C.J. Hamilton & Son No. 27 .22 Short Single-Shot Break-Action Rifle, 16 Inch Barrel (c. 1907–1930)
This C.J. Hamilton & Son No. 27 is a compact, early 20th-century American single-shot rifle chambered in .22 Short with a 16 inch barrel. It features the Hamilton rotating breechblock design tied to the 1907 patent, a wire-loop trigger guard, and a fixed, peened hinge/pivot pin at the break-action joint (disassembly would require drifting the pin and is not a normal field takedown). Clear roll-markings on the receiver document the model, caliber, patent dates, and Plymouth, Michigan manufacture, making it a solid example of Hamilton’s economical "boy’s rifle" pattern.
Condition
Overall Condition: Fair condition, showing extensive signs of prior use and handling.
Bore Condition: Fair - Generally clean, some residue or smudges, slight corrosion.
Bore Rifling: Fair Rifling - Worn rifling, slight loss of definition.
Specific Condition Notes: There is widespread patina and finish wear, as well as spots of pitting. The handguard is loose. The bore is clean and shiny.
What’s Included
- C.J. Hamilton & Son No. 27 single-shot rifle chambered in .22 Short
The No. 27 uses a break-action layout with a single-action external hammer and a rotating cylindrical breechblock. A knurled operating stud turns the breechblock to lock against an ejector shoulder, a hallmark of the 1907 patent. An extractor/ejector spur is visible at the breech, and the capacity is 1 round.
Construction follows Hamilton’s cost-saving approach: a sheet-steel receiver and a formed/rolled barrel that, for this model, was commonly brass-lined under a steel jacket. It wears a hardwood straight-grip stock without a buttplate, paired with a wooden forend, and the distinctive wire-loop trigger guard.
Sighting is straightforward and durable, with a fixed front blade and a simple rear notch on the barrel. The compact format includes a 16 inch barrel and a 13.0 inch length of pull, consistent with the No. 27’s period marketing as a compact "boy’s rifle."
The receiver carries a full roll-mark: "THE HAMILTON RIFLE No 27 22 CAL. PATENTED OCT. 30, 1900 - AUG. 13, 1907 MFD. BY C.J.
HAMILTON & SON PLYMOUTH, MICH. U.S.A." A fixed, peened pivot pin at the break-action joint secures the assembly; removal would require drifting the pin and is not a normal field takedown on this United States-made example from the 1907–1930 era.