This weapons had been popular in Germany, because you could carry it without a licence from the 1900s to the mid 2000s. Nowadays you need a licence, but this so called ,Kleiner Waffenschein' is rather possible to get, while the traditional , Waffenschein' ( ccw permit?) for carry a real gun is nearly impossible to get.
Scheintod typically refers to a state of unconsciousness where even professionals could mistake you for being dead. A 100 years ago this was still a huge problem. It´s a really scary thought of waking up in a wooden box 6 ft under, where no-one can hear you scream... I don't know how this relates to the weapon though...
BTW: the dancing skeleton could be a homage to the Totentanz (dance of the dead) which is a recurring motive you can find in parts of Europe. It symbolises that we will all die and we are the same to death no matter if king or beggar... I´ve been to Basel, Switzerland and there in the Barfüsslerkirche (bare feet church, or rather beggar´s church) they have an entire room covered in dancing skeletons representing all walks of life. Similarly, they got a square next to another church named Totentanz. It used to be a graveyard outside the city but is now pretty much in its centre. Fun fact: in the latter place I had a creepy encounter. At the bus stop a young woman mounted the bus. She was probably in her early 20s, but looked at least 10 years older and was both severely malnourished and dehydrated. She really looked worse than the photos of the corpses from the concentration camps. I could literally see her ribs poking through the clothing, just like the elbows and knees. Her eyes were deep in their sockets and her mouth was shrivelled up so that she couldn´t close it! Her skin looked thin and leathery and her hair was falling out and looked just as dead as her eyes. I have no idea how she could still walk... No, this is not a ghost story, or at least I think that she was very much alive at least on the day I saw her. I´ve never seen such a severe case of anorexia before or after.
@@allangibson8494 Russia still issues modernized Nagant revolvers to post office and railway workers in some of its states. Strategic importance legacy and so on. So I guess it was pretty common in other countries too. After all, post office workers sometimes operated with money and thus were a prime targets for robbery
Later, after the wars, the so called "Schreckschusspistole" [Scare you pistol] was pretty much the same. Build to look like a normal small pistol, put was either shooting just blanks or some gas. Popular because they were very easy to get compared to actual a gun. There is no license or anything needed.
And there have been many instances here in Austria where those scare pistols have been effective at scaring away burglars and robbers. I can imagine that this thing would have worked just as well.
They do require a permit under German law, but that is just a formality compared to the requirements of a real license, which would require training, instruction and tests.
Actually you only need a license for a blank gun, if you wanna carry it outside your own property. To buy it you only have to be 18. Bougt my first blank gun 2 1/2 years ago.
@@owllymannstein7113 i hate on the judge not because its a terrible firearm, but because of the fanatics that swear its the greatest handgun on the planet, somehow coming to the conclusion that a .410 shot shell from a 2" barrel equates to a mushroom cloud and vaporized bad guys. Personally if i were to buy anything in the judge line itd be the "raging" judge, with at least a 5" barrel. but thats just b/c its able to handle .545 casull and is a decently built, 6 shot, double action revolver. I would probably shoot some 410 for shits and giggles; but never for defensive carry, or hunting or anything.
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine it has its place.i wont argue that.i just dont think that place is where taurus says it is.if its the only gun youve got its better than nothing. but side by side with a .38spl, i dont see ANY advantage in the .410 for personal protection.now if i were long term camping,or hunting/ trapping and needed to dispatch an animal that was near death??? Idk maybe.i still think id go with a "normal" revolver.but i could see where one might prefer the judge. im not saying its a bad gun.i just see many better options available. and i think the " scenarios" givin by both taurus and the judge fans are as entertaining as they are factually inacurate.
@@kirbynix9189 As a german, i can best explain it this way: The phrase "es scheint als.." is very accurately translated as "it seems if..." . With "Tod" meaning death, the best wordly translation would be "seemingly dead". This is confirmed by the "official" definiton in the german "Duden" (The most reliable source for german grammatics): Scheintod: physical condition (of a human or animal), in which it is hardly recognizable because of existing signs of life, so it seems that death has occurred.
Interesting. I'm a student myself, so if you wouldn't mind, what are the various possible translations of the word 'schein'? I haven't come across that term very often
@@SneggeS ah ok, I see. "Es scheint als" makes it much clearer. Although I can also see how the definition in the Duden could be applied to the English term suspended animation, but one has to keep in mind that languages can be a bit quirky, so just because it makes sense in English doesn't mean it makes sense in German
Nice video. I have a singleshot scheintod-pistol that fires something similar i caliber ( cal 410). Heard somewhere that postmen used them to scare off dogs of the two or fourlegged variety. Mine came with one shot of ”betäubungspatrone” made by Sellier&Bellot.
@@goodoldslaverydude well i am german and i own 2 of those for self defense (they did their job a few times allready) as self defense/protection is NOT a valid argument to get a permit for a real gun in germany unless you are smthng like a jeweler carrying diamonds 3 times a week.
These are still fairly popular in eastern Europe. My gf did the banking for a business, got issued a revolver version. It also launches chunks of the cartridge which will penetrate the skin and 100% maim your face. The irritants embed and you can't brush them off or wash out. At point blank - you could probably kill someone from hydrostatic shock. They are not to be sneezed at...
