The Pinfire System

[Old Guns Canada]

Whenever I am at a show displaying some of my pinfire pistols and revolvers I get a lot of puzzled looks and ample questions about what a “pinfire” is. In fact, one year I even made a cut-away model of a pinfire cartridge to illustrate how it works, after having difficulty explaining the process to a curious customer.
The short history of the pinfire cartridge goes back to 1812 when the Swiss born gunsmith and inventor Samuel Pauli came up with the idea of using a priming device housed inside the base of a brass or copper cartridge to ignite the powder charge. This priming device – a primer as we know it today – was connected to the outside by a brass pin, which protruded from the side of the cartridge and was struck by the hammer. The blow was transferred from the hammer via the pin onto the primer, which set off the charge. The idea of having a self-contained cartridge, primer, powder and bullet all in one was revolutionary at the time. This, of course, was only possible after the Englishman Alexander Forsyth had invented the mercury fulminate primer. Samuel Pauli patented his invention in France on 29 September, 1812, almost sixty years before the American patent for the rim fire cartridge was granted…
Samuel Pauli had an attentive and dedicated apprentice by the name of Casimir Lefaucheux, a man whose name would be in the same league as Sam Colt and Phillip Webley one day – although it was his son who gained this recognition. Casimir remained with Pauli after his apprenticeship, and eventually became manager of the business after Pauli’s retirement and purchased the business outright in 1827. The purchase included all assets and patents Pauli had owned, and Lefaucheux continued to manufacture Pauli’s designs for a while. Soon however, Lefaucheux improved on Pauli’s inventions and perfected the pinfire cartridge as we know it today. Casimir was still an artisan of the 18th century. His shop was relatively small, where the master worked with a group of apprentices and “journeymen”. Output from these artisan workshops was small, and it was not until some 20 to 30 years later that the Industrial Revolution took hold of the gun manufacturing sector. It would be Casimir’s son Eugene who really put the pinfire gun “on the map”. Eugene had apprenticed under his father from an early age, and by age 20, upon the death of his father in 1852, Eugene took over the family business. Eugene was a visionary of the same caliber as Samuel Colt and Phillip Webley. These early industrialists realized that “Economies of Scale” was the way of the future. No longer would guns be made in small artisan shops, but immense factories staffed by hundreds of semi-skilled (cheap) labourers operating a plethora of specialized machinery. Instead of turning out hundreds of guns, these factories would churn out hundreds of thousands. The key to this success was the standardization of production processes and near-perfect interchangeability of parts. By 1860, just as the American Civil War was about to commence, the “Systeme Lefaucheux” pinfire ignition method was the single most used cartridge in the world. All over Continental Europe, the UK, South America and even Asia, pinfire guns were the most desired small arms on the market. A few months into the war between the States, the Union began purchasing any kind of sidearm they could lay their hands on – Colt and Remington produced percussion guns at capacity (which was not nearly enough), and Smith & Wesson held tight to their proprietary patent for the bored-through cylinder, unwilling to share the patent with other makers (in fact, S&W never produced a military-grade sidearm during the civil war years). The Union had little choice but to scour the European market for any and all sorts of arms needed to equip thousands of new recruits – among them over 12,000 Lefaucheux pinfire revolvers together with more than 1.8 million rounds of ammunition. The “Frenchies” enjoyed great popularity among American soldiers who were used only to muzzle-loading, single action revolvers. These breech-loading cartridge revolvers were easier to use and faster to reload…
By the end of the civil war, and into the 1870’s both Europe as well as the Americas saw a quick adaptation of self-contained cartridges. In the US, Smith & Wesson still clung to their patent until 1870, defending any encroachment aggressively. For this reason, cartridge development was slower to gain traction in the US. In England Webley, Adams and Tranter, among others, had developed center-fire cartridge revolvers as early as 1866, and on the Continent Galand, Le Mat and the brothers Francotte were a few years ahead of the Americans as well. While these developments took place in Europe, the pinfire system was still popular and widely manufactured. By the late 1870’s however, the pinfire cartridge began to be replaced more and more in favor of the rimfire and center fire ignition system. The main reasons for this were the higher cost of manufacture, and the relative delicacy of the pinfire cartridge – the pin was easily bent if the cartridges were carried loosely in the pocket, making the cartridge useless. Although pinfire guns – especially shotguns – were still manufactured well into the 20th century, the system had lost its universal appeal and would soon fade into historical obscurity…
Collecting pinfire guns is a perfect hobby. Not only do pinfire guns sell for a fraction of the more common antiques like Colt, Smith & Wesson and Remington, but they also offer such a huge variety of styles, finishes, manufacturers and countries of origin that no collector could ever claim to have a complete collection. From the smallest, 2mm “berlioque” pistol, to a 16-gauge blunderbuss, there are thousands of possibilities for the curious collector. Granted, pinfire guns were made in countries other than the USA, one of the reasons why this type of antique has never enjoyed the same popularity among American collectors as the “home-grown” antiques however the quality and excellence of execution is every bit as impressive as anything the most famous American makers have ever produced.


A Lefaucheux Model of 1854 “Army” revolver as used in the American civil war. The serial number range of guns purchased by the Union is still recorded at the US National Archives, and this is one of them. It is a single-action revolver chambered for a 12mm pinfire cartridge.


From the smallest 2mm “berlioque” pistol (which is fully functional and shoots a tiny, 2mm bullet) to a 16-gauge Blunderbuss pistol, pinfire guns were made in a huge variety of styles and calibers, and in many countries around the world.


This exquisite gold and silver inlaid, 12mm pinfire revolver by Spanish master Domingo Alberdi would be worth three times as much if it was a Colt or Smith & Wesson…



Domingo Alberdi of Eibar, Spain was active from 1870 to 1888. His high-quality firearms were famous and much sought after.





Cut-away of a 12mm pinfire cartridge. You can see the primer embedded at the base of the pin.