I have am answer, but I'll wait a day or two to present it unless someone else has been
reading the same place I have and comes up with it! ;-)
It's NOT original with me.
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Well, the general opinion seems to be that the
Swiss mini revolver is "The world's smallest
gun". Specs say it's 2.1 inches long. I can
remember a pinfire roundball shooting topbreak
single shot keychain gun that was functional and
1 inch long, so maybe IT is the worlds
smallest gun? Heck, for all I know someone
has made one that will go "pop" that's
a quarter inch long---I just haven't seen it.
What do you think it is?
Bill
# There has been some talk about "odd guns", NAA guns, etc. lately so I thought
# I'd ask if
# anyone knows what is the smallest gun in the world.
#
# I have am answer, but I'll wait a day or two to present it unless someone
# else has been
# reading the same place I have and comes up with it! ;-)
#
# It's NOT original with me.
There are a couple of choices it seems:
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article
_id=526655&in_page_id=1770>
<http://gizmodo.com/364258/worlds-smallest-gun-now-in-gold-and-diamonds-k
ills-just-the-same>
I guess it'd be more challenging to choose the worlds LARGEST gun, but
would artillery cannons count?
An even tinier gun is made by mother nature. Scroll to the second video
of a seed shooting plant:
http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/seed.html
--
Peace! Om
"Human nature seems to be to control other people
until they put their foot down." -- Stephan Rothstein
#There has been some talk about "odd guns", NAA guns, etc. lately so I thought I'd ask if
#anyone knows what is the smallest gun in the world.
I saw somewhere on the web once a single-shot 45ACP "gun" that
consisted basically of a chamber and a trigger. The entire thing could
be concealed in a closed fist. I can't imagine actually firing it.
-dan z-
--
Protect your civil rights!
Let the politicians know how you feel.
Join or donate to the NRA today!
http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR014887
About 20 years ago a machinist friend showed me a miniature model of an
18th century ships cannon he'd machined from from what looked like a
stainless steel dowel pin. It was about an inch long smoothbore and
shot 2mm ball bearings. It was loaded with several grains (physical
grains, not weight grains) of bullseye and fired by heating the breech
with a cigarette lighter. He demonstrated it and embedded the bearing
in a sheet of plywood about five yards across the room. Most of the
work was making the tiny carriage from brass with stainless wheels. I
doubt it's a record for the "world's smallest gun, since it probably
wouldn't be too difficult to do the same thing in half that scale, but
it's the smallest I've seen.
#There has been some talk about "odd guns", NAA guns, etc. lately so I thought I'd ask if
#anyone knows what is the smallest gun in the world.
#
#I have am answer, but I'll wait a day or two to present it unless someone else has been
#reading the same place I have and comes up with it! ;-)
#
#It's NOT original with me.
#
http://www.news.com/2300-7348_3-6233303.html
You might be getting closer than you think! :-)
It *might* kick a bit with a 230g bullet!
#
# There are a couple of choices it seems:
#
# <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article
# _id=526655&in_page_id=1770>
#
# <http://gizmodo.com/364258/worlds-smallest-gun-now-in-gold-and-diamonds-k
# ills-just-the-same>
#
# I guess it'd be more challenging to choose the worlds LARGEST gun, but
# would artillery cannons count?
#
# An even tinier gun is made by mother nature. Scroll to the second video
# of a seed shooting plant:
#
# http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/seed.html
Very interesting links. I'm providing a tinyURL for the first one, for those who may have
trouble with the longer link. http://tinyurl.com/34grt8
http://tinyurl.com/6qcp3x (Tiny URL for 2nd one) Be sure to watch the youTUBE videos on
this one. These are VERY IMPRESSIVE and far more functional than what I was going to
tell you of - and still will. ;-)
