Hey everyone, I have a question for the history buffs.
My wife and I are in the process of writing a novel which, perhaps, may one day be published. I've learned a TON of stuff here about the use and operation of firearms, for which I am very grateful, but I had some history questions as to what sort of gear people would be using. I have done what research I can, but I quickly feel I'm falling out of my depth.
The setting is 1890, US. The three main characters have all recently arrived from England. They are:
A female with a sawn-off, double barrelled shotgun, of which she is very fond. Because of her size, I was assuming this would be a 20 gauge SxS, break-action shotgun with a hammerless sidelock and a thumb switch for swapping between barrels. I was hoping to find an English model, since the firearm is from England, but wasn't able to find one matching my description. However, I believe Winchester made one?
She also has a heavy revolver. I haven't specified caliber or type yet, but she'll want something big, slow, and utilitarian (for heavy penetration, especially through stuff like water). Not sure where it's purchased yet, but either US or England.
The second character is male and really likes guns, but has little knowledge of them and money to blow. I wanted him to have a "cowboy revolver", probably a shiny, silver-plated, long-barrelled colt of whatever caliber will most impress the ladies. I assume most revolvers now are double-action?
I also saw a device while looking through the British Maritime Museum's internet collection of what looks to be a grenade launcher. It had a very short, but very wide barrel, with a short stock. It appeared to be break action. The picture wasn't well labelled however. Does anyone know anything about historical grenade launchers? What were they called? How did they operate? I assume the 'grenades' were timed, rather than exploding on contact. Any information here would definitely be appreciated.
The third character is another female with no firearms experience and a small frame. I'm guessing she'll stick to .32s and derringers for the most part, or a small rifle when necessary. I know the type of powder has changed between then and now, but I'm still assuming that the kick, and at minimum the weight of weapons hasn't changed substantially.
Beyond those, I'm mostly looking at the normal suspects; deringers and the like for small hands or discrete occaisions. Lever-action winchesters for hunting buffalo.
From what I've seen, neither England nor the US had any significant restrictions on white people carrying or owning firearms, and even Chicago didn't seem to have any anti-gun laws. Again, corrections are appreciated. We're currently focusing on Chicago and London primarily.
So there's my situation. I know there are some very smart people here, so certainly, any help is appreciated, or any suggestions on 'cool guns' that would be worth exploring further.
Thank you very much!
My wife and I are in the process of writing a novel which, perhaps, may one day be published. I've learned a TON of stuff here about the use and operation of firearms, for which I am very grateful, but I had some history questions as to what sort of gear people would be using. I have done what research I can, but I quickly feel I'm falling out of my depth.
The setting is 1890, US. The three main characters have all recently arrived from England. They are:
A female with a sawn-off, double barrelled shotgun, of which she is very fond. Because of her size, I was assuming this would be a 20 gauge SxS, break-action shotgun with a hammerless sidelock and a thumb switch for swapping between barrels. I was hoping to find an English model, since the firearm is from England, but wasn't able to find one matching my description. However, I believe Winchester made one?
She also has a heavy revolver. I haven't specified caliber or type yet, but she'll want something big, slow, and utilitarian (for heavy penetration, especially through stuff like water). Not sure where it's purchased yet, but either US or England.
The second character is male and really likes guns, but has little knowledge of them and money to blow. I wanted him to have a "cowboy revolver", probably a shiny, silver-plated, long-barrelled colt of whatever caliber will most impress the ladies. I assume most revolvers now are double-action?
I also saw a device while looking through the British Maritime Museum's internet collection of what looks to be a grenade launcher. It had a very short, but very wide barrel, with a short stock. It appeared to be break action. The picture wasn't well labelled however. Does anyone know anything about historical grenade launchers? What were they called? How did they operate? I assume the 'grenades' were timed, rather than exploding on contact. Any information here would definitely be appreciated.
The third character is another female with no firearms experience and a small frame. I'm guessing she'll stick to .32s and derringers for the most part, or a small rifle when necessary. I know the type of powder has changed between then and now, but I'm still assuming that the kick, and at minimum the weight of weapons hasn't changed substantially.
Beyond those, I'm mostly looking at the normal suspects; deringers and the like for small hands or discrete occaisions. Lever-action winchesters for hunting buffalo.
From what I've seen, neither England nor the US had any significant restrictions on white people carrying or owning firearms, and even Chicago didn't seem to have any anti-gun laws. Again, corrections are appreciated. We're currently focusing on Chicago and London primarily.
So there's my situation. I know there are some very smart people here, so certainly, any help is appreciated, or any suggestions on 'cool guns' that would be worth exploring further.
Thank you very much!
