Pinfire Pistols, Revolvers and Ammunition Handbook

In 1845 Frenchman Casimir Lefaucheux patented a breech-loading pistol using self contained cartridges, and rendered the cap and ball system obsolete overnight.

Steadily improved versions of these weapons, and their ammunition, became the weapon of choice across Europe up until the first half of the 20th century, although in the USA the rim and centre fire cartridges held sway until the American Civil War when sheer need gave the pinfire its chance to reach the mass market in the USA.

The essential difference between the Lefaucheux system and other systems lay in the ammunition and how the charge was ignited. The Lefaucheux system allowing a much quicker reload until the second half of the 19th century.

Intended as a source of information for collectors of Lefaucheaux type pistols and ammunition, this contains huge amount of information, andfd led me into a subject I never knew existed!

160 pages, with large numbers of B&W photos, copies of engraved illustrations etc. Smaller format paperback.