ohland
07-30-2015, 07:35 PM
American Single Shot Pistols
BY HENRY WALTER FRY
American Rifleman, vol 68, No 22, Jul 1, 1921 pages 3-5, 9, 10
https://books.google.com/books?id=MJkwAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA521&dq=remington+pistol&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDgQ6AEwBGoVChMI7fu0z-CDxwIVzoQNCh0v0QPz#v=onepage&q=remington%20pistol&f=true
WHEN the pistol was first designed and for four centuries later, nearly all pistols were made single shot, the exception being a small number of double, and a still smaller number of multibarreled weapons, but in these days when the revolver and the magazine automatic are almost universal among civilized nations, the single shot target pistol. long barreled, accurately bored and rifled, fitted with special sights, with its parts carefully made and highly finished, but slow in loading and extraction, is in a small and select class by itself, like the high-grade smooth-bore flintlock, and later the rifled percussion lock duelling pistol from which it is directly descended.
Dueling in America is now a thing of the past, and even in the Emerald Isle, where it flourished exceedingly a century ago, is no longer practiced. No longer does the Irish gentleman on his death bed give to his son his last exhortation to be “always ready with the pistol.” No longer is the rosewood or mahogany pistol case, containing the family duelers “Sweetlips” and “Darling” handed down as a precious heirloom from generation to generation, and children are no longer carried out to the dueling ground and held up in nurse's arm, “to see papa fight.” Skill with the pistol in those heroic days was part of every Irish gentleman's education, and of a young man entering Irish county society, two questions were always asked, namely: “What family is he of?” and “Has he ever blazed?” Dueling was especially prevalent among gentleman of the law, and one author, writing of the customs of those times says: “Among the members of the Irish bar the list of killed and wounded was very considerable, and to a young lawyer with his way to make, a case of pistols was thought to be more useful than a shelf full of law books.”
The same author relates some very dreadful tragedies resulting from the practice of dueling; one of them being the death of his own brother. Even the history of the country, in which the number of duels fought is comparatively small, is not free from the record of the untimely deaths of those who could ill be spared from their country’s service. Who, for instance, can measure the loss to America in the prime of his career of such a states man as Alexander Hamilton, and it is by no means unlikely that American political institutions may still be suffering from the loss inflicted upon them by Aaron Burr’s pistol, a hundred and seventeen years ago. We know, too, that a very distinguished American naval officer, Commodore Decatur was killed, and Andrew Jackson, the hero of the battle of New Orleans, severely wounded in duels with the pistol.
As I said, however, the custom, at least among English-speaking peoples, is now a thing the past, and the dueling pistol has been relegated to the public or private arms collection, and its successor, the modern breech-loading rifled single shot pistol is merely the instrument of a very pleasant and agreeable pastime, which may be practiced and enjoyed by people of ages from nine years old to ninety. A very good instance of the latter is given by Walter Winans in one of his books on the pistol, where he tells of a shooting friend so old and feeble that he had to be taken out to the range in a wheeled chair, yet once on the firing point could raise his pistol and place his shots in the bullseye with an accuracy which many a young man might "envy, and only the other evening, on the pistol range of the club to which I have the pleasure to belong, might be seen a marksman of over ninety, shooting the target pistol with all the keeness and enthusiasm of the latest joined members.
American breech-loading single shot rifled pistols have been made in various calibres from .22 up to .50, the latter being the Remington Army and Navy Models. Why these .50 calibre pistols were made single shot when it would have been perfectly easy to have made a simple, compact five-chambered revolved of that calibre, I for one, quite fail to understand. It would have been no more bulky than a .45 six-chambered weapon. Five-chambered revolvers of .50 calibre were made in England both on the cap and ball and the metallic cartridge system. I have one of the former in my possession made by Deane Adams and Dean .38 gauge (.497 calibre) with 8 inch barrel. The diameter of the five chambered cylinder is 1 ¾ inch as against the 1 5/8 inch diameter of the six-chambered cylinder of the .45 single action Colt, and I actually had the chance of buying in Australia a Tranter's five-chambered revolver taking the .50 calibre Eley revolver cartridge. I'm sorry now that I didn't.
