Kim Janek You don't know if no one other than the manufacturer knew about it, only that all detailed information about it has since been forgotten or isn't easily or openly accessible.
How exactly does the auction house's FFL fill out the 4473 for the winning bidder? 26. Manufacturer: Unknown 27. Model: Unknown 28. Serial Number: None 29. Type: Pistol 30. Caliber: Unknown
I'm fairly sure It qualifies as an antique firearm making it exempt. Even replicas like the Colt SAA Wyatt Earp edition which was made in the 1950s doesn't have a serial number at least mine didn't.
Whoever made this pistol put a lot of thought and a lot of work into it. Just about everything about it is unique. It does look like the workmanship was very good.
This is the fun part about firearms. No matter how much you know, you can always find something that makes you stop and say "What the hell is that?" ha. I am afraid I have no idea what this pistol is. My professional experience in steel work however tells me a bit about it. Who ever made this had access to decent quality machining tools. This was not built in someone's wood shed with a hammer and file. They had actual tools and some experience with machining steel. Very interesting design. Seems rather simple. Kind of a blowback...delay toggle blow back? Looks like it would work.
I don't think this is a Chinese mystery pistol, it doesn't fit the mold. To me it looks like something a hobbyist made for himself in his spare time, possibly even a failed/abandoned patent.
Hi, I am a movie nut, mostly very old black and white movies. I have a rather intense interest in firearms, and spent several years working as a gunsmith, even took one of those rinky-dink correspondence courses in gunsmithing. I do recall seeing that pistol in a movie, it was an old black and white, sort of a cross between Charlie Chan and Boston Blackie. I don't recall the name of the flick but I do remember that gun, simply because of it's unique design and the fact that I fell in love with the gun, swearing that one day I would have one of those guns. That's about all I can say about it,but who ever is lucky enough to win that auction will indeed have my envy. Personally I would want to rebuild it, and I would have to fire at least one magazine through it. I think it was the evil villain who had the pistol in the flick.
Have you found the flm title yet? I'm also a movie/firearm enthusiast and I am getting all sorts of joy thinking that there might be a clue to what this pistol is in an old B&W flick.
Sorry I haven't really been searching for it, in fact it sort of slipped my mind, what with life getting in the way and all, seems when you hit your mid 60's things just begin happening all around you, and no matter how much you try and assert yourself, and take charge, the younger and older seem to overpower you with their problems. That said though, I will put some effort in finding the flick, think Boston Blackie, it seems to me it was one of his series, or like I said, Charlie Chan. I think it was used by a bad guy in the movie, but I could be wrong. Going to have to dig through my collection, I have an extensive collection of VHS tapes, but only one player and it isn't all that great of shape. I have transferred many of them to DVD's and CD's however some of my early attempts failed, and I only found out after I had rid myself of the original. I will do some looking though, I KNOW I saw this gun in one of those movies! Wish I could get my hands on it, not that it would help but I just love the looks of the thing. The person who put it together had a great idea on how to build it up, but for the hammer spring, that was sure stupidity.
Thus far this is the closest I have come, but the photo, well it isn't a photo but a movie poster and it just doesn't show the pistol close enough to see the details, but you can get the idea, I will see if I can come up with a copy of this movie somewhere and give it a good watch to see if it is the same one. www.imdb.com/title/tt0033484/mediaviewer/rm1305358848
Very neat. Maybe Ill give that a watch myself to see if I can find it. That's some good detective work man (and I feel ya pain, ya transfer a bunch of stuff only to find out later its crap, lol always keep the originals)
@@claycarmine7466 The story goes that there was a man in an airport that was checking out of his hotel and going to get on his flight, but when Security stopped him and checked his passport, it said the Man was from Taured, authorities took the man in for questioning, and the man told them that he was from a country called Taured, and they told him that there is no such country that exists and to show them where his is from, but he looked at the map and claimed that it was probably outdated because it didn't show Taured, so he pointed to a place near China and the Middle east, I think that's where he pointed I'm not entirely sure, and claimed he was from a different time. The authorities still didn't believe him and decided to take him back to his hotel until he tell them where he was really from, but the next day, he disappeared and Tokyo authorities looked everywhere for him (this all took place in Tokyo). If you don't understand this explaination, there are countless videos about this topic.
