Gluckman - United States Martial Pistols and Revolvers: a Reference and History

Copyright 1939 by Otto Ulbrich Co., Inc.
Special Contents Copyright 2011 Palladium Press
First Skyhorse Publishing edition 2015

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Richard Rossiter

Print ISBN: 978-1-62914-440-5
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63220-167-6

Printed in the United States of America

EDITORS NOTE

ARCADI GLUCKMANS

UNITED STATES

MARTIAL PISTOLS AND REVOLVERS

by Dr. Jim Casada

Born in 1896, Arcadi Gluekman was a career military man who rose to the rank of colonel in the United States Army. Biographical information on him is sparse. He was retired by 1964, when Harold L. Petersons Encyclopedia of Firearms appeared. Peterson notes as much in his coverage of contributors. It seems likely that there would have been obituary mentions in firearms-related magazines when Gluekman died, but if so, I have been unable to locate them. Most of his considerable literary work focused on military handguns, the history of gun making, and the evolution of American long guns. He was widely recognized as a leading authority in the field.

In addition to the work reprinted here, Gluekman wrote or coauthored a number of other books. These include United States Muskets, Rifles and Carbines (later revised and retitled Identifying Old U.S. Muskets , Rifles & Carbines ); American Gun Makers (with Leroy De Forest Satterleean important reference work in dictionary form, with commentaries on individual gun makers); Catalogue of United States Martial Short Arms (with assistance from George H. Smoots); and a special limited edition, slipcased book, The Collecting of Guns . Gluckman was also a frequent contributor to gun-related periodicals, wrote entries for Petersons Encyclopedia of Firearms , and served as a consultant to collectors.

United States Martial Pistols and Revolvers has an interesting and complex publishing history. It was first published in 1939 by the Otto Ulbrich Company of Buffalo, New York. It was bound in strawberry-colored cloth. Some sources say there was no dust jacket, while others list a cover. I have never seen the book with a dust jacket. Copies of the first edition have become quite difficult to find. In addition to this trade edition, the work was also offered in a limited, signed edition of one hundred copies specially bound in three-quarter morocco over coarse brown cloth. The lettering on the spine in this version is gilt, as is the top edge. The deluxe edition is extremely rare and highly prized by collectors. The above-mentioned Catalogue of United States Martial Short Arms , which evidently came in two forms (spiral binding and case binding with a dust jacket), appeared in the same year under the same imprint, and although it is a distinct and separate work, clearly it was intended to serve as a companion to United States Martial Pistols and Revolvers .

Thanks no doubt in part to the entry of the United States into World War II not too long after its publicationa time of national upsurge in interest in all things militarythe book enjoyed considerable early success. This was sufficient to engender a 1944 reprint, in the same format and from the same publisher. A dozen years later, in 1956, there were yet more reprints, again in the same format, from the Stackpole Company and Bonanza Books (both paperbound and hardback). Bonanza reprinted the book again in 1961, while by that date Stackpole was in its fourth printing. A generation after the books initial appearance, in 1974, Crown Publishers brought out yet another hardback reprint. Then in 2007 and again in 2010, Kessinger reprinted the work in softbound form, and in 2011 offered it in hardback.

The work is a vital reference source from a number of perspectives. Its listing of single-shot pistols, revolvers, and semi-automatic pistols, covering the period 17991917, is invaluable for collectors. Most appealing to the average reader are its brief histories of well over a hundred handguns. As a landmark in the field, it is still a useful reference and a work of enduring interest.