Besides the .50 calibre Army and Navy pistols there were single shot weapons made by various factories for the .44 Russian, .38 Smith & Wesson, .32-20 W. C. F., .32 Smith & Wesson .25 rim fire, and .22-7-45 rim fire cartridges, hut in very small numbers compared with those chambered and rifled for the .22 long-rifle cartridge. We are now dealing with a period from twenty to twenty-five years ago, when there was very much more rifle and pistol shooting done in this country than there is now. At that time there were four well known makes of .22 calibre single shot target pistols. They were made in various lengths of 6, 8, and 10 inch barrels and one maker supplied 12-inch barrels if required, but for target shooting the 10-inch barrel was everywhere recognized as the standard. The four makers were, the Stevens Arms 8: Tool Co., the Remington Arms Co., Messrs. Smith & Wesson, and Mr. William Wurfflein.
145689
Of these four only Smith & Wesson are now making .22 calibre ten-inch pistols. The Stevens Company made quite a variety of models, in heavy, medium and light weight, the heaviest being the Lord Model, named after Mr. Thomas Lord, who at one time had a shooting gallery in New York City. He was a big, powerful man and the pistol named after him had a very long handle suited to a big man’s hand and the weight of the pistol with 10-inch barrel was 2 ¾ pounds and with 12-inch barrel 3 ½ pounds, weights which are very much too heavy for the ordinary pistol shooter, usually a middle-aged man of moderate strength and sedentary habits, to fire many shots with, without his arm getting very tired.
Next came the medium weight pistols, the Gould and Conlin Models, exactly similar, except that in the Conlin Model, named after Mr. James Conlin, also a shooting gallery proprietor, there was a spur on the trigger guard for the second finger, where as in the Gould Model, named after the late A. C. Gould, a well known sporting journalist and author, the finger spur is absent. The weight of both these pistols in .22 calibre and with 10-inch barrels weighed about 1 ¾ pounds.
The barrels, like all those of Stevens make, were very accurate and the lock very simple in design, but inferior in workman ship and material. The locking catch of the break-open action was much too small and flimsy and the barrel would work loose in the frame with only a very moderate amount of wear. Another defect was in the grip, which in the Gould Model was too small in the upper part which is grasped by the fork of the hand, between the thumb and forefinger. On the Conlin Model, with its spur on the trigger guard for the second finger, this was not so noticeable. When the company discontinued making the Lord, Gould and Conlin Model pistols, they put out another, called the Offhand Model, made with barrels, 6, 8 and 10 inches long with a handle very much like that of the Gould Model but polished instead of checkered walnut, and being made fuller in circumference in the upper part, gave a very much better hand hold.
Altogether the Stevens Offhand Model was not at all a bad pistol for target work when fitted with proper target sights in place of those supplied by the factory, the trigger and sear hardened, and treated with a fine oilstone to give about a 2 ½ lbs. pull. Why the company, instead of devoting themselves to improving the material and finish of the lockwork and fitting the ten inch size with the "Partridge" pattern sight, which a little inquiry would have shown them to be the favorite of all target shooters, should have left off making the Offhand Model and have gone to the trouble and expense of designing and manufacturing such a weapon as their present No. 10 pistol passes, my comprehension. I can only attribute it to the curious perversity with which all the American arms companies are, without exception, occasionally afflicted, and which makes them sometimes discard the good in favor of the bad, the bad for the worse, and the worse for the absolutely unspeakable. The No. 10 pistol has two and only two good points; it has a good handle and the Partridge sights, but the barrel is only eight inches long instead of the ten, which every target shot insists on, and instead of the light, smooth working hammer which years, I had almost said generations of use, have accustomed him to expect, there is a stiff, ugly little cocking piece with a small, sharply milled head apparently made to give the unfortunate user of it a sore thumb and forefinger.
My advice to the Stevens Co. would be to relegate that particular model to its proper place, the junk pile, and to bring out a special Offhand target model with ten-inch barrel, Partridge sights, a larger and stronger locking catch, lockwork of the best material and finish, easy, smooth working mainspring, trigger pull carefully hand adjusted to 2 ½ lbs. and an extractor which will draw the fired shell clear of the chamber. Then they would have a pistol which the man who devotes himself to fine target shooting would think worth investing in. He certainly does not regard the present No. 10 pistol in that light.
