It's a rare sight on this series to see Jonathan left scratching his head.

But that's exactly what happened when our Keeper of Firearms examined the curious curvature of the grips of these flintlock pistols.

Available now at:
http://www.headstamppublishing.com/collier-book

Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers of Elisha Collier & Artemas Wheeler reveals the first attempt to put a multi-shot firearm in the hands of the common soldier and sportsman. This novel device—patented in America in 1818 by A...

This is something I have always wanted to try since I read Samuel Emery Chamberlain's memoires about the Mexican War. The receiver actually handled better than what I first thought, but I still have question marks about its effect.

The Hall rifle Capandball film, part 1.: https://youtu.be/qz21BC...

I received multiply requests to talk about the way I develop my load for patch roundball muzzle loaders, so I decided to give this topic a full program in my new Questions and Answers series. These points are simple and easy to follow and will guide you to tight groups with any rifle in any calib...

Pretty much impossible to aim, this meaty pistol is a truly curious contraption from the mid 18th century.

A novelty or tool for crowd control? Jonathan examines a pistol likely used for it's ability to deter rather than actually hit anything or anyone.

Join Keeper of Firearms and Artillery, Jonathan Ferguson as he examines two of the treasures from our collection. Created by master gunsmith, Ezekiel Baker, these opulently finished target pistols tell the story of a firearm-loving monarch who had a taste for the finer things in life.

This week Jonathan Ferguson examines one of several prominent female gun manufacturers present in Britain in the 19th century. Ann Patrick was known for high quality firearms, with this pair featuring a fascinating lock system that was ultimately made obsolete by the percussion cap.

Two pistols. Eight shots. It's an awful lot of firepower for just one individual, but that's what Thomas B van Horn, high ranking officer of the US militia and later Army ordered from British gunmaker, Robert Wheeler. There's a lot to unpack from these so strap yourselves in and let Jonathan guid...

For hundreds of years, pairs of boxed pistols have been described as 'duelling' weapons. But, how much truth is there to this label? Jonathan examines a recent article which puts into doubt the fact that such a label has ever been accurate.

Described by Jonathan as an 18th century Winchester repeater, this Lorenzoni repeater pistol combines intricate craftmanship with an ingenious mechanism for reloading on the fly. Join our Keeper of Firearms and Artillery as he delves into how this remarkable weapon functions, but also who would h...

Please support us at https://www.patreon.com/capandball For buying Capandball Civil War cartridge boxes: http://stores.ebay.com/Capandball?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 History and modern time shooting of the U.S. 1805 Model Harp's Ferry cavalry flintlock pistol (repro by Pedersoli)

Please support us at: https://www.patreon.com/capandball Shooting the French 1777 flintlock cavalry pistol was something that was on my bucket list for a long time. This martial pistol plays an important part in firearms history being one of the very first models to have a separate frame. This fi...

Duck’s foot pistols are one of the iconic classic “weird gun” categories. The one exemplifies the typical pattern, with four barrels arranged in a wedge, fired simultaneously with a single flintlock action. Traditionally, these are attributed to people like prison wardens and ships’ captains, who...

In 1798, the US Congress allocated a huge sum of money - $800,000 - to the procurement of military equipment to supplement the output of the Springfield Armory. One of the first contracts placed with this money was for 500 .69 caliber flintlock pistols from Simeon North of Berlin, NH. These would...

A 7-shot repeating handgun before cartridges had been invented? Yep, long before. These two pistols are London-made examples of the Lorenzoni system, in which a gun was made with internal magazines of powder and projectiles and a rotating central loading spindle like a modern reloading powder thr...

In the buildup to the US War of Independence, "Committees of Safety" were organized in the colonial state to form shadow governments for the independence movement. These committees (our councils, as a few were named) had, among other tasks, the responsibility of sourcing arms for the local militi...

The US Congress passed a Militia Act in 1808 to provide funding for military supplies, and one of the immediate resulting contracts was to Simeon North for 1000 pairs of Model 1808 Navy pistols. These were the first pistols contracted by the fledgling US Navy, and they specified a .64 caliber fli...

The Order of St John - the Knights of Malta - began as an order to protect Christian pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem, but transformed into an organization dedicated to corsairing in the Mediterranean Sea. Basically, legally justified pirates. For about 300 years they were based on the island of...

Today we have one of the oldest guns we've looked at, a Lorenzoni repeating flintlock pistol. The system was designed by an Italian gunmaker in Florence name Michele Lorenzoni. They were made in very small numbers, and the workmanship is stunning, especially considering that they were first manuf...

What were the different patterns of Collier, and what was the timeline of their development and production? Today I'm discussing this with Professor Ben Nicholson, author of Headstamp's most recent book, "Clockwork Basilisk". We will start with the original clockwork Colliers, then the standardiz...

Most of the historical recognition of Elisha Collier comes from the 1851 and 1852 patent infringement lawsuits Colt files against Wesson & Leavitt and other revolver manufacturers. Colt was claiming these other guns in fringed on his patent, and the defense argued that Colt's patent was invalid b...

Courtesy of esteemed collector Frank Graves, Professor Ben Nicholson and I are disassembling a gorgeous example of a second model Collier revolver today. The Collier really is equal parts art and engineering; half made in the finest British bespoke tradition and half by the newest American machin...

Samuel Colt wasn't the first person to invent a revolver, and Artemas Wheeler wasn't either. Today Professor Ben Nicholson joins me to discuss the history of repeating firearms before Wheeler and Collier - a history that goes clear back to the 1500s. From Roman candle type guns like the Chambers ...