I think, one of the manufacturers was the "BERND PAATZ" company in Zella-Mehlis, Thuringia Germany. There was also a two-stacked-barrel version of the "Scheintod-Pistole", called "PERPLEX". (A german word for - hope I discribe it right - beeing shocked, feeling nearly paralysed and beeing unable to speak) Very informative video. (as always 😁) Greetings from the german northsea-shore 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
This is absolutely fascinating! As interesting as all of your videos are, these is easily one my favorites. I enjoy firearms as much as the next subscriber, but to know the history of less lethal options is, in some ways, even more important to document; because, while many folks are into guns and preserving their history, so few have catalogued the history of these wonderful artifacts. Thank you for doing this, and please do more less lethal videos in the future!
"Scheintod" is less "something that looks lethal but actually isn’t" but more accurate translated "something that seems dead but actually isn't", which is the "recipient" of the guns effect.
@@skepticalbadger Except that Americans invented the 8mm,16mm, etc. film standards and all American cigarettes are measued in mm. both things being thus for over 100 years. Oh, well give 'em an inch and they'll take 1.61Km.
I’ve seen old ammo for that thing, the cartridges are almost as cool as the gun! They’re basically .410 paper shotshells, with a death’s head printed on the side. I’ve seen ones marked as containing pepper, and others containing NC irritant. The ones I’ve seen were actually headstamped .410 so I’m pretty sure a standard .410 shotshell would chamber if it’s not too long for the cylinder. Edit: A period advertisement for «Scheintod-patronen», with the same dancing skeleton logo as the gun grips, translates roughly as follows: «One shot from the Scheintod-weapon will immediately render the most dangerous of adversaries harmless and unfit for fight, without causing him lethal or bodily injuries. Surest defence weapon. Most brilliant invention in the field of defence.» Edited again to add: some of these shells are marked «knock-out».
I dont think it would work that well. Notice how there is a gap from the "lack of barrel" spot from the cylinder. Also when he is rotating the cylinder, it doesn't seem to align correctly (Maybe because its old). Any"shot" would possibly hit that bridge or worse.
I suspect it'd explode due to the increased recoil, the frame doesn't look particularly sturdy so you'd probably get one shot before it and the cylinder parted ways.
Manufacturer was probably H. Burgsmüller & Söhne G.m.b.H. Gewehrfabrik, Kreiensen am Harz. Burgsmüller was also an arms dealer, sold everything necessary for hunting and sport shooting, from firearms over ammunition, clothing, spare parts, accessories for weapons and shooting. Caliber was actually .410, looking like the regular paper shotgun cartridges, but labeled with "Scheintod Patrone" (Scheintod cartridge). First models were single shot models.
"Liven up your October 31st with this truly spooky revolver. Perfect for scaring off those trouble-making teenagers on your block. Never have your house egged or tp'd again."
Not really, beyond being a self-defence revolver with a long cylinder. The Judge is a shot pistol that can also fire .45LC. This is a 'gas pistol' or, effectively, a blank-firing revolver.
They still have this tradition in Germany now, they call them Alarm Guns, basically blank firers or blank firers that shoot cs gas out. They are also fairly unique within the EU because people can legally carry Pepper Spray or CS gas for use against Dogs. HoundSpray.
I have a similar modern two shot derringer type variety where it's electrically ignited and explosion inside of a cartridge pushes the internal plunger which squirts out irritant at high velocity. Very interesting that the concept is so old.
And here is some Information for this of gun: In 1905 Adolf Niemeyer (of NICO Fireworks) was granted a patent for the Scheintod-Cartridge. The cartridge was a flashbang that also evaporated capsaicin. NICO Fireworks partnered with the "Deutsche Waffen & Fahrrad Fabriken Burgsmüller & Söhne"-Company and produced the Burgo Scheintod pistols. This particular one seems to be a Burgo Modell 5. There were several other companies that produced guns for this cartridge or for similar cartridges. After WW2 regulations for firearms became strikter in germany and many gun companies started producing other products like bicycles or tools. Today NICO still produces fireworks. The Burgsmüller Company is also still around, but they produce high tech machinery like mills and lathes. Non lethal firearms are still a thing in germany, but they are now called Schreckschußpistole (Scare shot gun) or Gaspistole (Gas gun) and they are mostly chambered in the standardized 9mm P.A.Knall or 9mm R Knall caliber. People use them now mostly as flare launchers for new years eve. That was a lot of text, and no one is going to read it.
Similar products are still in use in germany today. Since german gunlaw is "pretty strict", there's almost no possibility for a normal citizen to get a concealed carry permit. But you can get a so called "small weapons license", which entitles you to carry stuff like stun guns, pepper spray, or blank/irritant firing pistols. All these items are free to buy/own in germany for everyone over 18, but you need the permit if you want to cc them in public.
So it's an old school "gas-alarm pistol". They still make something very similar in modern day. Basically just beefed up blank guns meant to do the exact same thing as this revolver. They shoot pepper blanks or normal blanks. Some even come with a thread-in muzzle attachment for shooting 'flares'. Popular in some parts of Europe. I belive there are a number of models offered under the Zoraki tradename.
