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What makes a pistol a horse pistol?
I toss the term about quite a bit, but have I ever really made an objective definition?
The original term is for a large, muzzle loading, pistol that was holstered on the saddle rather than the person. Saddle pistol is a synonym. They were typically larger than average in both size and caliber.
The first time I applied it, though, I was talking about the Beretta M9.
The M9 is a very large gun for what it is and what it does.
But it's not that much larger than most other 9mm's.
It feels big. Larger than it is. A bit awkward and ungainly.
The SIG P220 doesn't feel like a horse pistol to me, nor does the M1911A1. The CZ 97B sure does.
A Desert Eagle is definitely a horse pistol. So are N-Frames and Anacondas.
I think it's a bit subjective, but I'm still working on being objective about it.
Well, originally horse pistols were a type of gun somewhere between normal pistols and carbines. So a big honking long-barreled pistol designed to be used from horse.
ReplyDeleteIn today's context, a HP would be one best worn open carry. Definitely not a Florida Summer concealed carry pistol.
I never gave much thought to a horse pistol. When I owned it, a Ruger 7 1/2" Blackhawk in .30 carbine was kept on the bench seat of my pick-up. I had a vertical Uncle Mikes shoulder holster for it, but it was hard to draw when steering wheel was in the way. When I wasn't in truck, it was rarely carried about the ranch house. A bit bulky and heavy.
ReplyDeleteMy Uncle told me to kill every coyote spotted during calving season, and I tried to honor that every time and opportunity. Flat shooting, but extremely loud. To the point where I began to develop a flinch.
jrg
Yeah that .30 carbine Ruger is LOUD. I inherited one and once used it for petty revenge against a neighbor. When I was farming the guy who lived across the street decided to have a very loud party until late in the night. The cliche about how early farmers get up is true so I was unhappy with my neighbor. Anyway I decided that I needed to practice with that Ruger in my front yard early that morning. After about 20 minutes neighbor and wife came staggering out of his house and blearily drove away. Was it something I did?
ReplyDeleteThe 92 Beretta was cloned in Turkey a number of years ago by license from Beretta for internal use. One thing they made was a smaller 92 clone that still used factory mags. They were not supposed to be sold out of Turkey but somehow showed up at CDNN for $300. I got one and it is just the right size. The Turks made a great copy of the 84 also, which I passed up at the same price. All of my gun buying regrets come from what I did not buy, except for that nasty NAA 380.