Schulhof Model 1887 Manual Ring-Trigger Pistol

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Josef Schulhof was the the first and most prolific designer of manually operated pistols in Austria in the 1880s. For a brief few years, there was a lot of developmental work done in this field, comparable really only to the American Volcanic system. The Austrian pistols were more practical, and as they still predated the development of any practical self-loading pistols, there was a chance that they could have become commercially relevant. This did not actually happen, of course, as any advantages they offered over revolvers were still better in the crop of self-loaders that emerged in the late 1890s.
Schulhof’s first pistols were patented in 1884, and he experimented with a variety of locking system and magazine systems. This example is an 1887 type, with a spring-loaded rotating bolt and a 6-round rotary magazine. It was intended to be fired from an open bolt, rather like a double-action revolver - but it could be carried with the chamber loaded an a manual safety engaged.
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[@olbradley]

I like how space guns are more often than not designed after guns from the 19th century.

[@jeramysteve3394]

Or they're from Africa.

[@ObsoleteVodka]

I don't think they're designed after them, at least not intentionally. Design trends just tend to come back every now and then.

[@jajanka10]

Prop companies buy surplus guns :D Also, a galaxy that is less-then-half explored just calls back to last decades of 'wild West'.

[@_Wiseguy7]

From an aesthetic standpoint, I think it's because that is the time period where the interpretation of what a gun looks like is the broadest due to the rapid advancement of technology. Let's not forget that we went from single shot muzzle loading pistols to what we can be recognizably modern handgun in about 70 years.

[@takingbackthehammer6527]

That is actually pretty slick

[@benjaminfinlay829]

This design is very clever. Not as simple or convenient as a (well-designed) semi-auto, but it really is a very clever piece of engineering.

[@bermchasin]

It would be incredible though for shooting suppressed if it had a threaded barrel!

[@mrvladimirputin9828]

you know this is why i like guns, the engineering and shooting.

[@Graphictruth]

This design was well ahead of the manufacturing of the day. It could be easily be made with a combination of additive and subtractive techniques and it could be a viable weapon. Stripper clips are a compact and secure way to carry ammunition. An integral suppressor could, with the right cartridge, make it safe to shoot without ear protection. If semi-automatic pistols become illegal and a revolver isn't suitable, this is a viable solution for many use cases.

[@chemistryofquestionablequa6252]

Or you could, you know, refuse to comply and stand up for your rights.

[@Muaddibize]

But what benefit is to this compared to a revolver ? Because that would be its competition. I think its harder to load and reload.

[@KenworthW900HG]

I, for one, welcome our new Austrian manually-operated pistol overlords. I look forward to seeing more designs

[@john-paulsilke893]

Gaston’s great, great grandfather? 😳

[@johnsegertsons2143]

With the current administration in America.those "high capacity manually- operated assualt pistols" are BANNED

[@Graphictruth]

@@johnsegertsons2143 TRY to be apolitical! Lots of lefties love guns. This pistol looks like it could be as fun to shoot as a Hi-Standard with even better accuracy. Just imagine how crisp that trigger could be. Might even be boring to shoot at 25 feet.

[@johnsegertsons2143]

@@Graphictruth Name one ?? EVERY legislation restricting fire arms EVER passed in the United States has been the work of "Lefty's" GET A CLUE! and maybe familiarize yourself with the CURRENT ADMINISTRATIONS policies

[@DeeDee-bm9hr]

@@johnsegertsons2143 the Left proposes gun control and the “right” bends over and accepts it. When have conservatives ever conserved anything

[@hobbstactv2571]

This would make a pretty slick base gun for a Star Wars blaster.

[@81olsen]

like a fancy one some rich person would have??

[@john-paulsilke893]

Don’t say that or some prop department guy is going to buy up a dozen of them and go ham with a Dremel and hot glue gun.

[@kaneyoung7439]

Looks similar to Padme's blaster pistol

[@daniellewis1789]

@@john-paulsilke893 At this point, it's cheaper for them to 3d print copies. That for sure wasn't the case up until the last few years, though, and doesn't apply if a prop house already has examples in house.

[@kiltymacbagpipe]

I was just thinking that I might be seeing this in one of the new Star Wars shows in the next few years.

[@mx2000]

This is basically a bolt-action pistol, only that you can operate the bolt together with the trigger. Very clever.

[@thatguybrody4819]

lever action pistol more accurately.

[@allangibson2408]

Straight pull bolt action mechanically.

[@oskarvooremaa6006]

Man do i love old obscure pistols!

[@billrichard5214]

That's the reason I'm here, remember his series on handmade chinese clone pistols, man that was amazing!

[@oskarvooremaa6006]

@@billrichard5214 Yeah

[@oskarvooremaa6006]

@@Mountain-Man-3000 yeah. So many weird and out there designs!

[@VaguelySynthetic]

I like how you just get so completely engrossed into cool obscure gun mechanics, Ian. Truly shows your passion for your profession.

[@larryfontenot9018]

I'll disagree on one point. It seems to me that the internal magazine in that pistol is better than the cylinder of a revolver. Carrying rounds in a strip would be much less bulky than a speed loader, and it would be much faster to reload than revolvers that use a loading gate instead of being a break-open or swing-out. I'd even say that the magazine design is almost as practical as a detachable box. I'm really impressed by how simple it is and how streamlined it makes the pistol.

[@randomidiot8142]

Chamber it in 357 and call it the almost auto mag.

[@TheJimmyplant]

​@@justforever96 Maybe not for pistols but for rifles they certainly were.

[@PalmettoNDN]

I guess you've never heard of speed strips.

[@charles.personal]

@@randomidiot8142the manual mag

[@robertkoonce8365]

Seems pretty interesting , it's basically a one finger operated bolt action pistol. Wonder why that concept wasn't studied for something like the Welrod.

[@harleymitchelly5542]

In the Welrod's case, there wasn't a straightforward need. If you're using a Welrod according to its intended purpose, you're more or less at extremely close range and your target is "already dead." Welrods were also supposed to be fairly cheap, the originals don't actually have a grip, using Colt 1911 magazines with some rubber or epoxy applied to the bottom of it if I recall, and were designed to look like bike pumps when unloaded. It's a case of trying to answer a question I doubt anyone was asking. What was needed was a gun capable of offing a guy at very close ranges that made little, if any, noise. Frilly things like "return fire" were not a part of the design docket.

[@simon8242]

@@harleymitchelly5542 While this is true, I still want to see a Ring-Trigger operated Welrod.

[@jeffbanks5103]

This looks like some kind of steampunk nightmare and I want to shoot it

[@alephkasai9384]

@@kenbrown2808 I thought 22 LR is more expensive than 9mm nowadays. Or is that no longer the case

[@loopyloon5401]

You'll have to make it yourself then, considering how these auctions go, thankfully this design should be in the public domain by now.

[@mulgerbill]

This needs an enterprising type with a patreon to reverse engineer for CNC using modern metallurgy

[@Graphictruth]

Stripper clips are awesome.

[@bliblablubb9590]

@@CampVictoria Ian made a video about patents, blueprints and why recreating old firearms using them isn't as easy as first imagined.

[@Oscar-jp4wl]

@@Graphictruth I too find clips of strippers awesome

[@aldever4968]

@@CampVictoria It is cheaper to buy the antique.

[@zacharyrollick6169]

@@aldever4968 The same with Lugers. A new production Lugerman is extremely expensive. Especially if you want a .45 or 10mm.

[@ShootAUT]

Looks like kind of a real gentleman's gun, mostly because the design reminds me on the top part of a cane. Thinking about it, the cane disguise could be accomplished quite easily.

[@Oberkommando]

Well,... if it weren't for the name Schulhof (school yard)

[@ShootAUT]

@@Oberkommando I made an effort not to make that "joke", since I had already seen it in the comments so often that you could string them from Columbine to Erfurt.

[@Oberkommando]

@@ShootAUT yeah I realized it after I had written this. Yours was my top comment and being Austrian it was my first thought

[@ShootAUT]

@@Oberkommando Eh meiner auch. 😁

[@Brass_Bricks]

It feels like a "lever-action" pistol.

[@zacharyrollick6169]

That's exactly what it is.

[@ChezzyKnytt]

Kinda. Volcanic is closer to that

[@bumpercoach]

definitely an example of when Ian should go RIGHT-HANDED for the demo so he can show how the THUMB can push the safety off for the pointer to finish the firing

[@otaconarcadia7372]

I'm surprised it didn't take off. That's a very interesting design that could have been much more useful with some tweaks

[@Hansengineering]

It's way better than a revolver for "combat" use.

[@herocommand]

I'm sure if semi auto pistols werent just around the corner they would've become more popular.

[@skyflier8955]

I don’t think the average person would be willing to get something so whacky an unique. They would probably go with a revolver which is what they know.

