The Galleries
- Robert E. Petersen Collection
- Ancient Firearms
- The Road to American Liberty
- Seeds of Greatness
- The Prospering New Republic
- A Nation Asunder
- The American West
- Innovation, Oddities and Competition
- Theodore Roosevelt, Elegant Arms
- World War I and Firearms Innovation
- WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Beyond
- For the Fun of It
- Firearms Traditions for Today
- William B. Ruger Special Exhibits
- Freedom's Doorway
Queen Anne Style Pocket Flintlock Pistol
![](/umbraco/ImageGen.ashx?image=/media/5594/00095_r.jpg&class=mainImage)
![00095_r.jpg](/umbraco/ImageGen.ashx?image=/media/5594/00095_r.jpg&class=galleryImage188-125)
![00095_l.jpg](/umbraco/ImageGen.ashx?image=/media/5588/00095_l.jpg&class=galleryImage188-125)
![00095_d1.jpg](/umbraco/ImageGen.ashx?image=/media/5578/00095_d1.jpg&class=galleryImage188-125)
Small pocket arms such as this pistol incorporated barrels that could be unscrewed for loading. They were initially developed circa 1650 and could be carried in a belt and used for close-in fighting by infantry officers. Screw-barrel pistols required additional time to load than did muzzle-loaders, but they were much more accurate and had a higher muzzle velocity due to their rifled barrels.