Double Barrel Percussion Pistol

Double Barrel Percussion Pistol

United States -- Texas -- Williamson County.
War (Civil War).

1860s-era Double Barrel Percussion Pistol. This pistol is metal with a wooden handle and does not feature a brand name. It has 3 inch barrels.

Such handguns were popular at the time because they featured rotating cylinders, allowing the soldier to shoot several times, sometimes as many as six times, before reloading.

While these pistols allowed for multiple shots, they were difficult to load, requiring the soldier to put gunpowder into the chamber, ram the ball on top, use oil to seal the front of the cylinder, and then cap the end of each chamber prior to firing the weapon.

Though these weapons were more efficient, they could only be used effectively at a short range.

Civil War Trust. Small Arms of the Civil War. http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/warfare-and-logistics/warfare/smallarms.html. 2014

1860s

This collection is courtesy of Tommy Gonzalez. We would like to thank him for the generosity he has shown the museum.

All photographs are courtesy of Georgene Richaud. Georgene, thank you for your contribution!

All rights to the images are held by Tommy Gonzalez. This image is posted for non-profit educational purposes, excluding printed publication. For permission to reproduce images and/or for copyright information, contact The Williamson Museum, 716 S. Austin Ave, Georgetown, TX 78626.

http://williamsonmuseum.org

Object