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Bram Stoker was a manager at the same theater that Henry Irving worked. He is thought to be the inspiration for Dracula. These were perhaps stage pistols, or the real thing, who knows.
Posted on 09/22/2018 5:46:09 AM PDT by vannrox
Dueling pistols are strange, beautiful and ironic. Gadgets to shoot each other in the face, crafted with the delicacy and decorative extravagance of expensive jewelry.
They appeared in the 18th C, as faster firing versions of older, flintlock guns replaced swords. Their use dwindled in the 19th C, while duels were still fought in the Western US states. Here the less rich would engage in gouging, similarly prearranged combat, with the aim of plucking out the opponent’s eyes.
Dueling pistols were designed for the upper classes, for the preservation of honor. They were used illegally by generals and poets (Pushkin was killed in a duel), several US presidents (even Lincoln accepted a challenge to a duel) and were even presented, with no sense of irony, as diplomatic gifts.
Posted by David Galbraith
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It was meant for a fair fight. If you were challenged to a duel by someone who didn't have their own gun, you could loan him one of yours...........I don't know either...
***..the Hamilton duel.***
I notice all these pistols have single triggers. No double “set” triggers. In the Hamilton-Burr pistols, when copies were made about thirty five years ago, they were disassembled and it was discovered they had “single set triggers” in each pistol. The “set” allows for the pistol to fire with a very light touch of the trigger. Many rifles have double “set” triggers.
It is now believed Hamilton knew this and was in the process of “setting” the trigger when his firearm discharged too soon.
I wonder if the advent of dueling by pistol made duels more common. Before there were pistols, it was swords. I would think the skill required for sword fighting and the basic horror of it would have made duels by sword fairly rare. A pistol duel is neat and easy in comparison which would seem to increase the likelihood of it happening.
I never knew before, but after studying these photos, I see a compasses looking thing that I can't figure out ....
What is it / used for ?
GREAT use of the word, parochial.
Yep. Honor today means that if you look wrong at an inner city gang banger’s baby mama, you are dissing him, and will later be assassinated with a couple of caps to the back of the head, while his homeboys do a midnight drive-by on the rest of your family.
That is the way honor is defended today.
Unless you are Muslim and your daughter is raped. Then you just cut her head off or stone her to death to defend your honor.
The America I was raised in no longer exists.
There are science fiction books where a modern company of Marines or Rangers take out an entire ancient army. Of course, they never explain how the modern company gets all the necessary ammo, or gas for their transport, etc.
But the concept is, not only are modern weapons something the ancients would be slaughtered by, but the “magic” they performed would make the company seem like ancient gods coming to rule them. And of course, radio communications mean perfect coordination and instant intel.
Really, a small army with today’s equipment could easily have decimated Alexander the Great’s entire Army in short order.
Sword duelling was actually more common and persisted much longer than pistols, and since it was usually fought to first blood, if not terminated with no injury, it was much less dangerous. The last legal duel in France was fought in 1967, between the then-Mayor of Marseille and a political opponent, to first blood.
In Germany university students still have a tradition of dueling with sabers, with rules and equipment designed to prevent fatal injuries.
The guns were to be provided by a second.
You weren’t supposed to use your own gun, that would have been seen as unfair.
And pistols were normally made and sold and carried by the pair anyway.
Bullet molds.
Seriously!
Unfortunately its been replaced by paper rock scissors........
Not even. I this culture , if you’re a scumbag you get to hide behind the law.
Thanx, Croc
” ‘Oh, to be a time traveller with a Colt Walker or Sig Sauer under your trench-coat...’ [Delta 21, post 17]
With that Colt Walker better have a pair, in more ways than one, to balance the big iron load.” [Covenantor, post 18]
No one carried a Walker Colt on their person, certainly not concealed. The arm had a nine-inch barrel and weighed 4-1/2 pounds.
Same was true of the next 44 cal Colt to be introduced: The “Dragoon,” which was slightly smaller and lighter: four pounds, with a 7-1/2-inch barrel. The Walker was loaded with a charge of 60 grains of powder (”black powder” was the only kind made then); the Dragoon held only 50 grains.
Some 1100 Walker models were manufactured in 1847: 1000 to fill the military contract, followed by about 100 that were sold on the open market. The Dragoon (in three distinct subvariants) was made from 1848 until 1860, totaling some 20,000.
Both arms closely replicated the “horse pistols” of the 18th & early 19th centuries, which were often carried in pairs, in holsters mounted to a cavalry saddle. They were also used by the US Mounted Rifles: soldiers who rode to battle but dismounted for combat. Also known as Dragoons.
Colt’s “Belt Model”, known today as the “1851 Navy” was an open-carry revolver made from 1850 until 1873 in cal 36, for a total of over 215,000. Handguns of that size were typically carried thrust into the belt; except for cavalry, holsters scarcely existed until after the American Civil War.
Colt’s Model 1849, in 31 cal, was made from 1848 until 1873 - first as the “Baby Dragoon” and then as the “Old Model pocket. Production totaled some 340,000 revolvers.
The larger guns thus were made in smaller numbers, but occasioned more public notice back in the day. Still holds true: A civilian Walker Colt sold recently at auction, for a record-setting price of $1,840,000.00 (see link below).
Okay, interesting — thanks.
I didn’t realize sword dueling was usually done to first blood and not to the death or grievous injury. I wonder if it was typical that the duelists would hold back a little bit and go for blood instead truly trying to kill the other guy. That sort of moderation would be easier to accomplish with swords than with pistols.
BTW, regarding the 1967 duel in France, it turns out they recorded it on film:
http://www.tameshigiri.ca/2014/03/27/last-epee-duel-in-france-1967-recorded-on-film/
The agreed upon terms of the duel was first blood. As I read a little more on the subject it does seem that first blood was the norm.
Apparently the epee was a type of lightweight sword developed for dueling with the specific intent to make it less dangerous.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Épée
So what you get is a socially regulated means of settling scores that involves enough risk and physical danger to be satisfactory for the purpose but most likely won’t get someone killed.
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