Silly detail, Robur's men use flintlock pistols which have been outdated since the early 1800s. In 1868 (the year this movie is set) the Colt revolver and percussion guns had already been invented 30 years earlier. For a man who claims to be ahead of his time this is a weird anachronism.
Blame AIP.
Nothing exists more beautifully than nothing.
What is even more ludicrous is that a crewman fires three shots at the fleeing men from at least 80 feet away and in each case hits them, but only in the arm.
shareWhoo Hoo! It's rare that I get to respond to one of the actual "historical anachronism" gun nuts.
1. First, it's a "fantasy drama", not a documentary. Flintlock pistols look more "old fashioned", and it may just be an art director's choice to use them.
2. Even if set in a "real-world", flintlock weaponry may be adequate for the mission at hand, or the budget that the protagonist desired to spend. Not every private militia can afford the latest and greatest thing. Pirates and other bandits used flintlock weapons for close up attacks long after percussion cap weapons came into play.
3. In 1868, percussion cap weapons had only been around for 30 years (coming in around 1830 with the US military still using flintlocks in 1840), yet flintlock weapons had been around for 220 years at that point - there was a VERY gradual transition to percussion weapons, it wasn't instantaneous in a few years or less. (see above).
Frontiersmen and others in the far west went to percussion rifles when available, but that took awhile to occur.
So all in all, I don't think this is a valid "goof" or anacronism, and it should be removed. It's a trivial point at best.
There are no flintlock pistols in the film. The single gun carried by the Albatross' first mate, Turner, is actually a RIFLE cut down into pistol form:
http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Master_of_the_World
Sayeth MoviePropMaster2008: "That is NOT a flintlock pistol. No frizzen, No pan, no flint. That is a fictional gun created by chopping down a Trapdoor Springfield Carbine's action. They remove the metal plate behind the hammer and chopped the entire assembly just before the chamber and bored it out to make it look like a .60 cal or greater ball. But it's a fictional gun. No one ever chopped down a .45-70 long gun into a pistol like that as far as I know."
"I mean, really, how many times will you look under Jabba's manboobs?"