Caribbean Tales - Personal Weapons - Pistols
Did Pirates Value Pistols?
Of all the weapons used by pirates, the pistol was probably their favorite.
In fact pistols, were so admired that Captains used their lure in forming
boarding parties. On many ships it was a standing order, that the first man
to board a plunder would get first choice of any weapon. And this prize was
above his share of the booty.
Pistols came in a variety of shapes and sizes. Pistol making was an art. Quite
often they were made to order. Of course there was the run of the mill pistols
made for cavalry soldiers and some naval personnel but these were not of the
high quality that was consider a prize.
Often a ships captain would have a pistol commissioned for him as a sign of
his superiority. A gunsmith would decorate the stock with silver and gold
or ornate carvings. The doghead would be carved in some ornate fashion or
perhaps be shaped like a lion or a unicorn or some animal from the royal crest
of the owner. In many ways a pistol in the 18th century would hold the same
place of honor as a car would today.
Boarding a ship under fire was quite dangerous. Being the first man of a boarding
party was almost suicidal. Typically the ship being boarded would prepare
several ranks to fire in "volley" as boarding was attempted. Such
concentrated fire would often destroy the first wave of a boarding party.
In the event that you were lucky enough to survive the volley fire, your life
depended on your mates coming on board after you, while you were busy fighting
outnumbered.
Types of Firing Mechanisms
Matchlock
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The matchlock was rarely made in pistol form. The matchlock was mostly used in larger, shoulder fired weapons but a few pistols were made using this method. In most cases a matchlock had a slow burning fuse attached to a serpentine (cock or hammer). This was cocked back and small pan was filled with priming powder. A trigger released the serpentine dropping the fuse to the priming pan and firing the weapon. It worked poorly, if at all in the rain. |
Wheel-lock
Early 17th Century Wheel-Lock Pistol from England
Wheel-Locks eliminated the use of a fuse of the Matchlock by inventing
something similar to a fly wheel. A small wheel of pyrites or flint was attached
to a spring which was wound up like a clock's spring. The serpentine now contained
a small piece of metal instead of a fuse. When the trigger was pulled the
spring was released, and the wheel spun around as the serpentine made contact.
This produced sparks which fell into the priming pan which ignited the main
charge and fired the weapon.
The Snaphance
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The snaphance (also spelled snaphaunce) was an improvement over the Wheel-lock. It basically put the pyrites in the serpentine which is now referred to a Dog-head or Hammer. The dog head is still wound up but now it strikes a steel plate(frizzen), which causes sparks to fall in the priming tray, thus firing the weapon. In most case the primer pan still had a pan cover separate from the frizzen. The pan cover was opened with the pull of the trigger or manually by the firer. |
The Flintlock
The Flintlock was the weapon most likely encountered in the 17th-19th century.
While a few snaphaunces might have lingered, especially because of the wide
use of this gun system in Scotland, it is doubtful that the Wheel-Locks would
have been in use in this part of the world. The use of Wheel-Lock would have
still been encountered in the South Pacific in the late 17th century, however.
The Flintlock used a doghead and frizzen similar to the Snaphaunce. The sear
was enclosed in a lock plate and consisted of a tumbler which allowed the
weapon to be half cocked and fully cocked. In the half cocked position the
sear would drop into a deep groove which prevented the trigger from being
pulled and the dog-head from dropping (a crude form of safety) . At the fully
cocked position the sear dropped into a shallow groove. The sear could be
pushed out of this groove by pulling the trigger. By now the frizzen and pan
cover were combined into one spring loaded unit.
Before firing a pistol, the pistoleer, would pull the doghead back until it
made a noticeable click. This was the half cocked position. placing the pistol
on safe. Priming powder would be poured down the barrel followed by regular
gun powder, wadding, and finally the shot or ball(now called the bullet).
Often to expedite the loading, loads were prepared ahead of time and wrapped
in paper waddings. in this case, the wadding was torn at the powder end and
the the powder poured down the barrel. Afterwards the bullet and wadding would
be rammed down the barrel with the ramrod. In every case a small amount of
priming powder would be added to the priming pan, insuring that the touch
hole to the barrel had been filled.
By pulling the doghead back another click, the pistol would be armed and ready
to fire. A pull of the trigger would, most likely result in a discharge. Because
the frizzen and priming pan were now one spring loaded unit, it was now possible
to load a pistol beforehand and still have it go off reliably later. The frizzen
could be pulled back, primer added to the pan and then the frizzen was lowered
back on top of the pan. When the trigger is pulled the doghead strikes the
frizzen causing sparks and pushing open the pan at the same time, thus exposing
the priming powder.
Basic parts
Frizzen: A piece of metal that was struck by pyrites to produce sparks.
Doghead: What the hammer of the pistol was originally called. It was often shaped in the form of an animal with an open mouth, in which the pyrites were placed.
