Belt pistols have a large hook attached to their side or screw plate. They could be easily hung from a belt, saddle or sash. One contemporary illustration shows several belt pistols being carried at once on a type of shoulder belt called a baldric (Spanish: Xarpa) (1) (2).

Patilla style miquelet locks have a large external main spring. The spring exerts an upward force on the hammer`s heel. Two horizontal sears pass through the lock plate in front of the hammer. The lower one is the half cock sear. It locks the hammer`s toe in a safe position for loading and carrying the weapon. The upper one is the full cock sear. It prevents the hammer from falling until the trigger is pulled. The earliest known examples of this style are Spanish and date from the late 16th century (3).

The style of this pistol suggests that it was made in Ripoll during the mid to late 17th century. The traditional patilla style miquelet lock has a minimal narrow waisted lock-plate without beveled edges. The jaws are engraved with floral patterns, and the inner surfaces have a pattern of chiseled grooves. The hammer and frizzen bridles have a fan-shaped design. The trigger guard appears to have been shortened and reshaped (3)(4). There is a makers mark on the front of the frizzen surrounded by floral engraving. It contains three lines of text, "AR", "MAN", and "GVER". The forward horizontal surface of the frizzen is engraved with the date 1661. The screw-plate has a simple belt hook. The barrel is octagonal at the breech with two longitudinal grooves on each facet. The transition from octagonal to round is made with one large ring bordered by two smaller ones. The round section of the barrel has two longitudinal grooves on the top, and a cannon barrel shaped ring at the muzzle. The barrel tang is plain and fastened from the bottom with a screw that originates at the trigger guard. The barrel is held to a full walnut stock with a barrel band. The original barrel band was missing and a substitute was provided by Dr. James Lavin. The wooden ramrod also appears to be a replacement. The stock has a rounded oblong butt with an inlaid brass ring.