18th Century: Pistol Knife

The pistol knife was invented back in the 18th century, mainly used by naval officers to fend off pirates or potential mutinies or soldier looking to surprise enemies on the battlefield. The open seas were rough with pirates lurking about. Survival was key so innovation was required in the realm of weaponry. The pistol knife was invented as a two in one weapon in case one had to fend off multiple attackers. A pistol knife can also trick enemies into believing one only has a dagger since the barrel of the pistol knife is quite slimmer than a normal flintlock pistol.

The pistol knife loads like a normal flintlock, giving the owner one shot before having to reload. Reloading a pistol knife was no different than loading a regular flintlock pistol and was just as cumbersome and time consuming. For a pistol dagger, however, all it took was to pull back the doghead trigger for firing and one would still have a dagger as a weapon. In close quarters combat, the owner could stab an enemy in the chest then fire a round into the heart for a quick kill. This type of gun could be found in the collections of former naval officers or wealthy men who had a flavor for all kinds of rare guns and collectibles. The pistol knife began to fade with the invention of the six-shooter by the mid Victorian period which gave the owner multiple shots before having to reload. The pistol knife has been a treasure with gun collectors and is one of the many rare guns that are sought by collectors around the world.