A couple of cuties

[Road King]

Thought I would post some pictures of a couple of cuties. These little guns would have likely been thrown out with the some stuff to the Goodwill if a widow hadn't looked through all of the socks of her dead husband's old clothes that she was preparing to donate a few years ago.
The top gun is Merwin Hulbert Tip Up .22 Spur-Trigger. These were very similar to the S&W 1st model, 3rd issue and was made around 1880. I think there was an infringement on the S&W patent and they had to stop making these.

The bottom gun is Frank Wesson Small Frame Single Shot Pistol made around 1862. This is the 2nd model and sometimes called Model 1862. There were approx. 12000 of these made.

 

[wolf19534]

if those are yours now...i really hate you. but yet again if they are yours.. Kudos

 

[goosehd]

Great find! Nice to hear they didn't get thrown out.

 

[Road King]

if those are yours now...i really hate you. but yet again if they are yours.. Kudos

Yes, they now have a good home as the widow did not want them.

 

[DANCESWITHEMPTIES]

Very nice find!

 

[762mm]

Cool antiques and congrats on the save!

I've seen a few of those S&W chambered in the .22 Short cartridge for sale in places like Gunbroker and have always wondered what people (in the old days) carried them for... since it barely had the power and, most of all, accuracy necessary to dispatch a rat 10 feet away. The gun itself looks cool, but seems to me like a novelty item... kind of like those "world's smallest revolver" pieces today that fire tiny little cartridges :

http://www.millionface.com/l/swissminigun-smallest-revolver-and-rim-fire-ammunition-in-the-world


All in all, it's definitely not good for pest control (as it lack the accuracy of a .22 rifle) and makes a lousy & seriously underpowered self-defense piece even at close ranges, so why did they make those exactly? Conversation pieces, even back then?

(you also gotta remember folks were tougher back then... and knew their iron! So I doubt anyone was seriously intimidated by those...)

 

[Skinny 1950]

Very nice guns..the single shot looks a lot like the Stevens single shots that were in production for a long time.
Pocket size guns were very popular, as an example Colt made more of the 1849 Pocket revolver than any other model mainly for civilian use.

 

[Tharjoe]

Just think of the possibility of infection. Throughout the 19th century (and earlier) infection would have caused as many deaths as the injury itself. It was during the American Civil War that many medical procedures such as proper cleanliness (i.e. surgeons washing before operating) and sterilization of instruments began to be developed.

Being shot with a .22 short would possibly be just as fatal as being shot with a larger caliber, although it might take a lot longer to die. I think an intelligent person at that time would have been suitably intimidated by those little pocket pistols.

 

[07blackwater]

Sweet.

 

[camerl2009]

the .22 short even the onld BP loadings would still enter the skull and you have to rember these where in the 1860 when your choice was cap and ball pinfire or rimfire

people underestimate the .22 rimfire's when its more then enough for most things theres a few counts of elephants both african and asian killed with .22 rimfires its all about shot placement

now in today a .22lr is not likely to stop a bad guy who maybe on drugs but its still good enough for hunting most things up to deer i know for a fact the cooey 60 i have has killed a few deer but them was the late 40's rules are differnt now lol this gun has been handed down from when it was new i have the original reseat old guns are the best guns only if thay could talk