Pocket Pistol - History

History

The pocket pistol originated in the mid-17th century as a small, concealable flintlock known as the Queen Anne pistol, the coat pistol, or the pocket pistol. This was used throughout the 18th century, evolving from a weapon reserved for the wealthy to a common sidearm in broader use as more and more manufacturers made them by the start of the 19th century.

The original 19th century vest-sized pocket pistol, the derringer, which developed from the Philadelphia Deringer, is typically no longer widely used for concealed carry (except in .357 Magnum calibers) with most preferring more rounds of small caliber cartridges in an auto-loading pistol design to provide increased self-defense capability extending beyond one or two shots. While still retaining moderate amounts of popularity, short-barreled ("snubnose") revolvers are similarly not as widely used as pocket pistols today as they were during the 1950s and earlier.

The first widely used and successfully sold pocket pistols were sold in blowback designs, such as the Baby Browning, designed and first marketed in 1905, along with the round designed for it (the .25 ACP).

More recently, modern locked-breech designs, such as the Kel-Tec P-32 and Kel-Tec P11, have become more popular through providing an option for carrying larger, more powerful, caliber sizes, while additionally including more safety features than were included in the older blowback designs.