[@robertkoonce8365]

That's what I was thinking. Being it's basically a bolt action system levered to operate with one finger, I wonder if anyone considered the design for say, the Welrod pistol?

[@PitFriend1]

It was probably expensive to buy and it looks a bit fragile, especially with the bolt being open when not in use letting dirt and crud in.

[@lorax6001]

Old and really odd pistols (and other guns) are some of the most interesting things on this channel. Love seeing them

[@JustanOlGuy]

What other field of endevour allows a journalist, renowned though he may be, to comandeer rare and unique display items then proceed to dissassemble them in a choreographed mechanical autopsy for and to the delight of his audience?

[@davidm.4670]

@Justan Ol' Guy Ian also has a m.e. degree gives improved insight yes?

[@Immopimmo]

I like these old manually repeating pistols. They have a certain charm about them and very interesting mechanics. :)

[@ironscavenger]

Another comment to point out that Schulhof is German for Schoolyard. But I'm gonna add that the way Ian pronounces it it sounds a lot like Kölsch, a regional dialect in Cologne/Rhineland 😄

[@DominikHatHunger]

As a Rhinelander, i can confirm this.

[@onpsxmember]

His 'Wi-en' was interesting, very French.

[@ilikeyourname4807]

@@onpsxmember It's probably just because he's used to calling it Vienna

[@ironscavenger]

@@DominikHatHunger Sischa dat.

[@Graphictruth]

@@onpsxmember oddly enough.

[@thetruthexperiment]

That’s the most interesting gun you’ve had on in a while.

[@christopherkucia1071]

One of the more complicated AND simple designs I’ve seen. Really cool!

[@boingkster]

Manufacturer I've never heard of? Actuation I've never considered? Vaguely to do with firearms??? I'm in. Keep up the awesome work Ian!

[@tlloyd9325]

It’s always amazing and wonderful to see these obscure firearms. The genius behind them and the machining and hand fitting is really interesting to see. Thank you Ian for these. I could watch you all day. God bless.

[@jerkfudgewater147]

I enjoy that when i meet someone that knows about guns/gunsmithing i can mention this show and we’ve immediately got common ground -thanks for showing us the inner workings of this crazy Timelord pistol. I doubt i would ever have the opportunity to have seen inside this gun even if i had been to the museum... great work

[@kopperhed4472]

Truly incredible. The ingenuity stands out, impracticable or not.

[@paulosullivan3472]

These are my favourite kinds of vids, the really forgotten weapons of the early development of firearms. A lot of fascinating ideas came about and its always interesting to see the variety of designs back then.

[@MicahGoldstein]

It's amazing how many familiar bits from modern rifles are present here!

[@zvenafnazbalji7539]

European made pistols/revolvers from that time period look like something an 1950s movie alien would threaten humans with.

[@undertakernumberone1]

Or, in this case, like something that would work really well for a SW Blaster.

[@CCCW]

The year 1887 was closer to 1950 than 1950 is to 2021..

[@randomnobodovsky3692]

@@CCCW Dear person, your calculation is a truly destructive device.

[@mikepette4422]

Love anything 19th Century Austrian stuff...literally anything they did at this time interests me. Even better yet Schulhoff is a Südeten arms designer as are my roots.

[@dropnoelfield295]

So cool! I love watching stuff like this. Thanks mate

[@almondsnackbar4969]

Fantastic episode Ian. A true forgotten weapon.

[@iatsechannel5255]

A fascinating video of a beautiful and unique pistol. There's true artistry in the realized vision of firearm designers during this period of rapid development of repeating handguns.

[@paulonyainda7430]

A video that gets published on my birthday!!! ❤❤❤ Thank you Ian. Best birthday gift yet! 😎💪🏿🤛🏿🙏🏿👍🏿

[@trainsbangsandautomobiles824]

The dude was really thinking ahead of his time. Seemed like his ultimate design would have been a smokeless, rimless, magazine fed semi auto pistol..

[@honestlyreed1612]

It's always so cool when Ian checks out the more unusual designs

[@richardsharp6875]

Thank you, I find the more obscure gun makers to be the most interesting and innovative. Your analysis is always the most intereting

[@johncashwell1024]

Very fascinating stuff. I am looking forward to the series.

[@hardrocksuk]

Great vid, as always. Thank you for all your work. This is a fascinating gun that i Knew little and less about, until now :)

[@shinjofox]

I love how clean and smooth the outside is. It could easily be a Star Wars Blaster.

[@MrRogsmart]

Ian, this is you at your finest gun geek guy persona. Fascinating. Keep it up.

