Frock coat wearing, riverboat dwelling, southern gent
They look like a most interesting type of firearm. Anyone here collect them?
Jim
UBC's Police Pistol Manager
"Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. Better stick to air-guns." Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
Registered User
I've never owned one Jim but they are legal to own in the UK because the ammunition is no longer made. Except it is possible to buy new pinfire cases. They look like minature shotgun cases with a little pin sticking out of the side.
There was a case a couple of years ago when a collector was showing off his newly acquired pinfire revolver and accidentally shot and killed his best friend.
Registered User
Do you mean the shotgun? I looked at one in Henry Kranks but couldn't see how it worked, thought there might be some bits missing so I passed
Frock coat wearing, riverboat dwelling, southern gent
I was thinking more of the revolver, but pinfire shotguns look very interesting, also.
Jim
UBC's Police Pistol Manager
"Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. Better stick to air-guns." Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
Registered User
The pinfire cases I saw were made of a translucent plastic with a brass end plate a bit like a shotgun cartridge. The pin appeared to be a small nail with the head in a black powder percussion cap inside the cartridge. I thought it looked a bit primitive but there's no reason why it shouldn't work. They were selling them on a stall at the Phoenix in I think 8mm and 11mm.
Frock coat wearing, riverboat dwelling, southern gent
The prices for pinfire pistols look more affordable than for a lot of the old pieces, too.
Jim
UBC's Police Pistol Manager
"Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. Better stick to air-guns." Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
Registered User
hi, i have four pinfires,a 7mm belgian six shot revolver with a folding trigger,a 9mm belgian six shot revolver, a rare 9mm belgian single shot break barrel action pistol and a 15mm double barrel pistol ,this particular one looks very intimidating from the buisness end.i have in the distant past run up reloadable cases for pinfires in the lathe .reloading is straight forward if a little fiddley .a percussion cap is inserted under the protruding firing pin,pin is pressed gently in place ,case is filled nearly to the brim with fine black powder and a round lead ball of bore size is pressed into the case mouth just hard enough to keep it in place .the originals were loaded with a picket bullet but a ball is easier to seat.as already said in this tread in GB pinfires are allowed to be possesed as collectors items only, not to be fired. pinfires as a rule seem to have been made for the cheaper end of the market initialy and this is reflected in the collectors market today but i have always found them interesting and a nice little collection can be built up for a moderate outlay..hope this is of interest to you..greasemonkey
Frock coat wearing, riverboat dwelling, southern gent
MOST interesting, Greasemonkey, and welcome to the BBS!
Jim
UBC's Police Pistol Manager
"Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. Better stick to air-guns." Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
Frock coat wearing, riverboat dwelling, southern gent
You seem a wealth of knowledge on the topic, Greasemonkey - hands-on as well as theoretical. I expect to have many questions for you as time goes on.Originally Posted by greasemonkey
I wish I could stop by and see your collection of pinfires: but as you can see, I live a bit far away from you!
Jim
Last edited by Jim McArthur; 04-01-2009 at 09:16 PM.
UBC's Police Pistol Manager
"Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. Better stick to air-guns." Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
Registered User
thanks jim,when ifirst started playing with pinfires no information was availible so had to find out things as iwent along but as i still have all my fingers i must have got things about right.any way i can help you please just ask.i collect anything gunwise, last count i have about seventy but have been collecting for 30 years ,i cant help myself i am a gun magpie!cheers kevin
Frock coat wearing, riverboat dwelling, southern gent
That sounds like a wonderful hobby, GM!
Jim
UBC's Police Pistol Manager
"Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. Better stick to air-guns." Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
Frock coat wearing, riverboat dwelling, southern gent
That's one of the reasons I find them interesting.
Jim
UBC's Police Pistol Manager
"Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. Better stick to air-guns." Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
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