English gunpowder testing pistol,By the later half of the 19th century flintlock pistols had become
English gunpowder testing pistol,By the later half of the 19th century flintlock pistols had become quaint and obsolete, but they still had some limited purpose. Gunpowder testing pistols were flintlock boxlock pistols that had the barrel replaced with a cylindrical spinning hopper and. A gunpowder manufacturer would use these pistols to ensure proper functioning and quality of their powder. The hopper would be filled with gunpowder, and when fired the force of the discharge would spin cylinder. The cylinder was marked with increments, and like the rod on a tire gauge, the increments would gage the power and grade of the gunpowder. -- source link
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