A pistol sword is a sword with a pistol or revolver attached, usually alongside the blade. It differs from a rifle with a bayonet attached, in that the weapon is designed primarily for use as a sword, and the firearm component is typically considered a secondary weapon designed to be an addition to the blade, rather than the sword being a secondary addition to the pistol. In addition, the two components of these weapons typically cannot be separated, unlike most bayonets mounted on rifles.
Pistol sword
Sword with built-in flint wheellock pistol made in Solingen, Germany (1575)
Historically, some flintlock pistols of the 17th and 18th centuries were constructed as gun-swords, with the barrel of the pistol attached to the side of the blade of a shortsword or dagger. A shell guard protected the firing mechanism when it was used as a sword. These were used by French and German hunters to kill wounded wild boar.[1] Examples of these weapons can be found in the armoury of Wawel Castle (Kraków, Poland). Similar weapons were made in India,[2] including the katar (कटार), a thrusting dagger, modern variants of which may feature a single-shot pistol built into one side.
In 1838, the United States Navy developed the .54 caliber, single-shot smoothbore Elgin pistol, which was equipped with an 11.5-inch Bowie knife blade[4] and was intended for use by boarding parties. It was the first percussion cap gun in naval service,[5] but only 150 were made. The Navy specifically intended them for the Wilkes-South Seas expedition. Reportedly, in 1840 a naval landing party used the pistol to good effect when Fijian warriors attacked the sailors on the island of Malolo.[6] A few Elgin pistols were still in use during the US Civil War,[7] but proved unpopular. The Navy quickly replaced them with the M1860 Cutlass, which remained in service until the 1940s. Some found their way into civilian hands and some ended up in the Old West.[citation needed]
Pinfire cartridge gun-swords were produced in Belgium during the mid-19th century, although in limited quantity.[8][9] These custom-made weapons were sometimes used by European officers and featured a loading gate behind the basket hilt.[8] In 1866 T. Rauh of Solingen filed a United States patent on the design of a 9mm caliber pistol sword with a 32in blade.[8]
During World War I, the British manufactured a limited number of Webley revolvers with folding blades, similar in design to the Pritchard pistol bayonet.[10] These were used by officers in the trenches for close quarters fighting as the confined space made it difficult to use a sword. However, few were produced due to the expense and scarcity of raw materials.[11]
A rare variant of the World War II Japanese Nambu automatic pistol was a pistol sword. It is possible that this non-regulation weapon was privately purchased by an officer as only one example is known to exist.[12]
Civilian useedit
Another notable example of a pistol sword was the Swedish 1865 Cutlass Pistol; 500 were ordered by the government and issued to prison guards.[13] It was a breech-loading 2-shot weapon with a 14in by 2in blade weighing 2.5 lb. A few ended up on the other side of the Atlantic and one became part of Buffalo Bill's gun collection.[14]
In the late Victorian era, some French swordsticks had built-in pinfire pepperbox revolvers to increase their lethality; these were carried by civilians for self-defense. However, this idea was far from new; combination swordsticks and wheel lock pistols have been in use since the 16th century.[14]
Disadvantagesedit
Pistol swords were not widely used and became uncommon relatively quickly, due to their expense and because instead of getting two weapons in one, one got a heavy pistol and a heavy, off-balance sword, as shown by the poor performance of the Elgin pistol.[15]
Modern versions occasionally appear on the market, however, as novelties or collectors' items, including the Sierra Madre knife pistol.[16]
Edged weapons with built-in pistols were common in Eastern Europe. The flintlock axe pistol (gun axe) was a trademark Polish cavalry weapon from the 16th until the 18th century. Similar guns were made in Hungary and a multi-barreled version was invented in Germany.[17] Axe pistols, invented in 1703 by Admiral Erich Sioblad, were also issued to the Swedish navy from the early 18th century until 1840.[18]
Some linstocks of the Renaissance and late medieval period had a matchlock pistol concealed in the blade.[17]
Henry VIII's bodyguards were equipped with iron round shields fitted with a pistol. The English also combined pistols with maces.[19] A notable example is Henry VIII's Walking Staff, a 3-barreled pistol and morning star.[20] The king would carry it while walking through the city at night to check up on the constables.[21] Henry's mace pistol is now on display in the Tower of London's Tudor Room.[22]
In the late 19th century, members of Parisian street gangs carried Apache revolvers, a combination of knife, revolver and knuckleduster.[23]
Knife pistols with folding blades were popular in England during the mid-Victorian era. These were made by Unwin and Rodgers, used black powder, and were available in various small calibers.[24] Like the modern Swiss Army knife, they contained a variety of tools, from blades to corkscrews, and were often used by sailors. A modern version that fires .22 caliberrimfire cartridges, known as the Defender, is still in production.[25]
^ abArnow, Chad. "Spotlight: Combination Weapons". MyArmory.com. from the original on 28 February 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2008. Sword cane with wheel-lock firearm from the Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen Dated to the end of the 16th century, this sword cane (already a combination weapon) also incorporates a wheel-lock firearm.
