Project Description
!!!!!SOLD!!!!! The only one I have seen or ever heard of, this is a 1/2 scale Hopkins & Allen “Parrot Head” derringer made by Tom P. Weston in Mexico City, Mexico, in the mid 1940’s to mid 1970’s, but probably in the earliest days of Weston’s miniature production. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, you get a curve out of left field! Fully functional and shoots the Tom Weston proprietary 3mm centerfire externally primed cartridge.
These cartridges have a drawn copper case with rim similar to the 2mm rimfire cartridges, but are obviously at 3mm somewhat larger with a thinner rim. The head of the cartridge is concave or depressed with a small flash hole in the center. The priming mixture is smeared wet into the concave hollow in the cartridge head & allowed to dry. The mixture is similar to the white part of a strike anywhere kitchen match head, pulverized with water added to make a paste. Thus, externally primed. This priming mixture is hydroscopic, or absorbs water, & extremely corrosive. Often times the priming mixture eats the copper case head away. These look to be in much better condition than most I have seen, but I will not guarantee them to fire.
I have sold a number of the Weston 2mm rimfire parrot head derringers, but this is the first one of these I have ever seen in 3mm centerfire. The firing pin is very prominent & obviously centerfire when viewed from the side with the action opened.
My thinking, having seen a number of Weston 3mm centerfire BelMex pistols, plus a few other miniatures chambered to shoot the Weston 3mm centerfire cartridge, is that Weston made & used these very early in his miniature production because there was no other option available to him. Once he found a viable source of 2mm rimfire cartridges, he transitioned to using them. This would also explain the unusual case as it was possibly before he was making his own cases.
The derringer is 1 3/4″ long overall with a 7/8″ smoothbore barrel of about .085 caliber. Steel construction finished in the white except for the trigger, action opening button, screws, & pins which are fire blued. The tip of the trigger is serrated. There is a button on the left rear of the frame that when pushed forward releases the barrel to pop up at the rear for loading. Two piece mother of pearl grips with brass escutcheons and a single screw entering from the left side. No markings or engravings. Complete with a hinged top walnut case with flip latch which may or may not be original. The interior French fit & lined in an olive green felt. Accessories include an ivory handled blued cleaning/extractor rod with a brass ferrule & a gelatin pill capsule containing a number of the 3mm centerfire externally primed cartridges. There is a recess in the case for one of the typical Weston cleaning brushes with the twisted wire handle, but the brush is missing. The pistol is near mint, I’d call it 98%. Stock # BK-02. !!!!!SOLD!!!!!
