• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Loadout Room

The Loadout Room

Professional Gear Reviews

Hardcore Gear and Adventure

Menu
  • Shooting
        • Pistol
        • Pistol Accessories
        • Rifle
        • Rifle Accessories
        • Shotgun
        • Machine Guns
        • Air Guns
        • Ammunition
        • Optics and Sights
        • Weapon Lights
        • Tips & How-To
        • Concealed Carry
        • Holsters
        • Suppressors
        • Precision Rifle Shooting
        • Firearms Training
        • m243The M24: America’s Headhunter
        • skorpFull-Auto Fun — Shooting the full-Auto vz. 61 Škorpion
        • p320-full-leftSIG Sauer M17/M18/P320 Pistol Just Can’t Seem to Escape Safety Controversies
        • TISAS_10100520_1__98179Tisas 1911A1 U.S. Army Review: Best Budget .45 ACP WW2 1911 Clone?
    • Close
  • Gear Reviews
      • Mission Gear
      • Camping Gear
      • Survival Gear
      • Medical Gear
      • Adventure & Travel
      • Knives & Tools
      • Overland
      • Disaster Preparedness
      • Footwear
      • Womens Gear & Clothing
        • Hunting in TexasThese 5 ATV Dealers Will Get You Ready For Hunting Season in Texas
        • ac65a540-2ef3-4598-8d11-afdf53f46e94.__CR0,0,970,600_PT0_SX970_V1___Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount HL-X: A Thoroughly Bright Review
        • Bluetti 2 handsfree power backpackBluetti Handsfree 2 Review: The Ultimate Power Backpack for Off-Grid Adventurers
        • The Gallagator 10 day pack on the shoreline next to a hiking trail.Day Pack – Mystery Ranch Gallagator 10 – The Best Yet?
    • Close
  • Men’s Lifestyle
      • Fitness
      • EDC
      • Eyewear
      • Watches
      • Electronics & Technology
      • Downtime
      • Mens Clothing & Accessories
      • Manly Skills
      • Style & Grooming
      • Gentleman Drinks
      • Crate Club
        • Tom and Blake Sell TeaHow Sasquatch Tea Is Revitalizing a Stagnant Tea Market With Veterans and Outdoorsmen in Mind
        • redcat-blackwidow-articleheaderWar of Words: In the Ultra-Competitive Defense Tech Industry, Storytelling is a Secret Weapon
        • Photoroom_20250525_074933Juggernaut Tactical Frame Review: The Best Upgrade for Your 365
        • craft holstersCraft Holsters Makarov Tuckable IWB Holster Report
    • Close
  • News
  • Video Demo
  • Buying Guides
  • Shop
  • Advertise

Weird Gun Wednesday: Elgin Cutlass Pistol

Weird Gun Wednesday: Elgin Cutlass Pistol

Back in the early 19th century, simple, muzzle-loaded pistols were about the best you could hope for when it came to a sidearm. And that didn’t amount to much: They generally held only one round, were smoothbore (synonymous with the word ‘inaccurate’), and slow to reload. In this regard, edged-weapons such as swords or cutlasses still reigned superior for close-quarters combat. Ah, but if you could harness the range of the pistol while maintaining the dependability of the sword, you’d really be on to something. Enter the Elgin Cutlass Pistol.

Weird Gun Wednesday: Elgin Cutlass Pistol
Photo courtesy of IMFDB.

Where you’ve seen it:

In the film Gangs Of New York, Leonardo DiCaprio hurls a knife at Bill “The Butcher,” misses, and draws one of these awesome contraptions just before catching a blade in the gut (right). Too slow, Leonardo. Too slow.

History:

In 1837, a firearms designer named George Elgin, inspired by the exploits of frontiersman James Bowie—a man famous for his skills with a knife who had died just a year prior at The Battle of the Alamo—designed the Elgin Cutlass Pistol. The knife fighter’s influence is apparent in the Elgin’s design (something about that bowie knife hanging off the pistol’s frame). Production lasted only a year, and the total number of Elgin Cutlass Pistols produced rang in at 150. Not a lot. But what it lacked in numbers, it made up for with historical prominence: The Elgin was the first officially adopted U.S. percussion pistol, and is to this day the only formally adopted pistol/cutlass combination in U.S. history. Specifically adopted for use in the Wilkes South Seas Exploring Expedition—a four-year effort to survey the south Pacific—this unusual weapon proved its worth fighting off angry, spear-toting Pacific islanders.

The design:

The 11-inch-long bowie knife blade—with an integral trigger and knuckle guard—is attached to the underside of the octagonal-barreled pistol by a tongue and groove, and held in place with two screws. With the inclusion of the blade, the gun reaches 17 inches long. Might have had something to do with why it was perceived as a touch unwieldy. That in tandem with the fact that the Elgin was expensive to produce made its short production run a certainty.

The cartridge:

Not really a cartridge, but a muzzle-loaded .54 caliber ball. Again, because the barrel of the Elgin was smooth, accuracy was limited. But hey, if, on the off-chance you did manage to hit your target, that big, 225-grain slug could do all kinds of damage—particularly since medical treatment at the time was mostly a combination of black magic and unreservedly hacking off affected limbs.

The verdict:

The Elgin Cutlass Pistol is a natural solution to a classic problem: If you can’t hit ’em, stab ’em! This may go without saying, but given the scarcity of this pistol, if you happen to find one of these in your grandmother’s attic, don’t keep the news to yourself. They fetch anywhere from $10,000-25,000 when they emerge on the market.

Featured image courtesy of Rock Island Auction Company.

 

 

Share This

More From The Loadout Room

Comments

Primary Sidebar

Most Read

  • SIG Sauer M17/M18/P320 Pistol Just Can't Seem to Escape Safety Controversies
    SIG Sauer M17/M18/P320 Pistol Just Can't Seem to Escape Safety Controversies
  • Mossberg 930: the affordable 12 gauge auto-loader
    Mossberg 930: the affordable 12 gauge auto-loader
  • Springfield Range Officer 1911: Full Review
    Springfield Range Officer 1911: Full Review
  • Mossberg Shockwave Versus Remington Tac 14
    Mossberg Shockwave Versus Remington Tac 14
  • Smith and Wesson Governor Range Review
    Smith and Wesson Governor Range Review

Find Us on Facebook

Recent Comments

  • Ajita Sherer on Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount HL-X: A Thoroughly Bright Review
  • Leland on Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount HL-X: A Thoroughly Bright Review
  • Winston Smiths on Mossberg 930: the affordable 12 gauge auto-loader

Latest From SOFREP

News

Evening Brief: Russian Glide Bombs Hit Civilian Infrastructure, Thailand-Cambodia Ceasefire Holds Tentatively

War Stories

SEAL Tales: That Time We Took On the Navy’s Hunter-Killer Dolphins

War Stories

No Country for Old Men

Expert Analysis

Nation’s Law Enforcement Instructors Declare SIG P320 Unsafe for Training

Military Content Group

© Copyright 2025 Military Content Group · All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertisers
 

Loading Comments...