An Apache revolver is a

handgun A handgun is a short- barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also braced ...

which incorporates multiple other weapons, made notorious by the French underworld figures of the early 1900s known as ''

Les Apaches Les Apaches (or Société des Apaches) was a group of musicians, writers and artists which formed in Paris, France in 1903. The core was formed by the French composer Maurice Ravel, the Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes and the writer and critic Mic ...

''.

History

The design dates from the 1860s, and is attributed to Louis Dolne. The gun was manufactured until the end of the 1870s.

Description

The Apache operates on the principle of a

pepperbox revolver The pepper-box revolver or simply pepperbox (also "pepper-pot", from its resemblance to the household pepper shakers) is a multiple-barrel firearm, mostly in the form of a handgun, that has three or more gun barrels in a coaxially revolving m ...

using a pinfire cartridge and incorporates a fold-over

knuckle duster Brass knuckles (variously referred to as knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, knucklebusters, knuckledusters, knuckle daggers, English punch, iron fist, paperweight, or a classic) are "fist-load weapons" used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles ...

forming the grip and a rudimentary foldout dual-edged

knife A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...

. Due to the lack of a barrel, the revolver's effective range is very limited. Since its component parts can be folded inward towards the cylinder, it is easily concealable inside a pocket. It was common to leave an empty chamber with no cartridge under the hammer, as the weapon has no trigger guard or safety catch. The weapon cannot be aimed accurately because of its lack of front and rear sights and very short barrel. Despite its limited potential, the revolver was effective at extremely close range. For reloading, the cartridge cylinder must be removed, refilled, and replaced. The revolver also has a design constraint when opening the barrel, by default the barrel points back towards the knuckles of the user. Thus, the user has to remove the knuckles, rotate the gun to point forward to the target, and then shoot. Certain defense scenarios might not accord the liberty of time to perform such an involved maneuver. A

9×19mm Parabellum The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge. Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgun a ...

revolver of similar design (designation: Enfield project D.D.(E) 3313) was allegedly used by

British Commandos The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe. Initially drawn ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, though exact statistics about production numbers and technical details have as yet remained undisclosed to the public.

References

External links

* * * - Video describing mechanical operation and history of one example
The Importance Of The Apache Revolver
{{DEFAULTSORT:Apache Revolver Revolvers of Belgium Combination weapons Fist-load weapons Victorian-era weapons

History

Description

See also

References

External links