.22 cal pistol

Onefinerott

I have a .22 cal pistol (single shot), 2 1/4" barrel, overall length of 4 1/2", 2 3/4" tall (from the top of the hammer to the bottom of the wooden grips), center fire, smooth bore with no brand name, just markings on it. The markings are, 2 crowns (one above the other) with the letter "U" under them. There are 2 sets of these markings located on the bottom side of the barrel and on a swing plate just behind the chamber. There is the number 27 stamped on the hammer, swing plate and brass ejector.

Does anyone have any idea what the 2 crowns and U stand for? I will send photos if needed.

Thank you for any info you might have.

rufe-snow

Your pistol seems to be a Flobert with German proof marks. Although I believe it's more likely to be a rimfire, rather then a centerfire.


Found this photo on-line. Many of the Flobert pistols mostly made in Belgium, Germany & France, were similar.

Onefinerott

That's the one! Many thanks.

Do you know what they were used for? Looks to me like a trappers pistol.

rufe-snow

Being smooth bored it was probably used either for indoor close range target shooting, ( commonly used in bars ). The projectile was a primer powered only, lead ball. Or firing blanks, for celebrations.

Xracer

They often shot .22 BB or CB rounds, and occasionaly smaller calibers down to 4mm.

Also often referred to as "Parlor Guns", they were often used in "Parlors" or Living Rooms to shoot at small targets using logs in the fireplace as a backstop.

Don't try this with your .600 Nitro Express! [:D]

rhmc24

The little pistol shown is one of the least expensive (cheapest)
breech loading pistols of its time, useful by bicyclist for warding off dogs. Altho often called a flobert, it is not a real flobert type.

The real Flobert has an open breech, depending on a very heavy hammer, with firing pin on it, to close the breech and resist the firing forces of the very weak round it fires. This also makes it a rather large and heavy gun, unsuitable as a pocket pistol.

It found popularity in Europe from the 1850s as a parlor toy, shooting targets by the affluent who could indulge their hobbies. The real Floberts are usually very well crafted and often engraved and decorated. This website shows one

http://collectorsfirearms.com/admin/product_details.php?itemID=22701

The closeups show the heavy hammer that falls directly on the head of the cartridge.

The term flobert has come into use to cover most any simple (and usually cheap) single shot small bore rimfire type with a center mounted hammer. Capitalizing the name Flobert when used correctly tends to recognize this among the earliest of breech loading types dating from as early as the 1840s.