UNWIN & RODGERS NON*XXL Percussion Knife-Pistol.

 The word "incorrigible" might label my fetish .. in that, as a fried bread addict, I knew that I shouldn't - but I did it anyway.

- I bought another one ..

In case anyone is wondering .. as a younger man I used to smoke 30 per day unfiltered fags - drink beer .. and loved my high fat, high protein western diet, slurping dairy icecream by the bucket. I scored serious cardiovascular disease.

- Following my heart attack, - and a triple bipass in 1990 - and further, multiple stents (And later DYING on the angiography operating slab - to be ZAPPED twice before coming back with four big red burn marks on my chest after five minutes awol), - Dey fort I mite be mentlee ahfektid butt Im gud ay ..

I decided to curtail all three costly consumptions, booze, smokes, & fat-foods - swapping them for my interest in pop-pops.

- I had seen stories about these multitools called 'Gold Prospector's Knife-Pistols'

UNWIN & RODGERS .28" calibre Percussion Knife-Pistol.

These are hard to find 'down under' so it may just be excusible that I clicked on the 'BUY NOW' button after hurriedly researching more than a few previous U S & UK auction sales - I confirmed that hammer fall prices for similar examples were way above the local asking price for this fresh import ..

- This Unwin & Rodgers outfit, were cutlers in Sheffield England for around 80 years from 1820 - making the full range of edged tools including "Bowie Knives" exported to America.

They made this particular style of Knife-Pistol as a muzzleloader, and then as rimfires with most of their output going to America - until the business failed after the American Civil War ended.  Most of these are twin bladed with a 'cap-box' - while some had a compact bullet mould, a rammer, or a pair of tweezers, inserted into the back-end of their half-checkered buffalo horn scales.

- I read that the company mark, NON*XLL was purchased in 1860.  (This I*XL look-alike mark was officially registered by the firm in 1876 - this helps date this gun maybe to between 1840(ish and 1861.. when they introduced rimfire cartridge models. 

Hinged Butt Trap .. Some had extra bits (but not mine)

I did a story about these 'novelties' a few years back .. https://flicense.blogspot.com/2018/03/unwin-rodgers-knife-pistols.html

MY new antique Unwin & Rodgers is a RARE single bladed knife-gun with a powerful hammer spring .. in fact all the springs are very strong, resulting in me needing both hands to cock the gun. There is NO half cock notch and the fold-down trigger has to be levered into position but has a surprisingly light trigger pull.

- I never expected to find one of these to drool over. - A Single blade - Birmingham proof marks on the 3 5/8 inch octagonal "German Silver" Tapered Barrel, having a steel standing breech and inline nipple ( Sheffield is around 70 miles north of Birmingham). - Smoothbore, dating from around 1840-50?

 No Half-Cock notch ..

- Other parts of this gun also seem to be 'German Silver' - a type of white brass, 60% copper, 20% nickel, and 20% zinc.

"Never Bring a Knife To A Gunfight" ?

Nice .. You can either put a blade onto a pistol, or put a barrel onto a knife eh .. I doubt either design saw much actual social use but they do make for interesting multi-tools that might well save someones life. Imagine taking this out of your pocket to slice a piece of sausage or to cut a cigar .. impressive no?

This not a small "penknife" like the ones I have carried since I stopped filling nappies - this is a BIG tool with a 1/8" thick 3 5/8 inch straight-back blade - although a heavy lump, it would easily hide in any jacket or trouser pocket.

The Smallest one may be Legal Carry in UK

You might say that the knife-pistol is a big lump ..

But Compared to a Six-Shot PepperPot .. It still is a BIG Lump ..

The pistol part of this Knife Pistol is perhaps, technically a smoothbore 'Boxlock' Percussion Pistol - of around .28 inch caliber. If I was out in the GOLD Fields of California - Australia or New Zealand in the 19th century, - I likely would have loaded this smallbore mechanism with TWO lead balls over some 15-20 grains of blackpowder - and I would definately have ensured that it was always close at hand in a jacket pocket. - But my cautious nature would likely have meant that my trouser belt carried a holstered full sized revolver & a Bowie - and yet another small pistol in another pocket.

They were wild and uncertain times back then - not like today's advanced civilization .. Free from greed, violence, terrorism, murder or mayhem.

Link to interesting chatter & photos about these pistol-knives:

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/unwin-and-rodgers-pistol-knife-modern-greece-blockade-runner.216370/

and ..  https://www.littlegun.info/arme%20britannique/artisan%20u%20z/a%20unwin%20and%20rodgers%20gb.htm

Life is Good - nah, it's Bloody Brilliant - Keep taking the pills,

Marty K.

FIREARMS LICENCES FOR NZ POLICE.

This is a great wee video from Mr Cap & Ball on shooting small concealed carry blackpowder pistols ..

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=513b073ce7acbed3&rlz=1C1ONGR_enNZ933NZ933&sxsrf=AE3TifMl1nlkbZ4CwoUd83GTHMJvs2PPvQ:1767784832098&q=Miners+pistol&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjNmdDXp_mRAxWvk1YBHZ8EPT8Q1QJ6BAhMEAE&biw=1366&bih=599&dpr=1#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:b5f46dd8,vid:FthFAPuoagI,st:0