GUNS Magazine September 1959

Old time belly gun for maximum effect in minimum packages
is Frontier Colt .45 with barrel taken off frame.
2
COAT POCKET DRAW
... And muzzle of revolver
grasped, and pulled out into
waiting right palm ...
Pocket pistol is
drawn from inside
1jacket in surprise
move. Coat is first
pulled open by
hand.••
3
of the percussion cap meant more dependable ignition for
the pocket gun (flintlocks were prone to twist in the pocket
and spill the priming charge), and the famous Deringer
pocket guns came into being. Those wanting more accuracy
than afforded by these stubby pocket cannons sometimes
carried a pair of percussion duellers, .40 to .50
caliber, inserted in the armholes of their waistcoat in much
the same position as the later-developed shoulder holster.
The Civil War found military men on both sides packing
small caliber rimfire Smith & Wesson revolvers as "insur- .
ance." Although lacking in power, this little spitfire was
a sought after article, owing to its use of self-contained
ammunition.
Every lover of firearms history is familiar with the stillpopular
.41 Remington over-under and its dwarf cartridges.
Kept alive by tales of western derring-do, it is still packed
by belly gunners and little old ladies with lace shirtwaists
and steely eyes. It was, and is, woefully inadequate as a
serious defense weapon. During one period on the Arizona
border I toted one as a second to my holstered .357 Magnum-until
a practice shot which stuck about 14 inch into
a telephone pole, leaving the hollow base of the slug
exposed for all to see, convinced me that the .41 short rimfire
was not a load on which to bet my blue chips. The
range for this eye-opening shot was three feet.
From Reconstruction days until the early 20th century,
those wanting a small hideaway gun chose from the rimfire,
and later centerfire, .22's, .32's, .38's, and .41's. These were
produced in large quantities by Colt in their Cop and Thug
and Cloverleaf models, by Smith and Wesson with their
old tip-up and later break-top versions, by Hopkins and
Allen with their finely made Merwin and Hulbert single
actions, and by many other smaller companies.
Until the coming of the .38 Special with its smokeless
powder loadings, no production model pocket gun using
metallic cartridges was manufactured that could be relied
on as a manstopper. The only possible exception to this
would be the little-known Sheriff's Model Single Action
Army Colt in .45, .44-40, and (Continued on page 45)
... Which curls around .38
Left hand falls away as
in swift gesture substi­ 4 right hand secures hold
tuting surprise for speed. to trigger the "snub" gun.
30 GUNS SEPTEMBER 1959