A little bit of a thread drift here. I always look at the posts in the Antiques forum because I'm fascinated by the early guns, even though I don't collect them.

I always ask myself: How was this gun successful? It's a small gun in a largely ineffective caliber. Was the fact that the self-contained cartridge was so new and innovative that a little .22 rimfire was more desirable than a .36 or .44 caliber "muzzleloader" revolver? I just find it pretty interesting.