Well Queequeg you always come up with fascinating topics!
As you have already noted, the brandistock seems to have been a polearm type version of the sword stick used in both civilian and sometimes military or police sectors from 16th to 19th c.
As noted, these operated on a movement initiated extension, but whether any used some sort of mechanical propulsion is anybody's guess.
It seems that arms curiosa and combination weapons have been around for quite some time, but typically were rather 'one-off' except for the well known swords and daggers fitted with pistol barrels which seem quite common in variations.
I suppose it would be worthwhile to consider in what context would such a concealed spear be advantageous. Most concealed arms, such as sword sticks etc. seem to be for use in metropolitan settings where an attack or confrontation would be likely in narrow streets or alleys . In these confined settings it would seem that such a lengthy item would be more of a nuisance, much like a lance in close quarters melee.
In any case, it will be interesting to discover whether anyone has heard of such a 'brandistock' with mechanical apparatus for deploying its blade.
What piqued your interest in this particular anomaly?
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