In the 90's a german or swiss arms magazin wrote about this weapons. There had been single to three barrell pistols and the shown revolvers. The cartidges had been 36gauge/.410 shotgun cartridges with blackpowder, no shots but pepper powder. The persons from the arms magazin think that in some cartidges narcotic medicine or Magnesium powder (for a bigger flash of lighning) was added to the pepper powder. Those weapons had not only been used for self defence, with blank cartridges they had been used as , Weinbergpistole'/ wineyard pistols to scare animals, especially swarms of birds, when thry wanted to eat the wineberris before the harvest. For this use you could buy cheap muzzle loading pistols up to the 30's. There had been ,Weinbergschütze'-wineyard protectors some decades ago. The oldest known cataloques which show ,Scheintodpistolen' seem to be from 1909. The reason for the invention of this pistols? Up to the 2000's you needed no licence to carry such a teargas pistol ( this ones of modern production). Arround 1890 most of the german policemen had only sabers but more and more criminals used firearms. So there came a licence for civilians who wanted to carry a firearm called (still now) , Waffenschein' and up to 1913 all regular german policemen had been armed with firearms.
This is very similar to the popular and quite long-lived Russian less-lethal barelless _Osa_ (and its simpler 2-shot versions). The 4-shot Osa has no barrel (using an overlong case instead), has (slightly dodgy) electric ignition, optional trigger-actuated laser sight, and fires a 18mm rubber slug, a flashbang, irritant load, or a flare.
I just assumed (correctly) it was sort of the same as the Danish skindød which means the same and is a state most often found in newborns and drowning victims where there is neither clear signs of death nor life.
While reading the Popular Mechanics archive, I came across a short bit about a German report of a killer using a gun to shoot poison gas cartridges. I personally wrote it off as a fantasy bit, old school reporting on par with Bat Boy. Maybe not.
great name for a gun if you know german since "schein" has more than one meaning. important note: "scheintod" mostly referres to the notion that someone implicitly is alive and only appears to be dead. "der schein" in this case litteraly means - the appearance.
Interesting side note about "you think you are going to die." I know of a couple people that were tasered and thought they had been shot. They heard a pop, felt the pain and then their legs gave out. One told us he really thought he had been shot and was puzzled when they asked if he wanted medical aid. "Well, yeah! You just shot me!"
In the early ninetys in Berlin I lived with a lot of anarchist punks. They all owned something like this, but it was a revolver that only fired a c.s. Gas cartridge or a blank cartridge. It had a barrel like a revolver, but it was not rifled and it had a wedge I guess welded in to it about a third of the way down the bore. It had a threaded muzzle that had a screw on cup. Into the cup you would put a small flare and then point it up and fire. That was what the blank cartridge was for. I had never seen anything like that before as I'm from Oregon and everyone has at least one firearm even people that are not particularly fond of firearms. Thanx for showing me that there truly is nothing new under the sun.
I’ve seen a Perplex Mod. 2 scheintodpistole available in a shop just today, cute little 2 barreled o/u thing. I‘m about to look up if it’d be possible to load new 12mm for it. $350 I’ve enough snuff to wrap me in bandoliers. Without snuffin anyone’s lights out tho ha
I just had a thought after looking at my camera and had the bright idea that you could fit a pistol mechanism into a large ish camera, the zoom feature could be the slide and battery compartment could be the magazine well, I think this would be a cool idea for public defence/counter terrorism because they would just look like a normal tourist but then spring into action if needed. What are your ideas?
@@Kikker861 I have no idea what is classed as a destructive device but I was thinking more on the lines if undercover counter terrorism because it wouldn't concern people as much as armed police would
@@matthewirvine1361 You're saying "spy gadget." I'd have to agree with @Eduard. A small concealable firearm would be better for the job and most certainly wouldn't have to be configured to function correctly.
I was loooking in an old box of ammo. I found a sort of paper cased round labeled. “scheintod patrone d.r.wz” that’s what brought me here to this video. Did I find a round for this revolver?
Monsieur Ian, Das 70 centimeter Scheintod revolver kanon vas uber effective - flash & bang for PTSD, und 70 centimeters of Mustard gas in the face to irritate /incapacitate the perp(s) - no wonder the grip has a dancing skeleton! Guess was obsolete to early for SA issue.
I don't know if this is the same thing, but gas pistols used to be a popular tool for security guards, doormen and such. People that needed to uphold order, but were not allowed to use lethal force (like police would). Pepper sprays and such do the same job today.
I have often wondered whether a modern pepperbox in say 9mm or .38 would be a viable alternative to a subcompact semi auto or a snub nose revolver for concealed carry. Lacking a cylinder gap it would be more powerful than a revolver of the same length, could safely fired two handed and it would be more reliable than an semi auto.
If I would be on a criminal endevour and there would suddely a big bang being emitted from something very gunlooking, it would certainly lead to me running.
Scheintod is a word you'd typically use to describe someone or something as seemingly dead. Using it in the sense of a gun being seemingly lethal, wouldn't be correct. For that, we use the word "Anscheinswaffe". That word describes a weapon, in our modern society a firearm, which looks like one, but isn't one and is therefore indistinguishable from a real gun upon first glance. An airsoft-gun would fall in this category of guns for example. I imagine the word "Scheintod" was used for marketing the gun. It sounds kinda cool and describes the condition the person is in after firing the gun. Once they're hit, they're just as vulnerable as if they're dead -> seemingly dead -> Scheintod. Please keep in mind that my English isn't perfect and I don't know the exact reason as to why this name was chosen - so take this with a little grain of salt. :)
I'm fairly certain this would probably permanently blind someone given that it uses gunpowder to propel the irritants and given the size of the cylinder it was probably a fairly stout load
This is pretty much what you are allowed to get here in Deutschland now, not 100 years ago. With a good explanation of why you need it, you can get the Kleinen Waffenschein - Small Arms-Allowal which allows you to conceal-carry stuff like that. But not in public places. Carrying a real gun isn't going to happen.
Blinding flash, irritating smoke, ringing ears, fear of death and to top it off.. a skeleton. Truly a very spooky firearm.
3spooky5me
The skeleton logo would have sold me on this thing alone!
Zalle Kuribu Great for shooting kids during Halloween! A truly great trick!
Preston samson here's the rest of my likes 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Really sends shivers down my spine
Its post-WW1-Germany. I think it's super effective: Triggering the PTSD with a loud bang and poisen-like gas.
Well now, that's dark.
Imagine pulling out this thing in a post war hungry Germany, and getting shot with a real gun in return.
Paul Alexander honestly I got sprayed with pepper spray once and I passed out and slept like a French soldier who didn’t get his gas mask on in time
Especially if that gas starts speaking Russian after
This weapons had been popular in Germany, because you could carry it without a licence from the 1900s to the mid 2000s. Nowadays you need a licence, but this so called ,Kleiner Waffenschein' is rather possible to get, while the traditional , Waffenschein' ( ccw permit?) for carry a real gun is nearly impossible to get.
*Sees dancing skeleton on grip*
Its no longer a schientod revolver, it is now called the doot gun
YEEEESS xD
as a german I support that, spin the wheel !!!
Doot cannon
*Scheintod
What you wrote would be pronounced "sheentoad" and would make no sense in German.
@@martialme84
"S H E E N T O A D"
And they say the germans don't have a sense of humour
BANG .... "sike :DDD"
Ofc germans have sense of humour. They study it in school and have to pass an exam
Christopher MacLennan
This gun is a perfect example of German humour; it’s no laughing matter.
Adam Haveley GOD DAMMIT I WAS GONNA MAKE THAT JOKE
German humor is nothing to joke about, mate
Scheintod typically refers to a state of unconsciousness where even professionals could mistake you for being dead. A 100 years ago this was still a huge problem. It´s a really scary thought of waking up in a wooden box 6 ft under, where no-one can hear you scream...
I don't know how this relates to the weapon though...
BTW: the dancing skeleton could be a homage to the Totentanz (dance of the dead) which is a recurring motive you can find in parts of Europe. It symbolises that we will all die and we are the same to death no matter if king or beggar...
I´ve been to Basel, Switzerland and there in the Barfüsslerkirche (bare feet church, or rather beggar´s church) they have an entire room covered in dancing skeletons representing all walks of life. Similarly, they got a square next to another church named Totentanz. It used to be a graveyard outside the city but is now pretty much in its centre.
Fun fact: in the latter place I had a creepy encounter. At the bus stop a young woman mounted the bus. She was probably in her early 20s, but looked at least 10 years older and was both severely malnourished and dehydrated. She really looked worse than the photos of the corpses from the concentration camps. I could literally see her ribs poking through the clothing, just like the elbows and knees. Her eyes were deep in their sockets and her mouth was shrivelled up so that she couldn´t close it! Her skin looked thin and leathery and her hair was falling out and looked just as dead as her eyes. I have no idea how she could still walk...
No, this is not a ghost story, or at least I think that she was very much alive at least on the day I saw her. I´ve never seen such a severe case of anorexia before or after.
Seems like it would be good for chasing off aggressive dogs and drunks. Like a mailman's gun.
Which is amusing because the US and Germany actually issued guns to mailmen at one stage....
post ww-1 is actually a good time for schreckschusspistolen. people are riddled with ptsd and will not react well to loud bangs and the smell of gas
@@allangibson8494 Russia still issues modernized Nagant revolvers to post office and railway workers in some of its states. Strategic importance legacy and so on. So I guess it was pretty common in other countries too. After all, post office workers sometimes operated with money and thus were a prime targets for robbery
That was exactly what it was intended for.
@@SonsOfLorgar Old School Riot Control: "Kill as many rioters as you can in the first five minutes and the rest will go home."
Thanks Ian, with this firearm I can now travel safely through Alsace-Lorraine.
Later, after the wars, the so called "Schreckschusspistole" [Scare you pistol] was pretty much the same. Build to look like a normal small pistol, put was either shooting just blanks or some gas. Popular because they were very easy to get compared to actual a gun. There is no license or anything needed.
And there have been many instances here in Austria where those scare pistols have been effective at scaring away burglars and robbers. I can imagine that this thing would have worked just as well.
They do require a permit under German law, but that is just a formality compared to the requirements of a real license, which would require training, instruction and tests.
Actually you only need a license for a blank gun, if you wanna carry it outside your own property. To buy it you only have to be 18.
Bougt my first blank gun 2 1/2 years ago.
You need nowadays a licence to carry the modern versions of such guns. And for this reason, there is no more crime in Germany ????
Tobacco powder, that'd snuff them right out.
Ooh that's a punny joke. Good job!
You... -_-
Ye olde Taurus Judge.
Beat me to it.
Same here.just as stupid, just as useless.but sadly the judge has better marketing than people have sense.
@Joseph petersen To be fair judges can be capable of decent accuracy with .45lc
@@owllymannstein7113 i hate on the judge not because its a terrible firearm, but because of the fanatics that swear its the greatest handgun on the planet, somehow coming to the conclusion that a .410 shot shell from a 2" barrel equates to a mushroom cloud and vaporized bad guys.
Personally if i were to buy anything in the judge line itd be the "raging" judge, with at least a 5" barrel. but thats just b/c its able to handle .545 casull and is a decently built, 6 shot, double action revolver. I would probably shoot some 410 for shits and giggles; but never for defensive carry, or hunting or anything.
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine it has its place.i wont argue that.i just dont think that place is where taurus says it is.if its the only gun youve got its better than nothing. but side by side with a .38spl, i dont see ANY advantage in the .410 for personal protection.now if i were long term camping,or hunting/ trapping and needed to dispatch an animal that was near death??? Idk maybe.i still think id go with a "normal" revolver.but i could see where one might prefer the judge.
im not saying its a bad gun.i just see many better options available. and i think the " scenarios" givin by both taurus and the judge fans are as entertaining as they are factually inacurate.
Scheintod translates to apparent death. Which definitly fits nicely
An alternate translation is suspended animation
@@kirbynix9189I happen to be a native speaker and I really doubt that translation.
@@kirbynix9189 As a german, i can best explain it this way: The phrase "es scheint als.." is very accurately translated as "it seems if..." . With "Tod" meaning death, the best wordly translation would be "seemingly dead". This is confirmed by the "official" definiton in the german "Duden" (The most reliable source for german grammatics):
Scheintod:
physical condition (of a human or animal), in which it is hardly recognizable because of existing signs of life, so it seems that death has occurred.
Interesting. I'm a student myself, so if you wouldn't mind, what are the various possible translations of the word 'schein'? I haven't come across that term very often
@@SneggeS ah ok, I see. "Es scheint als" makes it much clearer. Although I can also see how the definition in the Duden could be applied to the English term suspended animation, but one has to keep in mind that languages can be a bit quirky, so just because it makes sense in English doesn't mean it makes sense in German
Nice video.
I have a singleshot scheintod-pistol that fires something similar i caliber ( cal 410).
Heard somewhere that postmen used them to scare off dogs of the two or fourlegged variety.
Mine came with one shot of ”betäubungspatrone” made by Sellier&Bellot.
The loud bang and flash was meant to play on soldiers fear post-wwI and scare them away
hoo yeah 70 centimeter cylinder!
matsimento Translating from that unatural imperial system is hard :) It is 7 cm which are 70 millimeters..
Yeah if this gun was 70 cm long i think he has very very large hands haha
@@karvast5726 And rather large pocket.
3Eighties Opinion How many millimeters did you measure? Also 70?
He said under 3 inches long so it should be 70 milimeter
Yet another beautiful german word which needs a whole sentence in english to describe the meaning. My favorite though still is "Fingerspitzengefühl".
To be fair it is more or less a whole sentence... :P
A nice word, somewhat related to this gun: "Schreckschusspistole" roughly translates to " A gun to scare someone off"
@@goodoldslaverydude well i am german and i own 2 of those for self defense (they did their job a few times allready) as self defense/protection is NOT a valid argument to get a permit for a real gun in germany unless you are smthng like a jeweler carrying diamonds 3 times a week.
@@goodoldslaverydude Perhaps a more direct translation would be "Fear Shooting(Firing?) Gun".
If you think "Fingerspitzengefühl" is difficult to translate, try "Schreckschraube" 😉
These are still fairly popular in eastern Europe. My gf did the banking for a business, got issued a revolver version. It also launches chunks of the cartridge which will penetrate the skin and 100% maim your face. The irritants embed and you can't brush them off or wash out. At point blank - you could probably kill someone from hydrostatic shock. They are not to be sneezed at...
That thing is just cool. Then that "logo" really makes it. I would love to have one now, no matter if it's effective or not...It's just flat-out cool.
I think, one of the manufacturers was the "BERND PAATZ" company in Zella-Mehlis, Thuringia Germany. There was also a two-stacked-barrel version of the "Scheintod-Pistole", called "PERPLEX".
(A german word for - hope I discribe it right - beeing shocked, feeling nearly paralysed and beeing unable to speak)
Very informative video. (as always 😁)
Greetings from the german northsea-shore 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
This is absolutely fascinating! As interesting as all of your videos are, these is easily one my favorites. I enjoy firearms as much as the next subscriber, but to know the history of less lethal options is, in some ways, even more important to document; because, while many folks are into guns and preserving their history, so few have catalogued the history of these wonderful artifacts. Thank you for doing this, and please do more less lethal videos in the future!
It was used at the Olympics for all the starts in different disciplines.
VERY interesting !
"Scheintod" is less "something that looks lethal but actually isn’t" but more accurate translated "something that seems dead but actually isn't", which is the "recipient" of the guns effect.
