Thought this cane air gun would be interesting.

[hso]

I stumbled across this searching auctions.



Description: This is a cane gun with an ivory top. The cane is attributed to John Blanch of London (1801-1900). The over-all length is 38 1/2 in. at about .40 caliber. The complete set comes with a key for cocking the mechanism and an air pump. The brass covered end cap removes to reveal the ramrod. A small front sight and small buck-horn shaped rear sight is intact. This is a neat invention. The overall appearance is a wood stained cane when in reality it is a metal frame and barrel. No gun collection is complete without one of these inventive guns. This gun is an antique and no attempt has been made to fire this gun to confirm its mechanical integrity. Nor should this gun be fired without the examination by a qualified gunsmith. Any attempt to fire an antique gun is at the risk of the owner and not consistent with the value of the firearm.

 

[sean m]

To bad no one makes such things anymore.....

 

[jmorris]

I like it, being pneumatic it wouldn’t be an AOW these days either

 

[chicharrones]

I swear I wait for the day I need to walk with a cane just for the contraptions that can be hidden within.

 

[CapnMac]

I swear I wait for the day I need to walk with a cane

It's a bit less thatn what it's cracked up to be, sad to say (and I'm, really more of a "keep from falling down" than "can't stand up" user).

The ingenuity of our forebears really has no limits. Pneumatic guns have been around since the 1700s. Which does make me curious as to what sorts of pressure the cane was meant to be pumped up to. A .38-.39 lead ball at 400-600 fps would be nothing to sneeze at.

That being said, I've never quite understood the thinking behind cane guns. The number of situations where you are going to be able to engage with a weapon circa 30" long is slim, and having the thing have a changeable length introduces a number of failure points in the design, not least of which in having a less-sturdy cane for its main use. But, I may be biased from too many years' kata with tongfa, jo, and yari. A nice stoud blackthorn suits me just fine. My 2¢, others' will differ.

 

[fpgt72]

I like it, being pneumatic it wouldn’t be an AOW these days either

Yet....do not underestimate them.

 

[kBob]

If it were not for pesky laws I think a nice cane with a NAA mini revolver worked into it would be nice. A series of flutes in the lower two thirds of the shaft could camo the one that is actually a gun port. Re spring it so the hammer spring does not need to go down into a grip and equip it with a folding trigger. May be a twist and slide ring to cock the hammer and pulling back allow the folding trigger to drop.

A cane would also be a nice place to conceal a "Metal Storm" barrel with 6 or ten charges in it and a switch to allow either single shots or burst fire of say a 9x19mm eqivilant.

These would be for a non existent fictional universe and not our own, of course.

BTW I finally got a copy of my last paid story from over a decade ago in one of Eric Flint's Grantville Gazettes. I never got around to buying one back then and the check was needed for more important items.

-kBob

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Cool Idea

 

[Michael Tinker Pearce]

These were apparently sometimes used for poaching. "Good day, Constable! Just out for a stroll..."

 

[RedlegRick]

I swear I wait for the day I need to walk with a cane just for the contraptions that can be hidden within.

No you don't. I've needed a cane to get around for the last twenty seven years after breaking my back in a traffic accident.

I don't care there are bans on cane guns/swords because they make terrible weapons. Too much weight and you'll feel it in your shoulder and upper back, and if you're using it as a weapon, it's not performing its intended job as a mobility aid.

Mine makes for a great rest for either a rifle or handgun, and I cannot confirm or deny that I whacked the s**t out of some young buck outside a bar who thought the guy with the cane had surplus funds to hand out.

I picked up a little bartitsu along the way, just for fun. Much better and more effective use of one, in my opinion.

 

[chicharrones]

I picked up a little bartitsu along the way, just for fun. Much better and more effective use of one, in my opinion.

Sounds a bit "Sherlock Holmes" to me.

 

[RedlegRick]

It's elementary. Use what you got effectively is better than half measures. I think the OPs find is awesome, but more a novelty than anything. I use my cane for real, not as a fashion statement as they used to be back in the day.

It's my belief anything that combines two or more widely disparate functions will do neither well.

 

[chicharrones]

I think the OPs find is awesome, but more a novelty than anything.

Same here. Still, I do like that novelty of such a device. I'm a sucker for things with hidden functions.

 

[22250Rem]

No gun collection is complete without one of these inventive guns.

........ While it's unique and rare and sort of cool I wouldn't agree that one should be included in my collection to make it "complete".