped with 5 mm rifled barrels chambered for metal cartridges. The barrels tilt downward via a push button located on the left side of the frame to allow for loading. Cartridges are ejected using the button centered at the end of the four barrels. Fixed rear sight. Sight adjustable for windage. Upper band engraved “Maison Lefaucheux rue Vivienne 37.”

The frame incorporates the ring-percussion hammer, the spur trigger, and the grip concealing the large spring. The four cartridges are fired by rotating the firing pin.

Ivory grip plates (cites en cours) secured byan eyelet screw, monogrammed “AB” beneath a baron’s crown.

This firearm attests to the mastery and ingenuity of the French firearms industry in the late 19th century. It is entirely nickel-plated with minor wear on the stock. It bears no markings.

Eugène Lefaucheux: born in 1832, died in 1892, son of Casimir Lefaucheux, founder of Ets Lefaucheux. In 1851, at the London exhibition,he met Samuel Colt, who became his friend and influenced his work, as evidenced by this pistol. He is best known for inventing the pin-lock cartridge system, known as the Lefaucheux system, which enjoyed immense success. He is much less well known for the system presented here, which makes it particularly interesting.