Reid My Friend Knuckleduster
James Reid · Revolver · Discontinued · 1868
Also known as: My Friend, Reid's My Friend, Reid Knuckle Duster, Knuckleduster Revolver
Overview
The Reid My Friend Knuckleduster is a barrelless single-action pocket revolver patented by Irish-born gunmaker James Reid in 1865 and produced at his works in Catskill, New York. Doubling as a brass-knuckle weapon, its frame served as a knuckleduster while a fluted, unrifled cylinder fired rimfire cartridges directly from the chambers without a barrel. The most common No. 1 model was a seven-shot .22 rimfire chambering, fired by cocking the spur-trigger, birdhead-hammer action. Compact and easily concealed, it became a popular self-defense and gambler's weapon in the American West of the 1870s.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 170 g (6.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 108 mm (4.25") |
| Barrel Length | 37 mm (1.46") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Cylinder |
| Muzzle Velocity | 200 m/s (656 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 38 J (28 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 5 m (5 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Frame Material | Brass |
| Finish | Silver Plated |
Calibers
- .22 Short · primary — also known as .22 Short, .22 Rimfire
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Revolving Cylinder
- Features: Barrelless Design, Brass Knuckle Grip, Spur Trigger, Birdhead Hammer, Concealable
Service history
Operators
- American civilian self-defense and gamblers
Production
Estimated total produced: 23,000 · Production years: 1868-1882
Roughly 10,690 of the seven-shot .22 model made between 1868 and 1882; about 23,000 knuckledusters produced across all calibers before Reid closed the shop.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: James Reid
Discontinued: 1882
Notes
Built without a conventional barrel; the cylinder chambers themselves serve as the firing bores. Also offered in five-shot .32 rimfire (~3,100 made, 1870-1882) and five-shot .41 rimfire (~150 made, 1870-1872). Frames were made of brass or iron and the guns were often engraved and silver-plated.
Background
James Reid, an Irish immigrant who settled in the Catskill Mountains of New York, marketed his palm-sized barrelless revolver under the affectionate name 'My Friend.' The gun became a favorite hideout piece of gamblers and frontier travelers who valued a weapon that could be fired in a fist or swung as brass knuckles.