Lincoln-Bossu
- Category
- Revolver
- Barrel
- 57 mm
- Weight, empty
- 230 g
- Introduced
- 1900
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Lincoln-Bossu is a small hammerless pocket revolver of the Velo-Dog pattern built in Liege by Henrion, Dassy & Heuschen (HDH) in the early 20th century. A less refined companion to the firm's hammer-fired Lincoln, it uses a fully concealed internal striker in place of an exposed hammer and a folding trigger so it draws cleanly from a coat pocket without snagging. The double-action-only mechanism feeds from a loading-gate cylinder, and the revolver was offered chambered for the diminutive 5.5mm/5.75mm Velo-Dog cartridge as well as the 6.35mm Browning (.25 ACP). 'Bossu' is French for 'hunchback', a nod to the humped profile of the hammerless frame.
The name 'Bossu' - French for 'hunchback' - referred to the humped silhouette of the concealed-hammer frame, while the Velo-Dog lineage traces to the cycling craze of the 1890s when compact revolvers were carried to fend off aggressive street dogs.
HDH marketed the type as an inexpensive, mass-produced defensive arm sold through wholesalers. The 'Bossu' hammerless designation distinguished it from the exposed-hammer 'Lincoln'. Surviving examples are typically five-shot, with a barrel around 2.25 inches (57mm), a left-side safety and a folding trigger.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Henrion, Dassy & Heuschen
- Category
- Revolver
- Country
- Belgium
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1900 to 1934
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 57 mm
- Overall length
- 130 mm
- Weight, empty
- 230 g
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Double action revolver
- Firing mechanism
- Double action only
- Trigger
- Double action
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Revolving cylinder
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Hard rubber
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 200 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 40 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.
Hammerless
Internal striker
Folding trigger- Pocket size
Loading gate- Snag free design
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 404 revolvers | 230 g | 1.05 kg | Among the lightest tenth |
| Overall lengthAmong 415 revolvers | 130 mm | 260 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 431 revolvers | 57 mm | 127 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 434 revolvers | 5 | 6 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Its place in the rankings
Answers
Questions about the Lincoln-Bossu
How much does the Lincoln-Bossu weigh?
The Lincoln-Bossu weighs 230 g (8.1 oz) empty.
What caliber is the Lincoln-Bossu?
The Lincoln-Bossu is chambered in 5.5mm Velo-Dog and 6.35x16mm Browning (.25 ACP).
How many rounds does the Lincoln-Bossu hold?
The Lincoln-Bossu holds 5 rounds, fed from a revolving cylinder.
How long is the Lincoln-Bossu?
The Lincoln-Bossu is 130 mm (5.12 in) long overall, with a 57 mm (2.24 in) barrel.
Who makes the Lincoln-Bossu?
The Lincoln-Bossu is made by Henrion, Dassy & Heuschen (Belgium).
When was the Lincoln-Bossu introduced?
The Lincoln-Bossu was introduced in 1900 and discontinued in 1934.
How does the Lincoln-Bossu operate?
The Lincoln-Bossu uses a double action, and its firing mechanism is double action only.
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.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
62%
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/lincoln-bossu' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "lincoln-bossu", "name": "Lincoln-Bossu", "manufacturer": { "id": "hdh", "name": "Henrion, Dassy & Heuschen", "countryCode": "BE", "foundedYear": 1900, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-07-19 22:59:14", "updatedAt": "2026-07-19 22:59:14", "version": "bc0fe1b1da6edeee46e89b7a118e31a10f1994a7a81e9ec89df800e26fda5b71" }, "category": { "id": "revolver", "name": "Revolver", "description": "Handguns with a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers" }, "country_of_origin": "BE", "year_introduced": 1900, "barrel_length_mm": 57, "weight_empty_g": 230, "action_type": "double_action_revolver"}