Velo-dog
The Velo-Dog was a pocket revolver originally created in France by Charles-François Galand in the late 19th century as a defense for cyclists against dog attacks.[1] The name is a portmanteau of "velocipede" and "dog".
Surviving examples vary considerably in appearance, but all have certain features in common. All have short barrels and fired the 5.75 mm (.22 calibre) Velo-dog cartridge. The hammer is shrouded to avoid its snagging on clothing, so the weapon is double action only. Another unusual feature on many guns is the lack of a trigger guard, and a trigger that folds into the body of the weapon when not in use.
The revolver uses the 5.75mm Velo-dog cartridge, a centrefire 5.5 mm (nominally 5.75) cartridge slightly less powerful than the 22 Long Rifle, using a jacketed bullet. For the more humane, there were cartridges loaded with spice or salt.[citation needed] The cartridge is, or was until very recently, still made by Fiocchi.[2]
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[edit] In popular culture
- A Velo-dog makes a minor appearance as an assassin's concealable pistol in the novel The Death of Achilles, one of Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin series.
- And also in the novel Hot Springs, one of Stephen Hunter series.
[edit] References
- ^ Barnes, Frank C. (Ken Warner, Editor) 1989. Cartridges of the World, 6th Edition. DBI Books, Inc. Northbrook, Illinois. p. 218. ISBN 0-87349-033-9.
- ^ Barnes. Cartridges of the World (tenth ed.). pp. 300.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
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