A Fine & Exceedingly Handsome US Civil War Moore 7 Shot Belt Revolver With Original New York Factory Engraving. Later Cased With Tools

A Daniel Moore Seven-shot .32 calibre rimfire revolver, serial number 1074, manufactured by Daniel Moore of Brooklyn, and patented by him on September 18th, 1860. In overall, superbly nice condition with much original nickel plating and blue finish. The nickel plating shows of beautifully the original, fine, ‘New York’ factory engraving.

It is extremely keenly priced when it is considered next to it far better known Civil War revolver competitors, such as Smith and Wesson, Colt, Remington and Starr etc. plus it’s rarity, in that it’s production was barely 3% that of Colt alone, plus, it was a breech loading cartridge gun, that made its firing advantage far greater than that of its cap and ball percussion revolver rivals. No wonder Cole Younger continually used his until it was captured from him in 1876.

This gun is the very first revolver with swing-out cylinder ever produced. With the hammer in halfcock position, a pressure on the catch located right from the hammer on the recoil shield allows the barrel and cylinder to be swung out to the right for loading.

Engraved Moore’s Patent Firearms Co. Single Action Belt Revolver. These revolvers were made in Brooklyn, New York from 1861-1863 and number less than 7,000 in total, possibly as low as 5,000. The primary significance of this pistol is that many of these are known to have been purchased by Union officers and enlisted men for use during the American Civil War, Including, Cole Younger of Quantrill's Raiders.

Sturdy and very well made, this revolver was in its days a lot more advanced that all its competitors. Unfortunately for Mr Moore, its bored-through cylinder made it also an infringment on the Rollin White patent, that was then owned by Smith & Wesson. As they usually did, S&W filed a claim, which resulted in the surrender to S&W of 18,072 unsold revolvers by 4 companies in settlement of the damage claims. The mention "Manufd. for Smith & Wesson by Moore's Pat. Fire Arms Co" was stamped on the barrels of all turned over revolvers prior to sale, but ours was made prior to this change.

This one bears the early serial 1074 and does not have this mention, which indicates it was sold before the trial.

Excellent weapon, featuring a factory New York hand-engraved brass frame. This fine Moore would undoubtedly have seen military use during the Civil War.

One of the most famous owners of a Moore 7 shot belt revolver just like this example, was 'Cole' Younger, during the Northfield Bank Robbery. He was part of the James -Younger gang with Jesse And Frank James and Cole’s brothers Jim, John and Bob. He supposedly used his Moore as a Captain in the notorious Quantrill's Raiders of the Confederate States Army in the Civil War.
After the war, as part of the Younger-James Gang after the Great Northfield Bank Raid, Cole Younger had his pistol taken from him on 21 September 1876, and it was his Daniel Moore 1860 patent revolver, which bore a serial number within 150 of this revolver. Also recovered with it was his Civil War Officer’s belt and holster.

Photos in the gallery of an original ambrotype photo of Cole Younger, {now in a museum} and his $5,000 reward 'wanted' poster for train robbery, also a photo of him with his brother Bob and Frank and Jesse James, and you can see Cole's revolver in his holster at his waist, and lastly, we show his marble tombstone.

One photo in the gallery is the same type of Moore revolver, with ivory grip, without case, that was sold by the Moore family in 2009 in the US that sold for $ 4,888

Code: 24799