CASH Special
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- Not recorded
- Weight, empty
- 2.80 kg
- Introduced
- 1913
About
What it is, and why it matters
The CASH Special is a cartridge-powered penetrating captive bolt stunning pistol made by Accles & Shelvoke for the humane pre-slaughter stunning of livestock. Introduced in 1913 and pistol-shaped for one-handed use, it drives a retained (captive) steel bolt forward when a blank .22 or .25 caliber cartridge is fired, delivering a concussive blow to the animal's skull to render it instantly unconscious. Colour-coded cartridges of differing propellant charges let the operator match bolt energy to animal size, and an automatic bolt return re-seats the bolt after each shot. It requires two positive actions to fire as a safety measure and remains one of the most widely used humane stunning tools in abattoirs worldwide.
The CASH (Cash & Company / Accles & Shelvoke) captive bolt principle replaced the poleaxe and other crude methods, becoming a founding standard of humane slaughter and is referenced in EU welfare regulation EC 1099/2009.
A captive bolt stunner is not a conventional firearm: the bolt is retained within the tool and no free projectile is discharged. The .22 caliber CASH Special uses colour-coded blanks (brown 1gr, pink 1.25gr, purple 2.5gr, green 3gr, red 4gr, black 4.5gr); the .25 caliber version uses a bored-out chamber and heavier charges for larger animals. A 2020 barrel revision was introduced to accelerate the bolt and protect the bolt head. Product weight approx 2.8 kg.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Accles & Shelvoke Ltd
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1913
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Weight, empty
- 2.80 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Breech loading
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 1
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 55 m/s
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Captive bolt- Automatic bolt return
Pistol grip
Fast loading action- Interchangeable cartridge loads
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,909 pistols | 2.80 kg | 794 g | Heavier than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,962 pistols | 1 | 8 | Among the smallest capacities |
Answers
Questions about the CASH Special
How much does the CASH Special weigh?
The CASH Special weighs 2.80 kg (6.17 lb) empty.
What caliber is the CASH Special?
The CASH Special is chambered in .22 Captive Bolt Blank.
How many rounds does the CASH Special hold?
The CASH Special holds 1 rounds.
Who makes the CASH Special?
The CASH Special is made by Accles & Shelvoke Ltd (United Kingdom).
When was the CASH Special introduced?
The CASH Special was introduced in 1913.
How does the CASH Special operate?
The CASH Special uses a breech loading action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
Provenance
Confidence in this record
72%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/cash-special' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "cash-special", "name": "CASH Special", "manufacturer": { "id": "accles-shelvoke", "name": "Accles & Shelvoke Ltd", "countryCode": "GB", "foundedYear": 1903, "website": "https://www.accles-shelvoke.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": "UK-based manufacturer in the English Midlands, founded in 1903 as Bennett's Successors Ltd. Adopted the name Accles & Shelvoke in 1913. Primarily manufactures humane slaughter equipment (bolt pistols) and cable spikers. Acquired by Frontmatec in 2017.", "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": true, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-07-19 22:59:14", "updatedAt": "2026-09-15 07:19:19", "version": "ae4637b82eb8244460900a5653e1e9fa52db6ebe534e187c3cb03ceac9606752" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "GB", "year_introduced": 1913, "barrel_length_mm": null, "weight_empty_g": 2800, "action_type": "breech_loading"}