145692
Another model of pistol made at one time by the Stevens Company was a very light one called the Diamond Model, with either 6-inch barrel, weighing 9 ounces or with 10-inch barrel weighing 11 ounces.
Now, though, as sent from the factory they had several serious defects, yet these were both very fine little weapons, and it is to be regretted that they are no longer manufactured. Chambered and rifled for the .22 long rifle cartridge they were both very accurate shooters and two of the best fifty yards scores, counting each 99 out of a possible 100, were made with a 10-inch Diamond Model pistol. But this model, being so very light, was very difficult to shoot with, most men preferring one of medium weight from 1 ½ to 2 lbs.
Its defects were several. As in the other models the material and finish of the lock work were poor, and the mainspring and trigger pull often very stiff and hard. The design of the guardless trigger was obsolete, and the handle so small that it was about suited to the hand of a five-year-old child, and not to that of a full-grown man, the makers of it seemingly ignorant of the fact that the human hand is not capable of automatic shrinkage to suit this particular size of handle. In spite of these defects, all of which can be easily remedied by any one who is something of an amateur mechanic, fitted with a proper sized grip, the mainspring and trigger pull eased down to a comfortable working strength and fitted with a large white or colored metal bead front sight and large U rear sight, these little arms make admirable weapons for shots as birds or small game when on a hunting or fishing trip; or even for practice at tins and other miscellaneous objects on a walking or camping tour. The little 6-inch Diamond Model, in particular, is a wonderfully powerful and accurate little pistol, and so light that it may be carried all day long in the pocket without the weight being noticed at all.
If only the Stevens or some other company would make a line of these extra light pistols with good grips, improved triggers, easy trigger pulls and mainsprings, sporting sights, such as I have described, and with either 6, 8 or 10 inch barrels, I believe they would have a ready sale among the large and increasing number of those who take their vacations in the form of hunting, fishing, walking or motoring camp life in the great outdoors.
BY HENRY WALTER FRY
American Rifleman, vol 68, No 22, Jul 1, 1921 pages 3-5, 9, 10
https://books.google.com/books?id=MJkwAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA521&dq=remington+pistol&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDgQ6AEwBGoVChMI7fu0z-CDxwIVzoQNCh0v0QPz#v=onepage&q=remington%20pistol&f=true
WHEN the pistol was first designed and for four centuries later, nearly all pistols were made single shot, the exception being a small number of double, and a still smaller number of multibarreled weapons, but in these days when the revolver and the magazine automatic are almost universal among civilized nations, the single shot target pistol. long barreled, accurately bored and rifled, fitted with special sights, with its parts carefully made and highly finished, but slow in loading and extraction, is in a small and select class by itself, like the high-grade smooth-bore flintlock, and later the rifled percussion lock duelling pistol from which it is directly descended.
Dueling in America is now a thing of the past, and even in the Emerald Isle, where it flourished exceedingly a century ago, is no longer practiced. No longer does the Irish gentleman on his death bed give to his son his last exhortation to be “always ready with the pistol.” No longer is the rosewood or mahogany pistol case, containing the family duelers “Sweetlips” and “Darling” handed down as a precious heirloom from generation to generation, and children are no longer carried out to the dueling ground and held up in nurse's arm, “to see papa fight.” Skill with the pistol in those heroic days was part of every Irish gentleman's education, and of a young man entering Irish county society, two questions were always asked, namely: “What family is he of?” and “Has he ever blazed?” Dueling was especially prevalent among gentleman of the law, and one author, writing of the customs of those times says: “Among the members of the Irish bar the list of killed and wounded was very considerable, and to a young lawyer with his way to make, a case of pistols was thought to be more useful than a shelf full of law books.”
