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 gun is an interested example of the needle fire system that existed as one of the intermediate technologies between the percussion cap and the self-contained metallic cartridge. This example is in unfortunately rough condition, but on disassembly we can see how everything was supposed to work.
Semiauto Rifles
StG45 at an IPSC 3-Gun Match (Video)
The Sturmgewehr 45 (aka Gerat 06H) was the first functional roller-delayed blowback rifle developed, and it was slated to replace the StG44 as Germany’s primary combat rifle when WWII ended. We have a reproduction of […]
Reproduction
A Semiauto FG-42 up on Gunbroker
Rick from SMG Guns dropped me a line to let me know that he has put one of his 8mm semiauto FG-42 rifles up for sale on Gunbroker. In fact, it’s actually the exact demo […]
Bolt Action Rifles
What is the German 1920 Double Date Stamp?
One will sometimes encounter German WW1 arms – mostly Lugers and Kar98 carbines – that have two date stamps, one of them being 1920. What is the significance of this? The crux of the matter […]
“K.B. PRIVILEGIERT” most probabaly stands for Königreich Bayern P…, that is privilege granted by the Kingdom of Bavaria. Meaning a patent granted for the design. The date is thus most probably not the date of manufacture, but the date of the patent.
Interesting and well made pistol it looks like. Makes me wonder if the design could have been adapted to use a hammer and cap to ignite the paper cartridge instead of the pinfire needle breaking every few shots taken?
I think this period with needlefire pinfire capping breech loaders and even Paulies cartrige ignited by compressed air to be one of the most interesting periods in EUROPEAN firearms development
Trust the americans to stick with and perfect the rimfiire and centrefire cartriges or did they just learn from french and german mistakes
“(…)americans(…)perfect the rimfiire and centrefire cartriges or did they just learn from french and german mistakes(…)”
Not, they also made odd cartridge which were metallic but far from either rim-fire or center-fire, as we know them today. Few examples:
.58 Schubarth https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/07/19/potd-58-schubarth-an-egg-of-brass-lead/
.50 Crispin http://www.oldammo.com/july09.htm
Lipfire system http://www.littlegun.info/arme%20americaine/artisan%20a/a%20allen%20and%20weellock%20lipfire%20gb.htm
Burnside http://www.lodgewood.com/Burnside-Brass-Cartridge-Case_p_14.html
.32 TEAT FIRE http://www.ammo-one.com/32TEATFIRE.html
and do not forget about .41 Volcanic Rocket Ball
Not one of, and not only european(btw XIX USofA was probably more european than Europe itself).
IMHO it is most interesting period(ex equo with forties to sixties of XX century).