Hopkins-Allen .32 Cal. No. 3 ID Help

[OldYooper]

I need help with the date this revolver was made.
Serial # 6812. Pat. Mar.28th-71-Jan 5th 1886.
It is 5 shot double action. Has serial # under grips
witch is matching the barrel #. With octagon barrel.

See Pictures. Thanks for Looking OldYooper.

 

[alwslate]

Ah yes, the "hex" barrel guns. The words of every auctioneer I think. I don't know the answer to your question but I can tell you your gun has an octagonal barrel, not a hexagonal barrel

 

[30-30remchester]

What most students of antique handguns call a "bureau drawer special". Many a husband bought such a piece for his new bride as protection from ruffians. Took his new wife outside, placed a bucket at 10' in which she shot a full cylinder of ammo at the bucket, then put the gun in her bureau drawer for the next 60 years and never shot it again. Quite arguably one of the most purchased style of handguns. An acquaintance found one several years ago in Leadville, Colo. in what had been an outhouse. Totally rusted but with 3 empty rounds and 2 loaded. Makes you wonder if it had been used for some nefarious purpose and the felon just tossed it in the first outhouse he came to. These guns were FAR from accurate and far removed from the hunting scene. I have a relic 32 similar that has 7 distinctive notches filed into the barrel. I feel these are not tally marks of bunnies or birds.

 

[altbrewer]

Hopkins and Allen went out of business about 1915. I have never found serial number records for the company. Carder's book on H&A published in 1998 does not have serial number information.

 

[2152hq]

Here are a couple links to H&A ser#'s/yr mfgr charts.
They are approx and stated so.

Kind of confusing.
The revolver in the OP is an 'XL 8'
So states on the top strap as well.

The XL #8 was made from 1877 to 1885 according to this ser# chart.
It was ser#'d in it's own bloc of #'s aside from the rest of the XL series of revolvers which ran XL1 to XL7.
There was an XL30 as well and it was also ser#'d in with the #1 thru #7 XL.)

In this chart which shows the separate XL series serial numbers
The serial numbers only go as high as '2700'

Hopkins & Allen

Obviously the OP's gun is higher if the number under the bbl is THE ser#
Many of these are ser#'d under the grips on the frame.



This second link is for the XL series all together. #1 thru #7.

**The ser# chart does NOT include the XL#8 (it is ser#'d in it's own bloc above link))

Plus, the #1-#7 revolvers serial numbers were started and then restarted again and then a third time over their production life.

XL


H&A's production history is vague at best. No records remain of course and it is a posterchild for the 'Never Say Never' phrase.

I believe that the #8XL was made after the 1885 cut off date in the first link ser# chart.
AND that H&A may have started ser#'s over again in the same pattern as done with the #1-#7 ser#'s.
I think the authors of the XL8 ser# chart just lacked that following yrs production info or not enough to approximate for an educated guess.
The XL8 was made after 1885. Likely for the same time that the rest of the XL line was made and that was into the 1900's

H&A went bankrupt , going out of business in 1898.
Reorganized, they came back in 1899/1900.

Pre-bankrupt (1898) they were 'Hopkins & Allen Company'
Reorganized after above, the company was renamed and became
'Hopkins & Allen Firearms Company.'

The two slight name differences are often used to determine 'Antique' or 'Modern/C&R' firearms status with the lack of any factory records.

They made a lot of TB revolvers as well.
Their drop bloc single shot rifles are nice. The 922 series and the centerfire calibers made on the larger drop block actions that are an intermediate size to their large drop block shotguns are all nice rifles IMO.
I restored a nice Mod 3922 (Jr Schuetzen in 22cal) some time ago. A similar configuration the the Stevens Lady Favorite Target rifle.
Should'of bought the H&A 12ga drop block single at a show this past weekend. Nice shape,,but too much stuff around now

 

[OldYooper]

Just Some Information on the XL No. 8.

This new revolver was the XL No. 8, introduced in 1877. It was offered in the Army pattern in either .44 Henry or .44 WCF (aka .44-40) and also Navy and Police patterns in .38 Rimfire. None would be successful, with just a few hundred of each type made before production ended in 1885. Customers looking to spend substantial money on a large, high-quality revolver simply didn’t look to Hopkins & Allen – they went to Colt or Smith & Wesson.

Mechanically, the XL No. 8 was a solid-frame revolver with a loading gate copied directly from the Mersin & Hulbert and an ejector rod that stored under the barrel. Capacity was 6 rounds, with barrel lengths offered from 4.5 inches to 7 inches and sights much in the style of the Colt SAA.

 

[2152hq]

Looking at the pics of your revolver again, I believe the revolver posted is a Model XL No 3,,,,not a No8.


I looked at the digit as an 8 the first time. But now think it is a '3'.
A tightly curled #3 that looks an awful lot like an 8. But I believe it to be a 3.

That would make more sense to the whole picture.

H&A did make the XL3 in both a SpurTrigger SA version AND a DA version as you show.
Both 32rf and 32CF available as calibers. 5 round cap cylinders

They offered the same two versions (spur trigger SA and a DA) in 38rf and 38CF calibers in their XL No5 revolver as well. Same 5 rd capacity cylinders.

Here's a pic of the DA version of the XL No5


The pat dates on the top strap of the OP revolver are:
Mar. 28, '71 & Jan. 5, '86.
The line above it is: HOPKINS & ALLEN M'F'G Co.

Those two bits of info place the mfg time after 1886 and before 1898.

That would be after the end of the XL8 series was discontinued (1885) and before H&A went bankrupt in 1898.
The XL 3 was in production during that time (and after under the renamed H&A Arms Co.)


The XL8 was as your info points out the large caliber 6rd cap revolver with production ending in 1885. Remember the XL3 (and XL5) are 5 rd cap cylinders)
Ser#'s only reaching Approx 2700 for the XL8 if the chart is correct for the end of production in 1885.

The rest of the XL series (incl the XL3 ) went from 1875 thru to 1907 but having started /re-started and then re-started yet again.
I'd guess yours drops into the second series of ser#'s with the mfg'rs name being as it is.