Hopkins & Allen

Hopkins & Allen Arms Company was an American 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 until it went bankrupt in 1916 and was subsequently bought by Marlin-Rockwell.

Hopkins & Allen Arms Co.
TypeFirearms Manufacturer
IndustryFirearms
Founded1868
HeadquartersNorwich, Connecticut, United States
Key people
Charles W. Allen
ProductsShotguns, revolvers, rifles[1]

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

Hopkins & Allen was founded in 1868 as a firearms manufacturer by Charles W. Allen, Charles A. Converse, Horace Briggs, Samuel S. Hopkins and Charles W. Hopkins.In 1874 Converse sold his interest in the company to brothers William and Milan Hulbert, giving the Hulberts 50% of the company's assets and capital. The company became the exclusive maker of Merwin Hulbert revolvers as a result of this and assembly of these revolvers was conducted in a separate area of the plant devoted to M&H revolvers. 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. In 1905 the entire warehouse was robbed of all its inventory.[2][3]

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

The factory was rebuilt in 1901 and Hopkins & Allen would go on to produce 40,000 firearms a year. In 1902, the company acquired Forehand Arms Company, 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 Hulbert revolvers, Hopkins & Allen manufactured a variety of spur trigger single-action revolvers 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. 1904. 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. 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.
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