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This is the write up for the Lancaster

476 Revolver. 6.25" barrel cluster. SN: 7761. Blued metal finish, brown patina to trigger, triggerguard, and grips, and checkered walnut birdshead grips. Four barrel rotary firing pin pepperbox pistol utilizing Lancaster oval bore pattern rifling. All four barrels display London proof markings consisting of the {Crown/GP}, {Crown/V}, and the {Lion/G} markings. The flute between the barrels on the left side displays the 476 C.F caliber marking. Further {Crown/V} proofs appear to the breech face behind each chamber. The assembly number 84 is visible on the underside of the frame, on the underside of the barrels, and on the latch. The internals show further number 84 marks on the firing pin components. The hemispherical front sight has been dovetailed into the recessed upper barrel rib. The rib itself bears the maker mark CHARLES LANCASTER (PATENT) 151, NEW BOND ST. LONDON. All four barrels share an automatic ejector. The breech face is marked CHARLES LANCASTER PATENT. The left side frame has been struck with Meiji period markings that read from right to left: 27th year of Meiji Period (Corresponding to the year 1894) No. 1811. The provincial marking at the left hand side is weak and shallower than the others, suggesting the die was well worn when the pistol was registered. Beginning in 1872, firearms in Japan had to be turned in or registered with the government. Each firearm was to be struck with the year, the prefecture where the firearm was registered, and with a registration number. The pistol was originally sold in October 1885 to a Captain Hutcheson and F. Vernon Wentworth. According to Lancaster's archives, the ledger indicates the pistol later passed to a "Captain Hatchedu", but does not have a date for when this happened.

In 1878, Charles Lancaster's son Charles William Lancaster died. Management of the company passed on to Henry Alfred Alexander Thorn, who developed a reputation as both a keen marksman and an inexhaustible inventor. Between 1881 and 1882, Thorn was awarded the patents used for a series of multi-barrel pistols produced between 1882 and 1897. While cartridge revolvers had already proven themselves reliable, accurate, and effective, Thorn's pepperboxes still retained certain advantages over contemporary revolvers in General and the standard issue Enfield Mark II in particular. As David E. Cooley pointed out in his article "Lancaster Multi-Barrel Pistols", Thorn's pepperboxes offered superior performance thanks to their lack of a cylinder gap, a sealed mechanism that was less prone to fouling by dirt or mud, ease of cleaning thanks to their oval bores, and they could be had in calibers large enough to be effective at hunting large game. Furthermore, the slow loading and poor extraction afforded by the Mark II Enfield helped make Lancaster's fast loading pistols even more attractive to military buyers. Indeed, the Lancaster firm of the 1880s and 90s was going through a golden age of innovation and sales, and could count among its clients European Royalty and American Exhibition shooters like Annie Oakley. Still, while Lancaster's highest quality arms had demonstrable benefits, they were produced in relatively modest numbers reflective of their high cost and of the rapid improvement of contemporary handguns. In total, Charles Lancaster produced 946 pistols in both the two and four barrel versions. Of these, 712 were four barrel versions with 85% produced in the large frame for .455 and .476 revolver cartridges.

Condition Report
Fine. Bores show an even Brown Patina throughout. Metal finish shows losses of bluing along all barrels with majority of blue retained by barrel ribs. Charles Lancaster make and caliber markings are shallow. Item shows edgewear overall with patches of brown patina forming on frame and latch mechanism. Lower left barrel shows some light pitting along its length while lower right has some scratches. Top of frame scratched from the rear sight to the face. The gripstraps are an even brown patina that continues over the triggerguard. The trigger itself displays a brown patina with a mottled forward trigger. Three areas of oxidation to internal frame. Both grip panels have handling wear and darkening at edges. Checkering has signs of smoothing on left panel. Left panel chipped at forward edge. Both grip panels have receded at upper edge and leave gaps along frame. The pistol's ejector functions correctly but the firing pin is slightly misaligned and fails to pass through the ports.

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RB