Twist Barrel Pocket Pistol

I LOVE old guns, the more unusual the better and the beautiful little Wender pistol I recently had in my hands was no exception. Small pocket pistols (called coat, pocket, or hide-out guns) have always fascinated me. As each new style of firearm was invented, usually for military use, ordinary folk always wanted a scaled-down version to carry as a personal defence weapon. Heck, I have even seen photographs of Japanese pocket-size matchlock pistols although it beats me how anyone could carry a hideout gun with a smouldering match cord without setting their kimono alight.

During the wheel-lock era, gunmakers made scaled-down versions called Dags. However, the odd shaped wheel-lock was a rather cumbersome weapon and difficult to produce as a really small pocket-size gun. With the invention of the flintlock mechanism the first true pocket pistols could be