Forehand 1901

On a chilly evening, it would have been sometime around 1905, the woman and her daughter appeared easy marks for the unsavory “gypsies” known to steal anything they could along the out-of-the-way streets of America’s rural Midwest.

A man jumps from the brush and grabs the reins away from the woman as another approaches the girl on the wagon.

But inside her hand muff, the woman carries protection. In an instant, the cool chrome barrel of one of the his-n-hers .32 caliber Forehand Model 1901s in this photo is against the ear of the would-be attacker!

He lets loose of the reins, and the would-be attackers flee.

Great-grandmothers and grandmothers of today’s generation turned to these utilitarian “pocket guns” of the day and passed their freedoms to future generations.

The pair in this photo were well used, as documented in local lore. Dad carried his well-used .32 on his belt while hunting rabbits with his .22-caliber bolt-action rifle. He liked that close, off-hand wheel-gun action.

Hopkins & Allen manufactured this top-break, double-action revolver from 1901 to 1910 after buying out the Forehand Arms Company. Its 3-inch barrel, 6-round capacity, and textured synthetic grips made it a popular personal protection gun. Its front blade sight, grooved rear sight, and comfortable textured gutta-purcha grips also allowed a respectable degree of accuracy.

Gutta-percha, for those not in the know, is a natural product obtained from the “latex”or sap of various rubber trees indigenous to southeast Asia, especially the Malay peninsula. It was a hard-rubber durable replacement for wood in firearms as early as the 1840s.

Established in 1866 and renowned in its day but bankrupt before 1920, Hopkins & Allen Arms Company was known for reliable and affordable firearms. The 1901, for example, sold for less than $5, while a Smith & Wesson revolver of a similar build went for $25.

The company built shotguns, rifles, revolvers, and derringers for multiple sporting goods stores.

Their little Forehand 1901 represents a significant shift in firearm technology during the turn of the 20th century–and they are always a great conversation piece.