Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Philip · 20th December 2006, 07:00 AM

Fernando,
It is quite amusing to imagine a priest on a bicycle trying to shoot a dog that's chasing him and trying to nip at the hem of his cassock! One doesn't expect European clergymen to be carrying firearms as they rode around their parishes! (of course in the American West it was another story, but my reference books say that Velo-Dog pistols were never made in the US)

Your two pistols happen to be single-shots. I'm more familiar with the Velo-Dog revolvers made until after the First World War in France, Germany, and Belgium. The revolver version of these dog pistols was first made in 1894 by Galand in Paris (this firm was noted for its revolver designs, they even made a double-action service pistol for the imperial Russian navy).

The Velo-Dog revolver took a 5.5 mm center-fire cartridge that is a little longer then the common .22 rimfire "long" cartridge used today in rifles all over the world. However, the 5.5 mm is less powerful than the .22 long rifle cartridge.

Do your pistols have chambers long enough to accept the .22 long cartridge? Also, are your guns center- or rimfire? (you can tell from the position of the firing pin relative to the chamber opening). If your dog guns take a much shorter cartridge, then they are probably older models, used before the 1894 revolvers came on the market.

20th December 2006, 07:00 AM	#7
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	Woof! Fernando, It is quite amusing to imagine a priest on a bicycle trying to shoot a dog that's chasing him and trying to nip at the hem of his cassock! One doesn't expect European clergymen to be carrying firearms as they rode around their parishes! (of course in the American West it was another story, but my reference books say that Velo-Dog pistols were never made in the US) Your two pistols happen to be single-shots. I'm more familiar with the Velo-Dog revolvers made until after the First World War in France, Germany, and Belgium. The revolver version of these dog pistols was first made in 1894 by Galand in Paris (this firm was noted for its revolver designs, they even made a double-action service pistol for the imperial Russian navy). The Velo-Dog revolver took a 5.5 mm center-fire cartridge that is a little longer then the common .22 rimfire "long" cartridge used today in rifles all over the world. However, the 5.5 mm is less powerful than the .22 long rifle cartridge. Do your pistols have chambers long enough to accept the .22 long cartridge? Also, are your guns center- or rimfire? (you can tell from the position of the firing pin relative to the chamber opening). If your dog guns take a much shorter cartridge, then they are probably older models, used before the 1894 revolvers came on the market.