I just saw the comments on this Broqua & Scholberg marked 44 Russian Single Shot pistol and the opinions given that this is a mock dueling pistol are inexact. It carries the proof of Liege (post 1893) Belgium. This was the best proof in Europe in the 19th Century - each chamber had to be proofed by firing a double load 4 times. The Broqua & Scholberg gunshop was the largest importer of arms into Uruguay in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the pistol is marked as chambered for "44 R", the .44 Russian cartridge (black powder of course) would chamber and shoot just fine if one were inclined to use this fine pistol. It is a real beauty and was made to be used (although probably not for duels - it looks more like a target type pistol). These top-break pistols, often with two barrels, but sometimes made with only one barrel, were quite popular in South America in the 19th century. They are hard to come by both in North America and in Europe because most went South. Richard, Montevideo, Uruguay
