pistols and revolvers

Scholars have yet to decide upon the etymology of ‘pistol’, but it first appeared in the 1540s in its French version pistolet, said to be derived from the Italian pistolese and referring to arms produced in Pistoia. An alternative derivation ascribes it to the Bohemian word pistala, meaning a pipe or whistle and apparently used to describe a light cannon. The pistol is a development in the history of firearms which only became feasible during the era of the wheel lock, since the term denotes a small firearm capable of being held and fired with one hand. There are very early exceptions, one of which is a unique 16th-century matchlock revolving pistol in the Palazzo Ducale in Venice. One-handed matchlock pistols were made in Japan and the gun-shields made for Henry VIII in the mid-1540s incorporated breech-loading matchlock pistols, but the development of the true pistol began in the early 16th century and utilized the wheel lock system.

German gunmakers dominated the development of the pistol in the 16th century, the earliest of which date from the 1530s. These wheel lock pistols were often shaped like muskets in miniature but the pistol-butt developed during the second half of the century in two forms: one resembling a fishtail and almost in line with the barrel; the other ending in a ball and at a sharp angle. The carrying of pistols by soldiers (French heavy cavalrymen carrying a pair in saddle-holsters) has been dated to 1549 and the pistol rapidly became a popular firearm for European cavalrymen. Belt pistols, equipped with a long flat hook, became popular at the same time and, by c.1600 the pistol, increasingly sophisticated, decorated, and therefore expensive, had become linked with the cavalry and the commander: it was a military firearm of high status. By c.1600 too, the original short, fat pistols of large bore were beginning to be replaced by longer, more elegant designs, probably of French origin, with smaller bores and oval, or lemon-shaped pommels. The pistol continued its élitist position on the battlefield throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, generally carried in pairs in holsters forward of the saddle.

Snaphaunce and flintlock pistols joined wheel locks by c.1600 and the European wars of the 1630s and 1640s resulted in munition-quality flintlock pistols for use by cavalry troopers. Both the wheel lock and flintlock systems lent themselves to experiments with revolving pistols, the earliest known flintlock revolving pistol surviving in the Kremlin Armoury in Moscow from 1616 to 1625. By 1700 the European cavalryman's flintlock pistol was likely to have a barrel of about 14-16 inches (35.5-40.6 cm) long, with a calibre of about .24 inch to .30 inch, but these statistics varied from nation to nation. The martial pistol became gradually standardized during the 18th century, its pattern changes paralleling those of military muskets. Naval pistols generally featured belt-hooks and some nations investigated separate shoulder stocks for their cavalry and artillery pistols. In mid-century, Highlanders of the British army carried metal belt pistols of distinctively Scots design, but often made in England. Officers carried personal pistols little different, except—traditionally—in their subdued decoration, from those bought for self-defence by civilians. By 1800, the European military flintlock pistol had a barrel of 8-10 inches (20.3-25.4 cm) and a calibre of about .50 inch; again, details varied between nations. The introduction of the percussion lock in the early 19th century did little for the design of the military pistol and it was being replaced by the carbine by mid-century, pistols being reserved solely for issue to senior NCOs. Such pistols as were issued were increasingly likely to be rifled.

The revolver had little military use prior to the mid-19th century and revolving pistols tended to be carried by officers. Most would have had clusters of revolving barrels rather than a single barrel and a revolving chamber, although such weapons date from the 17th century. It is now generally accepted that Samuel Colt (1814-62) perfected the first practical and efficient military revolver. Colt's earliest revolvers—rifles and pistols—were used in limited numbers by the US army during the Seminole war of 1838 and the Mexican war of 1846-7. These early revolvers were loaded with powder and ball into the cylinder from the front and fired with percussion caps. The majority of mid-19th century revolvers were variations upon this theme but Colt was the first to have his revolvers made on a factory basis, using machine tools and employing interchangeable parts: this was a vital development in the mass production of weapons. Colt's revolvers were very popular with officers, as were those of his American and British rivals—such as Remington and Starr in the USA and Tranter and Webley in Britain. Revolvers firing pin-fire cartridges were developed in the 1840s and 1850s by Lefaucheux, père et fils, in France and adopted by the French navy in 1858. Revolvers firing first rim-fire and then centre-fire cartridges dominated the last forty years of the 19th century and many dozens of makers produced models, first in single-action and then double-action, which were bought by military and naval officers. Despite the advent of the self-loading, or ‘automatic’, pistol in the last decade of the century, the revolver remained the officer's accepted sidearm in many countries until the mid-20th century.

The self-loading pistol was principally developed in the 1890s and utilized a recoil system to eject the fired cartridge and chamber a fresh one. Although there were experiments in gas-operated self-loading pistols, most—in the last century—have used variations on the recoil system and individual designs by household names such as Mauser, Browning, Mannlicher, Luger, Savage, and Beretta are modifications on this essential theme, utilizing different locking and loading systems. Self-loading pistols have had widespread military and paramilitary use for the past century, often being carried as an additional side arm by both officers and soldiers.

The pistol's tactical use has always been limited by its comparatively short range and, although of value in an assault role, its principal military employment has been as a defensive weapon. Its small size has made it attractive to 20th-century partisans and terrorists for assassination and a pistol remains an essential part of an airman's survival kit.

Bibliography

• Blair, Claude (gen. ed.), Pollard's History of Firearms (London, 1983).
• Chickman, Col A., United States Martial Pistols and Revolvers (Buffalo, NY, 1944).
• Taylerson, A. W. F., Andrews, R. A. N., and Frith, J., The Revolver 1818-1865 (London, 1968).
• —— The Revolver 1865-1888 (London, 1966).
• ——The Revolver 1889-1914 (London, 1970)

— Stephen Wood