;-P
Posted on 05/10/2012 7:20:41 PM PDT by TurboZamboni
Practicality may not be something shooters think about all the time; if that was the case, .50-cal rifles would be a lot less popular on the civilian market . However, while we may look at some guns and think, “Now why would anyone need THAT?” chances are the Herculean handgun that looks like it was hauled in by a flatbed trailer doesn’t hold a candle to some of the most impractical handguns in history. Whether they were too costly to make or just plain ineffective, here are eight of the most impractical handguns in history.
(Excerpt) Read more at gunsandammo.com ...
Many years ago, in the Turkish Military Museum in Istanbul, I saw a collection (!) of duckfoot pistols. One of them had 9 barrels, covering 180 degrees. I guess you were just supposed to kick open the door and pull the trigger.
The Lemat was a fearsome weapon and they saw heavy use. A buddy of mine has an original.
I can’t believe that that pistol made the list, but no mention of any pinfire weapon...
Might need a few more years -—— Who knows. It took 1000’s of years to get the idea of a Chinese rocket to a successful Moon rocket.
;-P
I’m no expert, but the LeMat sounds like a handy pistol design to have for unexpected close encounters with snakes and other small varmints.
One that would make my list in the LeMat’s place: the FP-45 “Liberator”. Neat idea, but the intended use never really came to pass.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FP-45_Liberator
BTW, the Liberator has the unique (as far as I know) distinction of being the only handgun that takes longer to fire than it did to make. It was expected that loading and firing the single-shot weapon would take an average of ten seconds, and the Anderson, Indiana company that made them clocked an average production time of about six seconds to complete the assembly of the stamped parts on each weapon.
You laugh.
Google “Maadi-Griffin Pistol”.
And while you’re at it, look up “Mossberg 590 AOW” (a 12-gauge pistol), “Mosin-Nagant pistol” (there’s a few cut down to that size), “Stinger pen gun”, “Any Other Weapon examples”, and “Swiss mini-gun”. They’re all real.
Good point.
Where’s the Dardick pistol with its triangular plastic “trounds” (”the firepower of an automatic with the simplicity of a revolver”)?
How about the German “Reform” pistol with its four stacked barrels in .25 cal? Flat for carrying in evening wear.
Or the Mossberg .22 “Brownie” pepperbox?
Then there’s the Jap Nambu Type 94 pistol which could be fired by pressing its external sear? Great for false surrenders.
Finally, the Whitney Wolverine .22 pistol with its swept back space age looks? Lots of weird ones out there.
I thought this was a joke but found it’s the Taurus Chief Justice. It also is capable of 3 1/2 12 gauge magnum shells. Pretty awesome firearm. I wouldn’t want to shoot one.
Great gun, I’ve been buying them for a lot of my liberal friends.
Le Mat was a beautiful pistol. Definitely the prettiest of it’s time. I always wanted one to play with. They even used one (because they are so pretty) in “The Twelve Monkeys”. Who cares if they got dirty? Ever shot a cap and ball? They ALL get dirty. That’s what grease is for.
Buddy bought one of the Nagant revolvers for a hundred bucks, action is a little weird. It looks nice and is in near new condition, came with a holster and other accessories. He shoots handloaded reformed .32-20 cartridge cases in it.
More than a few, the Obrez for decades was a favorite cheap assassin weapon and the rural bandits really liked it.
http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/attachments/powder-keg/27934d1261021480-mosin-nagant-obrez-9130.jpg
Despite a few plot problems, it is one of my favorite Bond movies.
I've always thought that the LeMat was the type of handgun that I would have carried had I lived during that era ...
used to have a Serbu Super Shorty.
basically a 12 GA pump pistol.
I have one. It shoots a variety of ammunition, .32 S&W, etc., but ruins the cases. The original ammo is pretty pricey.
If the makers of any of these guns were buying advertising in G&A, they’d write articles about what great guns they are. The popular gun mags are devoted entirely to advertising.
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