^Kinard, Jeff (2003). Pistols: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO. p. 59. ISBN978-1-85109-470-7.
^Powell, J. "History: Sierra Madre Knife Pistols". San Juan Enterprises. Retrieved 29 October 2008. Modern knife pistol
^William Pinnock; W. Edwards; James Burkhart Gilbert (1833). The Guide to Knowledge. proprietor; and published. p. 589.
^"The Tudor Room — Tower of London Virtual Tour (London Online) Accessed 18/12/2008". London Online. 2006-12-20. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
^Rummel, James R (11 November 2006). "Is That an Apache in Your Pocket? 2008-07-19 at the Wayback Machine" Hell in a Handbasket blog. Retrieved on 23 December 2008.
^ abFrost, Gordon (1972). Blades and Barrels: six centuries of combination weapons.
^. Archived from the original on 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
External linksedit
The Mariners' Museum
Video describing mechanical operation and history of an Elgin Cutlass Pistol
April 12, 2024
pistol, sword, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, contain, citations, that, verify, text, please, check, citation, inaccuracies, october, 20. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article may contain citations that do not verify the text Please check for citation inaccuracies October 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self published sources Please help improve it by removing references to unreliable sources where they are used inappropriately October 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message A pistol sword is a sword with a pistol or revolver attached usually alongside the blade It differs from a rifle with a bayonet attached in that the weapon is designed primarily for use as a sword and the firearm component is typically considered a secondary weapon designed to be an addition to the blade rather than the sword being a secondary addition to the pistol In addition the two components of these weapons typically cannot be separated unlike most bayonets mounted on rifles Pistol swordSword with built in flint wheellock pistol made in Solingen Germany 1575 Place of originSolingenProduction historyProduced1575SpecificationsBlade typedouble edgedHead typesteel Contents 1 History 1 1 Military use 1 2 Civilian use 2 Disadvantages 3 Similar weapons 4 Gallery 5 References 6 External linksHistory editHistorically some flintlock pistols of the 17th and 18th centuries were constructed as gun swords with the barrel of the pistol attached to the side of the blade of a shortsword or dagger A shell guard protected the firing mechanism when it was used as a sword These were used by French and German hunters to kill wounded wild boar 1 Examples of these weapons can be found in the armoury of Wawel Castle Krakow Poland Similar weapons were made in India 2 including the katar कट र a thrusting dagger modern variants of which may feature a single shot pistol built into one side Military use edit nbsp Elgin Cutlass Pistol at The Mariners Museum in Newport News Virginia 3 In 1838 the United States Navy developed the 54 caliber single shot smoothbore Elgin pistol which was equipped with an 11 5 inch Bowie knife blade 4 and was intended for use by boarding parties It was the first percussion cap gun in naval service 5 but only 150 were made The Navy specifically intended them for the Wilkes South Seas expedition Reportedly in 1840 a naval landing party used the pistol to good effect when Fijian warriors attacked the sailors on the island of Malolo 6 A few Elgin pistols were still in use during the US Civil War 7 but proved unpopular The Navy quickly replaced them with the M1860 Cutlass which remained in service until the 1940s Some found their way into civilian hands and some ended up in the Old West citation needed Pinfire cartridge gun swords were produced in Belgium during the mid 19th century although in limited quantity 8 9 These custom made weapons were sometimes used by European officers and featured a loading gate behind the basket hilt 8 In 1866 T Rauh of Solingen filed a United States patent on the design of a 9mm caliber pistol sword with a 32in blade 8 During World War I the British manufactured a limited number of Webley revolvers with folding blades similar in design to the Pritchard pistol bayonet 10 These were used by officers in the trenches for close quarters fighting as the confined space made it difficult to use a sword However few were produced due to the expense and scarcity of raw materials 11 A rare variant of the World War II Japanese Nambu automatic pistol was a pistol sword It is possible that this non regulation weapon was privately purchased by an officer as only one example is known to exist 12 Civilian use edit Another notable example of a pistol sword was the Swedish 1865 Cutlass Pistol 500 were ordered by the government and issued to prison guards 13 It was a breech loading 2 shot weapon with a 14in by 2in blade weighing 2 5 lb A few ended up on the other side of the Atlantic and one became part of Buffalo Bill s gun collection 14 In the late Victorian era some French swordsticks had built in pinfire pepperbox revolvers to increase their lethality these were carried by civilians for self defense However this idea was far from new combination swordsticks and