Southern Derringers of the Mississippi ValleyKirkland, Turner
History
Southern Derringers of the Mississippi Valley
Kirkland, Turner
Firearms industry and trade -- Mississippi River Valley; Pistols -- Mississippi River Valley
#211 My first Southern derringer was this Glassick derringer that I
obtained at one of the early Jackson, Mississippi gun shows about
fifteen or sixteen years ago. My good friend Nathan Swazy brought the
gun in and I traded him two old Civil War swords and a Colt pistol. You
cannot tell it now, but the forearm was shattered and my good friend
Frank Hitchings of Memphis replaced the forearm in such a manner that
the joint in the new wood cannot be distinguished from the old. This gun
is German silver mounted throughout and has a fluted forearm nose. There
are two screws holding the barrel in position through the trigger plate
and the nice escutcheon under the forearm. Flat butts are rather common
to many of the Memphis and Nashville guns. Full octagon barrel with a
brass front sight milled into the steel barrel. Its caliber is a
tremendous .510.
The barrel markings on this gun are made in one line, but contrary to
#209 and #214 in which case one stamp was used, two stamps were used on
this one. “F. Glassick & Co.” is a different stamp from “Memphis, Tenn.”
The same stamps were used on #210 as are used on this one with exception
that #210 has the stamps in two lines and this one is in one line as
follows:
F. Glassick & Co., Memphis, Tenn.
C. SUTER
#274 Little is known about this maker, Suter. No guns made by Henry
Deringer with Suter’s name on the barrel are known.
This particular piece is a small size and has characteristics of styling
that make it desirable. It is German silver mounted throughout with a
pineapple finial on the trigger plate. There is no screw through the
trigger plate holding the barrel in position. The wedge and the tang
screw are the only attachments to the barrel. No provision for ramrod.
Round barrel has rib at top flat. The front sight is German silver
dovetailed and the rear of the barrel has two gold bands which enhances
its value. The condition of the gun is extra nice with real sharp
original checkering. The extra thin barrel at the muzzle is caliber .42.
The barrel is marked on the right hand side below the top flat “steel.”
The top flat of the barrel is marked in two lines with two different
hand stamps as follows:
C. Suter,
Selma, Ala.
C. SUTER
#4 This is a photograph of a genuine Wurfflein Deringer made in
Philadelphia. The sideplate of German silver is absolutely identical to
those of most Suter Deringers. This will leave some room for thought
that Suter Deringers are made by Wurfflein. Notice there is some
similarity in the shape and contour of this Suter #274 and the
illustrated Wurfflein. Both of these guns are often but not always
marked with the word “steel” on the right hand barrel flat immediately
below the top flat but always with different size stamps.
C. Suter,
Selma, Ala.
C. SUTER
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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