Jim Casada

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA

CONTENTS

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FLINTLOCK PISTOLE ARLY IGNITION SYSTEMS F UNCTIONING OF THE FLINTLOCK PISTOL V ARIATIONS FROM MODELS C ALIBERS AND G AUGES COMMITTEE OF SAFETY AND CONGRESSIONAL PISTOLSTHE FIRST U. S. MARTIAL PISTOLSA N OUTLINE OF S IMEON N ORTH HISTORY M ODEL 1799 NORTH & CHENEYM ODEL 1806 HARPERS FERRYM ODELS 1808, 1810 NORTH BERLINM ODELS 1813, 1816 NORTH MIDL N M ODEL 1816 NORTH V ARIATION M ODEL 1818 SPRINGFIELDM ODELS 1819, 1826 NORTHM ODEL 1826 EVANSM ODELS 1836 R. JOHNSON, A. WATERS, A. H. WATERS & CO.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PERCUSSION SYSTEMI NCENDIARY MIXTURES G UNPOWDER F IRST CARTRIDGES F ULMINATES F ORSYTH LOCK U. S. CONVERSIONS M AYNARD TAPE PRIMER U. S. PERCUSSION PISTOLSM ODELS 1842 H. ASTON, H. ASTON & CO., I. N. JOHNSON, PALMETTO ARMORYM ODELS 1843 N. P. AMES, DERINGERM ODEL 1855 SPRINGFIELD PISTOL-CARBINE HARPERS FERRY PISTOL-CARBINE .

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE METALLIC CARTRIDGEM ODELS 1866, 1867 REMINGTONM ODEL 1869 SPRINGFIELDM ODEL 1871 REMINGTON.

NOTES ON SECONDARY MARTIAL PISTOLSANSTATBIERLY & CO.C. BIRD & CO.BOOTHCALDERWOOD M ODEL 1808 T YPE T. P. CHERINGTONCOUTTYH. DERINGER M ODEL 1808 T YPE H. DERINGER M ODEL 1826 T YPE JOHN DERRDREPPERD P ERCUSSION ELGIN P ERCUSSION C UTLASS -P ISTOL (C. B. ALLEN M AKE )ELGIN P ERCUSSION C UTLASS -P ISTOL (MERRILL, MOSMAN & BLAIR M AKE )EVANS F RENCH M ODEL 1808 TypeT. FRENCH M ODEL 1808 T YPE T. GRUBBI. GUEST M ODEL 1808 T YPE HALL B REECH -L OADING F LINTLOCK (B RONZE B ARREL AND B REECH )HALL B REECH - LOADING F LINTLOCK (I RON B ARREL AND B REECH )J. HENRY (PHILA) M ODEL 1808 T YPE J. HENRYJ. J. HENRY (BOULTON)J. J. HENRY (BOULTON) M ODEL 1826 T YPE C. KLINEKUNTZLINDSAY T WO S HOT P ERCUSSION MARSTON B REECH - LOADING P ERCUSSION M C K BROTHERS (BALTIMORE) P ERCUSSION MEACHAM & PONDMILES M ODEL 1808 T YPE MILESB. MILLSP. & D. MOLLI. PERKINPERRY B REECH - LOADING P ERCUSSION PONDRICHMOND, VIRGINIAROGERS & BROTHERSJOHN RUPPSHARPS B REECH - LOADING P ERCUSSION SHULER M ODEL 1808 T YPE SWEITZER M ODEL 1808 T YPE VIRGINIA MANUFACTORYJ. WALSHA. H. WATERS & CO. P ERCUSSION .

PERCUSSION REVOLVERSA N OUTLINE OF C OLT HISTORY C OMBUSTIBLE CARTRIDGES I NSTRUCTIONS FOR LOADING PERCUSSION REVOLVERS . ADAMS ALLEN & WHEELOCKALSOPBEALSBUTTERFIELDCOLT M ODELS 1839, 1847, 1848, 1851, 1855, 1860, 1861, 1862COOPERFREE-MANJOSLYNLEAVITTMANHATTANMETROPOLITANPETTINGILLPLANTREMINGTON M ODEL 1861, N EW M ODEL REMINGTON-RIDERROGERS & SPENCERSAVAGE-NORTHSAVAGESTARRUNIONWALCHWARNERWESSON & LEAVITTWHITNEY.