Grampa was busy in the basement. Honestly it happens more then you think. Worked at a small machine shop in a small town. Had several guys come in wanting parts machined for custom in-house made guns.
Regardless of it's origin, the design is just brilliant and quite viable albeit impractical. I would love to make something like this in .22LR caliber just to see whether it actually works.
I see no reason that this shouldn't work, provided you implement some sort of delay in the blowback action so that rounds don't eject before the bullet leaves the barrel.
iotaje1 It's easiest to learn how this thing works by repairing it. If you can get it to fire, even just two rounds in succession, then you've already gained a wealth of information on the action that you won't get by taking it apart and making an inspired design. There may be quirks to this thing that only manifest when you're putting rounds through it, after all.
You're right. Now I'm thinking, could the rocking movement be used to counteract recoil? This would require the action to be turned inside down, and have the mag out of the handle. the result would be similar to a C96, with a lower bore axis and an upside down rocking bolt system. I just redesigned the kriss vector
That's a unique design, never seen anything like it. The craftsmanship is good, wouldn't surprise me if someone like John Browning had made it. Browning had a lot of designs that didn't achieve the success of the 1911
I actually really like that action. Its rare to see something that isnt just a straight copy of more popular firearm mechanisms. Is there a name for that type of feeding assembly?
Years later the mystery of this pistol still eats away at me. My guess is something from South or Central America (mostly because of the rolling-block-like action) or even perhaps a hand-made firearm concocted in a backroom/garage in Ireland during their times of strife during and after the first world war. Pure conjecture. I doubt we will ever know.
Thanks for sharing, this is a weird one for sure... 3:48:73ms, - 3:49secs, There are a few stills that are remarkable. There appears to be on the left hand side of the slide a "Y" and a symbol beneath that (Pali or Sanskrit, maybe the sinoxenic pictogram for 'month'?). It also appears to have writing or etching faded near that (sanskrit thats faded?) - maybe makers marks on the weapon? On the right hand slide, there is an 'E' with an = sign in place of the middle "-" The knurling and action remind me of French or Indian design influence, the handle looks bizarre though, (a 5 lightly etched on the right side) and there's a tulip/lotus-shaped "pacman" relief on the knurled reciprocating arm... The hammer also appears to have been sawed or filed... (the still at 2:08:41ms) - there might have been 'spurs' which interacted in that gap? My guess is that its from Asia(thailand, Vietnam, Laos/Cambodia) or India. Apart from that, Metallurgical analysis might help (it'd tell you how old and what kind of metals are in it), and looking at the internals would help (I'd be more inclined to say European if theres a lot of watch-like internals or any makers-marks in there). Those tulips are probably the tell though. What a weird prototype gun though.
Im no expert but it looks like a reverse recoil spring where it is stretched but I can allso imagine it working like a plunger with a Spring behind the plunger piston head tho I’m kinda intrigued by the idea of something having a pneumatic function like that now and how to make use of such a thing.
The pistol definitely had a lot of time and careful consideration put into it. The fit and finish is pretty incredible for a workshop prototype. The tilting bolt mechanism makes for a short action. I would like to have seen it developed further. Handguns could look a lot different. Just my 2 pennies...
What's so impressive is the capacity looks very large compared to other 32acp pistols of what looks like that era. There is very little above the hand with this pistol unlike most of the others.
You certainly come across some wacky stuff. Of all of them, this one actually appears practical and simply functional. If you were crowd sourcing to purchase and disassemble, I'd pay to see the innards of this sweet lil thing. Cheers for the vid as always :-)
AusiKifaru27 as would I. I... Think I see what the aim might've have been, looks like it was blow back, would eject the spent brass straght backward, into the face of the poor sap shooting it, but it does look like it might work
DFX2KX As it is, it looks like it would be kind of scary to shoot if it was functional. But I don't think it would be very complicated to slightly modify the design to be safer to shoot.
