The pair of wheellock pistols from the Gatchina Palace and Estate Museum is a good example of the pistol design typical for Germany of the late 16th — early 17th centuries. They were usually called ‘puffers’ — short pistols for firing at point-blank range. Each of the two pistols from the Gatchina collection has a massive stock with a grip curved at a rather large angle and a ball butt. There is an opinion that such ball butts were meant to be used in a fight — after firing a shot the owner of the pistol could take it by the barrel and use as a club. But in reality such ‘club’ would not cause much damage and the ball butt would most likely break because it is made of wood, it is not heavy and not very firmly fixed on the grip. Another theory suggests that such ball butts were made to help the owner pull the pistol out of a pommel holster, because originally the pistol was a weapon of a horseman. Moreover, such ball butts could be decorated with coats of arms of their owners or countries. These pistols have the coat of arms of Duchy of Legnica-Brzeg, Silesia (present Poland), — a shield surmounted by a helmet and divided into quarters, with two of them chequered. The coat of arms as well as the date ‘1580’ engraved on the barrels indicate that the pistols may have belonged to Duke Henry XI of Legnica. The barrel is made of forged iron. At the breech end it is octagonal in section, while at the muzzle end it is round. The pistols have no sights. On the upper plane of the barrel at the breech end there is an inscription ‘х 1×5×8×0 х’ and an oval mark with the letters ‘N P’. One of the pistols has a rectangular mark with the characters ‘VII’ on the lower right plane of the barrel by the breech end. The lock plate is flat; the wheel is protected by a curved iron cover. The priming pan cover is powered by a spring. It can be closed by pressing a button near the dog. On the left part of the wheellock plate there is an external safety made in the form of a spring-loaded handle which can lock the trigger when turned backwards. The dog is engraved with images of a grotesque beast and a human face. The bracket holding the shaft of the wheel inside the lock is engraved with an image of a lion. In the centre of the ball butt there is an ivory insert with a coat of arms — a shield and a helmet. On the stock in front of the lock there is the letter ‘B’.