Hopkins & Allen

Hopkins & Allen Arms Co.
Firearms Manufacturer
Industry Firearms
Founded 1868
Headquarters Norwich, Connecticut, United States
Key people
 Charles W. Allen
Products Shotguns, revolvers, rifles[1]

Hopkins & Allen Arms Company was a US firearms manufacturing company based in Norwich, Connecticut that was founded in 1868 by Charles W. Allen, Charles A. Converse, Horace Briggs, Samuel S. Hopkins and Charles W. Hopkins. The Hopkins brothers ran the day-to-day operations of the company.

History

Jesse James' 44 caliber Hopkins & Allen pistol, 1873 model

In 1874 Converse sold his interest in the company to brothers William and Milan Hulbert, giving the Hulbert's 50% of the company's assets and capital. Hopkins & Allen became the exclusive maker of Merwin Hulbert revolvers as a result of this. Following the bankruptcy of the Hulbert brothers in 1896, Hopkins & Allen went bankrupt in 1898. The company was reorganized as Hopkins & Allen Arms Company but lost its factory and machinery in a fire in 1900, also along with the great robbery in 1905 shortly after, thieves cleared out the whole warehouse.[2][3]

The Hopkins & Allen Arms Co. - Norwich, Connecticut, 1904

Hopkins & Allen rebuilt its factory in 1901 and produced 40,000 firearms a year. In 1902, the company acquired Forehand and Wadsworth, for whom it had been making revolvers under contract. The company was awarded a contract to build Mauser rifles for the Belgian Army early in World War I, but the contract fell apart after Germany invaded Belgium. Although the company continued to manufacture firearms, it never financially recovered and went bankrupt in 1916 with Marlin-Rockwell purchasing its machinery, inventory and designs in 1917.[4]

The Hopkins an Allen Arms Co. - Shotguns, Rifles and Revolvers - 1904

Manufacturing

In addition to the Merwin Hubert revolvers, Hopkins & Allen manufactured a variety of spur trigger single-action revolvers (sometimes known as Suicide specials) in .22, .32, and .38 calibers with trade names such as ACME, American Eagle, Blue Jacket, Captain Jack, Chichester, Defender, Dictator,Imperial Arms Co., Monarch, Mountain Eagle, Ranger, Tower's Police Safety, Universal, and XL, and later hinged-frame double-action models.[5] Hopkins & Allen manufactured revolvers for Forehand & Wadsworth under contract as well as shotguns, rifles, and derringers for various sporting goods stores.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Dun's Review. R. G. Dun & Company, New York, New York, March, 1904 p. 61. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  2. ↑ Flayderman, Norm (2001), Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and their Values, Krause Publications, pp. 396–397, ISBN 978-0-87349-313-0
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Walter, John (2006), The Guns That Won the West: Firearms on the American Frontier, 1848-1898, pp. 206–207, ISBN 978-1-85367-692-5
  4. ↑ William S. Brophy (1989). Marlin Firearms: a history of the guns and the company that made them. Stackpole Books. p. 51. ISBN 9780811708777.
  5. ↑ Taffin, John (2005). The Gun Digest Book of Cowboy Action Shooting: Guns · Gear · Tactics. Gun Digest Books. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-89689-140-1.