When I saw the dual side springs that run under the grips, I immediately thought of the Le Français pistol by Manufrance was produced from 1913 till 1969. Several people mentioned in the comments that they had seen this gun in old black & white movies which leads me to believe I'm right about my assumption that it is somehow related to the Le Français pistol. If this were an amateur copy, I believe they would not have used the more complicated coiled spring on the hammer. As such, I think it would be worth looking into the possibility that this is the original concept model that might have been created to test the feasibility of the dual springs. Once it is open it might prove to be a cheap mystery gun, but they used a unique feature from a very distinctive weapon and skipped the simple innovations and that makes me think it might be worth taking a closer look at this.
Guns like this make you appreciate just how difficult it is to make a working and reliable firearm. Like, it's possible to hand file bits of steel and bang rivets in place. You can hand rifle a barrel. You can make a working Sten gun as long as you have a decent machine shop. But the shit they make in Fallout or some other game with crafting is just nonsense. I'd love to see this gun fired, but I don't want to be the guy holding it when it goes off.
I think it is supposed to be a blowback pistol, so that the angled way it moves back slows it down enough that pressure decreases and will both cock the hammer and then chamber a round after ejecting and probably had a floating firing pin like a rast and gasser revolver and that is what it is missing
Although I am by no uncertain means a weapons expert, I have spent my whole life working with a bizarre variety of goofy technology ( I worked with, among other things, every weird European car you could name: Renault, Alfa, Peugeot, Simca,... plus other goofball stuff from everybody else : Mazda, Saab, etc....) And my strong impression us: it's a whackadoodle French toolroom job by some tortured genius... Possibly an unintentional suicide gadget...." The French copy no one and no one copies the French" What a fun thingy you have presented here...I would recommend bench shooting on a Ransomrest only, kids! If you find another, don't head to the range unless you have a death wish...
What i REALLY miss on your channel is the price they eventually sold for. Is it possible for you, when the auction is over, that you make a annotation in the video with the price?
That's a neat idea. Definitely wouldn't want to put something any beefier than .32acp in a design like that though. Seems like it gets you a decently compact action to keep the barrel longer in a smaller total package.
My guess is that it's either Spanish or Italian. It's definitely a "proof of concept" piece. The brass plated spring is broken and my guess is that its a blowback of the "Ruby" variety since the barrel is fixed. Might be an attempt at an officer's pistol from the "Great War" that fizzled out from an assault of Peace. Unceta as a maker, perhaps? Decidedly interesting pistol made to imitate a 1911 given the shape.
that's a really impressive operating mechanism. it took some very precise machining to get the parts to fit as well as they do. I gotta say though, it's clear that the designer was an engineer and not an artist.
My gut feeling is that the designer probably looked at an early "slide action" pistol (as opposed to those with a more typical bolt) and sought to minimise recoil by focusing reciprocation to only the breach block. The seemingly tough spring being both necessary to maintain a safe action with the lighter block and to dampen felt recoil. It may also be an accuracy thing as the sights don't move and will always be aligned the same with barrel, something a more typical pistol action has to be finely machined to accomplish. This latter hypothesis would explain the sights fixed on the barrel only and the smaller cartridge, both features which would suggest a target intention. It's fairly compact so a home-brew pocket pistol is not out of the question but it's still large enough that a military contract or the target concept could be viable. In summary, a bloody cryptic gun.
Ian, you sold my great grandfathers custom movie prop. He based it off of a 1911 platform and added things to make it more menacing because it was going to the movie's bad guy. Anyway he wanted it back as payment for the job but they "misplaced" it and apparently here you are now. Jesus what waa the movies name... I don't remember and I cant go dig him up and ask him but it was definitely black and white
There is a guy here in the comments who remembers seeing that gun in that movie and he is really passionate about how much he likes that prop gun. He couldn't recall the name of it either.
