Velo-dog
Encyclopedia
The Velo-Dog was a pocket
revolver
originally created in France
by Charles-François Galand in the late 19th century as a defense for cyclists against dog attacks. The name is a portmanteau of "velocipede
" and "dog".
Surviving examples vary considerably in appearance, but all have certain features in common. All have short barrels and fired the 5.75 mm (.22 calibre) Velo-dog cartridge. The hammer is shrouded to avoid its snagging on clothing, so the weapon is double action only. Another unusual feature on many guns is the lack of a trigger guard
, and a trigger that folds into the body of the weapon when not in use.
The revolver uses the 5.75mm Velo-dog cartridge, a centrefire 5.5 mm (nominally 5.75) cartridge slightly less powerful than the 22 Long Rifle, using a jacketed bullet. For the more humane, there were cartridges loaded with spice or salt. The cartridge is, or was until very recently, still made by Fiocchi.
Pocket pistol
A pocket pistol is an American term for any small, pocket-sized semi-automatic pistol or, less-popular, any other handgun of small caliber, suitable for concealed carry in either a front or rear pocket of a pair of trousers, or in an exterior coat pocket...
revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
originally created in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
by Charles-François Galand in the late 19th century as a defense for cyclists against dog attacks. The name is a portmanteau of "velocipede
Velocipede
Velocipede is an umbrella term for any human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle....
" and "dog".
Surviving examples vary considerably in appearance, but all have certain features in common. All have short barrels and fired the 5.75 mm (.22 calibre) Velo-dog cartridge. The hammer is shrouded to avoid its snagging on clothing, so the weapon is double action only. Another unusual feature on many guns is the lack of a trigger guard
Trigger guard
A trigger guard is a loop surrounding the trigger of a firearm and protecting it from accidental discharge.Some assault rifles can have their trigger guard removed or positioned as not to impair firing with gloves for example in Arctic conditions....
, and a trigger that folds into the body of the weapon when not in use.
The revolver uses the 5.75mm Velo-dog cartridge, a centrefire 5.5 mm (nominally 5.75) cartridge slightly less powerful than the 22 Long Rifle, using a jacketed bullet. For the more humane, there were cartridges loaded with spice or salt. The cartridge is, or was until very recently, still made by Fiocchi.
In popular culture
- A Velo-dog makes a minor appearance as an assassin's concealable pistol in the novel The Death of AchillesThe Death of AchillesThe Death of Achilles is the fourth novel in the Erast Fandorin series by Boris Akunin. Its subtitle is детектив о наемном убийце . It was originally published in Russian in 1998; the English translation was released in 2006.-Plot:Moscow, 1882...
, one of Boris AkuninBoris AkuninBoris Akunin is the pen name of Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili , a Russian writer. He is an essayist, literary translator and writer of detective fiction.-Life and career:...
's Erast FandorinErast FandorinErast Petrovich Fandorin is a fictional 19th-century Russian detective and the hero of a series of Russian historical detective novels by Boris Akunin. The first novel was published in Russia in 1998, and the latest was published in December 2009...
series. - And also in the novel Hot SpringsHot Springs (novel)Hot Springs is a fictional work by Stephen Hunter, published in 2000.Hot Springs is a novel telling about gangsters and gambling in U.S. city Hot Springs, Arkansas...
, one of Stephen HunterStephen HunterStephen Hunter is an American novelist, essayist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic.-Life and career:Stephen Hunter was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. His father was Charles Francis Hunter, a Northwestern University speech professor who was killed in 1975....
series.