peashooter85:The Elgin Cutlass PistolPatented by George Elgin of Georgia in 1837, the Elgin Cutlass
peashooter85:The Elgin Cutlass PistolPatented by George Elgin of Georgia in 1837, the Elgin Cutlass Pistol was an attempt to combine a large knife with a percussion pistol. A conspicuous 11.5 inch blade was permanently attached to the barrel of a single shot percussion pistol. The pistol itself was a muzzleloader that fired a .54 caliber bullet.Unfortunately the Elgin Cutlass Pistol was neither a good cutlass or a good pistol, with questionable practicality for both. 150 were produced for the US Navy, most being issued to the Wilkes South Seas Expedition of 1838, a US Naval expedition to map the South Pacific. By the US Civil War most Elgin Cutlass Pistols were removed from official service. On the civilian market this pistol was more popular, mostly as a novelty item. Many small gunsmiths, blacksmiths, and machinists produced their own, circumventing Elgin’s patents. Even today replica gun companies such as Dixie Gun Works and Fall Creek Sutlery produce their own Elgin reproduction. -- source link