Eight of the most impractical handguns in history

[JJVP]

http://www.gunsandammo.com/2012/05/03/8 ... n-history/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JMPJr]

I certainly couldn't write a better list since I'm not a firearm historian, but quite a few of the items on there surprised me.

#3's Lemat revolver - The article says civil war era that shoots 16ga shotshells. I only assume Taurus and S&W think their Judge/Governor line have some merit. The feeling on the internet (real scientific, I know) seems to be that they're quite popular and profitable for those companies. I might then cite the Lemat as very innovate as opposed to impractical.

#5 The Gyrojet - Very cool concept. Since they aren't around anymore I can only surmise that it either was poorly implemented or flat out didn't work... but the concept is cool. I suppose it could have been the $100/round price tag too (in the 1960s no less). I'm surprised that in 2012 we don't have more modern equivalent. Anyone know of anything?

#6 2mm Kolibri - Am I the only one who instantly thought of the Boberb? I feel that even if the Kolibri or Boberb don't end up becoming mainstream, they're pushing the envelope and innovation is good for any industry. Not everything can work out, but you gotta have the bad to have the good!

#7 Protector Palm Pistol - I feel for the manufacturer. It must be difficult to move from the basic pistol shape and design, else everyone would be doing it. I'm sure there's a good idea out there though!

I enjoyed the read, thanks for posting it JJVP. You can tell the list made my thoughts go in almost the opposite direction... what firearm improvements *are* happening in 2012? I had difficulty thinking of any. Bullpups have been around for decades. I haven't seen caseless ammunition, though I've read about it... What’s out there?

[WildBill]

I remember reading a review of the Gyrojet pistol in the American Rifleman. At the time I thought it was cool. As I recall the pistol was not constructed very well. For the civilian shooter, there wasn't any real use beyond the "cool factor". Of course the price of one of their rockets is also impractical for most shooters. In the 1960s, a hundred dollars was a week's pay for many people.

Another factor was that there were limited places to shoot the gun without the risk of starting a fire from the projectile. When they reclassified the Gyrojet as a destructive device under the Gun Control Act of 1968, that killed off what ever interest was left for non-military use.

For more information read: http://gyrojet.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[The Annoyed Man]

#7 Protector Palm Pistol - I feel for the manufacturer. It must be difficult to move from the basic pistol shape and design, else everyone would be doing it. I'm sure there's a good idea out there though!

http://www.gizmag.com/single-shot-palm- ... re/132565/

[MadMonkey]

My internet is too slow to open the story, but the gyrojet had several things against it including it being pretty much useless at close range since the projectile hadn't accelerated enough to do any serious damage. Pretty cool though!

[Dave2]

I remember reading a review of the Gyrojet pistol in the American Rifleman. At the time I thought it was cool. As I recall the pistol was not constructed very well. For the civilian shooter, there wasn't any real use beyond the "cool factor". Of course the price of one of their rockets is also impractical for most shooters. In the 1960s, a hundred dollars was a week's pay for many people.

Another factor was that there were limited places to shoot the gun without the risk of starting a fire from the projectile. When they reclassified the Gyrojet as a destructive device under the Gun Control Act of 1968, that killed off what ever interest was left for non-military use.

For more information read: http://gyrojet.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My internet is too slow to open the story, but the gyrojet had several things against it including it being pretty much useless at close range since the projectile hadn't accelerated enough to do any serious damage. Pretty cool though!

Yeah, those, and if the weather was right (or wrong) the bullet would leave a visible vapor trail right back to you, which kinda makes it hard to be a sneaky sniper.

[jmorris]

I certainly couldn't write a better list since I'm not a firearm historian, but quite a few of the items on there surprised me.

#3's Lemat revolver - The article says civil war era that shoots 16ga shotshells. I only assume Taurus and S&W think their Judge/Governor line have some merit. The feeling on the internet (real scientific, I know) seems to be that they're quite popular and profitable for those companies. I might then cite the Lemat as very innovate as opposed to impractical.

.....

The difference is that the Lemat is a cap and ball 9-shot .36 or .42 Cal revolver with a 16 gage barrel under the main barrel. And it did not use shot shells. The shotgun barrel was fired by flipping a lever so that the hammer struck the shotgun barrel percussion cap. The idea was after shooting all 9 main chambers you had one last ditch round when they got close. Rapidly swapping out cylinders in the Colts and (especially) Remingtons was a much better idea.

[brainman]

I love the last line on the first slide. "...involves a couple of Glock 17s and a tube of JB Weld."