POTD: Butterfield Army Revolver – The Contract That Never Was
Sam.S 05.09.25
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! This rare Butterfield Army Model represents one of those fascinating Civil War-era firearms that almost made history but fell short. Produced in Philadelphia during 1862 by Jesse Butterfield, these revolvers were manufactured in anticipation of a government contract that never materialized. What makes the Butterfield unique is its unusual disc priming system. Rather than using standard percussion caps, it featured a special priming disc loaded by loosening a thumbscrew located in front of the trigger guard. This disc fed primers to each chamber as the hammer fell – an innovative if somewhat overcomplicated solution to the problem of rapid fire. Though designed to compete with Colt and Remington for lucrative Union Army contracts, Butterfield’s anticipated order for 2,280 revolvers never came through. This limited total production to only about 640 guns, making them exceedingly scarce today. The Butterfield is considered a “secondary martial” handgun by collectors – a category that includes civilian arms produced with military contracts in mind but never officially adopted. Despite never seeing widespread military service, these revolvers were almost certainly carried by some Union soldiers who purchased them privately. With its 7-inch octagonal barrel and .41 caliber chambering, the Butterfield Army Model was comparable in size to the Colt 1860 Army, though the disc priming system makes it immediately distinguishable. This particular example, serial number 189, represents roughly the 30% mark of total production – a tangible piece of Civil War-era firearms innovation that ultimately proved to be a technological dead end.
“Civil War Era Butterfield Army Model Percussion Revolver.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4094/1224/civil-war-era-butterfield-army-model-percussion-revolver. Accessed 5 May 2025.
