Gastinne-Renette Percussion Duelling Pistol
Gastinne-Renette · Pistol · Discontinued · 1840
Also known as: Gastinne-Renette Dueling Pistol, Gastinne-Renette Percussion Dueling Pistol, Pistolet de duel Gastinne-Renette
Overview
The Gastinne-Renette Percussion Duelling Pistol is a mid-19th-century French muzzleloading percussion pistol produced by the celebrated Parisian house of Gastinne-Renette, gunmaker to Emperor Napoleon III and the Spanish crown. Typically supplied as a cased matched pair with accessories, these luxury duelling arms feature a rifled octagonal barrel of roughly .50 caliber, a double set trigger, finely engraved lockwork and checkered walnut grips. Firing a patched round ball ignited by a percussion cap, they represent the pinnacle of French gunmaking during the golden age of the duel.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 992 g (35.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 407 mm (16.02") |
| Barrel Length | 270 mm (10.63") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Set Trigger |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 160 m/s (525 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 160 J (118 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Conventional |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Damascus Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued And Engraved |
Calibers
- .50 Caliber Ball · primary — also known as .50 caliber round ball, 12.7mm patched round ball, .50 muzzleloader ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Rifled Octagonal Barrel, Double Set Trigger, Checkered Walnut Grip, Engraved Lockwork, Cased Matched Pair, Adjustable Rear Sight
Service history
Operators
- Napoleon III Imperial Court
Production
Production years: 1840-1870
Made to order as bespoke cased pairs; total output unknown. The firm operated from 1793 (as Renette) into the 20th century.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Louis-Julien Gastinne-Renette
Discontinued: 1870
Notes
Cased pairs were exhibited at the Great Exhibition (Crystal Palace, 1851) and the Paris Expositions, earning Gastinne-Renette numerous first-class medals. Bore diameters on surviving examples vary between roughly .46 and .50 caliber; French duelling pistols were commonly rifled, unlike the smoothbore English convention.
Background
Gastinne-Renette also ran a famous Parisian shooting gallery on the Avenue Franklin Roosevelt where gentlemen practiced and where seconds tested pistols before affairs of honour, making the firm's name synonymous with the 19th-century French duel.