Hopkins & Allen

Name Street Town State From To
Hopkins & Allen   Norwich Connecticut 1868 1914


Patent Date Remarks
     


Contract for
   


Product
Incorporated on June 15, 1868 by Charles A. Converse, Charles W. Allen, Horace Briggs, Samuel S. Hopkins and Charles W. Hopkins. It is of interest that all except of Charles W. Allen were already co-partners in Bacon Manufacturing Co. and Continental Arms Co. Both companies cessed all activities about the time when Hopkins & Allen was foundet. In some way Hopkins & Allen Manufacturing Company (Hopkins & Allen) could be their successor.

The company was managed by the brothers Charles W. Hopkins, Henry H. Hopkins and Samuel S. Hopkins.

See Bacon Manufacturing Co. and Merwin Hulbert & Co. which company became sole distributor of Hopkins & Allen in 1871. In 1874 Converse sold his parts (1/2 of the company's capital) to Merwin, Hulbert & Co. Hopkins & Allen became a cash cow for Merwin, Hulbert & Co. When Merwin, Hulber & Co respectively Hulbert Bothers went bankrupt, Hopkins & Allen itself went bankrupt two years later in 1898. The company was reoganized as Hopkins & Allen Arms Company.

As of 1875 H&A made several lines of revolvers exclusively for Merwin, Hulbert & Co. e.g. the XL series however, with a double action feature and with a trigger guard. See Merwin, Hulbert & Co.

H & A was taken over by Marlin-Rockwell in 1914

Trade names:
ACME
Alexia
Allen
American Eagle
Americus
Bang-Up
Bloodhound
Blue Jacket
Blue Whistler
Captain Jack
Chichester
Creedmore
Czar
Defender ?
Despatch
Dictator
Dreadnought
Elector
Encore
Garrison
Half-Breed
Hopkins & Allen
Imperial Arms Co.
Leader ?
Monarch
Mountain Eagle
Nero
Paragon ?
Parole
Pioneer
Pointer
Ranger
Royal ?
Scott Revolver Rifle
Sterling
Thames Arms Company ?
Tower's Police Safety
Universal
XL
Xpert
You Bet

.31 caliber percussion, 5 shot single action revolver (slight variation of the Bacon Mfg. Co. revolver) 4", 5" or 6" round barrel, production was approximately 1000

.31 caliber percussion, 5 shot single action revolver (slight variation of the Bacon Mfg. Co. revolver) 4", 5" or 6" octagonal barrel, production was approximately 300

.36 percussion caliber, 5 shot single action revolver, Dictator, 4" barrel, production was about 5000 of which about 4000 were altered to .38 r.f., sold from 1869 to 1872

Percussion left side Percussion right side
.38 r.f. caliber, 5 shot single action revolver, Dictator, 4" barrel, about 4000 altered revolvers, sold from 1869 to 1872. It is believed that these guns were already altered before the Rollin White patet expired in 1869.

Conversion no. 4651, left side same, right side

.22 r.f. caliber, 7 shot single action revolver, spur trigger, flat frame, 2 3/8" part octagonal barrel, plain cylinder, birdhead grips, marked HOPKINS & ALLEN MFG, CO., NORWICH, CT.
Thanks to Tony for the following pictures
.22 r.f. caliber, left side
.22 r.f. caliber, right side
.22 r.f. caliber, markings on cylinder

.22 r.f. short caliber vest pocket derringer, 1 3/4* tip-down barrel, birdhead grips, spur trigger
vest pocket, left side
vest pocket, right side

.32 r.f. caliber, 5 shot single action revolver, spur trigger, flat frame, 3" part octagonal barrel, fluted cylinder, birdhead grips, marked HOPKINS & ALLEN MFG, CO., NORWICH, CT.

.38 r.f. caliber, 5 shot single action revolver, spur trigger, flat frame, part octagonal barrel, fluted cylinder, birdhead grips, marked HOPKINS & ALLEN MFG, CO., NORWICH, CT.

.41 r.f. caliber, 5 shot single action revolver, spur trigger, flat frame, part octagonal barrel, fluted cylinder, birdhead grips, marked HOPKINS & ALLEN MFG, CO., NORWICH, CT.

