11mm DEVILLERS MOCK DUEL

Research notes

Developed by a French medical doctor, Dr Paul Devilliers during the early 1900’s when the sport of duelling was still practiced. His invention was filed under patent N° 312320 whereby a spherical ball made of wax, tallow and Barium Sulphate was inserted in a cartridge case and fired by the force of the primer alone. During summer, the wax balls were kept in tubes submersed in water to prevent melting. It was a hugely successful sport up to the eve of WW1 where teams competed in different events and divisions in an annual competition that was held at the Tuileries Garden, Place de la Concorde in Paris. Participants wore protective clothing loosely based on the attire worn during fencing. Original duelling pistols were sold in pairs and could be ordered in a variety of finishes, from basis to an ornately engraved, high quality finish. With the Army being equipped with revolvers however, the old duelling pistols were replaced by standard 44 S&W Russian and 8mm Mle.92 regulation revolvers. Original cartridges were of steel, which lasted very long but were expensive, even for that time. Later cases used a cardboard body, much like earlier shotgun cartridges. Eventually a new version came along, manufactured by Gabbett, utilising a flat tipped graphite bullet. (Erlmeier, Brandt Ref. 160).