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Allen Johnson
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 Posted: Fri 16 Dec, 2011 7:40 am Post subject: Double Barreled 18th cent. pistols? |
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Im reading a play and it makes use of a double barreled (spanish) pistol. The story takes place in the mid 18th century. Firearms aren't my thing but I haven't recalled any such thing. Were there double barreled pistols in the 18th century?
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Christopher Treichel
Location: Metro D.C. Joined: 14 Jan 2010
Posts: 268
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| Posted: Fri 16 Dec, 2011 8:19 am Post subject: |
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They had double barrelled pistols, volley guns with many barrels, revolver type mechanisms, replaceable breeches, multiple loads in the barrel with the flintlock sliding up and down the barrel, multiple shots in the butt or next to the barrel, over under flip barrels you name it as long as the person had money and the gunsmith was creative... and not too crazy, I have seen some guns I would not shoot for fear of causing a chain fire sooo loony. So yes, double barrel flintlock pistol even small enough to fit in your pocket is good for the 18th century...
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Allen Johnson
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| Posted: Fri 16 Dec, 2011 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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Great, thank you Christopher.
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Fri 16 Dec, 2011 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Allen Johnson wrote: | | Great, thank you Christopher. |
You would also see double barrel side by side and double barrel under and over.
Most would have a lock on each side one for the closest barrel for the side by side versions and for the under over version one lock would fire the top barrel and the other would fire the bottom barrel.
I think single triggers would exist for some where one could select which to fire or would automatically alternate from one to the other barrels, but these would be complex and rarer mechanisms I believe and many would have a separate trigger for each lock.
There are also some pocket pistols that used two barrels and a single box lock where a lever would expose the priming of the top barrel and once that one was fired turning the lever would rotate to expose the priming of the second barrel.
Lots of ingenious designs even as far back as the earliest wheelock pistol.
Some of these box lock(s) pistols could even have 4 barrels mounted in a square pattern with various firing schemes.
These box lock pocket pistols would generally, but not always, use a screwable barrel that would be loaded from the back and then screwed back onto the pistol: This would be a very very slow pistol to reload, thus the temptation to have multiple barrels and these would be mostly for selfdefence in the very unsafe streets of the time.
Slow(er) to reload than the conventional muzzle loading pistols but being loaded from the back the ball could be made very close fitting to the bore and have improved accuracy and more velocity for the generally short barrels.
As to large muzzle loading double barrel pistols they would tend to be more for serious military usage and not very concealable.
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Daniel Wallace
Location: Pennsylvania USA Joined: 07 Aug 2011
Posts: 580
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| Posted: Sat 17 Dec, 2011 11:43 am Post subject: |
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what first comes to my mind about a dual barreled pistol would be something like a derringer. which might have been popular in the time frame but i don't know exactly when they came into development. it's small - and easily concealed.
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Christopher Treichel
Location: Metro D.C. Joined: 14 Jan 2010
Posts: 268
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| Posted: Sat 17 Dec, 2011 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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Give me a year and I can dig up some picks for you... Derringer is percussion and say 1860s ... the gun that killed Lincon you know. Your probably looing for something more like this.... called a pocket pistol...
you also had double or more barreled flintolcks where the barrels rotated but only one lock. Also one with one barrel but a bar with three chambers that slid accross.... these are pretty late probably already in the early 1800s
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Christopher Treichel
Location: Metro D.C. Joined: 14 Jan 2010
Posts: 268
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| Posted: Sat 17 Dec, 2011 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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here are two from mid 18th century... forgott that you had posted that. one is a turner "wendepistole" and the other is a side by side both from pre 1750s
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This is a standard topic