Belgian .22 Short Mini Pocket Revolver 

RU-vid gave me this listed right after the SSK .950 JDJ rifle. Talk about the extreme opposites of the spectrum!

Is it just me or did the opening not have any sound?

There was another cartridge, the “22 Long”. Not “ Long rifle”. In Europe it was very popular.

GET AWAY FROM ME WITH THAT DEATH MACHINE

Given that it's marked 22L it's for the 22 long which is not long rifle, it's clearly pretty much a point blank range gun, maybe even contact range. Thanks for sharing this amazing pocket revolver! As Ian Points out perceptions of stopping power have changed over the decades. 32 and 38 low power rounds were actually law enforcement calibers at the turn of the 1900s.

What a wonderful little revolver - I can see it being used across a card table or a very very close range.. even so she is a lovely little bit of Kit. thanks for showing this one.

Did anyone else think "Noisy Cricket " from the Men in Black movie?

My nephew was accidentally shot with a .22 pellet air rifle while bending down to set tin can targets. It went in between his clavicle and shoulder blade. The surgeon had to take it out because the pellet stopped next to his heart and rubbing on his heart muscle. That was back in the late 70s.

I would love to have this. I'm obsessed with small guns like this or Derringers

"Say hello to my little friend" takes on new meaning with this weapon.

If you want to "end him rightly" load gun, throw at target vigorously, whatever suits you best.

I would love to see the guys at NAA do a version of this gun in .22 lr.

This revolver is awesome! I love the pocket pistols of the past they were always so unique.

I've got two North American Arms Minis, and love them both! One is the "Earl" in .22mag., and the other is the original Mini Revolver in .22LR. The Earl actually has a decent amount of barrel length. The overall size of the thing is still "mini", but at 4", the barrel is actually quite long in proportion to the rest of the frame. It's certainly no snubby. There's a video of a guy getting really good groupings at 80, and 100 yards with one! I believe it's called "Sniping with the NAA Earl" or something like that. Oh, and the little .22LR one looks very much like the old pistol Ian is shooting. Although, I'd like to think, and I'm pretty confident, that the quality and workmanship are much better with the NAAs!😀 Also, don't forget: the very first Smith & Wesson revolver, the Model 1, Series 1, was a little .22short. These were introduced right before the Civil War(1857-58?), and believe it or not, they were actually carried into combat by some troops who could afford to purchase them privately!

Forgotten weapons, just wanted to say thanks for showing us all the neat and cool firearms. Hope to see more in the future!

when i was younger i wasn't exactly the nicest of people and have been stabbed and shot, one of my wounds was from a .22 and i can assure you it took the fight right out of me, it didn't kill me (obviously) but it stopped me doing what i was doing, i think .22 are underrated as a ppw.

This really does strike me as an intimate situation weapon. I can easily see this killing someone trying to get handsy with a lady having one.

"Balls", said the Queen, "if I had to, I'd be King"! And the King only laughed, because he had two.

This is so cool, I wish naa did a modern one like this

Also... The Loading Extractor that you are looking for as a Comparison is the Merwin & Hulbert Pocket Revolver that DOESN’T rotate around the cylinder to open forward. And... There are many other pocket-revolvers made in the 19th Century that use a system like that. I collect weird little 19th Century Pocket Revolvers, mostly top-break... I just found another “Baby Russian” .32 S&W just today, and an “Open-Top Colt Pocket-Pistol” .32 Colt (different from “.32 S&W”). And... Yeah... There were HUNDREDS of makers of these things from around 1870 to 1890, that came in all sorts of configurations. I have Merwin & Hulberts, Hopkins & Allen, Colt, Mysterious German Pistols, Mysterious Belgian Pistols, Mysterious French Pistols, Mysterious Italian Pistols, .... And... LOTS of American versions as well. And... Yeah... Loading them is freaking difficult for a LOT of the .22s. And .32 Shorts (of any variety). Those are just some TINY, FIDDLY bullets.

Really cool! For such an old weapon it actually shot pretty decent! Keep up the good work Ian :)

Great video as always. Love Forgotten weapons in general, and these nifty little EDCs of the day

I actually have one of these! So much history. Thanks for the info!

Old news I know, but Ian what a wonderful episode. I've been a fan for two years, but only just discovered this gem.

“It was a gun” Best endorsement ever

I picked up a Belgian folding trigger in 32 colt (at least I think so) at an estate sale I love your channel and all your content.

