Original 19th Century French or Belgian “Apache” 7mm Knuckle Duster Pinfire Revolver with Pommel Dagger – Non-Folding Original Items

Original Item: One of a Kind. An Apache revolver is a handgun which incorporates multiple other weapons, made notorious by the French underworld figures of the early 1900s known as “Les Apaches”. The design however predates this early 20th century criminal subculture by decades, originally having designed in the 1860s, and is attributed to Louis Dolne. These gun were manufactured until the end of the 1870s, and available in various different configurations. They were for the most part originally made to use pinfire cartridges. This example appears to be from the later part of the 19th century (1880s-1898) and is a period copy of an “Apache”. 

The Pinfire system was the earliest form of “Cartridge” developed with a pin projecting out at 90 degrees to the cartridge case. When depressed by the falling hammer the cartridge discharged. At the time up against muzzle loading Revolvers these were revolutionary. Like most things by the end of the Civil War technology had moved on and in the late 1860’s regular type cartridges as we know them today had been introduced.

This example is in 7mm pinfire, and has no barrel, as was standard. It measures about 3 inches long by 5 1/4 inches tall, with a 3 1/2 inch triangular blade on the pommel. These were designed for extreme close range, where a barrel would be more of a liability than anything else, It is a non-folding design, and looks similar to some we have found made by Joseph Deleaxhe of Liège, Belgium, though there are no markings on the weapon except for an S in a circle on the front of the cylinder. As originally designed, this style of revolver could be folded into various configurations, but that could take time, so many were made like this example, with all three aspects ready for use: the revolver, the knuckle duster, and the dagger.

The construction is somewhat crude, so it is definitely possible that this was made from a pinfire revolver, repurposed into a multi-weapon. It has a nice gray patina overall, and it fits very comfortably into the hand. The revolver portion does cycle, though sometimes the trigger does not return forward due to a weak trigger spring. It still has a loading gate at the back of the cylinder, though it no longer locks closed.

A very hard to find interesting multi-weapon, most likely made in Belgium for the French market. Ready to research and display!

Specifications: 

Year of Manufacture: circa 1885-1898
Caliber: 7mm Lefaucheux
Ammunition Type: Pinfire Cartridge
Overall Length: 3 inches
Action: Double Only
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver