History:
In a catalogue of the company of 1893 a strange little repeating- pistol appeared with the name "Mitrailleuse", which meant as much as "machinegun". Some years later (around 1897) this name was changed to "Le Gaulois" ("the Gallian"), and by this name it is commonly kown today.
The construction was based on a design of Brun-Latrige, which was patented already in 1868, but which had much less commercial success.
The pistol is designed for an own, relative weak cartridge in caliber 8 mm. The loading action is not done automatically but has to be done by squeezing the hand palm. Because of it's small and slim design it got very popular as defence- gun for concealed carrying, but after the automatic-pistols took place this pistol became uninteresting.
There were many different kinds of finish available. Following a catalogue of 1910 the pistol costed ffr 60.- with simple engraving and ebony handle, ffr. 80.- with artful engraving und pearl handle as model "de Luxe", und ffr 110.- with special engraving and nickled finish "de Grand Luxe".
The production if this pistols started about 1893 and lasted shortly before World War I. Even as there have been quite a lot of them produced during the long production period and due to it's populatity, still it is already rather rare today and so is the ammunition.
Technical Datas:
SYSTEM: Palm squeezer repeating pistol
CARTRIDGES : 5
CALIBRE : 8 mm Gaulois
BARREL LENGTH : 55 mm , 4 grooves right hand twisting
WEIGHT EMPTY : 285 g
TOTAL LENGTH : 131 mm
TOTAL HEIGHT : 64 mm
TOTAL WIDTH : 18 mm
TRIGGER : DAO palmsqueezer
SIGHT : pearl front sight
SAFETY : safety-lever
FINISH : blued
HANDLE : ebony