I think u meant 70 millimeters not centimetres ***edit*** gun Jesus does not make mistakes, I am mistaken. Please forgive me oh holy chosen one
Ian is actually a giant
Just 10cm short to Schwerer Gustav
Americans and the metric system don't mix :D
@@skepticalbadger Except that Americans invented the 8mm,16mm, etc. film standards and all American cigarettes are measued in mm. both things being thus for over 100 years. Oh, well give 'em an inch and they'll take 1.61Km.
@@jamesslick4790 they invented the film standard but not the measurement unit.
Oh, it's a good day!
I got my coffee, I got my breakfast, And I have another video of forgotten weapons to watch!
10/10 Would buy gun with dancing skeleton on it.
I’ve seen old ammo for that thing, the cartridges are almost as cool as the gun!
They’re basically .410 paper shotshells, with a death’s head printed on the side. I’ve seen ones marked as containing pepper, and others containing NC irritant. The ones I’ve seen were actually headstamped .410 so I’m pretty sure a standard .410 shotshell would chamber if it’s not too long for the cylinder.
Edit:
A period advertisement for «Scheintod-patronen», with the same dancing skeleton logo as the gun grips, translates roughly as follows: «One shot from the Scheintod-weapon will immediately render the most dangerous of adversaries harmless and unfit for fight, without causing him lethal or bodily injuries. Surest defence weapon. Most brilliant invention in the field of defence.»
Edited again to add: some of these shells are marked «knock-out».
and most Peaple would load a blank 12mm and Stuff a handfull BBs in the Zylinder wax it tight abd Presto u have a Schotgun Pistol !
I dont think it would work that well. Notice how there is a gap from the "lack of barrel" spot from the cylinder. Also when he is rotating the cylinder, it doesn't seem to align correctly (Maybe because its old). Any"shot" would possibly hit that bridge or worse.
I suspect it'd explode due to the increased recoil, the frame doesn't look particularly sturdy so you'd probably get one shot before it and the cylinder parted ways.
Manufacturer was probably H. Burgsmüller & Söhne G.m.b.H. Gewehrfabrik, Kreiensen am Harz. Burgsmüller was also an arms dealer, sold everything necessary for hunting and sport shooting, from firearms over ammunition, clothing, spare parts, accessories for weapons and shooting.
Caliber was actually .410, looking like the regular paper shotgun cartridges, but labeled with "Scheintod Patrone" (Scheintod cartridge). First models were single shot models.
VERY interesting ! Thanks a lot to germany !
Girl: How big is your gun?
Ian: About 70 centimeters
Pockets at the beginning of the century were bigger than most would assume.
gotta keep your groceries dry somehow!
"Liven up your October 31st with this truly spooky revolver. Perfect for scaring off those trouble-making teenagers on your block. Never have your house egged or tp'd again."
1:07 70 centimeters, Ian? That would be one hell of a pepperbox! :P
Also, a pepperbox shooting cajenne pepper, how fitting!
Wouldn’t it’s most effective feature be that it looks like a pistol and people don’t want to be shot?
Great German name and a pepper box, I love it.
Your German pronounciation of Scheintod is pretty much spot on, too.
A pepperbox that actually fires pepper.
"Don't Scheintodt me bro!"
* gets face full of tobacco powder and pepper *
In period advertisements they often appear being discharged at large dogs
So it’s basically an early 20th century Judge?
Not gonna lie, even if it's not actually a revolver technically, I had the same thought.
Not really, beyond being a self-defence revolver with a long cylinder. The Judge is a shot pistol that can also fire .45LC. This is a 'gas pistol' or, effectively, a blank-firing revolver.
So what you're saying is, unlike a Judge, you could actually use this for defense?
@@VulpeRenard Ok, it's "hip" to rip certain guns, I get it. But I don't wanna be on the wrong side of a Raven .25 let alone a "Judge".
So what you're saying is, you don't want to be the one holding the Judge.
....
Okay, I'll stop now.
Maybe.
They still have this tradition in Germany now, they call them Alarm Guns, basically blank firers or blank firers that shoot cs gas out. They are also fairly unique within the EU because people can legally carry Pepper Spray or CS gas for use against Dogs. HoundSpray.
"Es ist Nerf oder nichts"
Oh boy, 3 AM!
I can see you're a man of culture.
I can see this being a popular alternative for people who want to defend themselves but not kill anyone
The Scheintod patents are detailed here; www.tactical-dad.com/waffen/schreckschusswaffen/technik-und-geschichte-der-schreckschusswaffen/
I have a similar modern two shot derringer type variety where it's electrically ignited and explosion inside of a cartridge pushes the internal plunger which squirts out irritant at high velocity. Very interesting that the concept is so old.
Modern name for this is Schreckschusspistole.
Still exists for defensive use or with a muzzle adapter to launch fireworks and flares.
A true pepper box that was made to shoot pepper!
And here is some Information for this of gun: In 1905 Adolf Niemeyer (of NICO Fireworks) was granted a patent for the Scheintod-Cartridge. The cartridge was a flashbang that also evaporated capsaicin. NICO Fireworks partnered with the "Deutsche Waffen & Fahrrad Fabriken Burgsmüller & Söhne"-Company and produced the Burgo Scheintod pistols. This particular one seems to be a Burgo Modell 5. There were several other companies that produced guns for this cartridge or for similar cartridges.
After WW2 regulations for firearms became strikter in germany and many gun companies started producing other products like bicycles or tools. Today NICO still produces fireworks. The Burgsmüller Company is also still around, but they produce high tech machinery like mills and lathes.
Non lethal firearms are still a thing in germany, but they are now called Schreckschußpistole (Scare shot gun) or Gaspistole (Gas gun) and they are mostly chambered in the standardized 9mm P.A.Knall or 9mm R Knall caliber. People use them now mostly as flare launchers for new years eve.
That was a lot of text, and no one is going to read it.
Now that's a snubnose!
Literal pepperbox
Similar products are still in use in germany today.
Since german gunlaw is "pretty strict", there's almost no possibility for a normal citizen to get a concealed carry permit.
But you can get a so called "small weapons license", which entitles you to carry stuff like stun guns, pepper spray, or blank/irritant firing pistols.
All these items are free to buy/own in germany for everyone over 18, but you need the permit if you want to cc them in public.
Soo, you could say it's *literally* a pepperbox revolver lol
No one wins when the irritant cartridges come out.
Thank you , Ian .
So it's an old school "gas-alarm pistol".
They still make something very similar in modern day. Basically just beefed up blank guns meant to do the exact same thing as this revolver. They shoot pepper blanks or normal blanks. Some even come with a thread-in muzzle attachment for shooting 'flares'. Popular in some parts of Europe.
I belive there are a number of models offered under the Zoraki tradename.
More convenient than walking home with a mouth full of chewed up chilli peppers.
I read the title as Schofield and was confused for a sec when I did not see a Schofield. This thing was cooler than a Schofield though.
In the 90's a german or swiss arms magazin wrote about this weapons. There had been single to three barrell pistols and the shown revolvers. The cartidges had been 36gauge/.410 shotgun cartridges with blackpowder, no shots but pepper powder. The persons from the arms magazin think that in some cartidges narcotic medicine or Magnesium powder (for a bigger flash of lighning) was added to the pepper powder. Those weapons had not only been used for self defence, with blank cartridges they had been used as , Weinbergpistole'/ wineyard pistols to scare animals, especially swarms of birds, when thry wanted to eat the wineberris before the harvest. For this use you could buy cheap muzzle loading pistols up to the 30's. There had been ,Weinbergschütze'-wineyard protectors some decades ago. The oldest known cataloques which show ,Scheintodpistolen' seem to be from 1909. The reason for the invention of this pistols? Up to the 2000's you needed no licence to carry such a teargas pistol ( this ones of modern production). Arround 1890 most of the german policemen had only sabers but more and more criminals used firearms. So there came a licence for civilians who wanted to carry a firearm called (still now) , Waffenschein' and up to 1913 all regular german policemen had been armed with firearms.
Shove it in your pocket? But it has that handy loop on the grip, just wear it as a fashionable keychain
It's a true pepperbox: it shoots ground black pepper into your attacker's eyes!
1:06 XD a 70 cm cylinder would indeed be pretty long!
Scheintod can also be translated as : playing dead.
I have a pepper box 6 revolver. Would love to see a video on that gun.
That crome plate makes it look like one of those 60s cap guns
This is very similar to the popular and quite long-lived Russian less-lethal barelless _Osa_ (and its simpler 2-shot versions). The 4-shot Osa has no barrel (using an overlong case instead), has (slightly dodgy) electric ignition, optional trigger-actuated laser sight, and fires a 18mm rubber slug, a flashbang, irritant load, or a flare.
i have the modern equivalent and am german. nowadays they are called schreckschuss weapons (scare/fright shot gun). more and more people get them
Man I love this channel his videos are pieces of candy you cant just watch one
Just to fulfill all stereotypes and be - a c c u r a t e:
Scheintod = suspended animation / (state of) apparent death.
Scared half-dead?
I just assumed (correctly) it was sort of the same as the Danish skindød which means the same and is a state most often found in newborns and drowning victims where there is neither clear signs of death nor life.
Valekuolema.
While reading the Popular Mechanics archive, I came across a short bit about a German report of a killer using a gun to shoot poison gas cartridges. I personally wrote it off as a fantasy bit, old school reporting on par with Bat Boy. Maybe not.
great name for a gun if you know german since "schein" has more than one meaning. important note: "scheintod" mostly referres to the notion that someone implicitly is alive and only appears to be dead. "der schein" in this case litteraly means - the appearance.
Interesting side note about "you think you are going to die." I know of a couple people that were tasered and thought they had been shot. They heard a pop, felt the pain and then their legs gave out. One told us he really thought he had been shot and was puzzled when they asked if he wanted medical aid. "Well, yeah! You just shot me!"
(Meanwhile in the US) *Fires rubber baton rounds from a 1911A1*
Good German pronunciation! Sending you greetings and lots of love from Germany. 💖
In the early ninetys in Berlin I lived with a lot of anarchist punks. They all owned something like this, but it was a revolver that only fired a c.s. Gas cartridge or a blank cartridge. It had a barrel like a revolver, but it was not rifled and it had a wedge I guess welded in to it about a third of the way down the bore. It had a threaded muzzle that had a screw on cup. Into the cup you would put a small flare and then point it up and fire. That was what the blank cartridge was for. I had never seen anything like that before as I'm from Oregon and everyone has at least one firearm even people that are not particularly fond of firearms. Thanx for showing me that there truly is nothing new under the sun.
