Sure. It's a screw-barrel pistol. The barrel unscrews, like the name implies, and the breechplug has a hollow for the powder charge. Pour powder into the breechplug, place a ball on top, screw the barrel down on top of the ball. It would be used for concealed carry, close defense- as you can imagine, without sights ( and sights on a very short barrel have limited use, anyway) it would be very hard to actually aim the thing. It could kill or at least wound somebody across the room from the shooter ( and, considering medicine of the period, wounding might amount to killing, just take longer).