[@S4LtyTrIcKs]

This category is my favourite for this channel if not for the episodes on beautifully decorated pieces

[@theloudamerican2193]

This is probably my favorite pistol of that era. Really, a cool piece of history.

[@arcron3]

That is a cool old gun. This is exactly why I love this channel. Thank you!

[@noahmason7228]

this is really smart, my favorite you reviewed

[@enricopaolocoronado2511]

This honestly looks like something you'd see in a magic fantasy setting (that avoids the medieval stasis trope).

[@REXOB9]

What a freakin' awesome gun. It looks surprisingly modern. Thanks for showing it!

[@AM-hf9kk]

Seems like this design would have been more useful and durable than many early semi-autos. I think it would make a great pocket pistol in .25 or .32, and with a rotating bolt, it could probably handle some pretty spicy rounds too.

[@tankacebo9128]

man, I love these odd manually operated pistols.... SUPER STOKED for the next video! These types of firearms are the ones that I watch the full video haha... I usually skip around because i'm more interested in the history than the mechanical, but something about these odd guns are really quite cool to me.

[@panfriedmarmot]

What a cool action! Definitely has its drawbacks but its such a clever not-quite automatic from the turn of the last century, and very elegant looking to boot.

[@louismoench3554]

this is an absolutely gorgeous piece of machinery

[@mrPauljacob]

That's really damn awesome design..gotta love it

[@oldesertguy9616]

Beautiful weapon. These are the types of things that got me watching this channel.

[@markusmottus1686]

This is my favourite oddball handgun I've seen, cool as hell👍

[@gregcampwriter]

I'm picturing most gun buyers in the period wondering how this is an improvement on a revolver. And soldiers saying, please don't let the king receive a large gift from Schulhof.

[@davidsolyom5604]

This was soo close to be semi-automatic in mechanism.

[@Stevarooni]

That's how a lot of technology advanced. Slow, slow, slow, then suddenly it's something else entirely.

[@Blei1986]

@@Stevarooni talk about slow, i still can't understand why the german army used the K98k til the end of the war, when semi-auto rifles with mags were way better. i mean heck, even the assault rifle was defeloped at pretty much the same time (1-2 years difference) THEN it went fast tho.... i agree.

[@Stevarooni]

@@Blei1986 unfortunately for the Germans, their technology arrived as their capabilities were waning. And it takes years to change manufacturing lines to a new product, especially with a completely new design.

[@Blei1986]

@@Stevarooni true... i still think even rushing a trench in WW1 with a bolt action rifle is closer to using a *musket* than any modern rifle. imo a HUGE difference.

[@Stevarooni]

@@Blei1986 semi-auto is a good improvement over a bolt action, but a musket is 4 shots-per-minute with a skilled shooter, while the standard for Brits with their Lee-Enfield rifles was 15 shots-per-minute (the record, with good accuracy, was 38). The M1 Garand shoots around 40-50 with a trained shooter. Muskets are a far cry from a bolt action. Semi-auto takes less training to achieve similar (but better) results to a bolt action rifle.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

I love the byways of gun development that you bring us.

[@pavelsima5853]

Splendid, Ian! Greetings from Sudetenland...!

[@falkos7601]

Fantastische Technik. Danke für eure Präsentation. Immer wieder. Grüße aus Germany

[@simonjones6128]

Thanks Ian loving the channel

[@shotforshot5983]

That piece looks very sleek and very pointable.

[@NomadicHacker.]

Looking forward to this series

[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

That is a really sweet design. I love the ingenuity and inventiveness of designers of early firearms in each "class". Much more interesting than just "sticking" an ar 15 bolt or swinging link into something with a slightly different body.

[@gameplayer2014]

I watched your video on the air crewman revolver and I found a S&W Air crewman with matching numbers as well as a 5” K38. Your videos inspired me to collect weird and rare guns. Namely cop guns but I may expand into trainer guns too.

[@randalljeffs7272]

One of my favorite guns you’ve covered in a while. Total Buck Rogers gun. Stars Wars should do something with this.

[@The_Modeling_Underdog]

For such an early pistol design, it looks extremely nice and well crafted.

[@FangKaiWen]

Who had the first rotating bolt in a firearm? I was surprised to see one on one from so far back.

[@MrSpacemandir]

A real forgotten weapon. Nice to learn something new.

[@jonathanklein383]

The function of the bolt reminds me of a schmidt rubin... essentially a straight pull bolt that rotates due to a cam engaging a diagonal groove in the bolt body.

