Replica flintlock pistol with brass capped wooden grip. The purpose of reinforcing pistol grips with brass was to allow them to be more efficiently used as a club, if needed, as flintlock pistols were often used in short range, and as a result of the lengthy reloading process, one had to resort to using an empty pistol as a melee weapon. This method of using a firearm as a blunt weapon was also used with rifles that could not accept bayonets.