Frank Clarke Titan Mk1 Air Pistol.

[ccdjg]

Hello John,

The evolution of the Titan models is a little easier to see when they are pictured sequentially. Am I right in saying that the Bulldog was the smallest commercially produced, spring powered air pistol and not the Tell 2 as many believe?

Brian

Yes, perfectly true Brian. There is a direct photographic comparison of the two pistols in rhe Gallery here: https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery....per/#post-1103

Interestingly, Frank Clarke in 1902, in one of his adverts for the Bulldog, claims "A perfect Air Pistol at last, guaranteed to be the lightest, smallest, most handsome, and strongest shooting Air Pistol on Earth." . He then concludes with the sentence "All who are dissatisfied after three days may return the pistol and have their cash back in full." Perhaps that is why the pistol is now so rare - they were all sent back!

[JimmieDee]

John, have you compared the length of the Cometa with the Bulldog? The Cometa is 145mm long.

[ccdjg]

John, have you compared the length of the Cometa with the Bulldog? The Cometa is 145mm long.

Jimmie, I assume you are referring to the tiny Cometa Indian that was the subject of an earlier thread on this forum? http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....=cometa+indian

It is also pictured in the Gallery here: https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery....tol/#post-5440

I had no idea how long it was, as only one example has been documented in this country, in an auction catalogue, and as far as I know it gave no dimensions. Many thanks for the new information. Do you own this now? If so it would be great to have more dimension and weight information about it.

Getting back to your original question, my Bulldog measures 140 mm long, and my Tell 2's average 145mm, so would seem that the Bulldog still holds the record.

Cheers,
John

[JimmieDee]

Jimmie, I assume you are referring to the tiny Cometa Indian that was the subject of an earlier thread on this forum? http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....=cometa+indian

It is also pictured in the Gallery here: https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery....tol/#post-5440

I had no idea how long it was, as only one example has been documented in this country, in an auction catalogue, and as far as I know it gave no dimensions. Many thanks for the new information. Do you own this now? If so it would be great to have more dimension and weight information about it.

Getting back to your original question, my Bulldog measures 140 mm long, and my Tell 2's average 145mm, so would seem that the Bulldog still holds the record.

Cheers,
John

Hi John.

I don't own it but I do know who does. It's also 70mm tall if that matters. What's the height of the Bulldog? If you drew a rectangle around both, I wonder which would have the smallest area?

I will ask about the weight for you.

All the best,
Jimmie

[JimmieDee]

Also, the Morse Parlour pistol is only 135mm long. But the Cometa beats it on height and thus area too.

[ccdjg]

Thanks for the additional data. I have just measured the Bulldog and it is105mm high, including the sights,so on an area basis that would make the Cometa the smaller of the two. I was interested to hear that the Morse is 5mm shorter than the Bulldog, so purely on a length basis it takes the topspot. I suspect that the Bulldog might be the lightest of the three, as it is made of zinc alloy rather than cast steel like the others.

Another bit of trivia: the Cometa Indian must have the shortest barrel of any airgun. The Bulldog and the Morse have their barrels running the full length of the gun, but the Indian has to fit the cylinder and barrel in line with each other.. I estimate a barrel length of only about 3cm from the picture of the Indian, using your figures. Almost a transfer port instead of a barrel!

[Garvin]

Jimmie is this H&G Morse measurement taken from the one pictured on your site and is the breech screw genuine on that example?

The reason I ask is the examples in the gallery (here) seem to have a combination screw/cocking hook which presumably makes the OAL longer?

[micky2]

Jimmie is this H&G Morse measurement taken from the one pictured on your site and is the breech screw genuine on that example?

The reason I ask is the examples in the gallery (here) seem to have a combination screw/cocking hook which presumably makes the OAL longer?

With regards to the H&G, all the photos that l have seen had the hook breech screw.

[micky2]

Hi Jerry,

The cocking lever on the Series 7 Titan also activated a grip safety similar to that used on the Colt 1911 ACP service pistol which was really quite innovative on an air pistol.

Brian

Hi Brian, although it was innovative on the 7th series, l found the safety a pain to shoot with.

[JimmieDee]

Jimmie is this H&G Morse measurement taken from the one pictured on your site and is the breech screw genuine on that example?

The reason I ask is the examples in the gallery (here) seem to have a combination screw/cocking hook which presumably makes the OAL longer?

The measurements are taken from the muzzle to the back of the handle horizontally along the barrel. So it takes into account the hook as it is longer to the back of the handle. I’ve since sourced a hook breech pin. I’ve just not got round to fitting it yet.

[ccdjg]

In similar vein, I was wondering if the Indian pistol specifically referred to in this thread (the same example pictured in the Gallery) might not have had its barrel shortened. The photo I used in the Encyclopedia of Spring Air Pistols, which came from a Spanish collector, shows it to have an extending barrel tube. If the pistol has been shortened then this would change things a bit.

[JimmieDee]

In similar vein, I was wondering if the Indian pistol specifically referred to in this thread (the same example pictured in the Gallery) might not have had its barrel shortened. The photo I used in the Encyclopedia of Spring Air Pistols, which came from a Spanish collector, shows it to have an extending barrel tube. If the pistol has been shortened then this would change things a bit.

Seems a bit odd to have the barrel sticking out like that. Do you think it was designed that way or has it been replaced perhaps?

[JimmieDee]

Here's some photos of the Morse Parlour pistol vs the Tell 2 and the Cometa with a ruler.

[Buck25]

Is this an example of the Indian pistol in relic condition. (current link provided)



https://en.todocoleccion.net/militar...ion~x231887460

[ccdjg]

Yes, that sticking out barrel does seem odd, but I wonder if it could be something to do with the gun being usable with corks and pelletsand detachable barrel (like the Nova pistol)? It would be interesting to know if there is any clue inside the muzzle of the Gallery example.

I had a go at a similar photo comparison as yours Jimmie. The grey lines are the rulers I used to line up the Bulldog and Tell, as they help reduce parallax errors due to the camera. Following the green line it looks like the Morse is shorter by a couple of millimetres - a bit of a close thing! I reckon if I screwed the plunger rod on the Bulldog a bit further into the piston I could make up those 2 mm!

I think it would best to call it a draw!

Cheers,
John