The Galleries
- Robert E. Petersen Collection
- Ancient Firearms - 1350 to 1700
- Road to American Liberty - 1700 to 1780
- A Prospering New Republic - 1780 to 1860
- A Nation Asunder - 1861 to 1865
- The American West - 1850 to 1900
- Innovation, Oddities and Competition
- Theodore Roosevelt and Elegant Arms - 1880s to 1920s
- World War I and Firearms Innovation
- WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Beyond - 1940 to Present
- For the Fun of It
- Modern Firearms - 1950 to Present
- Hollywood Guns
C. S. Pettengill Navy Model Revolver
Pettengill revolvers were actually manufactured by Rogers & Spencer of Willowvale, New York. The double-action Navy, or Belt Model Revolver, was an improvement over the earlier and smaller Pettengill Third Model Pocket Revolver. Fewer than 1,000 were produced during the late 1850s. SN 45
The unusual "hammerless" Pettengill revolver is self-cocking only. The L-shaped hammer is concealed within its frame. Pulling the trigger revolves the cylinder, fires, and cocks the hammer for the next shot. Its pepperbox-like mechanism was patented by C. S. Pettengill of New Haven, Connecticut, U. S. Patent 15,388, July 22, 1856, improved by Edward A. Raymond and Charles Robotaille of Brooklyn, New York, U. S. Patent 21,054, July27, 1858, and Henry S. Rogers of Willow Vale, New York, U. S. Patent 36,861, November 4, 1862. This weapon was manufactured by Rogers, Spencer & Company at Willow Vale, New York, before the Rogers & Spencer revolver was produced.