Designed to Fit in Your Glasses Case - LIama Pressin (1978)
The Pressin was a two-shot derringer made to be disguised as a pair of glasses. It was intended for use by politicians, military officers, and other potential victims of kidnapping by groups like the ETA.
It held two rounds of a special 7.65mm E cartridge, which was a rimless .32 ACP with a case cut down to 15mm. It was loaded to a higher pressure than normal .32ACP, firing a 5 gram (77 grain) bullet at 250 m/s (820fps).
I did my military (conscript) service in Spain during the "Lead years". I was enlisted, but carried a sidearm when in uniform outside the garrison. These fuckers always used ambush-gerrilla tactics, so you wanted to have something to shoot back at all times. My father was a Captain in the reserve, and for years carried a 22 with him, as ETA sometimes shot military in plain clothes in the street. So, this thing was not too unreasonable.
That's one of those concepts that just don't hold up to reality imho. First of all: If you are kidnapped and are able to reach for your glasses case, you could just as easily reach for a real firearm in your pocket. Secondly: If a high-ranking political person gets kidnapped, you'd assume that the kidnappers (especially terrorists) have come in numbers that are sufficient to overcome your security detail and/or other secuirty measures. So you are alone and there are at least two folks trying to take you with them. How exactly will this one-shot-thingy help you in this situation? It will only get you shot.
If you are kidnapped they will check you for guns right away, but they might not think twice about a glasses case in your pocket. Why would there be a gun in a glasses case?
because it feels very funny when prodded... very chunky and not at all glass-like. So you'd check it out. Might not be thinking of a gun, might be a knife or some shit.
Gunpowder produces pressure when burned - it's very common in gunsmithing to talk about pressures of different cartridges. This is a gunpowder-based weapon