peashooter85:The Queen Anne Pistol,Becoming popular in Britain in the early 18th century, the Queen
peashooter85:The Queen Anne Pistol,Becoming popular in Britain in the early 18th century, the Queen Anne pistol was named after Queen Anne, who reigned from 1702 to 1714. The Queen Anne pistol had several unique features, but the most important of which was that it was the first pistol that was small enough to fit in a pocket. Hence, it was history’s first pocket pistol. In addition, the Queen Anne pistol was unique because the lock and chamber was forged as one piece. Finally, most Queen Anne pistols were breechloaders. Usually the barrel could be removed, and the chamber loaded with gunpowder and a bullet. Usually Queen Anne pistols were made with a tapered barrel, the muzzle being of slightly smaller in caliber than the bullet. Thus, the bullet would be forced out of the barrel at a high velocity with better accuracy. It was uncommon for Queen Anne pistols to have rifled barrels as well. Of course, none of these features would have been possible without a breechloading system.Queen Anne pistols were popular in Britain up to the early 19th century, and saw little popularity in any other country. Few saw military use, being most popular among civilians, especially wealthy English gentlemen. -- source link