Brass Knuckles Le Centenaire and Le Poilu

The great French revolution not only brought the spirit of democracy. In the wake of violence and unrest, street gangs, the so-called Apaches, appeared. They were christened after one of the Indian tribes for cruelty. Ordinary citizens were forced to defend themselves independently, since the state at that time could not ensure their safety. It is at this time that various things appear. weapon self-defense as part of the Belle Epoque phenomenon (beautiful era).

One of the typical representatives of such weapons is Le Centenaire pistol-brass knuckles (century). This pistol-brass knuckles released to the centenary of the Bastille.

The weapon has a fairly simple design, consisting of brass knuckles and built into its resistant handle of the firing device. The brass knuckle consists of a body with four holding holes. Extreme holes rounded, internal oval. The firing device is located at the base and consists of a barrel and a firing mechanism that also functions as a shutter.

The barrel has a length of 68 mm, smooth, without rifling. The barrel is a hollow tube designed to accommodate 22 caliber cartridges.

The shutter, as a separate part, is simply absent. Its function is performed by a spring-loaded drummer, which has a rounded shape. He locks the barrel during a shot.

The trigger mechanism is closed by a removable lid and consists of a trigger (drummer), a trigger with a spring, and a combat spring. Like many other combined weapons, pistol-brass knuckles do not have a fuse. For firing it was necessary to pull the trigger by the head, while the trigger became a combat platoon. With the trigger cocked, the trigger protruded from its slot. After placing the cartridge in the barrel chamber, the weapon was ready for shooting. After the shot, the extraction of the spent cartridge was carried out using any rod of the diameter or the brush that came with it. The Le Centenaire brass knuckles have a total length of 105 mm, height 70 mm, weight 150 grams.

The surface of the weapon is nickel plated. The Le Centenaire brass knuckle has the following marking on its surface: “LE CENTENAIRE COUP DE POING PISTOLE Bte. SGDG. FRANCE 1789 - 1889 AMERIQUE 1789 - 1889 DEPOT de PARIS 5 BD de Strasburg.

Similar inscriptions are also on the cover of the original weapon box. The gun-brass knuckles were completed with a box covered with leather on the outside and inside with a velvet or corduroy inside. The box had a brief illustrated instruction on the use of weapons, compartments for storing cartridges and a brush for cleaning the barrel.

Despite the fact that the brass knuckle is single-shot, the gun in combination with brass knuckles becomes a rather formidable weapon.

Pistol Le Centenaire (Pistol - knuckle duster Le Centenaire) is in demand among collectors, as a very unusual combined weapon. In good condition and in the original box, its value reaches approximately 1600 dollars.

Forty years later, thanks to its popularity, the brass pistol was revived again, made of brass.

The weapon had a marking dedicated to the First World War, in the form of the text "1914 - 1918 LE POILU" and images of the gun against the background of crossed banners on the surface of the frame, serial number on the surface of the trunk from the front.

On the front surface of the drummer there was an inscription “MODELE”, on its reverse side “DEPOSE”.

The Le Poilu brass knuckles have almost the same construction as Le Centenaire, only the shape of the drummer and the overall geometry of the weapon differ only slightly.

Comments

[avt]

I did not know about such an instance. +

[datur]

gopstopnik's dream !!

[Silent]

Class, I dream about this in the collection)))

[hitech]

Et yeah for or from the gops

[Mikhail3]

Quote: hitech

Et yeah for or from the gops

Regrettable historical illiteracy Ah, people ... brass knuckles from the moment of invention was considered a weapon of people of intellectual labor! Since until the very middle of the 20 century it did not occur to people that it might be a man who is not able to protect himself. But you need to make a discount on constant sitting at the table, the mind becomes stronger, the blow weakens ...
So the society, albeit with a slight creak, forgave the use of such withered witless people in libraries. The author is simply touching - gopniks appeared in Paris! Apache! And before that, the criminal capital of the European woman didn’t suffer anything like that! Why is a bandit such a thing? He is not going to fight back and, until after the shots all come to his senses, pull off. The bandit is a serious man. He needs a couple of bullets for the terpil, a couple for friends during the sharing, a couple for the police ... such a thing can only be dishonored. In general, an amusing toy.

[avt]

Quote: Mikhail3

Since until the very middle of the 20th century, it did not occur to people that it might be a man who is not able to protect himself.

Yeah, I used the special shockers in the KGB, it’s probably because of

Quote: Mikhail3

constant sitting at the table, the mind intensifies, the blow weakens ...

Leave the fairy tales of the 80s during the temptation to occupy yourself with a map about how metal masters broke armor with the fingers of a samurai master, Always people armed themselves to be an order of magnitude higher with an equal opponent.

Quote: Mikhail3

Why is a bandit such a thing?

Yes, they, like true knights without feathers and brass knuckles, and especially trunks, went to work and are doing it.

