While revolvers remain prevalent in the isles, it was an automatic pistol that caught the affection of the Filipino shooter.
The .38 caliber Colt Model of 1900 and its descendants first arrived at Manila's stores in 1901. The Colt pistol–affectionately called the paltic, a Tagalo word meaning "slingshot", "flick", or "snap"–became prized to both upper and working-class men as a trophy of masculine sophistication.
As it is with the latest technologies, guns such as the Colt are often prohibitively expensive. But things such as this are no match for the demands of the foolhardy Filipino. A flurry of imitations by local gunsmiths soon emerged, of wildly varying fit and make. These knockoff paltic were, like the Spanish copies of the Smith and Wesson, significantly simplified to ease manufacture, especially as the copies were often hand-fitted (if not built from cannibalized parts) and often made without the help of machines.
It is no surprise to anyone, thus, that handling such a paltic is a danger to both target and the user. During festivities around calle Singalong for the 1903 New Year's Eve, I've been witness to two separate incidents, one a lad of eighteen and another of forty-five, who had blown up their arms after firing poorly-made pistols.
A local notable I must note, who is known to possess an automatic Colt pistol (and as far as I'm aware, are of legitimate quality) is the Deputy Secretary of the Interior Emilio Jacinto, who had taken a liking to the firearm. He had even sponsored the national arsenal to produce proper versions of the gun; he, an afficionado, might have also been aware of the perils of the knockoff arms.
Alas, given I haven't heard much since hearing that news, this matter appears to have been quietly swept off.
