show us your dueling pistols

[snapper]

I have always liked the looks of a nice cased set of pistols, even though I am not much of a pistol shooter.

Perhaps someday I will own a set.

So, please show us your pistol sets, new or old.

Thanks

Fleener

[Mike Brooks]

These are more of a  horse pistol type of thing. .60 smooth bores, probably 10" barrels. I did another pair like these years ago with original British dragoon barrels but I don't seem to have any pics.
http://www.fowlingguns.com/pistol2and3.html

[Hungry Horse]

This could be a pretty short thread. Today we tend to consider any pair of early pistols, dueling pistols, but nothing could be farther from reality. Dueling pistols were held to very exacting standards, and a duel fought with pistols that didn’t meet those standards was often considered less than honorable. The famous Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, duel was questioned at the time. Because the Wogdon pistols used were of larger caliber than thought honorable, and had single set triggers. Many fancy cased pistols are called dueling pistols, when in fact they were not. These heavily decorated pistols were most often presentation sets, and not designed as actual duelers.
 Mikes set do indeed look like Horse pistols, instead of true duelers.

  Hungry Horse

[Bob Roller]

I recall reading an article called,The Death of Gentlemen" and it decried these
horrible American shootouts using revolvers and shotguns.I'll see if it's in my
assortment of books and try to give more details.

Bob Roller

[smart dog]

Hi,
Here you go Snapper, a pair of Wogdon-styled pistols with case and accessories:













dave

[Hungry Horse]

I believe true duelers had no rear sight. They are seen with a wide groove at the breech end of the barrel quite often, and either a fine blade, or bead on the muzzle. The rules of dueling stated that once the gun hand started its downward trek towards its target there should be no deliberate stopping to aim. Andrew Jackson ran afoul of the rules deulo for taking deliberate aim at one of his adversaries, and was chastised again when it was discovered that he had been hit by his adversaries shot. First blood usually decided the conflict, but Jackson didn’t give up that easy.

  Hungry Horse

[smart dog]

Hi HH,
All you have to do to see that almost all English dueling pistols had rear sights is look at any of Neal and Back's books containing dueling pistols, Atkinson's book on British dueling pistols, or go to Geoff Walkers excellent website www.flintlockcollection.net.  Of course handling some originals as I have helps too.  I don't know where this myth comes from that dueling pistols don't have rear sights. Perhaps there was some bizarre American rule but the Europeans put sights on their duelers. The rear sights generally had a wide "U" notch that facilitated quick shooting.  When I started researching British dueling pistols before my historically correct build, I was amazed at the amount of misinformation about them on the internet and some writings (usually Americans).

dave

[smokinbuck]

Would like to show you my dueling pistols but can't because they use suppositories!!!
Mark

[Bill Paton]

Smart dog,

You were too modest with the oblique subtile image of “Person” on the barrel of one of your pair. (Even though they are antiques, any signed gun of mine gets a good close-up of the signature, centered and standing out in the image!) Tongue in cheek, I am certain anybody would have been proud to have had his first blood drawn by such a pistol.

Bill Paton

[Sequatchie Rifle]

Smart Dog- I believe those pistols are absolutely perfect! Thanks for sharing them.

[heelerau]

That is a fine pair of pistols, my mother bless her was keen to give me a cased set of duellers for my 21st with a set of straight razors. Sadly as is now a set such as shewn here are beyond my small purse !! Thank you for shewing them off

Cheers

Gordon

[smart dog]

Hi and Thanks folks,
Snapper, if you want to see a bunch of original cased pistols check out Geoffrey Walker's site www.flintlockcollection.net.  Lewis Drake also often has a few (www.drake.net)

dave

[Rolf]

Dave, could you show us a couple Pictures of the butt caps on the pistols?

Best regards
Rolf

[Brian cox]

Great eye candy - great links to more eye candy. Thanks! - Now to research the history of Dueling pistols, what was appropriate and what was not.

[smart dog]

Hi Rolf,
This is the best photo I have.  The pistols were delivered to their owner long ago.  They are simple steel cups with a short back strap. One backstrap is engraved with a moon face and the other with a sun face.  The trigger guards are engraved with portraits of Achilles and Hector.


Thanks Brian.  Be careful about information from the internet. It is best to go to books and papers by reliable sources like Keith Neal, David Back, Peter Atkinson, John George, Norman Dixon, and J. F. Hayward, authors who based their writings on extensive examinations of original dueling pistols.

dave

[vanu]

This is a pair of "best Pistols" by Wilkinson shipped 19 June 1824 (note original ledger entry for #3061). The pair were converted to percussion by Jean B. Revol in New Orleans (active 1839-1884) The 1871 is likely Revol's serial number. Beautiful cased set that came from Robert Ables in the late 1940's.

Bruce

[snapper]

very nice

fleener