wheel lock pistols have been in use since the 16th century 14 Disadvantages editPistol swords were not widely used and became uncommon relatively quickly due to their expense and because instead of getting two weapons in one one got a heavy pistol and a heavy off balance sword as shown by the poor performance of the Elgin pistol 15 Modern versions occasionally appear on the market however as novelties or collectors items including the Sierra Madre knife pistol 16 Similar weapons edit nbsp Flintlock axe pistol nbsp Apache pepperbox knuckleduster was popular among turn of the century French street gangs Edged weapons with built in pistols were common in Eastern Europe The flintlock axe pistol gun axe was a trademark Polish cavalry weapon from the 16th until the 18th century Similar guns were made in Hungary and a multi barreled version was invented in Germany 17 Axe pistols invented in 1703 by Admiral Erich Sioblad were also issued to the Swedish navy from the early 18th century until 1840 18 Some linstocks of the Renaissance and late medieval period had a matchlock pistol concealed in the blade 17 Henry VIII s bodyguards were equipped with iron round shields fitted with a pistol The English also combined pistols with maces 19 A notable example is Henry VIII s Walking Staff a 3 barreled pistol and morning star 20 The king would carry it while walking through the city at night to check up on the constables 21 Henry s mace pistol is now on display in the Tower of London s Tudor Room 22 In the late 19th century members of Parisian street gangs carried Apache revolvers a combination of knife revolver and knuckleduster 23 Knife pistols with folding blades were popular in England during the mid Victorian era These were made by Unwin and Rodgers used black powder and were available in various small calibers 24 Like the modern Swiss Army knife they contained a variety of tools from blades to corkscrews and were often used by sailors A modern version that fires 22 caliber rimfire cartridges known as the Defender is still in production 25 Belgian gunsmiths made revolvers with Bowie knife blades some of which were used by French officers during the Crimean War and Franco Prussian War 24 Gallery edit nbsp German sword pistol 1580s nbsp Polish axe pistol nbsp German knife pistol 1600s nbsp Replica of an 18th century pistol cutlass nbsp Georgian knife pistol with spring loaded blade similar to the modern switchblade nbsp Indian pistol katar nbsp 1850s Belgian pepperbox with stiletto blade nbsp Rauh s sword revolver late 19th century nbsp Henry VIII s shield pistol c 1544 References edit Davis J M 1996 Swords amp Knives Archived from the original on 2007 05 03 Retrieved 2008 10 29 Ellis Robert 1851 Official Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue Patterson C Meade George Elgin s Pistols The Gun Collector No 3 Nov 1949 Shideler Dan 2008 2008 Standard Catalog of Firearms The Collector s Price and Reference Guide Krause Publications p 1502 ISBN 978 0 89689 608 6 Kinard Jeff 2004 Pistols An Illustrated History of Their Impact ABC CLIO p 59 ISBN 978 1 85109 470 7 Bodinson Holt May 2006 Shoot amp slash PKP knife pistol American Handgunner Retrieved 29 October 2008 US Civil War Weapons Real Armor of God Archived from the original on 1 December 2008 Retrieved 29 October 2008 Elgin Pistol a b c Ruble Ron 2003 Pinfire sword gun Ron Ruble Enterprises Retrieved 29 October 2008 Biever Dale E Civil War News book review Civil War News Archived from the original on 21 February 2009 Retrieved 29 October 2008 Pritchard pistol bayonet Archived from the original on 2012 10 21 Retrieved 2012 12 17 Fake fantasy and reproduction bayonets Archived from the original on 2013 01 13 Retrieved 2012 12 17 Japanese Sword Pistol Neatorama 23 May 2011 Retrieved 15 March 2012 Frost Gordon Blades and Barrels 1972 p 61 a b Arnow Chad Spotlight Combination Weapons MyArmory com Archived from the original on 28 February 2007 Retrieved 16 December 2008 Sword cane with wheel lock firearm from the Nationalmuseet CopenhagenDated to the end of the 16th century this sword cane already a combination weapon also incorporates a wheel lock firearm Kinard Jeff 2003 Pistols An Illustrated History of Their Impact ABC CLIO p 59 ISBN 978 1 85109 470 7 Powell J History Sierra Madre Knife Pistols San Juan Enterprises Retrieved 29 October 2008 Modern knife pistol a b Howard Ricketts Firearms London 1962 p 29 Boarding axes Howard Ricketts Firearms London 1962 p 11 Ricketts William Pinnock W Edwards James Burkhart Gilbert 1833 The Guide to Knowledge proprietor and published p 589 The Tudor Room Tower of London Virtual Tour London Online Accessed 18 12 2008 London Online 2006 12 20 Retrieved 2009 11 05 Rummel James R 11 November 2006 Is That an Apache in Your Pocket Archived 2008 07 19 at the Wayback Machine Hell in a Handbasket blog Retrieved on 23 December 2008 a b Frost Gordon 1972 Blades and Barrels six centuries of combination weapons Defender pistol Archived from the original on 2017 03 24 Retrieved 2017 03 23 External links editThe Mariners Museum Video describing mechanical operation and history of an Elgin Cutlass Pistol Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pistol sword amp oldid 1212218140, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
