A few years ago, I wrote a blog about a very interesting antique firearm, The U.S. Navy Elgin Cutlass Pistol. A really crazy looking pistol with a blade that looks similar to a Bowie knife attached under the barrel. It came into use about 1838 though not in large numbers as only 150 were ever produced for the navy. There are some variants made for civilian use that are also extremely rare, but they do not hold the same value as the military version.
I recently came upon one of the civilian versions of this funky pistol/knife. It is still just as awkward as its larger brother, the navy pistol, but it’s a little smaller but called “medium” in form. The Elgin cutlass pistol was manufactured by two companies: C.B. Allen and Morrill, Mosman, and Blair. Each produced a variety of them, some very ornate with patriotic etchings on the blade. This example is completely un-marked; however, the style is that of Morrill, Mossman, and Blair, a manufacturing firm in Amherst, Massachusetts. It isn’t known how many of these civilian versions were built. Given the amount of gun shows I go to a year, and how long I have been going, I have only seen a few. So at least based on that there probably were not a whole lot of them made that survive today.
It has a curved wooden one-piece pistol grip, long tangs on the side of the lock that extend down the sides of the grip, a round barrel, a .36 caliber rifled bore, and a one-piece knife blade with an integral pointy trigger guard bow. It has a percussion ignition system which was its first use by the United States military. It is quite a bit lighter than the navy version, and like that pistol the weight of the blade on the front makes the gun a little nose heavy and hard to aim. That said, if I was to shoot one, I think it would be the civilian example. It just feels a little more comfortable and less awkward.
These would have come with a strange looking leather scabbard/holster with a German silver throat and tip, although this one doesn’t have its holster. Having the original extremely rare holster adds significant value to the gun.
This rare survivor, along with other early pistols, muskets, swords, and bayonets will be featured in the December 10th Bruneau and Co. Historic Arms & Militaria auction.
