The boot pistol the Old West wished they had...99% probably NOT SASS legal...

[Dapper Dave]

Lets start off with a buddy of mine, the last of the old school gunsmiths, loves tinkering with guns. He ended up with the unfinished extras when that outfit in Tucson quit making the famous knife pistols. He didn't want to go through the hassle of finishing a few of 80% receivers and marking them for sale with ATFE as cartridge firearms, because he just doesn't have that kind of time. But, taking an 80% non-gun and turning it into a black powder firearm? Hmm.

So he started tinkering...the finished one is a serialized firearm, the original knife pistol in 22lr.

[Dapper Dave]

So, he kept working on the concept, had to re profile hammers and clean out the guts of the 80% receiver to make this work. Pretty cool, eh? The first one used an 8mm Mauser barrel stub, so rifled, but would only be loaded with #1 buck.

[Dapper Dave]

Today, we test fired. There are the original knife pistols, finished and partially finished. They are REALLY hard to shoot straight, that's for certain! Also you can see the two Boot Pistols, the original in 8mm/#1 Buck, and #2, in 45 caliber.
He built a test stand for remote firing and BOOM, they worked great.
Then hand firing, both the master gunsmith and me, and while the smoothbore 45 caliber ain't accurate much past poker table distance, it is just neat. It's easy to clean and easy to shoot, as much as it doesn't look like it. 

 

[Dapper Dave]

But that's not QUITE the end of this tale, as the 45 version, #2, came home with me. I don't have a 45 caliber mold...or do I? See, years ago I bought a used Uberti 1860, which came in an old Navy Arms box, along with one of those simple brass molds. I realized REALLY quickly that those handles heated up FAST< so that same gunsmith took that mold and hand crafted some handles that work very well. The ball is too big, but wouldn't you know, the conical is undersized...and slides right down the bore of this little blaster. So, next time I take it out, I will use a conical cast from a legacy mold with a patch in the weirdest boot pistol ever built and see how it goes. 
 

[Shotgun-Gibbs]

Really neat! They turned out nice! Enjoy!

[watab kid]

nifty little piece , like the knife too 

[Dapper Dave]

Interestingly enough, I discovered that the 45 caliber version also started as an old military 8mm Mauser barrel, and the gunsmith rebored and polished it for 45 caliber smoothbore. That is just plain cool.

[Subdeacon Joe]

It looks as if you "fill your hand" from out of your boot it would be at about the right angle to fire through a card table and hit the guy across from you in the chest.

[Dapper Dave]

Might be, not sure how I could try it. Oddly enough, as weird as the grip is, being originally a knife, it isn't hard to hold to sight down the barrel. 

Gotta wait until the weekend to try again - did I mention how insanely easy this is to clean?

[Subdeacon Joe]

8 minutes ago, Dapper Dave said:

Might be, not sure how I could try it. Oddly enough, as weird as the grip is, being originally a knife, it isn't hard to hold to sight down the barrel. 

Gotta wait until the weekend to try again - did I mention how insanely easy this is to clean?

 

Set up a half sheet of plywood on some sawhorses, put a cardboard target on one side,  sit yourself in a chair on the other.  Have a camera to one side.

Draw the unloaded pistol from your boot and have someone take the photo.  You should be able to tell from that if you would hit fra natural and relaxed position. 

 

[Dapper Dave]

Not a bad idea at all. I do have an unmonitored city maintained range right down the street from me, too. I could probably pull that off.