Cooper · Pistol
Cooper Pocket Revolver
Revolving · .31 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball) · introduced 1864
Also known as Cooper Pocket Model, J.M. Cooper Pocket Revolver, Cooper Double Action Pocket Revolver
About the Cooper Pocket Revolver
The Cooper Pocket Revolver is a .31 caliber double-action percussion revolver produced by Cooper Firearms Manufacturing Co. of Philadelphia and Frankford, Pennsylvania. Introduced during the American Civil War as a direct competitor to the Colt 1849 Pocket, it used an open-top frame and a 5-shot cap-and-ball cylinder loaded from the muzzle with loose powder, ball, and percussion caps. Its defining feature was a double-action lockwork at a time when most American pocket revolvers were single-action, allowing the hammer to be cocked and dropped by a single pull of the trigger. Roughly 15,000 were built, making it an uncommon collector's piece today.
Cooper marketed its double-action pocket revolver as a more sophisticated alternative to Samuel Colt's single-action 1849 Pocket, betting that Civil War-era buyers would pay for the faster trigger-cocking action despite the firm's far smaller output.
Cooper Pocket Revolver specifications
General
- Type
- Pistol
- Action
- Revolving
- Firing mechanism
- Percussion
- Trigger
- Double action
- Calibres
- .31 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball)
- Magazine capacity
- 5 rounds
- Magazine
- Revolving cylinder
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 127 mm (5.0 in)
- Overall length
- 254 mm (10.0 in)
- Weight (empty)
- 0.51 kg (1.12 lb)
Barrel
- Rifling
- Right hand
Materials
- Barrel
- Steel
- Receiver / frame
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- blued
Performance
- Muzzle velocity (typical)
- 200 m/s (656 fps)
- Effective range
- 18 m
History
- Introduced
- 1864
- Discontinued
- 1869
- Production status
- Discontinued
- Country of origin
- US
- Designer
- James Maslin Cooper
Features
- Open top frame
- Octagonal barrel
- Double action trigger
- Muzzle loading cylinder
Safety
- Hammer safety notches
Barrels were marked 'COOPER FIRE ARMS MFG. CO. FRANKFORD PHIA.' and were offered in 4-, 5-, and 6-inch octagonal lengths. The design closely mimicked the lines of the Colt 1849 Pocket but added a double-action mechanism.
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