Place of origin Belgium Designed 1860 Produced 1869 | Designer Louis Dolne Manufacturer L. Dolne à Liege | |
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Type Multi-Purpose Pinfire Revolver | ||
An Apache revolver is a handgun which incorporates multiple other weapons, made notorious by the French underworld figures of the early 1900s known as Les Apaches.
Contents
History
The design dates from the 1860s, and is attributed to Louis Dolne. The gun was manufactured until the end of the 1800s.
Description
The Apache operates on the principle of a pepperbox revolver using a pinfire cartridge and incorporates a fold-over knuckle duster forming the grip and also a rudimentary foldout, dual-edged knife.
Due to the lack of a barrel, the revolver's effective range is very limited, but since all of its component parts can be folded inward towards the cylinder, it was easily concealable inside a pocket. It was common to leave an empty chamber with no cartridge under the hammer to prevent shooting oneself while having it concealed in a pocket or bag, as the weapon has no trigger guard or safety. This weapon is not able to be aimed precisely because of its lack of front and rear sights. Despite its limited potential, the revolver proved deadly at extremely close range. For reloading, the cartridge cylinder must be removed and replaced with a full one.
A 9×19mm Parabellum revolver of similar design (but no official designation) was allegedly used by British Commandos during World War II, though exact statistics about production numbers and technical details have as yet remained undisclosed to the public.