Chicago Protector Palm Pistol
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 41 mm
- Weight, empty
- 230 g
- Introduced
- 1893
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Chicago Protector Palm Pistol is a double-action palm-squeezer revolver chambered in .32 Extra Short Rimfire. Built on Jacques Turbiaux's French patent, it was manufactured by the Ames Sword Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts under contract for the Chicago Fire Arms Co. for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Shaped like a pocketwatch, it is held concealed in a closed fist with the barrel protruding between the fingers and fired by squeezing the hand, which rotates a flat radial disc magazine of seven chambers. Most examples were nickel-plated to resist corrosion from close-contact carry.
The Protector design originated with Parisian inventor Jacques Turbiaux, who patented his 'Le Protector' squeeze pistol in France in 1882. The American rights passed to Peter H. Finnegan, who founded the Chicago Fire Arms Co. in 1892 and contracted the Ames Sword Company to build the guns for sale at the Chicago World's Fair. Sized to vanish inside a closed hand, it was marketed as a discreet last-ditch defensive weapon for the late-Victorian gentleman and lady.
Mechanically a radial 'turret' or disc-magazine repeater rather than a conventional cylinder revolver; squeezing the rear lever both indexes the disc and fires. Remington produced the .32 Extra Short rimfire ammunition through about 1920.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Chicago Fire Arms Co.
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1893 to 1910
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 41 mm
- Overall length
- 114 mm
- Height
- 70 mm
- Width
- 18 mm
- Weight, empty
- 230 g
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Double action revolver
- Firing mechanism
- Double action
- Trigger
- Double action
- Capacity
- 7
- Magazine
- Rotary
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Nickel plated
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 198 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 69 J
- Effective range
- 5 m
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.
- Squeeze actuated firing
Radial disc magazine- Pocketwatch form factor
Hard rubber or pearl grip inserts
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 | 230 g | 794 g | Among the lightest tenth |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,911 pistols | 114 mm | 196 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,941 pistols | 41 mm | 102 mm | Among the shortest tenth |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,962 pistols | 7 | 8 | Holds fewer rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Chicago Protector Palm Pistol
How much does the Chicago Protector Palm Pistol weigh?
The Chicago Protector Palm Pistol weighs 230 g (8.1 oz) empty.
What caliber is the Chicago Protector Palm Pistol?
The Chicago Protector Palm Pistol is chambered in .32 Extra Short Rimfire.
How many rounds does the Chicago Protector Palm Pistol hold?
The Chicago Protector Palm Pistol holds 7 rounds, fed from a rotary magazine.
How long is the Chicago Protector Palm Pistol?
The Chicago Protector Palm Pistol is 114 mm (4.49 in) long overall, with a 41 mm (1.61 in) barrel.
Who makes the Chicago Protector Palm Pistol?
The Chicago Protector Palm Pistol is made by Chicago Fire Arms Co. (United States). It was designed by Jacques Edmond Turbiaux.
When was the Chicago Protector Palm Pistol introduced?
The Chicago Protector Palm Pistol was introduced in 1893 and discontinued in 1910.
How does the Chicago Protector Palm Pistol operate?
The Chicago Protector Palm Pistol uses a double action, and its firing mechanism is double action.
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
- Civilian self-defense market
- 1893
Provenance
Confidence in this record
74%
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/chicago-palm-pistol' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "chicago-palm-pistol", "name": "Chicago Protector Palm Pistol", "manufacturer": { "id": "chicago-fire-arms", "name": "Chicago Fire Arms Co.", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1892, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "760a2cd9c03669b3be8d4c5c269b0dac2f4857de9b66e5d5966baf211a2c4462" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1893, "barrel_length_mm": 41, "weight_empty_g": 230, "action_type": "double_action_revolver"}