The Velo-dog Revolver was a French pocket revolver, designed by Charles-Francois Galand in 1894. The name "Velo-dog" comes from the portmanteau of the words "Velocipede" (an early type of bicycle) and "dog" which alludes to the fact that the Velo-dog was designed to protect cyclists from wild dog attacks.
Design Details[]
The Velo-Dog was designed to be used in defence against wild dog attacks when the user was on a bicycle. Therefore the hammer is concealed within the frame, preventing it from snagging on the user's pocket when they drew it, ergo the Velo-Dog fires using a double action only mechanism. This mechanism was as simple as possible to prevent the user from having to regularly maintain the firearm.
The Velo-Dog was manufactured with a 1.5in long barrel that lacked rifling which limited the range of the Velo-Dog to some degree. The whole gun itself only measured 5in in length to allow the user to wield it in one hand. A very simple safety mechanism, operated via a lever, was also fitted to the Velo-Dog which was quick to engage and disengage with only one hand. The trigger varied from Velo-Dog to Velo-Dog, some having trigger guards some not, with those that lacked a trigger guard often having folding triggers.
Ammunition[]
The Velo-Dog was designed to fire its own specific cartridge, the 5.5mm calibre (often written as 5.75mm) Velo-Dog cartridge, which had been designed alongside the Velo-Dog. The cartridge was less powerful and marginally smaller than the conventional .22 Long Rifle and was often filled with spice or salt for more humane use.
Usage[]
The 5.5mm Velo-Dog Cartridge
The Velo-Dog was originally manufactured in France by its designer Charles-Francois Galand where it would be manufactured (roughly in exactly the same way) for around 55 years. In America the Velo-Dog became popular enough for other gunmakers to begin production of their own "Velo-Dogs" leading to several copies of the original, as well as a de-facto group of firearms named "Velo-Dogs".
In truth, however, a real/genuine Velo-Dog is one that fires the specified 5.5mm Velo-Dog cartridge. The small and easy to conceal design has meant that many Velo-Dogs (original or otherwise) exist to this day, with values ranging between £100 - £200 on average. In terms of use the only known, current, producer of the 5.5mm Velo-Dog Cartridge are Fiocchi Munizioni, an Italian firm.
Resources[]
- http://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/artisans%20non%20identifies/a%20artisans%20inconnus%20velodog%20gb.htm - Image origin
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velo-dog
- http://weapons.about.com/od/curiosandrelics/p/Galand-Velo-dog.htm
- http://www.nramuseum.org/the-museum/the-galleries/the-new-prosperity/case-48-the-booming-arms-industry/french-velo-dog-revolver.aspx
- http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/showthread.php?t=100764