Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 89 mm
- Weight, empty
- 200 g
- Introduced
- 1865
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol is a single-shot, spur-trigger pocket pistol chambered in .22 rimfire, produced by gunmaker Frank Wesson from the mid-1860s. It uses a spring-loaded tip-up barrel that pivots upward for loading when a lever beneath the action is released and the hammer is set at half-cock. With a roughly 3.5-inch barrel and a brass frame, it was marketed as a compact, easily concealable defensive arm during the American rimfire pistol boom that followed the Civil War.
Frank Wesson was the younger brother of Daniel B. Wesson of Smith & Wesson, and ran his own firearms business in Massachusetts, becoming best known for his single-shot rifles and pocket pistols.
Distinct from Frank Wesson's larger 'Pocket Rifle' target pistols, which used detachable shoulder stocks. The pistol is marked with Wesson's patent dates of October 25, 1859 and November 11, 1862.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Frank Wesson
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1865 to 1888
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 89 mm
- Overall length
- 152 mm
- Weight, empty
- 200 g
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Break action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 1
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Brass
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 329 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 102 J
- Effective range
- 15 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.
Tip up barrel
Spur trigger
Single shot
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 | 200 g | 794 g | Among the lightest tenth |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,911 pistols | 152 mm | 196 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 26 22-short pistols | 89 mm | 111 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,962 pistols | 1 | 8 | Among the smallest capacities |
Answers
Questions about the Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol
How much does the Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol weigh?
The Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol weighs 200 g (7.1 oz) empty.
What caliber is the Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol?
The Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol is chambered in .22 Short.
How many rounds does the Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol hold?
The Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol holds 1 rounds.
How long is the Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol?
The Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol is 152 mm (5.98 in) long overall, with a 89 mm (3.50 in) barrel.
Who makes the Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol?
The Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol is made by Frank Wesson (United States). It was designed by Frank Wesson.
When was the Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol introduced?
The Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol was introduced in 1865 and discontinued in 1888.
How does the Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol operate?
The Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol uses a break 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
- Civilian market
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
60%
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/frank-wesson-pocket-pistol' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "frank-wesson-pocket-pistol", "name": "Frank Wesson Pocket Pistol", "manufacturer": { "id": "frank-wesson", "name": "Frank Wesson", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1859, "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": "0b34d238d4065ffb86b7745878a515d8cb90d6875f121e52813e5326325251a7" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1865, "barrel_length_mm": 89, "weight_empty_g": 200, "action_type": "break_action"}