The following article was written by my father Bill Goodman for publication in Black Powder Cartridge News magazine. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to provide a photo shoot of an extensive collection of antique small-caliber handguns which will likewise be published in Black Powder Cartridge News and accompany the article.
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Delayed Lethality
Written by Bill Goodman
Photography by Dan Goodman
This affluent lady carried an ivory gripped, engraved Remington Vest Pocket .41 Short RF derringer (c.1865-1888) along with her cigarette/thin cigar holder and cutter in a solid gold mesh evening bag.
In the natural world there are animals that kill their prey quickly and cleanly through brute strength and sheer size. The Polar Bear, Grizzly and Big Cats belong in this category. In cartridge terms these predators might be likened to the .44 Magnum or .454 Casull. Then there are the purveyors of less obvious, lingering death. Just as deadly as the predators already mentioned, these killers merely take a little more time to achieve their final goal. The venomous snakes and certain stinging insects come to mind. Again, in cartridge terms think of these nasty little rascals as black powder rounds like the .22, .32, .38 and .41 short rim fires commonly chambered in derringer and pocket revolvers.
Colt Open Top 7-shot .22 Short RF c.1876 shown with .22 Short RF, .32 Short RF, .38 Short RF, .41 Short RF, .44 Bulldog CF and a modern jacketed hollow point .38 Special for comparison. Note the length of the .38 Special compared to the length of the Colt’s cylinder!
Post-Civil War carpetbaggers and scallywags traveling the Reconstruction South would likely carry a large holster gun like this Union issued Remington New Model .44 caliber Army Revolver and a hidden Brown Manufacturing Co. “Southerner” marked .41 RF derringer (scarce iron frame variant, c.1869-1873)
To the unfortunate recipient, upon striking flesh and bone modern magnum handgun rounds firing jacketed hollow point slugs at 1200 to 1500 feet per second (fps) do tremendous damage and often cause near instantaneous death. This is all well documented and not at all surprising. But, turn the clock back to the latter half of the nineteenth century and the situation could very easily reflect the second animal analogy used previously.
Small caliber combination handguns like the 7-shot Reid “My Friend” Knuckleduster (c.1868-1882) offered both shooting and smacking power for close quarter engagements. Heavy brass knuckles could be just as deadly if not more so.
Early Henry Deringer percussion pocket pistol with barrel stamped “Made for Hyde & Goodrich, Agents, N.O.” (New Orleans) c.1835-1845 shown with Sheffield English made cutlery handle spear point bowie.
Low powered black powder handgun rounds like those used in common hideout weapons could kill just as well as modern big bores… they just took a bit longer to get the job done. To consider this we have to see more than the lightweight, round nose lead slug pushed along by a petite charge of black powder. We have to understand that this was a time before the use of antibiotics and sterile surgical instruments. People lived in perpetual fear of injuries that might worsen through infection. Crush a finger or toe- not all that uncommon in a rural environment or in a pre-OSHA factory- and after your amputation the osteomyelitis infection might be your demise. Slip with the kindling hatchet- wood cooking and heating- and before your stitches are removed the ensuing staph infection might send you to the happy chopping ground.
Allen bar-hammer double action single shot pistols and pepperboxes were popular, less expensive options to Henry Deringers and Colt or Remington percussion revolvers. Many found their way to the gold fields of California. The wrench on the bullet mold fit over the octagon part of the single shot pistol for unscrewing the barrel to facilitate breech loading.
Frank Wesson over-under .41 RF derringer with sliding/locking dagger (c.1868-1880) shown with ivory handled California style dagger and ivory double hilted push dagger.
So assuming any 19th century deep cut or sub-cutaneous wound could be potentially mortal, let’s examine why these seemingly ineffectual pocket pistol cartridges could be viewed as even more dangerous than might be expected. First, let’s examine the slug itself. The mass and weight was certainly small for caliber. Here are some typical bullet weight examples: .22 Short RF- 29 grains, .32 Extra Short/Short RF- 54/80 grains, .38 Short RF- 125 grains, .41 Short RF- 130 grains, .44 Bull Dog CF- 168 grains. Fired in extremely short barreled pistols and revolvers of the time, these black powder backed slugs typically achieved 400-500 FPS. So it’s obvious these abbreviated, squat bullets weren’t going to penetrate very deeply, especially after passing through layers of clothing- more on this in a moment. What made these projectiles so frightening were their outside lubricated designs. Modern lead slugs (with the exception of most .22 rim fires) have the lubed grease grooves protected inside the brass case. In the black powder era, most pistol rounds carried heeled bullets with outside lube. It was this sticky grease that collected all sorts of tiny debris and germs. Receiving the business end of one of these low powered lead bullets- while usually not immediately fatal and certainly not pleasant- was one thing, but the associated bacteria delivered simultaneously was the real punch line. If that didn’t get you, the doctor’s dirty hands and instruments just might!
High quality Colt New Line .41 RF or CF revolver (this one CF c.1876) shown with bill of lading from T. C. Power & Bro. Fort Benton, Montana Territory.
This image features the Gem, one of the smallest handguns ever made.
Look at photos from the time period. What will immediately catch your attention (aside from the lack of obese people) is the formality of dress. Even in frontier towns out west, men wore dress jackets over their shirts and ties. Many also sported vests and although the photos don’t show it, probably long underwear too. Considering the lack of plumbing and running water, hygiene as we are used to it, was, to be sensitive to our ancestors, limited. Morning or nightly showers hadn’t been invented yet and baths were time consuming affairs usually reserved for certain days of the week (month?) or special occasions. The concept of mechanized clothes washers and dryers wasn’t even a concept at this time! What all this fashion and hygiene talk comes back to is Germs (with a capital G). Get shot (or in the case of the Frank Wesson .41 RF over/under derringer with 1 ½” sliding dagger, shot AND stabbed!) at the Saturday night poker game or square dance and maybe you’d recover enough for the next Saturday’s fun and games… but probably not the Saturday after that!
Categories: Photography, Writing
Dan Goodman Photography 
Just amazing photos Dan! Congratulations!