Jack Sparrow's third pistol

For other uses, see Jack Sparrow's pistol (disambiguation)

"We are an unimaginative lot when it comes to naming things." The title of this article is conjectural. Although this article is based on canonical information, the actual name of this subject is pure conjecture.

Jack Sparrow's pistol
Production information
Model	Single-barreled
Type	Flintlock pistol
Technical specifications
Capacity	1 shot
Usage
Owner(s)	Jack Sparrow
Behind the scenes
First appearance	The Curse of the Black Pearl
Latest appearance	On Stranger Tides

"Last time, you left me a pistol with one shot."
"By the powers, you're right. Where be Jack's pistol? Bring it forward."

―Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa

Jack Sparrow's third pistol, otherwise known as Jack's pistol, was a flintlock pistol owned by Captain Jack Sparrow. Originally given to Jack by Hector Barbossa with one shot, for Jack to kill himself with after being marooned on an Rumrunner's Isle, this pistol would be used through some of Jack's many adventures. Jack most notably used this pistol in his fight with Barbossa, in which Jack shot Barbossa after preserving the lone shot within it for the past ten years for that very purpose.

History

One Last Shot

"Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot."
"He didn't waste it."

―Hector Barbossa and Will Turner about Jack Sparrow

Jack Sparrow pointing his pistol at Will Turner.

Following a mutiny aboard the Black Pearl, Jack Sparrow was marooned on Rumrunner's Isle, a barren island where Jack was given this pistol by his mutinous first mate Hector Barbossa, in which he was given with just one shot—to kill himself. Although he was tempted to use his pistol on himself to end his suffering from thirst and starvation, as well as going mad with the heat, Jack Sparrow was able to escape the island with his one shot. Jack then planned to never use his one shot, as he wanted to save it for the treacherous Barbossa. Cherishing his one shot, Jack Sparrow would keep the pistol in his possession for the next ten years.

Jack having shot Barbossa with his pistol.

Not much is known on if Jack was ever tempted to use his pistol in the ten years he carried it, until he met a young blacksmith named Will Turner in John Brown's blacksmith shop. When Will intentionally got in the way of the only exit, with James Norrington and the Royal Navy at the entrance, Jack attempted to shoot Will, even though he didn't want to as his one shot wasn't meant for Will. But Jack was knocked out by a drunken John Brown before doing so. Days after Jack and Will embarked on a voyage to Isla de Muerta, which led to some misadventures, Jack was able to use his pistol at the end of a battle with Barbossa's crew. After lifting the Aztec curse Barbossa's crew was under, Jack finally got his revenge by having shot Barbossa in the heart killing him.

Jack's weapon

"Oi! My pistol!"

―Jack Sparrow to Clanker

Jack shooting "Jack" the Monkey with his pistol.

Having fulfilled its purpose, Jack finally modified his pistol and it would be used throughout Jack Sparrow's further adventures - including his search for the Dead Man's Chest. During his escape from the prison, Jack would use a twin-barreled pistol to shoot a black crow off of a coffin, which he later attempted to use to shoot Jack the Monkey. However, the pistol misfired - likely due to wet powder, in which he had to use a pistol he grabbed from Leech's belt. Jack was able to use his pistol on the undead monkey when he tried to trade in it to Tia Dalma for information. Through the rest of the quest, Jack either carried his pistol or kept it someplace else aboard the Black Pearl.

Jack before firing his pistol at Davy Jones.

When Jack was taken to Davy Jones' Locker, he still had his pistol. He would use it in shooting one of his hallucinations. After escaping the Locker, Jack used it when having a pistol standoff against Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, and the resurrected-Hector Barbossa. Somehow, after the parley between the EITC and the Brethren Court, in which Jack Sparrow was sent to the brig of the Flying Dutchman, a crew member Dutchman named Clanker ended up carrying the pistol. During the battle of Calypso's maelstrom, Jack retrieved his pistol from Clanker with a reprimand and bonked him on the head with it, sending him plummeting to the deck from one of the Dutchman's ropes that he was hanging on to, and shortly afterwards was able to shoot the Dead Man's Chest from Davy Jones' grasp.

After the battle, Jack Sparrow still had the pistol in his belt when he began his quest to find the Fountain of Youth. He'd still have his pistol on his belt during his adventures in London and while sailing aboard Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge. Jack would have kept his pistol on his belt during the jungle trek to finding the Fountain to meeting with Joshamee Gibbs.

Design and usage

"No additional shot nor powder..."

―James Norrington

Jack Sparrow with matching pistols.

Jack Sparrow's flintlock pistol's decorative design was inlaid with Spanish silver in elegant floral design. Jack cleaned and polished the barrel daily to clean off the rust that formed quickly in the salty sea air. Thanks to its heavy pommel, gun doubles as a lethal club. Jack was exceptionally fond of his pistol, always keeping it about his person and regarding it as one of his most treasured effects. Despite using numerous pistols throughout his career as a pirate, he would always hold a special place in his heart for this one. 

Jack's pistol was .50 caliber English pistol constructed of a wooden frame with a metal barrel, firing mechanism, and trigger. This weapon was loaded with a single shot. To load the weapon, a small amount of powder would be poured into the flash pan, which is covered by a piece of steel attached to a hinged spring known as the frizzen. Powder, followed by the lead ball, are forced down the barrel by means of the ram-rod which is housed under the barrel. A piece of flint was held by a screw in the hammer. To fire the weapon, the hammer would be pulled back to the fully cocked positions, and the trigger pulled. The hammer could also be pulled to the "Half cocked" position which acted as the safety. The flint would strike the steel frizzen which create sparks to ignite the gunpowder. Then the small fire travels through a small hole in the side of the barrel which ignites the powder in the weapon creating a small explosion inside the barrel which pushes the lead ball out. After the pistol was fired, it must then be reloaded for further use.

Behind the scenes

"Gore wanted a real pistol from the 1700s for Captain Jack. We shopped over the Internet for antique guns for sale. We wanted the silver inlay to be the real thing from the mid-eighteenth century. We eventually bought a matching pair of flintlocks originally made in 1760 in London by a fellow named Perry from a dealer in Connneticut."

―Charles M. Stewart

• Jack Sparrow's pistol first appeared in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, where it was referred to as "Jack's pistol" by name onscreen by Barbossa.
• The name "Jack's pistol" was named onscreen by Barbossa in The Curse of the Black Pearl. "Jack's Sparrow's pistol" would be used in other media, notably official website c. 2010.
• Jack Sparrow's pistol was the only real pistol in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. It was portrayed by two real weapons, still functioning flintlock pistols which were purchased from an antique store in their original boxed set.
• This type of pistol was fabricated in 1765 by the Perry gunsmiths, of London, whose name appeared on the barrel tops and on the side plates with the hammer. These originals were replicated in a number of different ways for use in the movies with the actual working pistols only ever being needed in scenes where they were fired.
• In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay draft for The Curse of the Black Pearl, after killing Barbossa Jack tossed the pistol away, leaving it on Isla de Muerta.
• On Stranger Tides was the first of the POTC films where Jack never used this pistol. Jack used it at least once in the previous films.

Appearances

• Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean
• The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (First appearance)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (comic)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
• The Accidental Pirate!
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Non-canon appearances

• Kingdom Hearts II
• Kingdom Hearts III

Sources

• An Epic At Sea: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
• Bring Me That Horizon: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide