Replica of George Washington's flintlock pistol with engraved metal grip cap. The purpose of reinforcing pistol grips with metal 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.