I gotta say in the short two weeks that Ive known about your channel Ive been tuning in almost daily and watching a few episodes while I do my smithing or just before bed. Its funny about the Forgotten Weapons bit for me though considering I've known about alot of these weapons and have even handled some of them so not quite forgotten to me ;) Anyhow I would love to know how you got into doing this sort of thing. Im pretty sure it would be awesome to work under you with such things. I dedicate most of my free time to learning about weapons of the past and working with all types of modern ones.

To all the internet "experts" posting how benign the .22 short is, I offer this experience: When I was younger, in training, my first case involved a 30something female, shot in abdomen, from about 10 feet, with an RG-10, cal .22 short. Bullet severed hepatic artery and she died from internal bleeding soon after. At the autopsy, the lead "smear" of bullet was visible at entry wound. Shooting ultimately was ruled justifiable (self defense). Fisticuffs, hard objects, awls, etc. make cute but meaningless, almost nonsensical comments to anyone who actually knows about lethality of weapons. Anyway great video, you're one of my favorite channels.

Apparently you forgot to put the intro music on the video :P Awesome video as always, i especially like the fact you take the time to explain in what context those guns that look puny and underpowered to us were carried back then for self defense.

Functioned better than I'd have guessed. Love the videos!

I have always had an affinity for the cottage industry made Belgian revolvers, especially the various "British Bulldog" and "Velo-dog" revolvers. I have several (some work, some don't, some work but are for out-of-print cartidges like .442 Webley). The first one I ever bought was a folding trigger model in .32 Colt Short (probably actually .320 short centerfire, but hey). The best way I found to work that trigger DA and still keep a grip was to use both index and middle finger on the trigger. Otherwise about half the time the rear of the trigger catches on my middle finger. The pressure on the face of the trigger plus the web of the hand on the backstrap keeps it place in the hand. Plus, being every so slightly larger than that tiny .22 in the video, I can get partial purchase with my ring finger. I don't shoot it much as finding .32 Short Colt/.320 Short Centerfire is a dicey and expensive proposition. But the lands and grooves are still prominent and it's surprisingly accurate for such a crude if interesting design. I have one that takes .38 S&W which easily shoots palm-sized groups from about 50 feet. Collecting these little gems can be a lot of fun. It can get expensive if you let it but if one is patient, you can find surprisingly cheap deals on them. The non-working or less-well-working ones make great displays (and paperweights if you like making your coworkers nervous ... heh-heh-heh), and, no, I don't recommend even the better working models for active self-defense. But they are a LOT of fun and historic.

Hey... Where's that intro music? Lol

If I'm not mistaken, this is a Velo-Dog. The original revolver was chambered for 5.75mm Velo-Dog but many of the Velo-Dogs produced after 1900 accepted .22 LR. Since the creator made it in the late-19th century & this one cannot chamber .22 LR, this suggests that it was one manufactured in the late-19th century. The Velo-Dog was originally created by René Galand.

They must have paired that revolver with a dagger or big knife in case of multiple robbers.

This is a Velo-Dog revolver , created by Rene Galand in the late 1800's and inspired by the British Bulldog revolver, only slightly different . It's called Velo-Dog because it was made as a defense gun against dog attacks while riding your bicycle ..

When he loaded the first round in he went 'boop"

Amazing that it has a DA ability. kind of reminds me of an American Arms brand gun. Really enjoy your videos.

I have a picture I took of a 22 lr next to a loaded 1940s 50 bmg. round (friend of a grandpa brought back a couple as souvenirs) and now I'm wishing I had a 22 short on hand at the time.

Great video! I certainly enjoyed it.I have a similar "British Bulldog" in .25 short Colt and mine is actually an admirably engineered firearm with a surprisingly complex system to pull the hammer partly back away from the cylinder with each double action shot. They were inexpensive to buy, there was a wide range of calibers available (up to .44 CF I believe or at least that was what President McKinley was shot and killed with), durable and concealable. One of the definitive books on the "Bulldogs" describe it as "the gun that really won The West". I'm thinking this particular gun was designed for the "Lady" of the house with it's diminutive size, low caliber and flowery engraving.

Ah man, the good ol days when kids toys didn't have regulations 🤣

When I was a kid my friends dad gave us one like this to play with. Had the same problem with light strikes

Thanks Ian I love Belgian firearms they are so intricate and quirky makes french guns look reasonable lol

In Europe these were marketed as Radfahrer Revolver (cyclists revolver) meant to scare off chasing dogs when you were out cycling through the countryside on the weekend. Accuracy was not really needed for that purpose.

