Manufactured in the late 1830s by Springfield, Massachusetts, gun maker C.B. Allen, this is an extremely rare piece of American antique firearm history; less than 150 are believed to have been manufactured. This turret revolver was once part of the famed William M. Locke collection. The revolver is pictured and described in Frank Seller's book THE WILLIAM M. LOCKE COLLECTION, page 422. The caption, however, has incorrectly listed the serial number. Close examination of the picture shows that the serial number marked on the gun (frame and barrel at the breech) is number 51, not 31 as it is listed in the book. The serial number 51 is marked on this revolver on the frame and barrel at the breech (right side) as shown in the picture. The serial number 51 also appears on several other components such as the turret, turret pin, top strap and grip. The revolver features a 7 round horizontally mounted turret held in place by an axis and the top strap. There is a lever mounted in the top strap, which when pressed releases the turret for manual rotation. The rear sight also serves as a latch for the top strap, securing the top strap when in the sighting position. The top strap is marked with an eagle above "C.B. ALLEN/SPRINGFIELD/MASS." Iron frame with German silver bag type grips, which feature a broad wedge of floral engraving at the tops. This experiment in the turret revolver is recognized by collectors as one of the distinct oddities in American arms development.