Hello all,
My name’s Iain and I am fairly new to Pinfire ( and all the other Antique firearms as well ). I have been collecting Antique status firearms in British Columbia, Canada for roughly a year now and I am excited by pretty much everything in this hobby.
But it seems that there are so many aspects of the hobby to explore. One of those very interesting aspects is Pinfire firearms. I had only rarely heard or read about them before starting to collect Antiques and my only thought about them is that it was an evolutionary dead end in the history of firearms development.
But then one day I saw a very basic and inexpensive little Pinfire pocket revolver and I had to have it. It is a basic Belgian revolver in 7mm with a folding trigger. It’s cylinder says " The Guardian American Model Of 1878 ".
I tightened everything up in the tiny little gun and it seemed pretty decent mechanically so I decided I would shoot it. I ordered a couple of packages of 7mm Pinfire ammunition from H&C in France. I loaded them up with 3FG Goex and man was it a fun tiny little gun.
So now I’m interested in learning more about Pinfire. I’m interested in all the different makers and the different calibers. I am a history buff ( I think anybody interested in Antiques must be ) so what an enjoyable hobby.
One thing that I have seen is that Pinfires are certainly not common on the Canadian market. We have several excellent online Antique dealers but I’ve not seen more than a couple of Pinfires in a year. I guess I will have to figure out how to order from overseas and navigate the process to import my toys. Any help or advice from anybody here would be greatly appreciated.
Anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself and let everyone know that I will be learning from them and admiring their cool toys.
Cheers, Iain.
Egon
My first Pinfire was also a 7mm Guardian that cost me $75 in 1970’s .
I earned about $60 then so about a weeks wages. How times have changed.
Hello, Iain.
I have been collecting pinfire pistols for about 8 years now. I am also in BC and I have made similar observations as you have stated. Yes, pinfires are pretty rare in Canada, and also don’t fetch the same kind of money on the market as an equivalent rim or centerfire gun. Works both ways I guess, as I have bought most of my collection at fairly low cost. I do bring in the odd pin fire from the US and Europe, and I have sold a few through my website, but it’s certainly not a hot seller.
You have come across a great forum if you want to get more information on pin fires. There are a very few good books on the subject, and we are lucky and honored to have two of the greatest authorities right here - Aaron Newcomer and Guillaume Van Mastrigt! So, you are in good hands here. Welcome and ask away!
Welcome to you Egon …
If you have any questions about pinfire arms, or about the periode of… we are at your disposal 
Welcome Lain,
Pinfire= good choice ,very interesting
Hello Aaron. Thank you for the greetings. I am looking forward to going through all the Firearms posts so I can check out all the cool pinfires. I’m sure I will have lot’s of questions as I get a bit deeper into collecting them. Cheers, Iain.
Hello, ron. I only paid $350 for a 7mm Guardian in good shape. It kind of astounds me what some collectors are paying for cheapo rimfire Suicide Specials, and then this one sat unsold for months. It’s loads of fun ( if a bit inaccurate ) to shoot. I’d like to get a larger bore Pinfire Revolver now. Cheers, Iain.
Hi oldgunscanada. I’m definitely going to keep my eye out for more pinfires. I’d like a larger bore revolver than my little Guardian. I check out your website all the time and you always bring in cool stuff. I like how you are one of the few retailers that are still keeping the prices at a sane level. I’m not exactly sure what’s happening in the Antique market right now but it seems like everybody’s got their antiques priced at about a thousand dollars more than they were this time last year. Then again, demand for guns across all genres of firearms is crazy high right now. Anyways, I will enjoy collecting pinfires even more if they are bargain priced net to centerfire antiques. Cheers, Iain.
Hi Lefaucheux. Thanks for the welcome. I will definitely take you up on your offer of answering any questions. As I collect more pinfires I’m sure I’ll have lots of questions. Cheers, Iain.
Hello fusilLF. I agree with you. Pinfires do seem very interesting. And they’re really all new to me so there is the excitement of new discovery. There is something about the designs and style of pinfire revolvers that seems to really set them apart from, say, Colts or Webleys that are so familiar looking. Talk to you soon, Iain.