300px|thumb|French cased duelling pistols by [[Nicolas Noël Boutet. Single shot, flintlock, rifled, .58 caliber, blued steel, Versailles, 1794–1797. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto]]
A duelling pistol is a type of pistol that was manufactured in matching pairs to be used in a duel, when duels were customary. Duelling pistols are often single-shot flintlock or percussion black-powder pistols which fire a lead ball. Not all fine, antique pairs of pistols are duelling pistols, though they may be called so.
Design
thumb|right|A pair of American flintlock duelling pistols made by [[Simeon North, ca. 1815–20. Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession Number: 96.5.36, .149 They are fitted with spurs on the trigger guard to improve the shooter's grip. They also have octagonal barrels, often seen on later duelling pistols. The barrels are long and are calibre]]
Until the mid-18th century, duels were typically fought with swords. In London, the first recorded pistol duel was in 1711,