POTD: Early Adaptation – Williamson Derringer with Percussion Adapter
Sam.S 09.12.23
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Williamson Derringer equipped with a cool adapter. The Williamson derringer was produced from 1866-1870 in relatively small numbers. Williamson derringers had some unique design features, including decorative engravings and embedded jewels on some premium models. They also had an unusual threaded plug in the grip frame, whose purpose is unclear. A major innovation was the ability to use both modern rimfire cartridges and old percussion cap-and-ball ammunition. The barrel tilted open for loading either cartridges or a separate adapter loaded with powder and ball. When closed, the adapter aligned with a hole so the hammer strike ignited the cap but not the rimfire pin. This allowed flexibility during the transition between ammunition technologies. The adaptable Williamson Derringer provided options for shooters in a time of changing firearms.
“Under 10,000 of these David Williamson patent pistols were manufactured by Moore’s Patent Fire Arms Company and the National Fire Arms Company in the late 1860s in several variations. They could fire using either .41 rimfire cartridges or percussion adapters. (This example includes a reproduction percussion adapter). This example has a blued barrel with an arrow engraved on the flat top and the Williamson patent marking on the left side. The silver plated brass frame and trigger guard have the standard scroll engraving patterns. It has a blade front sight and notch in the hammer for a rear sight and is mounted on a walnut stock with checkering on the bird’s head grip.”
Lot 3110: Engraved Williamson Derringer with Percussion Adapter – Engraved Williamson Patent Derringer with Percussion Adapter. (n.d.-p). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved September 11, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/77/3110/engraved-williamson-derringer-with-percussion-adapter.
