|
Many of the Flobert guns had no firing pin as we think of it. The whole breechblock (which was often just the hammer) simply drove forward and struck the base of the case. The forward inertia of the breechblock kept the lid on with the low pressure round. In fact, some of the early Flobert rounds really had no rim, just a kind of taper. Smith and Wesson get credit for the rim, as they wanted to use the ammo in a revolver and couldn't easily have a huge breechblock slamming around. They also put some powder in the round and the .22 Short was born.
Jim
|