# Are you only asking about usable commercial handguns?
#
# About 20 years ago a machinist friend showed me a miniature model of an
# 18th century ships cannon he'd machined from from what looked like a
# stainless steel dowel pin. It was about an inch long smoothbore and
# shot 2mm ball bearings. It was loaded with several grains (physical
# grains, not weight grains) of bullseye and fired by heating the breech
# with a cigarette lighter. He demonstrated it and embedded the bearing
# in a sheet of plywood about five yards across the room. Most of the
# work was making the tiny carriage from brass with stainless wheels. I
# doubt it's a record for the "world's smallest gun, since it probably
# wouldn't be too difficult to do the same thing in half that scale, but
# it's the smallest I've seen.
#
No. I'm not talking about a "usable" handgun.
Your story reminds me. There are many tiny items made by some of the mini mill & mini
lathe machinists. I once saw (on the net) some very tiny operating mills and lathes.
Some were reproductions (greatly reduced, don't know the scale) of American brand of
machinery.
# http://www.news.com/2300-7348_3-6233303.html
#
A couple of others have shown this one. I almost wish I were talking about it. It's so
much more practical and usable. . . . but then it wouldn't provide the "lesson" I'll be
pointing out when I reveal it. I may do just that after I read the rest of them tonight.
Al
# http://www.news.com/2300-7348_3-6233303.html
Your's was the last one in tonights batch. I'll go ahead and let everyone know what I had
in mind initially. The "lesson" will pertain mostly to those in the group who reload.
It is a *primer pocket* ! Not impressive at all compared to the ones you guys provided.
Richard Lee, Modern Reloading, 2nd. Ed, Chap. 5, p. 80, third paragraph, tells of a fellow
who attempted to drive out a live primer with a Lee Loader / decapper. Somehow he was
doing this task on his lap. The primer exploded and entered his leg - TO THE BONE.
Curiosity demanded he chronograph the velocity of a primer exiting the primer pocket.
1412 fps! Faster than a 22 rim fire and most handguns! "It has to be the world's
shortest gun as a primer pocket is only slightly more than an eighth of an inch deep."
- - - -
Be careful when reloading!
I *still* like those Swiss guns better. ... A seven shot revolver at that!
And if you closed your fist around it then the heat would get
REAL interesting when you fired anything like that.
"Al Patrick" <a...@vance.net> wrote in message
news:g0h7h3$okp$1...@grapevine.wam.umd.edu...
> ...
Primers have a huge amount of stored energy. I had a military '06 primer
fire itself out of it's brass and into the middle finger of my right hand,
through the fingernail. It buried itself out of sight in there. ( I'll leave
out the adolescent story that preceeded it). Also, we used to take primed 12
gauge hulls and obliterate flies with them out of an old Ithaca model 37.
When you realize that the primer has to provide the energy to make a decent
pulse all through that huge bore, then still vaporize a fly out there a
couple of feet, it is amazing.
Not unlike the "Liberator" from WWII? Took longer to reload than to manufacture.
#From the March 2007 American Rifleman.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh20/alfsauve/LibertyBW.jpg
Not the smallest pistol, but definitely a curio in the "small" department.
Alf
# Also, we used to take primed 12
# gauge hulls and obliterate flies with them out of an old Ithaca model 37.
# When you realize that the primer has to provide the energy to make a decent
# pulse all through that huge bore, then still vaporize a fly out there a
# couple of feet, it is amazing.
Ok, that sounds like fun. ;-)
Dad has an Ithaca.
Both _my_ toys are Mossberg pumps.
--
Peace! Om
"Human nature seems to be to control other people
until they put their foot down." -- Stephan Rothstein
To digress, going with a .45ACP was really stupid. A 9mm load or brass
laying in the dirt would not arouse much interest. A .45ACP laying
around somewhere would arouse suspicion, investigation, and probable
death of the wrong people.
A variety of zip guns for different cartridges would have been even
better as that would not allow so much a focus and reduce the force of a
treason or "illegal combatant" charge. "Oh, no! Central planning knows
best!"