Unusual cased French pistols.

[jim bowie]

These belong to a friend. I've only got a single picture so far but will post more as I get them. I'm inviting your comments on these . Of particular intrest is the unusual architecture and locks. And of course valuation.
These were in the US Virgin islands for at least the last 100 years. Thank you for your help.

 

[Phil Coffins]

I once heard that the French copy no one! And no one copy’s the French.
Nice set though.

 

[cynthialee]

they are ugly
I love them they are cool in their ugliness

wonder how that grip feels when shooting

 

[Loja man]

They are obviously iguana pistols! The pistol grips are designed that way to be shooting almost straight down beside you or near you. The short barrel is also to help with carrying them and who needs a long barrel ti hit something only a few feet away! ;-)

 

[mhb]

They are, indeed, odd in design. But, if they are, in fact, from Gastinne-Renette, the quality is unquestionably good.

mhb - MIke

 

[Robby]

Looks like they hold a 14 rd. mag., not legal in NYSSR.
Pretty cool though, never seen anything like them and am eager to see more pictures.
Robby

 

[jim bowie]

I'd love to see the inside of the locks. Got to be a radical departure from the norm.

 

[TreeMan]

Oddly beautiful. The builder just might be the same guy that invented the claw hammer.

 

[Major Dorman]

French? Only dropped once?

 

[John May]

I have seen individual pistols with the same grip angle/lock location but never a cased pair, very nice!

 

[toot]

These belong to a friend. I've only got a single picture so far but will post more as I get them. I'm inviting your comments on these . Of particular intrest is the unusual architecture and locks. And of course valuation.
These were in the US Virgin islands for at least the last 100 years. Thank you for your help.

I believe that that style of handles is called SAW HANDLES?

 

[toot]

French? Only dropped once?

I think that you mean ITALIAN, ONLY SHOT ONCE & DROPPED ONCE! I am over here!

 

[jim bowie]

I thought that also,

but they lack the projection off the back of the grip that make saw handles kinda look like saws. I did look up Gastinne- Renette and after looking at many cased pistols I found 1 which was sort of similar . The were double barreled and described as ladies pistols. There were volumes of information on Gastinne-Renette. I'm guessing the French equivalent of our Colt or S&W. Half the fun with these old guns is the discoveries made during research.

 

[user 48679]

I'd love to see the inside of the locks. Got to be a radical departure from the norm.

Likely a normal back action lock with the hammer installed on the trunnion 90-degrees off normal.

I too have never before seen a lock application like those !

 

[user 33882]

Devisme also made/sold pairs like this, including some in this style but double barreled.

 

[John May]

One very similar from the UK by a famous UK maker.

 

[TFoley]

That's about as ergonomic as a plane handle on an anvil.

 

[TFoley]

French? Only dropped once?

I'm sure that the relatives of the more than ten thousand French soldiers who died defending the areas around the Dunkirk evacuation beaches in May of 1940, so that others could make their way out of France to fight again, would be gratified to read your comment.

 

[user 33882]

I'm sure that the relatives of the more than ten thousand French soldiers who died defending the areas around the Dunkirk evacuation beaches in May of 1940, so that others could make their way out of France to fight again would be gratified to read your comment.

Not to mention the relatives of the French that fought in the American Revolution. The United States would almost certainly not have won the Revolutionary War without the aid we received from French. Them coming to our aid with arms, money, expertise, and later thousands of fighting men and a navy were significant in the outcome of the American Revolution. French and Spanish involvement tipped the war in the American rebels' favor, and the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown was due to a combined American and French assault on land and the French fleet defeating the English fleet at the Battle of the Capes and cutting off any chance of Cornwallis escaping and hammering him from the sea. The addition of the French and Spanish also threatened the British Empire more broadly and pushed the war weary English to negotiate for peace.