I have picked up a few of those 22 shorts revolvers over the years. I find them interesting.

Great size for a 6 shot. Thought it was a nice little 5-shot, but was impressed when I saw it was a 6 shot. So close to being a 22lr for the same size. Would love to see that (did 22lr exist back then?). I think there were rounds nearly identical to 22lr back then, but don't recall when 22lr came out.

It's a smart derringer / vest pistol . Great video 👍🇬🇧

OMG! I have one of those (only in .32 Short, Rimfire. .32 S&W Short brass doesn’t fit, and the bullet itself has a lip, like .22 LR, so the case and the bore are the same). It is Belgian, made in Liege, but the date cannot be made out, and it isn’t anywhere near that fancy (it is “sturdily built” for the time, and if I would find some more ammo for it, it works). But it has the same bird’s beak Grip, and the same folding trigger, and weird extraction mechanism. It is a little bit bigger than that one, two, although it fits in my hand. I can just get two fingers on the grip.

That looks like a North American Arms derringer, though it loads differently. The cylinder is removed pretty much the same way. Bud's has them in .22 short, LR, and magnum for about $250. The dual cylinder 22LR and Mag is a great buy.

and 'velo' is french for bicycle. : ) Wow, that has some surprisingly nice features, compared to the 'saturday night specials' that followed it decades later. Integrated ejector rod, safety notch, folding trigger....

this video gave me a great laugh thank you !!! I love this channel

Really cool video Ian

Wow...that makes the old .32 rimfire revolver I got from grandmother look somewhat scary...

To brace the pistol in your hand, perhaps you could have put your left thumb against the loading gate, or if shooting right-handed, on the other side. I also noticed that during the first string of six with the misfires, the ejector rod seemed to have worked itself somewhat loose, though mechanically I wouldn't expect that to interfere with the working of the pistol.

Nice little piece

I think it's a beautifully made little pistol. Would love to own one. Belgium quality is hard to beat.

When you said mechanically like the Nagant you weren't Kidding.

Really like it.....nice. Got one for 25 bucks without grips.....didn't really know what to think about it. I am not quite sure if i should try a few rounds at the range. Mine has cute little flowers engraved.

That's just precious!

I'd like to see Ian talk about the Jennings J-22, and dive into the whole "ring of fire" story.

Interesting little hand-gun, probably meant for ladies & to be fair to the pistol, I think we would all be a bit worse for wear after a 100 years or so...I was amazed that you could still fire it, given the age of it & metal fatigue etc, interesting little piece. Keep up the great work, cheers.

Love this channel

the theme song is missing I spent 5 minutes trying to fix the sound on my phone before I restarted the video and discoveried it wasn't me

I remember seing something like that in my grand pa's basement when I was a kid, but all I could find last time I checked was the cylinder. So disapointed. Still got a .22lr Warnant rifle in working condition tho

looks like a nice little piece

Best review ever.

I remember this from Smith's book of pistols and revolvers from when I was a kid... back in pre internet days. Wow...

There’s a ton of velodog variants. The one in my family is .25 and has a slightly longer barrel

Dude! That revolver is really awesome... I mean wow, I would love something like that.

That little pistol makes a Rohm RG10 look good.

There was a pretty the same Belgian revolver also chambered for .22 short, mirroring not Nagant, but Smith & Wesson "Russian model" folding revolver. It is a pity that the manufacturer of such revolvers is unknown. In Russia such guns were popular not for serious defens purposes, but as kinda toys for rich boys under general name "Velogog" - protector of bycicle rides against dogs.

This is a good example of how one can improve ones manual of arms, even with a pretty ineffective gun, by practice!

I have a little rohm tiny pocket revolver in 22 short. Even at 6 feet it is hard to hit a paper target.

yep, that illustrates the reputation cheap Belgian guns had back in the day!!!

A special thanks to whoever let you borrow an electron microscope to inspect its part makeup. Also, I would love to see this re-done without the same mechanical limitations (ejector rod, etc) so you could make a modern pistol of the same caliber ridiculousness.

This was my fav BF3 gun.

It would be cool if someone like NAA could re-produce this gun with a lighter trigger, better timing, and good rifling and barrel.

Love my NAA minis!

