1851 Griswold & Gunnison .36 7.5"

Operators of a cotton gin factory before the War, Samuel Griswold and his partner Arvin Gunnison were one of only three manufacturers that took advantage of the interest-free loans and generous contract terms the Confederate government offered to southern factories who would convert their facilities over to producing sidearms for the Confederate Army. Of the three, Griswold and Gunnison was the only company that achieved any success as gunmakers.

In 1862, the Confederacy gave them the go-ahead to produce as many pistols as they could, to supply troops that were carrying everything from Colt dragoons to antique flintlocks, but the South never caught up to the North in sheer numbers of armaments, owing to a dire shortage of raw materials.

The Griswold and Gunnison pistol was a near-exact copy of the .36 caliber percussion cap and ball 1851 Colt Navy revolver, except it had a brass frame instead of steel -- due to the scarcity of metals in the south--and its barrel was round rather than octagonal. It was a good quality weapon, but the factory was only able to produce about 3,600 pieces before it was destroyed by Sherman during his 1864 march through Georgia.

Because of the unique historic connection with the South, this Griswold and Gunnison Navy-type revolver is an excellent choice for rebel re-enactors. You'll be the envy of all the other "rebs" when you show off this handsome replica of one of the few Confederate-made revolvers by F.LLI Pietta.