POTD: Pill Primed? – The Noel Turret Revolver
Sam.S 10.17.23
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! here we have a Noel Turret Revolver. This .28 caliber turret revolver was patented in 1865 by a gentleman named Noel and produced in Paris by Gouery, Canat et Cie. It used a rotating 10-shot breechblock advanced by the hammer rather than a cylinder for a slim pocket pistol profile. Despite intricate craftsmanship and novel turret mechanisms, only around 300-500 were made. Its pellet primer ignition was dated technology by the 1860s. The odd loading procedure, fragile construction, and irregular firing doomed its chances against modern cartridge revolvers. Noel’s ambitious design foreshadowed future high-capacity semi-autos in a compact package. Still, the intricate pocket revolver exemplified creative mid-19th-century gunsmithing striving for cutting-edge capabilities.
“This interesting turret revolver has some mechanical resemblance to the later Protector palm pistols and uses a 10-round turret to hold the ammunition and a door for removing the turret for reloading. It was manufactured around the 1860s by J.F. Gouery Canat & Cie of Paris. The left side of the barrel rib has the “SYSTEME A NOEL/ BTE SGDG” marking, and the right side has “J.I. GOUERY CANAT & CIE/ PARIS.” “242” is on the inside of the door, the left side of the trigger, and butt. There is a tall spire style front sight and a integral notch rear sight. It has a variety of etched designs on most of the surfaces. The grips have stripes and floral patterns.”
Lot 3214: Etched Noel Patent Turret Pill-Primed Revolver – Scarce Etched J.F. Gouery Canat & Cie Noel Patent Turret Pill-Primed Revolver. (n.d.-ah). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved October 16, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/78/3214/etched-noel-patent-turret-pill-primed-revolver.
