Single-shot Pistol - Forgotten Weapons

Dreyse Model 1835 Needlefire Breechloading Pistol

August 19, 2019 Ian McCollum 13

Lot 408 in the September 2019 RIA auction. Johann Nicolaus Dreyse, later promoted to the aristocracy as Nicolaus von Dreyse, designed the first mainstream military breechloading rifle. His rifle was adopted by Prussia and changed […]

Nagant Model 1877 Gendarmerie Double Barrel Rolling Block Pistol

June 13, 2019 Ian McCollum 14

This pistol is for sale as part of Lot 280 at Rock Island’s Regional auction on June 20th. Emile and Leon Nagant set up their manufacturing company in Liege, Belgium in 1859, and it would […]

Knoch Needlefire Pistol

March 15, 2019 Ian McCollum 5

This is a handmade, single shot needle fire pistol (zündnadelpistole) made by a German gunsmith named A. Knoch in Munich in 1850. I have been unable to find any documentation about the man, but the […]

Bobbie Ford’s Romantic Derringer (NSFW – Happy Valentine’s Day!)

February 14, 2019 Ian McCollum 14

This surprising derringer was commissioned in the 1970s by Walther Buhl Ford III for his wife Bobbie Ford, and hand crafted by Alvin White, Colt’s renowned master engraver. Bobbie Ford was a collector of Western […]

California Arms Co 20ga “Defiance” Pistol-Shotgun

November 9, 2018 Ian McCollum 16

This registered NFA AOW sold for $3,738 at Rock Island on December 1, 2018. Made to compete with guns like the Ithaca Auto & Burglar, the “Defiance” form the California Arms Company is a side […]

Webley WG Single Shot Not-A-Revolver

October 22, 2018 Ian McCollum 18

This pistol is being sold by Morphys on October 31, 2018. This is a really interesting and probably unique Webley – a single shot, flat sided version of the WG Target revolver. It has a […]

Webley Model 1911 Stocked .22 Single-Shot Target Pistol

September 29, 2018 Ian McCollum 3

The Webley Model 1911 is a single-shot, self-ejecting target pistol made only for a few years. It was fitted with a long barrel to increase sight radius and also a detachable shoulder stock for those […]

WW Marston Breechloading Pistol and Leather-Base Cartridge

September 3, 2018 Ian McCollum 3

RIA’s catalog page for this pistol William Walker Marston was born in 1822, and would spend his career as a gunsmith and gunmaker in New York City. He produced a wide variety of firearms, including […]

Pair of Rigby Triple-Barrel Percussion Derringers

August 27, 2018 Ian McCollum 6

RIA’s catalog page for this pair of pistols John Rigby founded his unmaking company in 1775, and it continues to exist making fine rifles and shotguns to this day. He himself died in 1818, passing […]

Colt’s Camp Perry Model Target Single Shot

August 21, 2018 Ian McCollum 9

RIA’s catalog page for this pistol The Camp Perry Model was Colt’s top-end target pistol between the world wars. Based on the same frame and grip as the Officer’s Model revolver, it was designed to […]