[Mikhail3]

Strange some objections, sorry. KGB ?! What, did the KGB have brass knuckles in service ?! Brass knuckles is a civilian weapon for ordinary people. Your next objection is probably because you did not understand me again. Yes, and it costs more to know ...
Let's take the same Paris. Have you ever heard such a word from the same "fairy tales of the 80s" - savat? A very French thing. Legs flutter ... But the savat was mainly used by the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. For physical improvement and ... for fun! You know what the prisoner is? Companies of wealthy youth regularly visited the workers' quarters, where they were awaited for the same fun by a group of proletarians. According to unwritten rules, aristocrats carried walking sticks, either poured in with lead, or simply representing steel rods. Well, the workers were not forbidden by a kind of etiquette and to get knives ... Both of them received pleasure.
Well, whoever received a knife in the liver, or rebar (according to modern times) in the temple, that ... himself! The bourgeois and aristocrats tightly impeded any investigation, even when one of them was dying. Because a man must be strong! He is a defender, a warrior, and without a real threat of death or a serious injury to real strength there will be no.
In all European countries, in our country and in many other places, this situation was the NORMAL. In one form or another, everyone tried to maintain the strength, fortress, fighting spirit of a person. We have a wall fight. And in the States, it even came to a special kind of duels! "Hunting accident" was called. That is, two people agreed and went to the forest. Go hunting. From different sides. And only one left the forest ...
I started digging the topic back in my youth, when I met an amazing sketch at Jack London's - he met a man, chatted with him for five minutes about socialism, found the conversation amusing and invited him to his yacht. Do you know why? Boxing! It was normal, generally accepted, pleasant to both sides business! Remember the first episode of our "Sherlock Holmes"? How do Holmes and Watson start dating? It's just that the screenwriter is an educated person.
No, nobody thought to pick out armor with fingers. All this samurai spirit in general is an invention of American marketers. But the real fortress of men was what the ancestors valued. Not sparing even life is necessary. It is a pity and a shame that stupid jumpers overshadowed absolutely real London, who did not see anything strange or stupid in tapping his interlocutor with a glove on his liver and shoving himself in his cheekbone. And the worst thing is the Russian fist wall that has left us. In which our power was transmitted. And not idiotic tales at all ...

[gridasov]

Exactly ! A person who focuses on the use of one of the types of weapons is limited by the function of this weapon. A person who has an expanded imagination in the application of a striking element, any conditions or circumstances is potentially much more viable. Of course, this is somewhat exaggerated because you can create algorithms for the application of damaging factors from changing situations. Therefore, the best specialists are educated and naturally gifted with will, perseverance and determination.

[Frate]

Regrettable self-righteousness. My post-war childhood was spent in frequent mass fights. They used homemade knuckle dusters and envied those who still had their grandfather's "factory" production. Almost every adult gangster and hooligan in our area, except for the "finyak" (Finnish knife), had brass knuckles. Moreover, they flaunted in front of each other, showing off the originality of the performance. It’s a pity they didn’t know that this is a weapon of people of mental labor! There were dull people, however!

[Mikhail3]

Yes. It is a pity that they did not know. It is inexpressibly sorry that the CPSU decided that it could replace God. The folk tradition of male self-improvement was forcibly interrupted, trampled, destroyed. The interconnection of generations was interrupted ... and then it became clear-the CPSU is not pulling, the brain is already dumb at all.
So the real upbringing, which had covered all sections of the population and worked for thousands of years, was painfully killed. And nothing at least as far as adequate appeared in return. The Communists simply retired, in truth - they fled. But they did not forget to take away any weapon from normal, law-abiding, people supporting the power.
As a result, the beast, which was no longer restrained in its niche, went into gear, that's all. Before, every person "was for the law." Or was "against the law." And those who are for the law, restrained the development of lawlessness, in which they had the right and power. And the state intervened even when this power was lacking. And suddenly, instead of that it became "don't go to that area!" And that's all. The man could do nothing more.
The topic is big and very sore. From it, in fact, a large part of the ills of modern society grows ...

[alex-cn]

The quintessence of such weapons was the Le Faucher revolver, which included a revolver, brass knuckles and a knife.
Some of the cartridges presented in the box are very similar to Montecristo, they seem to be 6 mm, at least I saw and measured these, correct if I'm wrong.

[rostov-dad]

4.5 mm flaubert cartridges without gunpowder a purely flammable composition. bullet about 3.5 gr. speed up to 300m \ s. In general, an amusing thing, you need to somehow try to do this.

[alexx83]

By the way, brass knuckles (fr.) Is a puzzle. The mentioned "savat" - the technique of blows - knees and elbows. They hardly work with a bare fist. Break your head, what they put on a fist?

[Mikhail3]

Quote: gridasov

Exactly ! Therefore, the best specialists are educated and naturally gifted with will, perseverance and determination.

It is impossible to bestow these qualities genetically, sorry. It can only be raised.
Judging by the comments, on a specialized site, almost no one understood me, including the luminaries. Longing ... I'll try to make an article.

[hitech]

Quote: Mikhail3

Quote: hitech

Et yeah for or from the gops

Regrettable historical illiteracy Ah, people ... brass knuckles from the moment of invention was considered a weapon of people of intellectual labor! Since until the very middle of the 20 century it did not occur to people that it might be a man who is not able to protect himself. But you need to make a discount on constant sitting at the table, the mind becomes stronger, the blow weakens ...
So the society, albeit with a slight creak, forgave the use of such withered witless people in libraries. The author is simply touching - gopniks appeared in Paris! Apache! And before that, the criminal capital of the European woman didn’t suffer anything like that! Why is a bandit such a thing? He is not going to fight back and, until after the shots all come to his senses, pull off. The bandit is a serious man. He needs a couple of bullets for the terpil, a couple for friends during the sharing, a couple for the police ... such a thing can only be dishonored. In general, an amusing toy.

I won’t argue with you because you poke the cons. Even if this is an "invention of people of mental labor", however, when in the doorway you are asked to "light a cigarette" with this "work", then all sorts of philosophical insinuations fly into the background. You, as I understand it, are not very familiar with such situations. Do not blame me.