“The Good Ole Days”
It’s easy to get lost in the rosy idea of “the good old days”, and it”s easy to forget that once upon a time, police departments were few and far between, while highwaymen, ruffians, and other ne’er-do-wells were in an abundance.
Many folks, men and women alike, carried small, easy to conceal, pistols for self-defense. On display in the museum is one such gun, the James Reid 32 caliber rimfire “My friend” pistol.
My Friend
Manufactured in the 1870s, about 3000 of these were produced. They came in .32 and .22 caliber and were easy to conceal and easy to operate. A five-shot pistol, it had no barrel, the bullets were shot directly from the revolving cylinder, so they were intended for close-up work.
The Knuckle-duster
Depending on how the user held it, it also doubled as brass-knuckles, hence it’s colorful nickname of “knuckle-duster.”
You just never know what you’ll come across at the Boonsborough Museum of History. Visit us this spring and make your own discoveries.
See a video of the Knuckle-duster and how it operates by the YouTube Channel, Forgotten Weapons.