The same author relates some very dreadful tragedies resulting from the practice of dueling; one of them being the death of his own brother. Even the history of the country, in which the number of duels fought is comparatively small, is not free from the record of the untimely deaths of those who could ill be spared from their country’s service. Who, for instance, can measure the loss to America in the prime of his career of such a states man as Alexander Hamilton, and it is by no means unlikely that American political institutions may still be suffering from the loss inflicted upon them by Aaron Burr’s pistol, a hundred and seventeen years ago. We know, too, that a very distinguished American naval officer, Commodore Decatur was killed, and Andrew Jackson, the hero of the battle of New Orleans, severely wounded in duels with the pistol.
As I said, however, the custom, at least among English-speaking peoples, is now a thing the past, and the dueling pistol has been relegated to the public or private arms collection, and its successor, the modern breech-loading rifled single shot pistol is merely the instrument of a very pleasant and agreeable pastime, which may be practiced and enjoyed by people of ages from nine years old to ninety. A very good instance of the latter is given by Walter Winans in one of his books on the pistol, where he tells of a shooting friend so old and feeble that he had to be taken out to the range in a wheeled chair, yet once on the firing point could raise his pistol and place his shots in the bullseye with an accuracy which many a young man might "envy, and only the other evening, on the pistol range of the club to which I have the pleasure to belong, might be seen a marksman of over ninety, shooting the target pistol with all the keeness and enthusiasm of the latest joined members.
American breech-loading single shot rifled pistols have been made in various calibres from .22 up to .50, the latter being the Remington Army and Navy Models. Why these .50 calibre pistols were made single shot when it would have been perfectly easy to have made a simple, compact five-chambered revolved of that calibre, I for one, quite fail to understand. It would have been no more bulky than a .45 six-chambered weapon. Five-chambered revolvers of .50 calibre were made in England both on the cap and ball and the metallic cartridge system. I have one of the former in my possession made by Deane Adams and Dean .38 gauge (.497 calibre) with 8 inch barrel. The diameter of the five chambered cylinder is 1 ¾ inch as against the 1 5/8 inch diameter of the six-chambered cylinder of the .45 single action Colt, and I actually had the chance of buying in Australia a Tranter's five-chambered revolver taking the .50 calibre Eley revolver cartridge. I'm sorry now that I didn't.
Besides the .50 calibre Army and Navy pistols there were single shot weapons made by various factories for the .44 Russian, .38 Smith & Wesson, .32-20 W. C. F., .32 Smith & Wesson .25 rim fire, and .22-7-45 rim fire cartridges, hut in very small numbers compared with those chambered and rifled for the .22 long-rifle cartridge. We are now dealing with a period from twenty to twenty-five years ago, when there was very much more rifle and pistol shooting done in this country than there is now. At that time there were four well known makes of .22 calibre single shot target pistols. They were made in various lengths of 6, 8, and 10 inch barrels and one maker supplied 12-inch barrels if required, but for target shooting the 10-inch barrel was everywhere recognized as the standard. The four makers were, the Stevens Arms 8: Tool Co., the Remington Arms Co., Messrs. Smith & Wesson, and Mr. William Wurfflein.
145689
Of these four only Smith & Wesson are now making .22 calibre ten-inch pistols. The Stevens Company made quite a variety of models, in heavy, medium and light weight, the heaviest being the Lord Model, named after Mr. Thomas Lord, who at one time had a shooting gallery in New York City. He was a big, powerful man and the pistol named after him had a very long handle suited to a big man’s hand and the weight of the pistol with 10-inch barrel was 2 ¾ pounds and with 12-inch barrel 3 ½ pounds, weights which are very much too heavy for the ordinary pistol shooter, usually a middle-aged man of moderate strength and sedentary habits, to fire many shots with, without his arm getting very tired.
Next came the medium weight pistols, the Gould and Conlin Models, exactly similar, except that in the Conlin Model, named after Mr. James Conlin, also a shooting gallery proprietor, there was a spur on the trigger guard for the second finger, where as in the Gould Model, named after the late A. C. Gould, a well known sporting journalist and author, the finger spur is absent. The weight of both these pistols in .22 calibre and with 10-inch barrels weighed about 1 ¾ pounds.
