GUN SPRING 2017
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.
RARE WHITE MERRILL EXPERIMENTAL .38 CAL PISTOL, FIRST VARIATION. WHITE-MERRILL PROTOTYPE NSN 38CAL MODERN; C&R Cal .38. After the M1907 White-Merrill pistol with its one-handed cocking features was rejected by the US military, Merrill went to work on another pistol design he hoped would be of more interest. In 1908, J.C. White developed a large .38 Cal. automatic pistol that functioned as a delayed blowback with an internal hammer and an eight shot magazine. 7-1/2" round bbl with pinned front sight. Horizontally adjustable rear sight fastened to the receiver. At the rear of the bolt are two coarsely checkered panels for retraction, the right panel extending to serve as a coverplate over the chamber. Attached to the left side of the frame is a ridged plate to move the holster away from the cocking lever whose positions were denoted: "Half Cock" and "Full Cock", the half-cock position serving as the safety. Each grip plate made of smooth brown Bakelite and secured with two small screws. Single column magazine with brass follower, seven indicator holes numbered 2-8, is in the white. Made with a separate piece for the spine that is screwed into place with eight screws. An additional screw is used to secure the front of the floorplate. This example, with no manufacturer markings or SN, has a mechanical issue in that the bolt cannot be fully retracted to examine the chamber or cock the action. Furthermore, the half cock and full cock lever, while tensioned, do not operate as intended. Included with this gun is a set of copies of the original J.C. White patent No. 888,560 for this prototype design. Also, a hang tag from early owner, Alex Montgomery. Montgomery was one of the very first major collectors of early experimental pistols. This exact pistol is illustrated in a display article by Montgomery on pp.53-62 of World's Guns and Other Weapons, 1958. PROVENANCE: The Frank H. Wheaton, III Collection. CONDITION: The pistol, likely completed with a thin coat of rust blue, has transitioned to a mellow grey over 70% of its surface. Excellent Bakelite grips. Magazine body and floorplate are bright metal with minimal oxidative toning. Bright bore with sharp rifling. Even though the mechanics need adjustment, this is still a rare developmental pistol that, while never considered by the Ordinance Dept, is usually grouped together with those kinds of arms. 51516-4 LMA (9,500-15,500)