.22 r.f. caliber, single shot XL vest pocket pistol, 2 1/4" barrel, no markings, spur trigger, sometimes marked Pointer

.32 r.f caliber, 5 shot single action revolver, spur trigger, XL No.2, 3 1/2" barrel
left side

.38 caliber, Hopkins & Allen Pocket Revolver Model 1871 (XL No. 4), 2 1/2" octagon or round barrel, spur trigger, birds head or square butt grips
left side right side

Please visite the special XL page for further models

.38 caliber, Hopkins & Allen No. 5, octagon barrel, spur trigger, bird head or square butt grips
shortened 1 1/2" barrel, left side shortened 1 1/2" barrel, right side

.38 r.f. caliber, Hopkins & Allen XL no. 6, octagonal barrel, square butt grips, spur trigger, nickeled

.38 center fire caliber, Hopkins & Allen XL no. 6, octagonal barrel, square butt grips, spur trigger, nickeled

.44 WCF caliber (today called .44-40), very view were mad in .44 r.f. (.44 Henry r.f.) caliber, 5 shot single action ARMY MODEL, XL No. 8 also called XL No. 8 Frontier revolver, 3 3/4", 4 1/2", 6 1/2" round barrel, hard rubber or walnut grips, generally nickeled or blued

one .44-40 caliber XL No. 8 was marked on the barrel
HOPKINS & ALLEN MFG. CO.
XL NO.8 WINCHESTER MODLE 1873
PAT. MAR.28.'71 & APRIL 27,'75

XL No. 8, with 4 1/2" barrel, left side

.38 r.f. caliber, XL Navy revolver, 4" or 6 1/2" barrel, single action, trigger guard, marked on the top strap XL NAVY, no other information available, Probably only a XL No. 8 in smaler caliber, made from 1877 to 1885

.38 r.f. caliber, single action revolver, 4" barrel, trigger guard, marked on the top strap XL POLICE, made from 1877 to 1885

Approximate Serial Number Range of the XL No. 8,
including the Navy and Police Model
Year number
1877 1 - 300
1878 301 - 600
1879 601 - 900
1880 901 - 1200
1881 1201 - 1500
1882 1501 - 1800
1883 1801 - 2100
1884 1201 - 2400
1885 2401 - 2700

.38 caliber, Hopkins & Allen Pocket Revolver Model 1875, 2 1/2" octagon barrel
right side

Auto Ejecting Revolvers

.32 S&W caliber, 6 shot double action revolver, top break, 3 1/2", 5" of 5 1/2" barrel with folding hammer, made from 1885 to 1907

.32 S&W caliber, 6 shot double action revolver, top break, 3" or 3 1/4" barrel, hammerless, made from 1894 to 1907

.38 S&W caliber, 6 shot double action revolver, top break, 3" or 3 1/4" barrel, hammerless, made from 1894 to 1907

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Patent dates found on H&A guns
patent date inventor
March 28. 1871 Samuel S. Hopkins
April 27, 1875 Henry H. Hopkins
June 29, 1975 Charles W. Hopkins
April 23, 1878 William H. Bliss
(not certain that guns with this patent date were really made by H&A)
May 27, 1879 George W. Cilley

Shotguns

.38 XL or .44XL Shot calibers, XL Model Singel Gun, single barrel guns, 18" or 24" barrel, made from 1885 to 1908

12, 16 or 20 gauge calibers, single barrel falling block gun, 30" barrel, large action, made late 1880s and in the 1890s

16 gauge, right side

.45-70 shot calibers, ab above however with 28" barrel and medium action, all made from 1885 to 1908

12 or 16 gauge calibers, single barrel ejector gun, barrels were 28", 30" or 32" with auto ejector

20 gauge calibers same as above with 28" or 30" barrel, all made from 1890 to 1913

Rifles

.22 r.f. caliber, single shot XL Junior rifle, 26" barrel, made from 1880 to 1908, Merwin, Hulber & Co. does not appear on post 1898 guns

.32 r.f. of .32-20 or .32-40 or .38-40 or .38-55 or .44-40 calibers, Large Frame Single Shot Rifle, 20", 24", 26" or 28" barrels, made from 1880 to 1900

.38-55 caliber, Offhand Rifle, 26" or 28" half octagonal barrel, with adjustable trigger pull, a tang peep rear sight and a globe front sight, made from 1886 to 1890