Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox
- Category
- Revolver
- Barrel
- 76 mm
- Weight, empty
- 340 g
- Introduced
- 1851
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox is a five-shot .28 caliber percussion pepperbox revolver produced in Windsor, Vermont in the early 1850s. Unlike the rotating-barrel pepperboxes common to the era, it used a cluster of five stationary rifled barrels fired in turn by a rotating internal striker, actuated by a ring trigger that self-cocked and dropped the concealed hammer with each pull. The barrel cluster was hinged with a spring latch so it could tip forward for capping, and the forward barrel section unscrewed for loading powder and ball, giving the little pocket pistol an unusually low bore axis for natural pointing.
Marketed during the height of Robbins & Lawrence's success as an innovative alternative to the rotating-barrel pepperboxes of the 1840s-50s, the ring-trigger design and stationary rifled barrels made it a compact, easily concealed pocket defense arm popular in the years surrounding the California Gold Rush.
Produced circa 1851-1854; also offered in a larger .31 caliber version. Built on improvements to George Leonard's 1849 patent.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Robbins & Lawrence
- Category
- Revolver
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1851 to 1854
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 76 mm
- Overall length
- 165 mm
- Weight, empty
- 340 g
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Revolving
- Firing mechanism
- Percussion
- Trigger
- Double action only
- Capacity
- 5
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Rosewood
- Finish
- Color case-hardened frame with blued barrel cluster
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 180 m/s
- Effective range
- 10 m
- Maximum range
- 45 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.
Five stationary rifled barrels
Ring trigger self-cocking action
Concealed hammer / rotating internal striker- Spring-latch barrel cluster tips forward for capping
Removable brass front bead sight
De-cocking capability
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 404 revolvers | 340 g | 1.05 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 415 revolvers | 165 mm | 260 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 431 revolvers | 76 mm | 127 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 434 revolvers | 5 | 6 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox
How much does the Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox weigh?
The Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox weighs 340 g (12.0 oz) empty.
What caliber is the Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox?
The Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox is chambered in .28 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball).
How many rounds does the Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox hold?
The Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox holds 5 rounds.
How long is the Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox?
The Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox is 165 mm (6.50 in) long overall, with a 76 mm (2.99 in) barrel.
Who makes the Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox?
The Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox is made by Robbins & Lawrence (United States). It was designed by Samuel E. Robbins, Richard S. Lawrence.
When was the Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox introduced?
The Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox was introduced in 1851 and discontinued in 1854.
How does the Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox operate?
The Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox uses a revolving 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
Provenance
Confidence in this record
70%
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/robbins-and-lawrence-pepperbox' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "robbins-and-lawrence-pepperbox", "name": "Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox", "manufacturer": { "id": "robbins-and-lawrence", "name": "Robbins & Lawrence", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1844, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-07-19 22:59:14", "updatedAt": "2026-07-19 22:59:14", "version": "995b3c364826cddd129ffb9f87407daaa76bddf1bebb57694c4ac4d642c8a5a7" }, "category": { "id": "revolver", "name": "Revolver", "description": "Handguns with a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1851, "barrel_length_mm": 76, "weight_empty_g": 340, "action_type": "revolving"}