A pistol that can stand on it's muzzle

[zimmerstutzen]

on the left is a 45 cal cva colonial pistol. On the right is a12 ga perc salute pistol from Palmetto



Such guns were used back to the early 17th century in Alpine areas of central Europe to warn valley folks of impending danger. One German web site has a picture of a similar pistol owned by a town for watchman use that dates to the 1830's.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Why no trigger guard? :idunno:

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Unsure why. Many of the salute pistols (perhaps 30%) used in Austria, Germany and Italy have no trigger guard. I suspect because they are not carried around loaded, but loaded at the place and immediately before firing, the lack of a trigger guard is far less likely to cause an accident than the way we carry loaded pistols.

 

[Mickc01]

That's quite the oddity ya got there.

 

[Marc Adamchek]

Could be to allow thick, gloved fingers easy access to the trigger.....

 

[coloradoclyde]

Sling swivels an a pistol... :hmm:

 

[trent/OH]

That great big bore sure is a handy place to stash your CVA pistol! Or a newspaper. Or a dozen doughnuts.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Weighs just over 7 pounds. You would need two sets of suspenders to keep that in a belt holster.
Saw sling swivels on a tc contender years ago.

 

[Luzur]

Looks very much like an ordinary "alert gun", was used in Europe in mountainous areas as explained, and also i heard of them being used as scare shot pistol by Woodkeepers and others.

 

[TFoley]

Looks very much like an ordinary "alert gun", was used in Europe in mountainous areas as explained, and also i heard of them being used as scare shot pistol by Woodkeepers and others.

Here in Europe we call them 'Bollerpistolen' and they are used to open ceremonies like a Schuetzenfest or village or town Schuetzenferein/Festival. Often the dignitaries of the town and shooting clubs stand on the townhall steps or on a convenient balcony and simulataneously let loose with a volley of kabooms.

Everybody cheers, and the shenanigins get off to a great start.

More often the shooting off of these hand cannons is its own raison d'etre, and there are many clubs that just go in for making a lot of noise whilst wearing fancy duds and making a nice cadence or feuerrolle.

Dixie Gun Works sells them - they are 'made' by Euroarms in Italy.

Our club president has one that he sets off at the start of the annual Buffalo shoot.

One is good, but a hundred and fifty-six is better...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcVZaOIUtEg

Enjoy/Erfreut Sich!

tac

 

[Luzur]

Looks they they are more used for that sort of stuff in Germany then up here in Sweden, ive only heard of these as scare shot guns.

 

[TFoley]

Looks they they are more used for that sort of stuff in Germany then up here in Sweden, ive only heard of these as scare shot guns.

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland it's more of a cultural thing, as I'm sure you can see by watching the video.

The last Schuetzenfest I went to in the Tyrol had almost forty-five thousand attendees, of whom just under eight thousand took part in one form of shooting or another.

We counted over two hundred tourist buses in the temporary car parks set up for the weekend.

tac