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HomeHandgunSingle-shot Pistol

Single-shot Pistol

Book review

So You Want to Design Guns? You Need This Book.

June 5, 2024 Ian McCollum 6

“Firearm Anatomy Book III: The Remington Double Derringer” by David S. Findlay Available through Amazon: https://amzn.to/4daGdYy David S. Findlay is a firearms designer with extensive experience – a decades-long career in the field working for […]

Single-shot Pistol

Ballard .41 Rimfire Derringer: An Old West Boot Gun

November 25, 2023 Ian McCollum 11

Charles H. Ballard is much better known for his single shot rifle design, but he also designed, patented, and produced a .41 rimfire caliber derringer. These were popular concealed weapons during the 19th century, and […]

Single-shot Pistol

Colt’s .41 Derringers: Buyout and Innovation

November 20, 2023 Ian McCollum 9

When Colt decided that it wanted a piece of the Derringer market, it used a tactic we are used to seeing today: it found an existing manufacturer and just bought them outright. This was the […]

Gunsmithing

“Alk” – A Unique German Target Pistol

March 27, 2023 Ian McCollum 15

This is a unique and interesting German proofed .22 rimfire target pistol. It uses a simple blowback slide, which locks open after each shot. It is striker fired, with a 12-inch barrel and a quite […]

Antiques

The Sure Defender: An O.G. Knuckleduster Knife Gun

December 8, 2021 Ian McCollum 12

One of the early combination self-defense guns was the “Sure Defender”, with a combination of brass knuckles, a small and finicky wavy-bladed dagger, and a single shot percussion pistol barrel. The rather complex process for […]

Single-shot Pistol

Fancy Martini-System Venus Pistole

November 1, 2021 Ian McCollum 20

This is a great example of an interwar single-shot fancy target pistol. It is chambered for basic .22 rimfire, and uses a Martini system of dropping breechblock to operate.

Single-shot Pistol

Failed Good Intentions: S&W’s Straight Line Target

May 5, 2021 Ian McCollum 24

Introduced in 1925 as a major change to the target pistol market, the Straight Line Target used an automatic-style straight grip instead of the traditional revolver frame. S&W had been a market leader in this  […]

Single-shot Pistol

Rollin White’s Single Shot .38 Rimfire Pistol

October 19, 2020 Ian McCollum 14

Rollin White was the inventor who patented the bored-through cylinder in the US, and sold an exclusive right to this patent to Smith & Wesson. They would use it as the basis for their own […]

Antiques

Napoleonic Sphinxes: A Magnificent Boutet Carved Pistol Set

September 10, 2020 Ian McCollum 5

Lot 252 in the September 2020 Premier RIA auction. Nicolaus-Noël Boutet is one of the most significant gunsmith artists in the world. He was the “directeur-artiste” of the Manufacture d’Armes de Versailles, set up in […]

Antiques

Beautiful 16th Century Saxon Wheellock Pistols

September 5, 2020 Ian McCollum 13

Lot 262 in the September 2020 RIA Premier auction. Today, for your consideration and appreciation, a pair of late 16th century Saxon wheel lock pistols…

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