POTD: Not What It Says – “Confederate Defender” Pinfire Ring Pistol

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a seven shot revolver you wear on your finger. This is a 2mm pinfire ring gun with CONFEDERATE DEFENDER engraved on the German silver band.

Start with that marking, because it is nonsense. There is no Confederate connection here. These little ring guns belong to a family that includes pieces marked Le Petit Protector and Femme Fatale, all built to look like French or Belgian work from the 1860s and 1870s. Ian at Forgotten Weapons dug into them and laid out the tells: English spellings where French ones belong, fitted cases that never match each other, no mention of them in the old curiosa references, and the fact that they turn up in near perfect shape every time. Anything carried around since Lee surrendered would show it.

That said, the real version of this idea existed. Pinfire ring revolvers were made in Europe in the 19th century as jewelry that happened to fire, and 2mm pinfire cartridges are still loaded today.

Mechanically there is nothing to it. You index the cylinder by hand, cock the little hammer with a fingernail, and push a knurled trigger in. Reloading means pulling the cylinder out entirely, which is why a screwdriver rides in the case. There is no barrel, so it works on the pepperbox principle. Point it at a bandit and you will mostly annoy him.

Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!

“‘Confederate Defender’ Marked Pinfire Ring Pistol with Case.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4097/77/confederate-defender-marked-pinfire-ring-pistol-with-case. Accessed 31 July 2026.

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