Boot Pistols?

[Smokey Plainsman]

Hello all!

I have recently become fascinated with the American underhammer percussion guns of the early 19th C.

But what were these guns actually meant for? I have read they were dueling pistols. I have read they were for hunting small game. I have read they were meant for concealment in a boot, hence the name.

It seems most were of small caliber, in the .28 to .34 range. That seems pretty small for a decently sized non-derringer gun. To me, that points to possible hunting use.

I’ve read so many conflicting reports on these guns and what their primary purpose was.

Thoughts?

 

[nick_1]

pictures?

 

[Sam squanch]

Back then, nobody wanted to get shot. With no modern medical care, even a small wound could be a death sentence, and a slow one. So I think a small caliber pistol may have sufficed for every day carry in civilization. But most were packed around the farm for a chance at a rabbit or squirrel.

 

[hawkeye2]

Dueling was pretty much passe, even outlawed, by the time these came along. They were general use pistols for hunting and defense with some being made as target guns. Reliable and simple to manufacturer and maintain they were quite popular in the northeast.