Read about these cool little numbers in a gun rag the other day(click for larger):

The ‘gun’ portion is a breech loading .45ACP with a grip safety along the haft. A cool feature is that it also comes with a sleeve allowing you to fire .380ACP if you so choose. The review author (sorry don’t remember the title or the month) mentioned that the knifepistol’s actually pretty easy to instinctively aim by sighting along the blade, although with the non-existant barrel and 1 round capacity, I wouldn’t expect to see these things at IDPA matches.

A pic (clickable) showing the inner workings:

Why? Well to quote the website:

Combination “weapons” such as the “sword or knife pistol”, dating back to the sixteenth century, were used for dispatching and quartering wild boars. The penknife pistols of the mid-nineteenth century were created for emergencies and the Elgin cutlass pistol of the same era was designed for and authorized by an Act of Congress in May 1836 to be used by the United States South Seas Exploring Expedition.

Here’s an example of an accurate reproduction of the Elgin Cutlass from Dixie Gun Works:

These apparently gave pretty good account of themselves during boarding operations and attempts to repel pirates. However, cruise ships notwithstanding, pirate attacks and sailors swinging from yardarms and jib booms and stuff in ship-to-ship fighting doesn’t happen a whole lot. Neither does boar hunting from closer than 50 yards.

So, again. Why? It’s made of good steel and the shape would lend itself well to a general outdoor/hunting knife. And a shot of .45ACP is rarely inadequate for behavioral modification of beastie both two and four-legged. But there are probably better dedicated knives out there, and there are definitely better firearms to have on your person if the outdoors are your thing.

But it’s an interesting, innovative, and functional amalgam of both. And although at $1300 it ain’t a bargain, there are more expensive guns and knives out there.

Most importantly, though. Why the hell not? That’s the most persuasive reason for owning something like this. And it’s all the reason a guy like me needs. The money, on the other hand, is a different story.