Rouchouse Pistol
Établissements Rouchouse & Cie · Pistol · Discontinued · 1892
Also known as: Rouchouse Merveilleux, Le Merveilleux, Rouchouse Squeezer, Rouchouse Palm Pistol
Overview
The Rouchouse 'Le Merveilleux' is a French squeeze-fire palm pistol designed by Saint-Étienne gunmaker Jacques Rouchouse, patented in 1889 and produced from 1892 by Établissements Rouchouse & Cie. Held concealed in a closed fist with the short barrel protruding between the fingers, the pistol has no conventional trigger: squeezing a front-facing sliding lever with the fingers trips a side-mounted hammer to fire the chambered round, and releasing it re-cocks the action and feeds the next cartridge from a top-loaded internal magazine. A follower stud on the left side served as a rudimentary round counter. Offered in 8mm Merveilleux (the 8x9R centerfire round shared with the Gaulois) and a smaller 5.5mm chambering, it is an ornately engraved vest-pocket curiosity from the golden age of French pocket-pistol invention.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 250 g (8.8 oz) |
| Overall Length | 115 mm (4.53") |
| Barrel Length | 50 mm (1.97") |
| Height | 73 mm (2.87") |
| Action Type | Breech Loading |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 110 m/s (361 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 17 J (13 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 5 m (5 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Ebonite |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 8mm Merveilleux · primary — also known as 8mm Gaulois, 8x9R, 8mm Mitrailleuse, 8mm Spéciale
- 5.5mm Merveilleux — also known as 5.5mm Velo-Dog
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Internal Magazine
- Features: Palm Squeezer Action, Manual Rearmament, Engraved Frame, Top Loading Magazine, Round Counter Follower, Concealable
Service history
Operators
- Civilian market
Production
Production years: 1892-1923
Built in Saint-Étienne by Jacques Rouchouse (active c.1889-1923), successor of Félix Escoffier. The design won four gold medals at world expositions. Production was small; surviving examples are scarce collector pieces, many engraved 'I SGDG' with serial numbers.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Jacques Rouchouse
Discontinued: 1923
Notes
Distinct from the unrelated .25 ACP era pocket pistols: the Merveilleux is a black-powder/early-smokeless palm 'squeezer' chambered for the low-velocity 8mm Merveilleux (also sold as 8mm Gaulois / 8x9R, a ~2.85 g lead bullet at roughly 110 m/s) and a 5.5mm variant. Capacity is most often cited as 7 rounds, though some surviving examples and the related Gaulois are noted at 5. Overall length about 115 mm, height about 73 mm, mass roughly 0.16-0.30 kg depending on finish. The maker also produced a related top-break 'Renovator' design.
Background
Jacques Rouchouse, a Saint-Étienne gunmaker active from about 1889 to 1923 and successor to Félix Escoffier, won four gold medals at world expositions for his 'Le Merveilleux' squeeze-fire palm pistol, a fist-concealed self-defence oddity with no trigger, fired by clenching the hand, from the late-19th-century heyday of French novelty pocket pistols.