[@kalashnikovdevil]

That's a really neat pistol! I'd love to get my hands on one.

[@palarious]

What's so fascinating about these is that most are only a couple complications from being autoloaders.....

[@MrBigboy3178]

really Cool stuff. i love these late 1800 designs

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Ian .

[@jamesheath9385]

That is the most amazing design. Thank you. Oh my. That pistol has as many parts as a pocket watch.

[@ilikeyourname4807]

Sometimes the most objective and neutral title is the most clickable one

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

But the translation of the name is rather macabre: schoolyard pistol

[@ilikeyourname4807]

@@HappyBeezerStudios I know. That's the joke here. My comment was supposed to be kinda tongue-in-cheek about the completely neutral title inadvertantly implying such a macabre scenario like a pistol designed for use on schoolyards

[@calvinreedy9841]

This is the type of person I would love to bring up to the modern day and see what they would do. What a nifty design.

[@kushkiller7108]

Its guns like this that make me appreciate what gun designers go through

[@Stoic_Lizard]

Very cool little pistol. Too bad he didn't see success with his firearm designs, but it sounds like the man's other inventions saw more use. Seems like he was probably a pretty interesting dude.

[@Redmenace96]

Back to the roots of this channel! Fantastic design, and a small batch that nobody owns. Schulhof was a genius.

[@calvingreene90]

To compete with revolvers they would have needed larger magazines but an intended for much reuse stripper clip would give faster reloads than the contemporary revolvers.

[@bumpercoach]

maybe even a spiral feed like that Calico but under barrel... or using a silencer bcs of the gas seal

[@bermchasin]

@@bumpercoach great point about the silencer!

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@bumpercoach por que no los dos?

[@calvingreene90]

@@bumpercoach The silencer hadn't been invented in time for that gun to use it as a sales feature.

[@bumpercoach]

such a shame huh @@calvingreene90 not even in time to save the hearing of its inventors father the great Maxim

[@greggaldridge]

This was really cool. I wish people would continue to design guns with such interesting mechanics.

[@spanuehspanueh7216]

The thinking out-loud, modern version utilizing the ruger 77/44 rotary-magazine and the Desert Eagle bolt-head. Nice small light-weight package to shoot Buffalo Bore cartridges. :-)

[@williamhart4896]

Rotary open bolt firearm pre 1900 very cool and thanks Ian

[@jordanhorst6]

i can see a modernized version of this being an excellent suppressor host

[@andrewengel3023]

thats a slick action, very nice

[@IRMentat]

weird and cool perfect design to be "taken influence" from for multi-media settings clean lines, interestingly simple internals (machining limits of the times excepted) and a distinctive look

[@charles_wipman]

Looks good for it's time, seems comfortable and the sights are not that bad.

[@RockIslandAuctionCompany]

Very surprised at how snappy that action was! #respect

[@fensoxx]

Idk why but this is the coolest pistol you’ve shown me on this channel. Just hit me right I guess. That is a damn cool gun.

[@BatCaveOz]

Beautifully done chequering.

[@elen5871]

oh my god a new ring-trigger manually operated late 19th century pistol video from forgotten weapons? 😍😍😍

[@Vok250]

That's the coolest gun I've ever seen!

[@antoniobeltranthesumosnipe8634]

Such an elegant form... complicated construction but still pretty.

[@Flederratte]

This is a beautiful piece of mechanical art!

[@nureinkanal3821]

Someone: names his gun Schulhof Pistole America joined the game

[@NINEWALKING]

I love the mechanism and packaging and even that strange design. It looks like something invented by mad professor. 6 shots and such small packaging. Reminds me on the strange clockwork or some nice steam punk design. I am loving it.

[@lilwyvern4]

Early repeaters had such wild, interesting designs. Rarely practical, but always interesting.

[@Hokuhikene]

The morbit nqme aside, this pistol looks really beautiful it reminds me a lot of the craftmanship of tabaco pipes

[@mascadadelpantion8018]

Now this is an authentic badass old revolver that I would love to own!!!!!!!

[@borjesvensson8661]

Definatly a pistol to drool over and then buy a sensible revolver.

[@lucianene7741]

Thinking the same. I would rather have something proven and reliable in a life or death situation. Plus - a revolver can accommodate more powerful ammo, which is still true today.

[@motobenbh4722]

Never heard of these, and I think it's just a remarkable thing. Also, I hope the dressing of the grip screw slots is no coincidence.