Ramrod or Rammer: A long hard wood pole that was in a diameter slightly smaller than the barrel. It was used to ram powder and shot down the barrel of muzzle loaders. It was often attached to the bottom of the barrel by a swivel.
Priming Pan: A small pan in which specially made priming powder was placed. The pan was just under the frizzen. The frizzen was often attached to a pan cover. When the frizzen was struck by the doghead, the pan was forced open and sparks would rain down on the powder discharging the weapon.
Touch Hole: A hole located at the bottom of a gun's barrel. In early weapons powder was poured into the touch hole and a flame was touched against the hole causing the weapon to discharge. As weapons evolved the touch hole led from the priming pan to bottom of the barrel.
Priming Powder: Powder that was ground smaller and smoother than regular gun powder. Quite often it contained more saltpeter (Sodium Nitrate) making more volatile. Often this was the powder contained in the powder horn. Cartridges made of gunpowder and shot wrapped in paper were often prepared ahead of time and carried in a special cartridge pouch.
Black or Gunpowder: Black powder which was made from saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur. There were many ways that it was made and in different strengths. Suffice it to say that if one were to use the high quality powder of today's small arms in a flintlock of the 1700's the weapon could very well blow up. Black powder was weak compared to today's standards.
Ball or Shot: The bullet used in a gun.
Butt and Butt Cap: A metal cap on the bottom of a pistol's grip. On more expensive weapons, various designs were crafted in precious metals or jewels. It was often the most ornate part of a pistol with the possible exception of the lock. Once a pistol had been fired it was often turned around and used as a club. Hence a nice have butt cap would come in handy not only as a counter balance for a long barrel but also for cracking skulls.
Barrel: The business part of a pistol, usually between 4 and ten inches long.
Fore-End Cap: A cap often made of brass at the front of the wood furniture of a pistol. It was on the fore-end cap that the swivel for the rammer was often attached. It also acted as the front mount securing the barrel.
Lock: The part of the pistol which includes the frizzen, doghead and the internal parts of the gun such as the sear and trigger assembly. in short it was the part that make the gun go bang.
Powderhorn
The Powderbox or Powderhorn was a key element to the small arms that pirates
depended on. Wet powder was useless and it was the job of the powderhorn to
keep gunpowder ready for action. A pirate probably didn't cary a powderhorn
or box with him during combat, but relied on a good container to keep his
powder dry for the preparatory moments before close combat. A pirate would
load a number of pistols, perhaps a rifle, and then set to action, leaving
his powder in such a case. In the case of prolonged combat, there were usually
pirates designated to loading small arms to be provided to other pirates who
would discharge them.
Types of Pistols.
One Shot Muzzle Loaders
The muzzle loaders were the standard pistol of the day. Muzzle
loading involved shoving the powder and ball, along with paper wadding all
the way down the barrel. Pistols loaded relatively easily due to the shortness
of the barrel. A rifled barrel was harder to load than a smooth bore. Many
people tried to find ways of making breech loaders but until the development
of a self contained cartridge most breech loading weapons were marginal at
best. Muzzle loaders were loaded using a rammer or ram rod which pushed powder
and ball down the barrel. In some cases the rammer was attached to the pistol
with a swivel so that it could not be lost. The rammer was an integral part
of the gun.
Kentucky Pistol
The most common pistol of the Americas was the Kentucky Pistol. The pistol
is a basic "holster pistol". Holster pistols were long barreled
pistols that were carried in a saddle holster. The saddle holster hung from
a horse's saddle, not from a person's belt. The common pistol holster as used
today were uncommon during the 16th and 17th Century. Instead, a hook or clasp
would adorn the side of the pistol opposite the lock mechanism. The pirate
would then fasten his/her pistol to a belt, suspenders, or a sash using this
hook or clasp. It was also quite common to pass the pistols through a belt
or a simple loop of heavy material. The Kentucky pistol saw use from the early
1700s throughout the 1800s, eventually being converted to a percussion fire
pistol.
French Cavalry Pistol
Similar to the Holster Pistol, such as the Kentucky Pistol above, except
it has a shorter barrel and less wood furniture, making it slightly lighter.
The French pistol fired a larger calibre bullet but was not as accurate as
the Kentucky pistol. Used throughout the 1700s and 1800s.
17th Century English Muzzleloaders, Single Shot.
Spanish Miquelet-Lock, late 16th, Early 17th Century
17th Century German single shot muzzle loader
Multi-barrelled Pistols.
Multi-barrelled pistols were guns that had more than one barrel
that could fired separately. Two firing methods were popular. In most cases
two separate locks were employed, on for each barrel. The locks were arranged
on one side of the gun in the case of an over/under barrel arrangement or
on both sides in the case of side by side barrels. In this case both barrels
would be loaded, the dogheads would be cocked and then fired either using
one or two triggers. If one trigger was used a slight pull would fire the
first barrel. A heavier pull would fire the second barrel. Or in some cases
only one doghead would be cocked at a time and the trigger would be pulled
normally. In some case two triggers were employed.
