Combination Mace and Wheellock Pistol

This combination weapon is made entirely of steel, though there must once have been a cover of leather or fabric on the grip. The shaft is hollow to serve as the pistol's barrel; the head consists of six sharply pointed flanges attached to the fore-end of the shaft. The hollow grip is set between two roundels; the pommel roundel has a hinged lid for access to the cavity of the grip, which was presumably used for the storage of wads, pyrites, and other accessories. The handguard roundel has a semicircular cutout to facilitate reaching the trigger button of the wheellock, which is attached along the shaft. The lock has a sickle-shaped mainspring curving around the wheel, with an extension spur for the cock (this was a feature in use during the period of about 1545–60); it also has a pivoted lever safety catch. Just behind the breech there is a transverse hole in the shaft for a wrist strap. All parts are etched with dense foliate scrollwork, and traces of gilding are extant.

On the breech is stamped a shield-shaped maker's mark: a fleur-de-lis surmounted by the letters S and H (Støckel 4474), possibly a member of the Herold family, gunsmiths in Dresden.

Combination weapons such as this pistol-mace were attempts to overcome the inherent weaknesses of early firearms, their cumbersome method of loading and the resulting slow rate of fire. Once the one pistol shot was fired at the enemy at close range, it was hoped that the weapon would still be useful as a mace in hand-to-hand combat. Unfortunately, most of these hybrid arms were too clumsy––particularly because of the additional weight of gun barrel and lock––to be of much use.