Bear pistol

[gibster]

Just speculating. Maybe there was a lanyard through it to some type of cap/nipple protector so that the pistol could be carried with a cap on the nipple when going through the woods to help prevent an accidental discharge. Once the hammer was pulled back, it was pulled off and the pistol fired. The lanyard kept them from loosing the protector. It would be quicker than trying to cap it after catching up to the dogs. Would be dangerous running through brush after the dogs with a pistol with a cap on the nipple. Brush snags the hammer and kaboom.

[chilehead]

...when the dogs treed the coon he would shoot the coon out of the tree trying not to kill it while holding the dogs back. If successful the coon would hit the ground running, he would then turn the dogs loose and have another chace.

What an appalling and nauseating story.

[Bob Roller]

Probably a gun used to blow your own brains out with instead of being eaten alive
by an injured bear. If a man used a rifle on inadequate caliber and power to put a
bear down with one shot then why would he consider a pistol?
These are good looking handguns and I recently furnished a semi finished double set
trigger to a man that's making one. Also saw some superb European pistols in 1980
at the ML International Shoot in Quantico Va.that had double set triggers made by watch makers
with more parts than some of their watches. I think the weight of a shadow on the front
trigger would fire the gun

Bob Roller

[Bob McBride]

...when the dogs treed the coon he would shoot the coon out of the tree trying not to kill it while holding the dogs back. If successful the coon would hit the ground running, he would then turn the dogs loose and have another chace.

What an appalling and nauseating story.

 At the risk of being so crass as to ‘virtue signal’, may I just say barking a coon out of a tree instead of simply shooting it also gives the coon a chance of finding a tree with a hole in it, or a den, and surviving, instead of just dying. So, that’s gotta be a good thing, yea?

[Hungry Horse]

Another scenario that hasn’t been mentioned here as to the reason for hunting bear with a pistol, is the hunting of bears in their dens in the early spring. This was quite common, and a long gun wasn’t convenient in the close quarters of a bears den.

  Hungry Horse

[bama]

Chilehead - Sorry you are offended, that was not my intention. I was merely stating a fact that is part of the sport of hunting here in the South. We live a tough and hard life here in the South and we also play hard. To us the chase  more important than the kill, if you kill all of the critters you have very few chases. Many people have admired a good Coon Hound and many a good men have listened to and hunted behind them. There have even been many of our past Presidents that have had their turn behind a pack of good hounds.

[Bob McBride]

When he said “trying not to kill it” he didn’t mean wound it. He meant knocking it out of the tree. Making it jump out. Barking it. The chase won’t be back on if it’s dragging a leg. Good grief.

[okawbow]

When he said “trying not to kill it” he didn’t mean wound it. He meant knocking it out of the tree. Making it jump out. Barking it. The chase won’t be back on if it’s dragging a leg. Good grief.

Absolutely right!
We would try and hit the branch the coon was on, and if that didn’t work, someone would climb the tree and shake him out for another run.

[WESTbury]

I believe that Davy Crockett could "grin" coons down from a tree. 

[chilehead]

When he said “trying not to kill it” he didn’t mean wound it. He meant knocking it out of the tree. Making it jump out. Barking it. The chase won’t be back on if it’s dragging a leg. Good grief.

Good grief, indeed.