The barrels, like all those of Stevens make, were very accurate and the lock very simple in design, but inferior in workman ship and material. The locking catch of the break-open action was much too small and flimsy and the barrel would work loose in the frame with only a very moderate amount of wear. Another defect was in the grip, which in the Gould Model was too small in the upper part which is grasped by the fork of the hand, between the thumb and forefinger. On the Conlin Model, with its spur on the trigger guard for the second finger, this was not so noticeable. When the company discontinued making the Lord, Gould and Conlin Model pistols, they put out another, called the Offhand Model, made with barrels, 6, 8 and 10 inches long with a handle very much like that of the Gould Model but polished instead of checkered walnut, and being made fuller in circumference in the upper part, gave a very much better hand hold.
Altogether the Stevens Offhand Model was not at all a bad pistol for target work when fitted with proper target sights in place of those supplied by the factory, the trigger and sear hardened, and treated with a fine oilstone to give about a 2 ½ lbs. pull. Why the company, instead of devoting themselves to improving the material and finish of the lockwork and fitting the ten inch size with the "Partridge" pattern sight, which a little inquiry would have shown them to be the favorite of all target shooters, should have left off making the Offhand Model and have gone to the trouble and expense of designing and manufacturing such a weapon as their present No. 10 pistol passes, my comprehension. I can only attribute it to the curious perversity with which all the American arms companies are, without exception, occasionally afflicted, and which makes them sometimes discard the good in favor of the bad, the bad for the worse, and the worse for the absolutely unspeakable. The No. 10 pistol has two and only two good points; it has a good handle and the Partridge sights, but the barrel is only eight inches long instead of the ten, which every target shot insists on, and instead of the light, smooth working hammer which years, I had almost said generations of use, have accustomed him to expect, there is a stiff, ugly little cocking piece with a small, sharply milled head apparently made to give the unfortunate user of it a sore thumb and forefinger.
My advice to the Stevens Co. would be to relegate that particular model to its proper place, the junk pile, and to bring out a special Offhand target model with ten-inch barrel, Partridge sights, a larger and stronger locking catch, lockwork of the best material and finish, easy, smooth working mainspring, trigger pull carefully hand adjusted to 2 ½ lbs. and an extractor which will draw the fired shell clear of the chamber. Then they would have a pistol which the man who devotes himself to fine target shooting would think worth investing in. He certainly does not regard the present No. 10 pistol in that light.
145692
Another model of pistol made at one time by the Stevens Company was a very light one called the Diamond Model, with either 6-inch barrel, weighing 9 ounces or with 10-inch barrel weighing 11 ounces.
Now, though, as sent from the factory they had several serious defects, yet these were both very fine little weapons, and it is to be regretted that they are no longer manufactured. Chambered and rifled for the .22 long rifle cartridge they were both very accurate shooters and two of the best fifty yards scores, counting each 99 out of a possible 100, were made with a 10-inch Diamond Model pistol. But this model, being so very light, was very difficult to shoot with, most men preferring one of medium weight from 1 ½ to 2 lbs.
Its defects were several. As in the other models the material and finish of the lock work were poor, and the mainspring and trigger pull often very stiff and hard. The design of the guardless trigger was obsolete, and the handle so small that it was about suited to the hand of a five-year-old child, and not to that of a full-grown man, the makers of it seemingly ignorant of the fact that the human hand is not capable of automatic shrinkage to suit this particular size of handle. In spite of these defects, all of which can be easily remedied by any one who is something of an amateur mechanic, fitted with a proper sized grip, the mainspring and trigger pull eased down to a comfortable working strength and fitted with a large white or colored metal bead front sight and large U rear sight, these little arms make admirable weapons for shots as birds or small game when on a hunting or fishing trip; or even for practice at tins and other miscellaneous objects on a walking or camping tour. The little 6-inch Diamond Model, in particular, is a wonderfully powerful and accurate little pistol, and so light that it may be carried all day long in the pocket without the weight being noticed at all.
If only the Stevens or some other company would make a line of these extra light pistols with good grips, improved triggers, easy trigger pulls and mainsprings, sporting sights, such as I have described, and with either 6, 8 or 10 inch barrels, I believe they would have a ready sale among the large and increasing number of those who take their vacations in the form of hunting, fishing, walking or motoring camp life in the great outdoors.