Heavy Dragoon Pistol
British Board of Ordnance · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1738
Also known as: British Land Service Heavy Dragoon Pistol, Pattern 1738 Heavy Dragoon Pistol, Pattern 1756/1781 Land Service Heavy Dragoon Pistol, Tower Heavy Dragoon Pistol
Overview
The Heavy Dragoon Pistol is a British single-shot, muzzle-loading flintlock cavalry pistol produced under the Board of Ordnance for the heavy dragoon regiments of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Built around a large-bore smoothbore steel barrel roughly 12 inches long firing a heavy lead ball of about .65 caliber, it was a robust, full-stocked Land Service pattern with brass furniture, a flat lock plate marked "TOWER" with the Georgian ordnance cipher, and a belt hook for carrying on horseback. Sequential Land Service patterns (notably the 1738 and later 1756/1781 patterns) equipped the mounted arm through the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, and into the Napoleonic era, where it served as a close-range weapon most effective at only a few yards from the saddle.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1100 g (38.8 oz) |
| Overall Length | 495 mm (19.49") |
| Barrel Length | 305 mm (12.01") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Muzzle Velocity | 165 m/s (541 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 354 J (261 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 14 m (15 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 45 m (49 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 2 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Browned |
Calibers
- .65 Caliber Ball · primary — also known as .65 cal round ball, carbine bore ball, 16.5mm lead ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Muzzle Loaded, Smoothbore Barrel, Brass Furniture, Belt Hook, Wooden Ramrod, Flat Lock Plate, Flintlock Ignition
Service history
Operators
- British Army (Heavy Dragoons) · adopted 1738 · as Land Service Heavy Dragoon Pistol
- Royal Scots Greys
- The Royal Dragoons
Conflicts
- Seven Years' War (1756-1763)
- American War of Independence (1775-1783)
- Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815)
Production
Production years: 1738-1815
Produced by Board of Ordnance contractors and assembled at the Tower of London; issued across successive Land Service patterns rather than as a single standardised model.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Discontinued: 1815
Notes
Bore diameter varied across the Land Service heavy dragoon patterns; surviving examples are documented anywhere from about .62 to musket-bore .75, with a smaller ball fired through a larger barrel to allow loose windage and use of carbine cartridges. The .65 figure used here represents a typical mid-range heavy dragoon load. Barrel length is generally 12 inches with an overall length near 19.5 inches. Weight is estimated from period Land Service pistols.
Background
Heavy dragoons were originally mounted infantry expected to fight on foot, and their pistols were correspondingly large and heavy-hitting close-quarters weapons rather than precision arms. By the later 18th century the heavy dragoon pistol was bored to match the trooper's carbine so a single paper cartridge, shaken of a little powder, could serve either weapon in the chaos of a cavalry melee.