welcome to today photo of the Day! Here we have a pistol built for one of the most patient, fickle corners of the shooting world. This is the Peregrine Silverthorne Model 33, a single-shot falling-block pistol made in small numbers in Silverthorne, Colorado in the 1980s. The falling-block action is the whole point, it gives the tight, repeatable lockup that demands precise single-shot action.
It is chambered for .32 Miller Short, a wildcat made from cut-down .357 brass, and comes with a breech sighter and a 36-power scope. That gear tells you exactly what it’s for: cast-bullet benchrest shooting. The Silverthorne Model 33 is the modern descendant of the old Schuetzen-rifle competition, and the technology is something most shooters have never seen. Instead of loading a finished cartridge, you push a soft cast lead bullet straight into the rifling ahead of the chamber with the breech seater down, then slide a primed, charged case behind it.
why bother? Putting the bullet directly into the bore eliminates the “jump” from case to rifle and brings everything perfectly into line, an accuracy trick dating back to Harry Pope and the great single-shot makers of more than a century ago. Done correctly, these shooters print ten-shot groups less than an inch apart at 200 yards with plain lead bullets. A barrel of V. Sigman kills it. A niche within a niche, and a beautifully made one.
Most of our POTDs use images of our friends Rock Island Auction CompanyMajor firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse them current auction – Who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!
“Scars Peregrine Silverthorne Company Model 33 Falling Block with Benchrest Pistol Scope.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5032/875/peregrin-silverhorne-co-model-33-benchrest-pistol-with-scope. Accessed 25 June 2026.
