Handguns E. Lefaucheaux Revolver Questions

JimN

Private
Joined
Dec 3, 2014
Hi everyone, I recently bought an E. Lefaucheaux pinfire revolver and have a bunch of questions as I am not as versed as many on Civil War small arms.
The gun has many issues including no front sight, no lanyard ring, no ejector rod and the small door that opens behind the cylinder does not close properly. Also, the gun does not hold at half cock.
These are the markings on the gun that I can see: 1. “E Lefaucheaux Inv Brevette” on rear of barrel. 2. “ELG” and crown in a circle on cylinder. 3. “N” below crown on cylinder. 4. Serial number of “36256” below cylinder. 5. “L” or “T” under possibly a crown on underside of barrel base. 6. “JG” under the gun ahead of the trigger guard 7. A “1” on the back side of the cylinder. 8. “N” under crown on opposite side of where it is stamped Lefaucheaux.
My questions are: What is the model of the gun, what year was it manufactured and where, is it Civil War period and what do all the the markings represent?
I know it’s a lot of questions but any help will be appreciated. Thanks.
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In 1862 and 1863 the United States Army imported a recorded 13,263 Lefaucheux model 1854 pinfire revolvers. 10,000 of these were a direct order from Eugène Lefaucheux’s company (Thought to be in the serial number range around 80,000) by the Army’s purchasing agent, Col. G.L Schuyler. Lefaucheux was also supplying Italy a large order at the same time as well as other customers. The other 3,263 were gathered from various gun dealers and suppliers in the United States and Europe and were likely made a bit earlier. There is also an unknown amount of pinfire revolvers that the Confederate Army imported.

There are only 167 of these 13,263 revolvers that specifically have their serial number recorded in the national archives in any documentation that has been found so far. Much of this research has been done over the past few decades by Frank Mallory and the Springfield Research Service.

I have the listing of all of them, but we will list a few specific ones issued in 1863 to CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV.

Serial #
Issued
Usage
36,050​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,324​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,360​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,466​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,478​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,551​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,556​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,845​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV

Your specimen here is serial number 36,236 which fits right within this range that was issued to the 9th Missouri State Militia Cavalry Regiment.

This gun has Belgian proof marks and inspection marks and has the inscription of E. LEFAUCHEUX INV BREVETE which indicates that Lefaucheux was the inventor and patent holder that licensing was paid to to make this.

All of this is pretty much a copy and paste from a very similar one I have for sale right now:
https://aaronnewcomer.com/pinfire/g...volver-with-american-civil-war-serial-number/
 
During the U.S. Civil War, the Monroe Docrine as a sort of "hands off the Americas" exclusion of North, Central, and South America as regions closed to European imperialism was basically "off." There are several threads about the attempt by France's Napoleon III to impose the Austrian Hapsburg Maximilian and his Belgian wife Carlota (King Leopold's sister) as the Emperor and Empress of the Mexicans. At the same time, Spain's Ejército Ultramar attempted to re-impose Spanish colonialism in the Dominican Republic, after intervening against Haïti during the perennial Dominican and Haitian conflicts, as well as the internecine conflicts of Dominican politics. By that time, the Spanish were using very many Lefaucheux pin-fire revolvers.
 
This gun has Belgian proof marks and inspection marks and has the inscription of E. LEFAUCHEUX INV BREVETE which indicates that Lefaucheux was the inventor and patent holder that licensing was paid to to make this.

So the belgium revolver with the serial number 36236 (or 36536) has been made under licence in 1859 .... long before the civil war ....
 
In 1862 and 1863 the United States Army imported a recorded 13,263 Lefaucheux model 1854 pinfire revolvers. 10,000 of these were a direct order from Eugène Lefaucheux’s company (Thought to be in the serial number range around 80,000) by the Army’s purchasing agent, Col. G.L Schuyler. Lefaucheux was also supplying Italy a large order at the same time as well as other customers. The other 3,263 were gathered from various gun dealers and suppliers in the United States and Europe and were likely made a bit earlier. There is also an unknown amount of pinfire revolvers that the Confederate Army imported.

There are only 167 of these 13,263 revolvers that specifically have their serial number recorded in the national archives in any documentation that has been found so far. Much of this research has been done over the past few decades by Frank Mallory and the Springfield Research Service.

I have the listing of all of them, but we will list a few specific ones issued in 1863 to CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV.

Serial #
Issued
Usage
36,050​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,324​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,360​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,466​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,478​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,551​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,556​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV
36,845​
1863​
CO B 9TH MO STATE MILITIA CAV

Your specimen here is serial number 36,236 which fits right within this range that was issued to the 9th Missouri State Militia Cavalry Regiment.

This gun has Belgian proof marks and inspection marks and has the inscription of E. LEFAUCHEUX INV BREVETE which indicates that Lefaucheux was the inventor and patent holder that licensing was paid to to make this.

All of this is pretty much a copy and paste from a very similar one I have for sale right now:
https://aaronnewcomer.com/pinfire/g...volver-with-american-civil-war-serial-number/
Aaron,

I have one of these Lefaucheux 12mm pinfire revolvers. The serial number 34350 is on the left side, starting on the lower barrel, and extending onto the lower frame. I have the 4 Springfield Research books, but nothing was found on these pinfires in those.

Can you check your research notes for my serial number?

ELefaucheux12mmPinfire1-Rev1-fixed.jpg


ELefaucheux12mmPinfire10a-Rev1.jpg
 
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