A pocket pistol made 1820-30

What is it?

Hey there, young historians! I've got a super cool piece of history to share with you today. It's a teeny tiny pistol called a percussion box-lock pocket pistol that was made by Henry Holland over 200 years ago! Can you believe it? This little guy is only 6 inches long - that's about the same length as a banana! But wait, there's more! This isn't the only gun made by Holland that we have in our museum. We also have an even older gun called a flintlock pistol with over and under barrels. Pretty fancy, right? Now, let's talk about why the percussion gun is so special. Back in the day, guns used to rely on a flint to make a spark that would ignite the gunpowder and shoot the bullet. But that way was a bit slow and not always reliable. That's where the percussion gun comes in! It uses a little cap of explosive that gets struck by the gun's hammer and then ignites the main gunpowder charge. That means it shoots faster and more reliably. And get this - Holland's workshop was at the back of an old café on the High Street that's still around today! I hope you had fun learning about this awesome little pistol from the past!