Allen Pepperbox
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 133 mm
- Weight, empty
- 700 g
- Introduced
- 1837
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Allen Pepperbox is a six-barreled, muzzle-loading percussion pistol designed by gunmaker Ethan Allen and built around a rotating cluster of smoothbore .36 caliber barrels. Pulling its ring trigger rotated the barrel group, cocked the distinctive 'bar hammer', and dropped it in a single stroke, making it one of the first practical double-action repeating handguns sold in America. Affordable and quick to fire, it was the most popular multi-shot personal-defense pistol in the United States in the 1840s and early 1850s, before Samuel Colt's single-barrel revolvers displaced it.
Mark Twain mocked the pepperbox in 'Roughing It,' quipping that when it fired it might hit the intended target or, just as likely, any bystander standing to either side, owing to its notoriously poor accuracy.
Ethan Allen patented his self-cocking ignition in 1837 (renewed 1845). The firm produced pepperboxes as Allen & Thurber across Grafton MA, Norwich CT (from 1842) and Worcester MA (from 1847). Barrel clusters of roughly 3 to 6 inches and four frame sizes covered calibers from about .28 to .36. The double-action ring trigger gave volume of fire at the cost of poor accuracy.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Allen & Thurber
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1837 to 1865
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 133 mm
- Overall length
- 235 mm
- Weight, empty
- 700 g
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Double action
- Firing mechanism
- Percussion
- Trigger
- Double action
- Capacity
- 6
- Magazine
- Rotary
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 230 m/s
- Effective range
- 10 m
- Maximum range
- 30 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
- Rotating barrel cluster
Six barrels
Ring trigger
Self cocking
Bar hammer
Percussion cap
Muzzle loader- Smoothbore
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,909 pistols | 700 g | 794 g | Lighter than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,911 pistols | 235 mm | 196 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,941 pistols | 133 mm | 102 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,962 pistols | 6 | 8 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Allen Pepperbox
How much does the Allen Pepperbox weigh?
The Allen Pepperbox weighs 700 g (1.54 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Allen Pepperbox?
The Allen Pepperbox is chambered in .36 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball).
How many rounds does the Allen Pepperbox hold?
The Allen Pepperbox holds 6 rounds, fed from a rotary magazine.
How long is the Allen Pepperbox?
The Allen Pepperbox is 235 mm (9.25 in) long overall, with a 133 mm (5.24 in) barrel.
Who makes the Allen Pepperbox?
The Allen Pepperbox is made by Allen & Thurber (United States). It was designed by Ethan Allen.
When was the Allen Pepperbox introduced?
The Allen Pepperbox was introduced in 1837 and discontinued in 1865.
How does the Allen Pepperbox operate?
The Allen Pepperbox uses a double action, and its firing mechanism is percussion.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- American civilians and settlers
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
62%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/pepperbox-pistol' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "pepperbox-pistol", "name": "Allen Pepperbox", "manufacturer": { "id": "allen-thurber", "name": "Allen & Thurber", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1837, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "8ac98d72065b3e59403e590e078206e82b092abab068ad411f2e43b2122c8b23" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1837, "barrel_length_mm": 133, "weight_empty_g": 700, "action_type": "double_action"}