J. H. Dance and Brothers revolver

[Zulch]

Anyone out there own an 1862 Dance replica in .36 or .44 cal? I was just poking around online and found this site. So, what interested me about the picture was...uh...well....... I'll just let someone else tell me what they see..... I know very little about these revolvers accept that there weren't many originals manufactured. Very interesting history on these I'm sure. Any takers?

http://www.civilwar.si.edu/weapons_dance.html#

[Hawg]

They have the recoil shield milled off. Some originals were shipped with recoil shields. Why they milled them off is a good question but almost all the originals show evidence of it being milled off.

[Zulch]

They have the recoil shield milled off. Some originals were shipped with recoil shields. Why they milled them off is a good question but almost all the originals show evidence of it being milled off.

Hawg, thanks. So is there no apparent reason for why the milling on the shield was done?  No historical info suggesting why they did that?

[Hawg]

Not that I'm aware of. They're not my favorite revolver so I haven't done much research on them.

[ShotgunDave]

I wish Jim was here to enlighten us. He had the Dance book with all the answers, and was a student of the Dance story.

From what I have been able to gather, they used cast iron boilerplate to make their frames from. Metal was very hard to get in the Confederacy, and they used what they had at hand. That's why G&G guns are made of "gunmetal" instead of iron or steel.

The boilerplate was not thick enough to include the recoil shields on the frame, so the Dance brothers just omitted them. The gun functions perfectly fine without them.

[Hawg]

The boilerplate was not thick enough to include the recoil shields on the frame, so the Dance brothers just omitted them. The gun functions perfectly fine without them.

That doesn't explain why most originals show signs of having them milled off or why some originals do have recoil shields.

[Marshal Will]

From what I have read, only the first ones had recoil shields. Maybe when they had to go to boiler plate, they simply milled off the existing ones so that extra material could then be melted down and made into more parts.

[ShotgunDave]

As far as I know, there are only two revolvers known with the recoil shield. One of those has an octagon barrel as well. The other is thought to be one of the very first Dance revolvers made. It has the round barrel.

Whose to say, that they originally sought to copy the Colt Navy and made their first guns as such. Then the supply of iron dried up, and they resorted to using the afore mentioned boilerplate. That's why the guns don't have recoil shields.

Why would they manufacture the guns with recoil shields, and then turn around and mill them off? They were under duress as it was, to get the guns made for the contract. Why add extra and un-necessary steps to the manufacturing process? Makes absolutely no sense.

As for milling marks on the frames, they may just be from the manufacturing process of milling the frame to the proper thickness.

[Marshal Will]

As for milling marks on the frames, they may just be from the manufacturing process of milling the frame to the proper thickness.

This is probably the best explanation. On some of the CW pistols for sale on auction sites there are some fairly rough mill marks, probably left because of less trained people running the machinery.

[ShotgunDave]

As for milling marks on the frames, they may just be from the manufacturing process of milling the frame to the proper thickness.

This is probably the best explanation. On some of the CW pistols for sale on auction sites there are some fairly rough mill marks, probably left because of less trained people running the machinery.

In the case of the Dance Bros, it was mostly unskilled slaves.

[G Dog]

Slaves operating milling equipment?  Very unlikely.  Deficiencies probably had to do with the equipment itself.

[Hawg]

From what I have been able to gather, they used cast iron boilerplate to make their frames from. Metal was very hard to get in the Confederacy, and they used what they had at hand. That's why G&G guns are made of "gunmetal" instead of iron or steel.

Like I said I haven't done much research on them but I doubt boilers were made from cast iron and if they were, cast iron can't be milled. All I found out about that is there's several different definitions of boiler plate. I did do some looking today and the only reference I found of being made from boiler plate was one post on another forum. Nothing else I found mentioned it. I did find this but I can't say how accurate it is. https://www.ammoland.com/2019/11/j-h-dance-bros-confederate-revolvers-video/  it says employees were soldiers, 23 of which came from the 35th Texas Cavalry. it also says at least three .36's are known to have recoil shields and one .44

[G Dog]

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/48/3147/rare-texas-jr-dance-44-caliber-revolver-with-documentation

[Captainkirk]

Thanks for that, G.

[Ringo]

If I may add my two cents...
I happen to own the Confederate Handguns book by Albaugh, Benet and Simmons, as well as the Dance Brothers book by Gary Wiggins, the Dances chapter from the Texas Gun Lore book by Holloway, and articles from The Gun Report, Heritage Arms Magazine, and the American Society of Arms Collectors about the Dances & Brothers revolvers.
From these reads, it appears that the workers at the mill were not slaves but members of the Dance family (brothers and cousins) and soldiers discharged because of their skills.
About the lack of recoil shield on most revolvers, no sure reason could be given. Gary Wiggins writes on page 139 of his book: "A close examination of the unfinished frames unearthed at that location (factory site in Anderson) reveal that they were cut out of flat iron bar stock, approximately 1 3/8" thick."