Welcome to as we speak’s Photo of the Day! It is a nineteenth century burglar alarm gun – mainly a percussion cap noisemaker designed to scare off thieves as a substitute of killing them. The silver end and compact design made it good for hiding round the home. The setup was lifeless easy: mount it close to a window or door, run the chain to no matter you needed to guard, and wait. When somebody tried to interrupt in, the chain would pull the sear and drop the hammer on a percussion cap. No bullet, only a loud bang to get up half the neighborhood and ship the burglar operating.
“Beware he who steals from me” is engraved proper on it – half warning, half Victorian drama. These had been the unique dwelling safety techniques, again whenever you needed to get inventive about defending your stuff. What’s intelligent about this design is the way it solved the noise downside with out the legal responsibility downside. Householders wanted one thing loud sufficient to alert everybody inside earshot, however protected sufficient that it wouldn’t by accident shoot their very own household. The half-inch barrel was simply lengthy sufficient to comprise the percussion cap blast with out launching something harmful.
The .32 caliber marking is deceptive – this factor solely fired blanks. No projectile, simply noise and flash. Good engineering for one thing that wanted to be startling however not lethal. These alarm weapons popped up in numerous varieties all through the 1800s, however they’re uncommon sufficient that most individuals have by no means seen one. This one’s bought the precise patina and shortened chain that tells you it truly bought used as a substitute of sitting on a shelf trying fairly. Earlier than electrical alarms, earlier than trendy locks, this was dwelling safety. Pure mechanical genius that ran on springs and percussion caps.
Vintage Hid Burglar Alarm Gun | Rock Island Public sale, www.rockislandauction.com/element/5013/50/antique-concealed-burglar-alarm-gun. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Author | TheFirearmBlog
Author | AllOutdoor.com Instagram | sfsgunsmith Outdated soul, licensed gunsmith, printed creator, avid firearm historical past learner, and appreciator of previous and distinctive weapons.
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