Garrucha Pistol - Double Barrled .320

[Fergie]

Kind of an interesting pistol popped up locally. It is supposedly made in Brazil, sometime before the 1960's. The barrels measure out to .320 or so, and per the seller, the guns are designed for bp cartridges.

Has anyone had experience with these things? They look cool, sort of like a miniature Howdah gun.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/bergferg/garrucha_zps19dke1g6.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bergferg/media/garrucha_zps19dke1g6.jpg.html)

[Fergie]

Anyone?

The info I've found is limited, but figured with as many well-versed folks on here someone must have seen one before?

[CLAYPOOL]

Back when I was a "DRINKER" I think I saw the elephant ....! I know that bed sure could rotate fast. Had to hang on to stay in it...

[Frank46]

Was in Rio de Janerio many years ago and remember seeing these in a small shop. Think I paid more attention to the girls in teeny bikinis than guns at the time. Frank

[Ramjet-SS]

what's the price they are asking?

[Fergie]

what's the price they are asking?

$190...which seems a bit much given that they aren't sure if it is fully functional.

[lar45]

I have one that looks almost like it, but mine's a 45 short something.
The chamber on mine is as long as the 45acp, but the extractor is made for a rimmed cartridge. The 45 Cowboy Special fits it perfectly. I've only shot it a little with light loads.

I honestly don't remember what I paid for mine, but 190 seems a little on the high side.
It may be worth more if they knew what the chambering was and if you could get ammo for it.
Is it a centerfire or rimfire? Centerfire would be much better if your intending to shoot it(I would).
I'd check to see if the sear engagment holds for both sides. If it doesn't hold, it's an easy fix with a stone. Also check the hammer spring tension to see if it's the same for both sides to make sure you don't have a broken spring.
I'd try offering $75 with the above argument, assuming that it wasn't working and was at best a paper weight or wall hanger...

Once you have it home, clean it up and make a chamber cast to see exactly what you have. You could always compare measurements with COTW, at the end of each section they have all of the chamber and bore dimensions listed for every cartridge in the section. Who know's it could be a 32 short Colt or similar.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

When all else fails, try Wikipedia. "Garrucha" isn't a name with a capital, but a generic name for this kind of pistol. It may be of geographical origin, for there are towns of that name in Spain, and twin Argentine and Brazilian towns named Garrucheros on either side of the Rio Uruguay. The Brazilian one is in the state of Rio Grande del Sul, which was cattle country, and pretty lawless until an unpleasant outbreak of legality in the thirties.

Alernatively "garra" is a claw in both Spanish and Portuguese and "garrucha" could easily be a little claw, which seems pausible enough.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrucha_(pistol)

It is perfectly possible that a late example of these pistols would be made in Brazil, but most were Belgian. The South American market seems to have been the main reason for their existence, as they were very popular there. Some of the larger caliber ones have very long barrels. As with shotguns this was a big h elp in shooting over a horse's head without being thrown off, and it would be handy when a large animal was treed or brought to bay by dogs. The silver wire decoration is from the factory, and was popular on this market - just like North American Indians used to apply "Indian tacks" - although I think you see more well-worn Winchesters with them now, than the Indians had tacks.

My favourite author on shooting, fishing, animal behavior and South American revolutions is Thurlow Craig. There are one or two rather fanciful accounts of his life online, but his career extends from naval service in the First World War to being the very popular nature correspondent of the "Sunday Express" until 1985, and he was the Hotchkiss gunner for a guerilla column in the Paulista Revolt of 1932. He said that the gaucho's broad belt usually included a pocket for a small pocket pistol. Most of those he saw in stores - just about all stores - were Belgian of the poorest quality. But the intention was simply to divert attention from the first movement towards the long, light and exceedingly sharp fighting knife worn around the back.

A chamber which stops the .45ACP would most likely be for the British .450 revolver round, which was popular around the world, and puts about as much impact as is practical in a round for a small pistol. Various nations had cartridges which could also be used, notably the 11mm. French ordnance revolver round, but they used heel bullets, without a defined chamber length to case mouth. Of course you shouldn't use any normal .45ACP round in one - and by "you" I don't mean you, for there could be the occasional lurker around who falls short of normal knowledge and judgment.

They were stronger than the cheap bulldog revolvers and had the advantage that not much could deprive you of a second shot. A .32 is only likely to be of two diameters, to suit the .32S&W rounds or the .32 Colts. European rounds, even differently named like the .320 Revolver, conformed to these dimensions. But you might find the length suitable only for the .32 S&W Short or the .32 w Short Colt. Low-end Belgian manufacture could be fast-wearing or (in revolvers more than these) inaccurate, but the proof system was pretty safe, and I would think even the Belgian version is suitable for most .32 rounds made before people like H&R got hold of that caliber.

If the hammer fails to cock or the trigger pull seems light, it could indeed be that stoning the notch or sear would do the trick. I wouldn't automatically assume so, though. If it is really bad, a fine file is faster, though you must make sure that the surface ends up flat, and if you imagine it extended backwards, it must not pass below the hammer axis. These parts are most likely case-hardened only on the surface, and if this hard coating is penetrated, wear will rapidly recur. A can of modern case-hardening compound, just for this job, is quite expensive. But if you heat it red-hot for some time in a closed vessel of bone dust, that should be fine. This is an immensely complex subject if you want to achieve colour case hardening. (They don't pay people like Doug Turnbull Restorations large amounts of money because they like it.) But if you are content with an ordinary finish, you can let it cool and finish the heat-treatment later.