I’ve seen a Perplex Mod. 2 scheintodpistole available in a shop just today, cute little 2 barreled o/u thing. I‘m about to look up if it’d be possible to load new 12mm for it. $350
I’ve enough snuff to wrap me in bandoliers. Without snuffin anyone’s lights out tho ha
H2S cylinders or 410 shot would deter most attackers. The Bang would leave you stunned at the least.
I reckon it'd be somewhat effective if used at close range indoors but any hint of a headwind and that pepper is coming right back at you
I just had a thought after looking at my camera and had the bright idea that you could fit a pistol mechanism into a large ish camera, the zoom feature could be the slide and battery compartment could be the magazine well, I think this would be a cool idea for public defence/counter terrorism because they would just look like a normal tourist but then spring into action if needed. What are your ideas?
Wouldn't that be considered a destructive device?
That honestly sounds terrible, ergonomically speaking. Security forces would be much better off just using a small, easily concealable firearm.
@@Kikker861 I have no idea what is classed as a destructive device but I was thinking more on the lines if undercover counter terrorism because it wouldn't concern people as much as armed police would
@@matthewirvine1361 You're saying "spy gadget." I'd have to agree with @Eduard. A small concealable firearm would be better for the job and most certainly wouldn't have to be configured to function correctly.
@@Kikker861 well if somebody did make it, and it didn't work any better than a concealable firearm it can always be given to Ian to put in a video :)
When you must season your steaks in the most cool way possible.
I was loooking in an old box of ammo.
I found a sort of paper cased round labeled. “scheintod patrone d.r.wz” that’s what brought me here to this video. Did I find a round for this revolver?
I was just googling this yesterday!
More videos like this? It would be a interesting series.
The quite literal "pepperbox" pistol.
Intended to light your house on fire, which would scare away the attacker.
A pepper spray pepper box, kind of fitting.
"Scheintod" is a form of unconsciousness with a weak pulse. Which leads to the assumption of a death. Suspended Animation.
Close just with verry low pulse and heartrate.
A literal peppergun.
Actually seems like it has a nice trigger pull
Monsieur Ian, Das 70 centimeter Scheintod revolver kanon vas uber effective - flash & bang for PTSD, und 70 centimeters of Mustard gas in the face to irritate /incapacitate the perp(s) - no wonder the grip has a dancing skeleton! Guess was obsolete to early for SA issue.
I don't know if this is the same thing, but gas pistols used to be a popular tool for security guards, doormen and such. People that needed to uphold order, but were not allowed to use lethal force (like police would). Pepper sprays and such do the same job today.
Ians pronunciation of scheintod is very good.
this is why i love ians channel (no homo here)
keep on buddy!
Will you fire Pepper Guns finally? I mean PEPPERBOX revolvers.
Well, you could fire pepper with that pepperbox...
at 1:00 the cylinder is clearly not 70 cm long. That would be about 2 feet...
It looks more along 7 cm or 70 mm that would be slightly below 3''.
I have often wondered whether a modern pepperbox in say 9mm or .38 would be a viable alternative to a subcompact semi auto or a snub nose revolver for concealed carry. Lacking a cylinder gap it would be more powerful than a revolver of the same length, could safely fired two handed and it would be more reliable than an semi auto.
If I would be on a criminal endevour and there would suddely a big bang being emitted from something very gunlooking, it would certainly lead to me running.
Scheintod is a word you'd typically use to describe someone or something as seemingly dead.
Using it in the sense of a gun being seemingly lethal, wouldn't be correct. For that, we use the word "Anscheinswaffe". That word describes a weapon, in our modern society a firearm, which looks like one, but isn't one and is therefore indistinguishable from a real gun upon first glance. An airsoft-gun would fall in this category of guns for example.
I imagine the word "Scheintod" was used for marketing the gun. It sounds kinda cool and describes the condition the person is in after firing the gun. Once they're hit, they're just as vulnerable as if they're dead -> seemingly dead -> Scheintod.
Please keep in mind that my English isn't perfect and I don't know the exact reason as to why this name was chosen - so take this with a little grain of salt. :)
I'm fairly certain this would probably permanently blind someone given that it uses gunpowder to propel the irritants and given the size of the cylinder it was probably a fairly stout load
Well, now I want to know what would happen if you did load .410 bore shells in it.
If the gun survives it your wrist won't.
Saltzspire wants his repeater pistol back.
Holy sigmar, bless this ravaged body!
"Chamber 1) Flash bang. 2) Pepper. 3) .410 birdshot. 4) 45/70. 5) 458 Win Mag. - well, do you STILL feel lucky, cad!?"
Apparently scheintod translates to suspended animation or apparent death
This is pretty much what you are allowed to get here in Deutschland now, not 100 years ago. With a good explanation of why you need it, you can get the Kleinen Waffenschein - Small Arms-Allowal which allows you to conceal-carry stuff like that. But not in public places. Carrying a real gun isn't going to happen.
Seems like a better title would have been the "pepper-spray pepperbox"