Redfield Arts

The Guns of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Jack Little's Revolver

Jack Little's revolver

The gun with which Jack intended to finish off Hyde was an old, ill-used Griswold and Gunnison .36 caliber cap and ball percussion revolver. It was a Confederate copy of Colt's Model 1851 Navy revolver. Because of steel shortages in the South, G&G made the frames of its revolvers from brass. This apparently last ditch version had a

Jack get the bead on Hyde

very rough finish. It was likely brought to England by a sea captain who ran the Union blockade to deliver goods to the Confederacy. At some point it was converted to a "belly gun" by cuffing the original 7" barrel to 2", removing the front of the trigger guard and rounding the butt.

Normally loaded with FFFg black powder, Jack had decided to increase its power by using the newly invented Cordite propellant. While black powder is granular in consistency, Cordite is a strand-like orange-brown propellant. It is approximately triple the power of black powder generating far more pressure than the old gun was designed to withstand. Additionally, when Jack loaded the cylinder, some strands of Cordite protruded beyond the ball in each chamber. On Hyde's third shot, there was a "flashover" at the face of the cylinder causing the remaining four chambers to go off simultaneously. The old gun let go like a grenade. Hyde was lucky to have only lost a few fingertips.

Inspector Newcommen's revolver

Inspector Newcommen's Revolver

This is a Belgian copy of Webley's British Bulldog. Dozens of Belgian gun makers cranked out these small, cheap pistols from the 1870's through WW I. It's just the sort of gun an underpaid detective might acquire for personal protection since New Scotland Yard only issued sidearms to selected officers on special occasions. It fired the .380 Webley revolver cartridge.

Additional inquiries may be addressed to the Armourer at nalitz@mindspring.com.