A century ago there were no antibiotics, so even a small wound from a 22 could lead to a fatal infection, particularly if the bullet passed through dirty clothes.

Looks like a Belgium made Velodog. Lots of manufacturers at that time. Made primarily to keep dogs away from people riding their velosapeeds. I had one with the folding trigger in 32 colt short.

Wasn't there a now obsolete cartridge called 22 long that was inbetween 22 short and 22 long rifle. Seems like I remember looking at a Winchester rifle chambered for that. Maybe it was marked "Short, Long, Long Rifle". It was a long time ago but I'm pretty sure about this.

No I want to see you handle all the different variations of the NAA mint revolvers

the reason he didnt really hit the target was that anytime he pulled the trigger, it lifted the gun's barrell up a bit. taking into consideration how hard it is to get a good hold of it and then adding the recoil that comes with each shot, its very hard to just aim it correctly while firing.

Boy I would love to have this

If you are old enough. You might remember that there was a 22 short 22 Long and 22 Long rifle. The long is slightly longer than short but shorter than a long rifle cartridge.

Best channel ever!!!!

Always an interesting post and quite the contrast from your last video, the German anti-tank gun. I hope you were not using high speed .22 shorts, I saw it said target on box. These were not designed for modern .22 rounds. There's a book entitled "The British Bulldog" that covers these Belgian pistols in some detail.(Maybe future book review?) These are neat, historical pieces, quite common in Old West (as well as the Old East) and with lots of variations in size, style and calibers are truly a "forgotten weapon" among collectors. Also, they're about the only affordable thing from period, where even a roachy, Colt Single Action will fetch $2K. Depending on condition, these Belgian variants will go from $25 to around $250 (although an odd piece went at auction for $1,100-aunctioneer actually stopped bidding, to make certain the bidders knew what they were bidding on.) Most common mechanical problem is a broken or weak trigger return spring, that is easily accessible when you remove cylinder. Dixie Gun Works sells a variety of generic V-springs that will work. Indexing also a problem, due to soft metals in the hand and star of cylinder. There's a Belgian site, Nouvelle, that has lots of info on these guns and happily in English. Don't mean to ramble, but your channel's like going to a high grade collector's show like Wanamaker's Tulsa Show, that I missed, where you get to meet and mingle with knowledgeable gun people and enjoy their wealth of experience. Keep the videos coming!

i did enjoy the video - thx!

ALL MY HOMIES DON'T NEED INTRO MUSIC

The very definition of an across the table gun. I believe the only gun I have seen with less reliable performance is the Remington R-51, but at least that came in 9mm

You are a very brave man to shoot that thing while holding it in your tender mitts.

I'm the proud owner of a similar gun but it does take a .22 long rifle. Not sure I ever shot it. Haven't touched it in yrs.

I wonder how effective it would be with .22 Long (as it seems to be chambered for that) if it still had it's rifling?

That shot in the top right corner was there before the first batch of 6 rounds :)

Hi Ian, maybe you can help me out with something. I have a pair of british bulldog revolvers here but I am trying to make some ammo up to feed them, We cast the bore both are .407 but the cylinders are able to handle 44 Russian brass comfortably. I know the bullet was a heeled design..........but was there any calibers im missing here coz both guns are marked british bulldog on the top strap of the frames, really lost here as there is no really reliable data out there. Hoping I can just neck 44 Russian brass down to accept a 41 colt slug. Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

I really enjoyed this video! I think this is actually the single most horrific firearm I have ever seen reviewed on RU-vid. Can you think of any gun you have pulled the trigger on or even just held in your hands that did anything worse than this one?

Bluith made an interesting point about medical technology. Any puncture wound in the days before antibiotics was a serious thing. There must be some reason that European police, and even military personnel, didn't feel under-gunned carrying 7.65mm (0.32) pistols for much of the 20th century.

Cool little firearm.

8:10 "I don't see that on our target, let's try another one" hahaha, that's what I'm going to say if I ever get to miss a shot again ;)

I have an Ethan Allen double barrel pistol and if you stand about 20 feet away from it you can actually catch the bullets if you wanted to. No matter how much powder you put in it.

At the turn of the century there was a large cottage firearm industry in the Liege area of belgium. Some shops made fine guns but there was also a lot of cheap junk being produced. These guns seldom hade a manufacurers mark so identfying them is nearly impossibe. The firearms museum in Liege has a very large collection of such guns.