Henry Aston Pistols, 1842 to 1852
From 1846 until 1850 Henry Aston made approximately 24,000 Model 1842 pistols at Middletown, Connecticut under a U.S. Army contract of February 25, 1845 at $6.50 each before the firm’s name was changed to H. Aston & Co. Thereafter, another 6,000 pistols were made from 1851 to 1852.
Although rendered obsolete as a sidearm by the revolver, many Aston Model 1842 pistols were pressed into service due to the initial demand for handguns during the rush to arms in 1861.