POTD: Best Friend EDC – James Reid My Friend Knuckleduster
Sam.S 05.05.23
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have an instantly recognizable classic that is probably more produced in pages of books than it ever was in real life. This is the James Reid My Friend Knuckleduster Revolver. The gun is literally called “My Friend” and the term knuckleduster comes from its potential use as a one-fingered brass knuckle. The story goes, as I understand it, that James Reid decided he wanted a self-defense pistol that would fit in the palm of his hand. The result was the My Friend revolver which was patented in 1865. Surprisingly despite that patent date they were not produced until the 1870s.
“Top strap groove sight, with the left side marked “MY FRIEND PAT’D. DEC. 26, 1865″. Seven-shot unfluted cylinder, with matching numbers on the cylinder, cylinder pin and frame. Frame is decorated with leafy scroll, burst and punch dot engraving, with a starburst behind the hammer and a checkered shield panel on the rear of the solid grip.”
Lot 3240: Reid ‘My Friend’ Knuckleduster Revolver – Fine Engraved James Reid “My Friend” Knuckle-Duster 22 Caliber Revolver. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/76/3240/reid-my-friend-knuckleduster-revolver.
