Forsyth Pistol
Alexander Forsyth & Co. · Pistol · Discontinued · 1807
Also known as: Forsyth Patent Pistol, Forsyth Scent Bottle Pistol, Forsyth Percussion Pistol
Overview
The Forsyth Pistol is an early 19th-century British muzzle-loading percussion pistol built around Alexander John Forsyth's pioneering scent-bottle percussion lock, the first practical percussion ignition system. Patented in 1807 and produced by Alexander Forsyth & Co. at 10 Piccadilly in London, the design replaced the flintlock's exposed priming pan and flash with a self-contained fulminate primer dispensed from a rotating 'scent bottle' magazine, eliminating the visible flash that warned game birds and the misfires caused by rain. Hand-built in small numbers as fine duelling and sporting pistols, it ushered in the percussion era and was the direct forerunner of the percussion cap and modern centerfire ignition.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 800 g (28.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 240 mm (9.45") |
| Barrel Length | 105 mm (4.13") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | None |
| Muzzle Velocity | 230 m/s (755 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 299 J (221 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .50 Caliber Ball · primary — also known as .50 caliber percussion ball, 12.7mm round ball, .50 caliber patched round ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Forsyth Scent Bottle Lock, Fulminate Priming, Muzzle Loading, Single Shot
Service history
Operators
- Civilian sportsmen and gentlemen
Production
Production years: 1808-1821
Hand-made in small quantities; the Forsyth patent was defended until its 1821 expiry, after which the percussion principle spread widely via the percussion cap.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Designer: Alexander John Forsyth
Discontinued: 1821
Notes
The 'scent bottle' lock held roughly twenty fulminate priming charges in a rotating steel container; rotating it deposited a charge at the touch hole, then a spring-loaded striker fired it. Forsyth's 1813 improved sliding-primer mechanism appeared on more guns than the original scent bottle. Specifications are representative; surviving Forsyth pistols vary in caliber (examples in .36, .50 and .54 are documented) and were individually hand-made.
Background
Alexander John Forsyth was a Scottish Presbyterian minister at Belhelvie in Aberdeenshire who, frustrated that sitting birds saw a flintlock's pan flash and fled before the shot arrived, experimented with fulminate priming and produced the first percussion lock between 1805 and 1807. He employed the young James Purdey to build his pistols before Purdey went on to found his own famous gunmaking house.