Source: Doc
First Appeared In: The Tomb of the Khan
Invented by: William O`Donnell/Thomas Crapper
Owned by: William O`Donnell
Availability: This superior model is only available to members of the Lemniscate Club. Inferior knocked-off replicas can be readily found in disreputable Gadgetech shops in the capital and are now quite commonly sold in provincial hardware stores as well.
History:
Currently just an idea of O`Donnells awaiting a little creative genius from our resident inventors (hint hint...). Whether exploring the ruins of ancient civilizations, escaping the clutches of renegade Prussian special forces, or indeed engaging in one of Calloways patented "Bloody Stupid Ideas TM " there is a need for increased mobility in hostile terrains. With this in mind O`Donnell would like to combine a steady handheld projectile device with a winching mechanism that can fire and retract grappling hooks as required by the operator.

  An idea no longer, my good fellow. Consider yourself the proud owner of a custom made grapple gun courtesy of Crapper & Flightmaster Industries.

 
_{Product shown is for illustration purposes only and is no indication of the product
being offered.  Neither the aforementioned company nor its partners will accept any
liability for any damage to private property, loss of earnings or personal injury
resulting from the misuse of this device.  Misuse is defined as using this Grapple Gun
as an impromptu weapon, as an aid to climbing or as a hoist to lift or suspend items or
people.  Any use of the product in said capacity will be at the users own risk and will
invalidate the warranty.   Warning: Grappling hook has sharp points.}
    

My thanks Crapper, ... erm I see the warranty is er so terribly reassuring - nice! Probably just as well as I don`t think any warranty would cover the kind of things we tend to end up doing anyway. Now about these Crimson zombies , I`ve had an idea....

Description:
 The description below refers to a grapple gun constructed by Crapper to his own high standards and specifications. It should be noted that the market place for grapple guns has become inundated with cheap and shoddy imitations and these will likely have curtailed performance compared to this example.
The Crapper & Flightmaster grapple gun is a heavily modified version of the Royal Navy's life preserver 'saltbox' pistol which entered service in 1854. No winching mechanism was fitted as standard, its sole purpose being to deliver a life line to a mariner washed overboard in rough seas. It was infamous amongst sailors at the time as its internal mechanisms were prone to corrosion when exposed to the sea air and salt spray rendering it useless after a couple of weeks at sea. Due to this defect many ships of the fleet sailed without any onboard although the Admiralty did not officially retire the guns from service until 1867.
When the government invited new tenders to supply a replacement product to the Royal Navy Crapper & Flightmaster Industries were thought to be well placed to win the contract.
Crapper firstly bought up all the remaining stock of the obsolete 'Saltbox' pistols which he intended to use as the starting point for his own design. Despite the shortcomings of the guns internal mechanisms the frame itself was constructed of durable Sheffield steel and finished to a high quality and would make an ideal basis for Crappers gun.
Crapper then fitted a powerful clockwork winch produced from his own workshops into the pistols handle. This would allow even the most bedraggled of sailors to pull himself back onboard without the assistance of his comrades.
Finally he bought in a pneumatic firing mechanism from a Swiss company, Von Herder & Sons,  specializing in air rifles to finish his design. Using compressed air had the disadvantage of being silent, other bidders almost universally preferring a gunpowder charge/flare which would attract the attention of the stricken sailor to the direction the line was coming from. It was Crappers belief however that the gunpowder charge was the component most likely to fail in the maritime environment, and indeed this had been the case with the previous model.
When all the bids were in there was an expectation that the contract would go to Crapper's design as not only did it match or exceed all of the admiralty's requirements but in using refurbished parts bought as army surplus Crapper was able to significantly undercut his competitors. However, Crapper attended Rugby and then went on to Cambridge whereas the Officer in charge of procurement had attended Eton and Oxford and thus passed the contract to a fellow Old Etonian.
Crapper is now trying to find a market for five thousand Grappling Hook pistols.

Stats
Effective Range: 30 yards horizontally/20 yards vertically
Ammo: One shot loaded in barrel. Once fired takes one complete round to winch in slack cord and fire again. 50 yards of strong silk cable can be dispensed from the gun. Crapper has made some adjustments to his grappling hook, padding it with Indian rubber to silence it from clanging on brickwork when he is trying to be clandestine.
Winching Speed: This is dependent upon the quality of the Grappling Gun and the physique of the user. Someone with a poor physique will ascend quicker than someone with a great physique due to the difference in body mass. A cheap gun will struggle lifting anyone over good phsique whereas a quality gun should have no trouble with lifting someone with an extraordinary physique.
Cost: Expect to pay 45c for a basic entry level model and considerably more if you want the peace of mind of knowing that your kit was assembled from well engineered parts by the finest Swiss clockmakers and gunsmiths. The second choice may hit your pocket hard, but then you could well hit the ground hard if the cheap grapple gun you purchased is not up to the task.
Research Hours: Why build your own when you can buy one retail. Try Harrods gadgetech counter for a full range of foreign imports that they will fully customise for you while you wait. Alternatively if Harrods prices are too steep for the more thrifty adventurers amongst you try haggling with some of the Gadgetech Hawkers who peddle their wares around Covent Garden. Just do not expect to be able to find them again if the goods prove faulty.