The Deadly Secret

ALTHOUG CALED-DOWNpistols were ma e during the flintlock era it wasn’t until the simpler caplock system was deve d that cheap hideout guns were produced in any quantity. I think it’s e to say that the most famous o of t ese was Henry Deringer’s little muzzle-loading single-shot pistol. The exact production figure is unknown but during the period 1856 to 1864, thousands were sold, mostly in pairs. Sales figures would have been much higher, but for some reason Deringer never patented his pistol and other gunmakers climbed on the bandwagon and made copies of the original.

Henry Deringer’s pistols, and copies thereof, were a great favourite in the southern states of America; just about every gentleman carried a pair hidden on his person – as did