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LOT 3258
Extremely Rare and Extraordinary Deep Chiseled with Gold Koftgari Work William Tranter’s Patent Double Trigger Percussion Revolving Rifle - Serial no. 7,587,T., 28 bore/.54 cal., 21 1/2 inch octagon bbl., brown/blue/gold/silver finish, walnut stock. Birmingham gunsmith William Tranter (1816-1890) is very significant in the history of revolving firearms as one of the key figures in developing double action revolvers, starting with his distinctive double trigger revolvers which use the lower trigger to rotate the cylinder and cock the hammer and then the main trigger to fire. This design allows for a lighter trigger pull and greater accuracy than the other early double action designs. His arms were also adapted to metallic cartridges, and he was a founder and director of the influential Birmingham Small Arms Co.
This revolving rifle is a variation of his third model double trigger design and has his patented loading lever fitted via a screw on the front of the frame on the left. Plainer Tranter revolving rifles are shown and discussed on pages 82-8 and 227-229 of “The Firearms of William Tranter Birmingham Gunsmith” by Ron Stewart who notes that they are rare, but some were definitely in use in the period and further examples are illustrated in “William Tranter Birmingham” by Wolfgang Berk on pages 250-253.