A second popular method involved one lock and two or more rotating barrels.
This was known as a turnover pistol. In this case each barrel had one lock
but they were fired using a single doghead. The barrels were loaded, the doghead
cocked and the first barrel was discharged. Then the barrel was turned over,
the doghead again cocked and the second barrel was ready for firing.
Other methods allowed for rotating taps which would place involved turning
a tap and thus exposing a different barrel's touch hole to the same priming
pan. Multi-shot pistols were popular but also heavy and expensive to produce
and sometimes unreliable.
17th Century Italian Triple Barrel Barrels are rotated by hand, one
trigger, and one doghead.
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18th Century (1750) rotating over/under by Bailes of London. |
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Another example of an English over/under pistol |
In both Pistols, frizzen and pan rotate into place along with
barrel to be struck by the doghead.
Double Barreled Side by Side. Note: two triggers and two dogheads.
Late 17th Century Tap Action Pistols. The First shot is fired and then
the second barrel is slid or tapped into place.
Pocket Pistol
Their name says it all. They were the "Saturday Night Special"
of the 16th-18th century. Before the Deringer, they were "Gentleman's"
or "Muff Pistols". Typically a smaller pistol that was easily concealed.
They were favored among the gentry and women because of these traits. Men
would carry them concealed in a waistcoat pocket and women would hide them
in a hand muff. The overcoat pistol was slight larger version of the pocket
pistol. In every case the pocket pistol was designed to be concealed. Most
did not have a ramrod and so on first inspection may be thought to be a turn-out
or Queen Anne Pistol.
One of the more interesting aspects common among these pistols is that the
doghead was centered internally on the pistol in a fashion similar to hammers
on today's pistols. (That is the action was mounted internally instead of
one of the sides of the pistol.) This type of design is known as a "Box
Lock" .The box lock was more difficult to manufacture than a typical
side mounted flintlock and tended to be more expensive to produce. The box
lock also prevented aiming straight down the barrel of a pistol or rifle and
so proved impractical for anything other than extremely close range. They
were loaded in the same manner as any other muzzle loading pistol, however
the ram rod was not with the pistol and was concealed separately.
Pocket Pistols, also called Muff Pistols, by Bunney Of London (18th
Century)
18th
Century English Overcoat Pistol
18th
Century Russian Overcoat Pistol (Tula)
Volley Guns
Volley pistols were similar to multi-barrelled pistols but worked differently.
Where the multi-barrelled pistol was designed to fire one shot at a time,
the volley pistol was designed to fire several barrels all at once. The idea
was to spread out the shots in a pattern so many barrels would be attached
to the same lock but at different angles on the same plain of fire. When the
trigger was pulled all the barrels would fire at once. Volley pistols often
had four or five barrels. They were probably only effective at very close
range and were difficult to fire and load.
While Volley pistols were somewhat rare, volley rifles were more common and
were predecessors to the machine gun. Volley rifles or Guns became more practical
when breech loading and metallic cartridges were introduced. (Long after the
Golden age of Piracy).
Pistol Carbines
Pistol carbines were long barreled pistols that could have shoulder stocks
added. In every other respect they were a normal pistol. These were probably
not popular among Pirates but were quite popular among poachers and highway
men because of the ease that such a weapon could be concealed. In some instances,
the pistols came with screw on barrels. In such cases they were known as a
Poacher's Gun.
Typical
Pistol Carbine
Turnout Pistol
The turn out pistol was an early form of breech loading flintlock. The barrel
of the pistol unscrewed, allowing the powder and shot to be loaded into the
firing chamber. Once the shot was loaded the barrel was screwed back on. This
allowed safer loading because the shot and powder did not have to be tapped
all the way down the barrel. The wadding could also be dismissed for the same
reason. There was no cartridge with the exception of the paper cartridge but
this method allowed the powder and ball to be loaded without a rammer. The
barrel could also be rifled or tapered allowing for a more accurate aim. The
priming pan still needed to have powder added to it. In every other respect
the turnout pistol worked in the same manner as a regular flintlock pistol.
18th Century Queen Anne Turn Out Pistol
Left Handed Pistols
Some pistols were made with the lock on the left side of the gun instead of
the right. These were known as left handed pistols. The design was not to
make it safer or easier to fire the pistol left handed. Virtually any pistol
could be fired safely with either hand. The left handed lock had more to do
with drawing the pistol with the left hand. Most people tended to wield their
sword or cutlass in the right hand which meant that often the left hand became
the pistol hand by default. When you tuck a flintlock pistol into a belt it
is safer and more comfortable to have the lock facing out. This helps prevents
the lock from snagging on clothing as the pistol is drawn. It also prevents
the jagged lock from pressing into your belly. If you tuck a right handed
lock into a belt in a manner suitable for drawing with the left hand, the
lock is pressed against the body. Putting the lock on the opposite side solved
this problem.