Mountain man pistols

[BJC]

I was just in my local pawn shop when a seen a Jukar Spain Dillinger Pistol for $75 (regular $89). I almost bought it with hopes of fixing it up for later trade or sale.

I got home and looked it up and realized that Dillinger's did not come into being until 1853 so pre-1840 mountain men would not have them.

Did many mountain men carry pistols and if so what kind.

I would like to find a pistol kit in flintlock and hopefully in .54 cal so all my balls are the same size.

If you have pictures as to what they may have carried please post.

Thanks.

 

[Don]

I'm sure some mountain men carried pistols but they were extra weight and expense. Carrying at least one would make sense for quick follow up shots in the heat of battle with angry natives.

Don

 

[jeremiah ingraham]

Osborne Russell makes mention of a German horse pistol in his journal. This is also mentioned along with a picture of a pistol on the American Mountain Men website. http://www.mtmen.org/mtman/museum/guns/guns.html

I also remember seeing a picture of one that Jedediah Smith is thought to have had when he was killed.
I know this is only two examples but I am sure many of the Mountain Men carried them if they could get their hands on them.

 

[pargent]

Most likely of a trade type ,eg. Ketland etc. , look at the NSW TRADE PISTOL and on the TOW site . :thumbsup:

 

[hawkeye2]

"Dillinger Pistol"

You mean derringer (Deringer) pistols don't you?

 

[lethemgo]

Many guys in our muzzleloading camp (mountain man ) shoot smooth bore. I'd say all of them in the AMM shoot smoothies.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Did you mean Derringer pistol? They can be fun shooters, but just that... fun. :thumbsup:

 

[BillinOregon]

It has been noted in a post here somewhere that Jed Smith was armed with a pair of percussion pistols at the time of his death in 1831.

 

[poordevil]

That Spanish Derringer pistol is most likely a generic looking pistol and not a copy of any true Derringer gun made. I imagine it is a medium sized single shot. Gun makers call their guns any thing they want. Thompson Center Hawkins for example look nothing like a J&S Hawkins. So my guess it would work as a mountain man (looking) gun. Not everyone has $700.00 + to spend on a smooth bore play toy that can't hit a barn from inside it.

 

[F.G. Ford]

Hi,
You could not have a more authentic mountain man pistol than the Harper's Ferry pistol.
There are many others, but a pistol of that type would certainly been used.
Remember, people did not change their guns, just because they were not the most current model.
Fred

 

[jeremiah ingraham]

Fred mentioned the Harper's Ferry pistol. If you do decide you like the Harper's Ferry pistol, Dixie Gun Works has them in finished and kit both flintlock and percussion. It looks like the Flintlock is .58 cal and the Percussion is .54 cal.
J I

 

[hawkeye2]

Like the rifle the Harpers Ferry pistol is a very handsome piece and like the rifle it shares the same faults. The cock is too long and strikes the frizzen at an almost perpendicular angle which is hard on flints. The rifled .58 bore is wrong too but that isn't that much of an issue, the lock is though. If I had the pistol somewhere where a seller had a large selection of hammers I could probably find one that would work and then go on to tune the lock. The pistol would look like one that had a broken hammer replaced with a different style sometime later in its life.

The CVA/Jukar derringer is too large for a derringer and should probably be called a pocket pistol and that might justify having one. A mountain man may have carried one but I expect he would have preferred a larger pistol.

 

[F.G. Ford]

I think any mountain man worth his salt would rather a good big knife, than a tiny weeny girlie gun.
A derringer is only good fer lighting yer cigar, and getting yer nose punched in, and yer tooth broke :rotf:
Fred

 

[crockett]

J. Smith had two nice pistols on his person when he got killed BUT on a prior trip to California I think he had a military issued pistol of some type, I thought it was a Simeon North but that was a hunch.
The big fighting knife- That was my initial feeling but in reading the actual diaries, they didn't seem to carry many, usually butcher knives or scalpers.

 

[wulf]

How can you say 'all' AMM carry smoothies? Are you
a member of AMM?. I am from 1974 and few had pistols
none of any I saw were smooth of bore...
Wulf #382

 

[torn moc]

Tyron from Philadelphia produce quite a bit of pistols for the fur trade...the one I owned was a 40 cal smoothbore...medium frame and relatively light....

 

[wulf]

Please re-read what lethemgo wrote......