My Opinions on Buying/Collecting Duelling Pistols

     There are lots of old pistols if you know where to look.  You can find everything, fakes, reproductions, even the real stuff.  In order to reduce the volumes of information I will limit my opinions to duelling pistols.  Many types of pistols have been used in duels.  The first pistol duels were surely fought with Holster pistols or transitional duellers with some features, but pistols exclusively for dueling were introduced about 1770.  Duels were fought with the best set of guns at the participants disposal.

    When you find a matched set of old pistols you have to look a bit closer to determine there intended use.  Barrel length, barrel shape, bore, many items would indicate duelling, all the items together ensure the pistols were designed for duelling.  In my opinion any matched pair of duelling pistols is worth 2-3 thousand dollars.  The value climbs as the quality of the guns, the gun maker, the gun box, the accessories, and the guns history improve.  A nice matched pair from a good gun maker should be over 5 thousand dollars.  When the guns are cased your talking 8-10 thousand minimum.  Part of the problem is that people find an old gun box, and then try to find a pair of guns to make it a cased set.  It was very common in the old days to have guns and cases redone when they changed hands.  Gun Makers often replaced labels if they updated or modified another maker’s set of guns.  In French cased sets the pieces all fit perfectly, they almost snap into place tightly.  The French molded the box for every piece in the box.  The English used compartments within the box, walls if you like, the compartments and box were made for a specific set of guns and the parts and guns should fit snugly.  Extra space anywhere typically indicates a variance from the original products.

    I think English and French Duelling Pistols are the most collectable.  The English started it all and you can get English sets from makers that had key roles in the development and design of the perfect pistol for duelling.  The French sets are just flat out beautiful, with fluted barrels, intricate woodcarving, elaborate engraving.  If you are just looking for one set for your formal room or entrance hall I would recommend that you look to your roots and get a set that falls within your family tree.  It is a lot of fun to research old duels that were actually fought.  I tie every set in my collection to an actual duel where they could have been present.  When duels were actually fought some rules required that four or five different sets were brought to the site of the duel.  France had years with 500+ duels fought.  2,500 or more different sets could have had factual histories in just one year in France.  I have searched the world over; go to antique gun shows every year, and doubt that I have even seen/touched 500 nice cased sets in my life.

    Early duellers were full stocked and lightweight, weighing from 1.5 to 1.75 pounds.  They had bores from .50-.60 caliber, octagonal barrels between 9 –10 inches long, side curved butts, rear sights, and smooth bore.  This duelling standard slowly evolved to a half stocked heavier barreled gun, with barrel length ranging from 8.5 –11 inches, and smaller calibers.  The reason was recoil; heavier barrels reduced recoil and significantly improved accuracy.  A major enhancement to guns in general was the introduction of the Percussion cap.  1822 -1825 seems to be the period in which almost all gun makers switched from Flintlock to Percussion.  In general a Flintlock set is worth more.  Many gun sets were converted because the Percussion Cap was easier to use and much more reliable.  In British Army tests in 1834, flintlock muskets misfired once every 13 times the trigger was pulled.  Percussion caps failed only one in 166 shots.  Caps significantly reduced lock time and improved velocity to the bullet, since none of the explosive force was vented.  Features like Percussion will date the guns.  There were many changes or evolutions in gun making; all of them had a date of introduction, which can be used to date the set of pistols.  Rifled barrels became popular in continental sets in the later years.

    The history of a gun is very hard to prove.  Letters or documents would be fantastic but can be easily created with today’s technology.  Claims are actually easier to disprove then they are to prove.  For example I have a book  “The Mantons”, that lists some Manton guns by serial number, date, and description.  The only real fixed history is typically on the case.  A plaque with initials or markings is one of the few things that can be utilized to prove history.  I have a set that has a Royal Crown, the initials LL, and a Navel Anchor on the front.  The guns are original Percussion.  I am very comfortable that this set of guns was made after 1825 for a member of the French Royal Family that was a Navel Officer and had the initials LL.  You can actually research the lineage through services available in England.  This in itself is rare on a set of guns, and increases it’s value.   Other things that increase the sets value are within the case unique features that show an improvement or patent of that gun maker.  I look for guns that have a different look from other guns in my collection.  If they were all checker handled Flintlocks it would be a very boring collection.  The guns I enjoy the most have unique features that I have never seen anywhere else.  For example, I have a half stocked set that has a second set of barrels.  You can actually remove the dueling barrels and convert the guns to belt pistols, they have pocket clips.  A gentleman could use the belt pistols for protection while out on the town, and have a set of duelers to use the next day if his honor was challenged.  I have another set that has four pistols.  The second set of guns was for the seconds to use to enforce the agreed to rules.  If we agreed to 12 paces for first fire, my second would shoot my adversary if he turned at 10 paces.  Things like these make the set totally unique and increase its value.

    Most major museums in Europe have Duelling Pistols.  Made for Kings, inlayed with gold and silver, elaborate carvings, and worth millions of dollars.  These guns will not come up for sale, but the finer antique shops in Europe do carry very nice sets.  London and Paris are my favorite cities to shop for guns.  Getting them back can be a significant challenge.  I have found nice sets from about $15,000.00 to $125,000.00.  A nice set to me is two perfectly matched pistols, a well-known gun maker, a nice gun box, and all the accessories fitting correctly and filling all openings. 

    Do not lose focus on the most important issues for value, the set of guns and the gun maker.  I have seen sets of guns that were used and abused.  A set of Duelling Pistols makes a statement of honor, code, and heritage.  They will be examined, they will be discussed, and they will be held if accessible.  Get a set that fits your budget; tie it to a duel that is historically correct to the guns, and fun for you; A lover’s quarrel, a political squabble, an officer’s honor, your family history.  You will have an investment that appreciates and an item in your home that makes a real statement.

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Last modified: March 21, 2005