Comments by "Britta Kriep" (@brittakriep2938) on "Stocked Pistols: Great or Garbage?" video.
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@SavageArms357 : In german language countries of 19th century the people of course also liked stories with heroes fighting criminals. In second half of 19th century some Wild West novels had be known in german speaking countries. James Fenimore Cooper for example, or Friedrich Gerstäcker , a german who lived some years in USA and decided to return home. Also saxon novelist Karl May 1842 -1912 wrote a large number of rather fantasyfull adventure novels, where the Stories play everywhere on the planet.
But of course, the people wanted to hear also stories which happen in german countries, where the readers had been familiar with the situation. Life was similar, but not the same in every german state, in Switzerland a bit more different to current Germany and Austria, for reason of centuries of republican Tradition. In contrast to USA open carry of weapons was no more allowed since Napoleonic era ( why people switched to swordcanes, short daggers, Derringers- in german called Terzerol, knuckles or things known in USA as sap or Blackjack), monarchs contolled weapons hard. Revolution of 1848 was not sucessfull, but in case of owning ( not carrieing) weapons most liberal time in Germany ( Up to early 1920s) started. So in german language countries civilians caried weapons when hunting or a shooters event visible.
Starting in late 17th century, ending in Napoleonic era, also in HRE gangs of robbers ( doing also poachery, smuggling, burglary etc.) existed for different reasons , often simply poorness. Some of this historical robbers, for example Schinderhannes or , Bayrischer Hiasel' had been romanticed as , German Robin Hoods', because some of their ,dones (?)/ Taten had been seen as acts of ,rebells/ revolutionaires'. Those Gangs existed mostly in current South West of Germany, because the over hundred (!) small german states could not fight this mobile Gangs. If a crime was noticed, and the small Security force mobilized, the Gangs fleed to annother German state, or to nearby France or Switzerland. After Napoleonic era those Gangs no more existed, and got replaced by single criminals or only small groups, some, like bavarian poacher Jennerwein had been still romanticed as folk heroes.
So novel writers wrote many novels , Theater authors Theater pieces, painters painted paintings, in which a heroic Forrest official ( Förster) or a Brave licenced Hunter fights poachers, smugglers , sometimes other criminals. Also in those days, up to 1970s/ 1980s socalled fieldguards existed ( in France still known as gardes champetres), which had to guard fields and fruit trees from food thieves.
When in 1950s there was great US wave of Wild West movies, there was a wave of Heimatfilme ( literaly homeregion movies) in Germany, Austria ( lesser Switzerland) with lots of poachers and forresters/ hunters. Most known one seems to be , Grün ist die Heide./The heather is green.' Sidenote: Both Heide and Heather are also women names
Those poachers used everything from wire slings, to traps you can see with former fur Trappers, shortened rifles ( muskets/ shotguns), also large pistols, sometimes guns, which can be Put into small parts easyly, and hidden firearms Like caneshotguns.
Many of those poachers guns are simply to weak for lawfull hunting, also poachers hunting methods are not lawfull, and German gunlaw has a Paragraph about poachery guns.
Fight against poachers is no thing of hstory, last year two Police officers had been shot by a poacher
Oh, when you visit museum of Königsbronn, a large Village, there is a room only about poachery.
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I, Brittas boyfriend, am no expert. Not only Lange Pistole 08 ( intended for artillrymen), also Pistole 04 ( for Imperial German Navy) with 15cm Barrel ( artillry Modell 20cm Barrel) had such a Stock Board ( Anschlagschaft). According to german language arms magazines, the reason was, that german Navy Headquarters knew, that most sailors or Navy personal was low trained with rifles, and bad with pistols, so they hoped , the Stock and 15 cm barrel helps the Navy soldiers, when serving as Boarding party, harbour patrol or similar Things, when they have no rifle, but need something more than bayonnet or cutlass. Not long ago Matt Easton of ,scholagladiatora' channel made a Video, that on many british warships of wwl ( and even some old ones in wwll) there had been Boarding pikes ! Those stocked pistols in metall cartridges era had been a substitute ( don' t know, how to translate, Behelf'), when a soldier, who had only a pistol, had the necessarity to fire at longer distance, than usual. In time of flintlock/ percussion pistols, the situation was different. With exeption of may be officers, flagbearers or musicans, soldiers on foot had no pistols, and no need for a stocked pistol. May be artillry men, transport , or engeneers/pioneers, or medical personal. But giving them stocked pistols? To expensive, older, a bit worn out muskets, cut to carbine length had been cheaper. So sometimes stocked pistols had been given to cavallry. While US cavallry consisted only of dragoons ( Dragoner) and perhaps ,mounted rifles, european countries had in flintlock/ percussion era different classes of cavallry, with different roles. In flintlock era the dragoons started a mounted infantry, being able to serve as ,auxillary heavy cavallry ', in 1760s they became heavy cavallry, being able to serve as , auxillary infantry '. So they had often no pistols ( or only one) , but a slightly shortened musket and bayonnet, similar to sea soldiers/ marines, and a heavy sword. Hussars had sabers. some had only a pair of pistols, but most also carbine. Hussars needed carbines, because as spies, scouts, escorts or , Special operations men' , they often had been on foot, and the enemies in distance. On other Hand, in flintlock era, there had been cuirassiers. Work as Scout, spy , escort, Special operations men, or military Police was not their Task. They had been tall, strong men, riding tall, strong horses, wearing cuirass, hats, reinforced with sheetmetal or thick wires ( sometimes still helmets), and had been armed with a heavy sword and a pair of pistols ( few had a carbine). Their Job was, to a attack a noticed weak spot in enemies Battleline in frontal , Steamroller attack' to break a hole in enemies battleorder. So in flintlock/ percussion era, those stocked pistols had been often given to such cavallry Units, having few carbines .
Civilian context. I am german, so my comment is about german Situation. A sidenote: Up to 1866 Austria was regular part of HRE and later German Federation, Switzerland was in reality up to 1499, in theory up to 1648 part of HRE. It is possible, that german nobles, or wealthy towns citizens traveled from second half of 16th century up to Napoleonic era with a pair of long , Saddle pistols ' in saddle holster (wheellock, then flintlock), and that few of those wealthy men bought a stocked pistol pair, in case, a Kind of carbine is necessary against robbers. It is also possible, that a german language wealthy
It is also possible, that in flintlock era a wealthy german language Gentleman bought a stocked pistol, for the case, being surprisingly invented to a Parforce hunt. With exeption of these two cases, using the pair of saddlepistols with a Stock as substitute for a carbine in selfdefence, or as substitute for an ordinary hunting gun, i can in german language context only Imagine one context. Poachery, where a poacher splits His shortened gun into pieces, to hide them under a coat, or the opposite. A wealthy , Herrenjäger' with a hunting licence, who carries a stocked pistol under his coat, for surprisingly appearing Game.
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