That has a really nice look, I can't say I trust that mechanism to hold in the cartridge long enough, but otherwise it seems quite serviceable design. I wish I could import this into the UK, but it'd have to be deactivated, and that's a sin for something as interesting as this.
The overall shape reminds me of a Makarov style (which, there were a lot of pistols with a similar shape), and the whole cocking action, reminds me of a Luger.
I imagine that what is missing from the firing pin is the spring, which is probably inside of the housing but broken or bound up which is why the pin is stuck forward.
This might be the first gun i've ever looked at with the word "Lawsuits" being the first thing that came to mind. Clever design though, it's like something you would find in a alternate history novel like "The Two Georges".
Its strange because someone clearly went to alot of effort to make this pistol yet seemingly didn't do it for monetary reasons. To me this just seems like somebody had a neat idea for a pistol mechanism, built it then finished it to a point where they were satisfied.
Judging by how the spring is broken and the firing pin stuck forward, the maker may have met his maker when firing it for the first time, or the guy who was trying it out before buying 1000 of them.
this gun is so round and smooth, it honestly looks like one of those pistols you hear about prisoners making a bar of soap in the shape of a gun to try and break out.
"Hello guys. Im Ean Mccallum. Otherwise known as "Gun Jesus"." Mr.Macallum if you we're to say that your video would get 30% more likes guaranteed" 😂 Love your videos man. Its you and Hickhock45 for me. Rock n' roll.
very cool. judging from the placement and proportions of the slide, it looks like there would be a lot of gas escaping from the side way too close to your hand. I didn't see any screws in the grips. Are they glued on, or attached internally in some way?
Forgotten Weapons it's also known as a reserve, or a price that the auctioneer crew and the seller agree on that if a specific bid is not exceeded or met, the seller retains the lot.
I suspect that there is no missing part, and that there is a broken or dislodged firing pin return spring. When you pulled the breach back, the firing pin was protruding from the breach face, and the back of it wasn't coming back far enough for the hammer to hit it. Try pushing the firing pin into the breach block, and see if the back of it doesn't come out far enough for the hammer to get to it.
koolaidman007 I would have to agree. Rare does not mean expensive. I have a canteen that was a sprint run in the 1950s. They made like 50 of them. It is rare. Worth about $5, haha. I have a Mossberg shotgun they only made 500 of. Worth about $120.
It ... kinda looks like a hybrid of pistols ... like the way the slide works reminds me of like lunger ... and then it kinda looks like a browning HP ... and then some other things are thrown in .... Also wouldn't your hand stand to get caught by the slide moving back and forth and its postion near your hand?
This is certainly a "Forgotten Weapon".
pylbetajv not really. if it's a one of a kind then pretty much no one knew about it in the first place. more like an unknown weapon.
Kim Janek At least one person knew about it.
pylbetajv no shit? :D
Kim Janek You don't know if no one other than the manufacturer knew about it, only that all detailed information about it has since been forgotten or isn't easily or openly accessible.
pylbetajv "roll credits!"
How exactly does the auction house's FFL fill out the 4473 for the winning bidder?
26. Manufacturer: Unknown
27. Model: Unknown
28. Serial Number: None
29. Type: Pistol
30. Caliber: Unknown
+craigtheng Something like that. :)
+TheDoctorGnome Or if it will fire
I'm fairly sure It qualifies as an antique firearm making it exempt. Even replicas like the Colt SAA Wyatt Earp edition which was made in the 1950s doesn't have a serial number at least mine didn't.
It works for 99% of guns sold. I'd say that's pretty solid.
list it as a Curio and relic it's odd and obviously old
Whoever made this pistol put a lot of thought and a lot of work into it. Just about everything about it is unique. It does look like the workmanship was very good.
This is the fun part about firearms. No matter how much you know, you can always find something that makes you stop and say "What the hell is that?" ha.
I am afraid I have no idea what this pistol is. My professional experience in steel work however tells me a bit about it. Who ever made this had access to decent quality machining tools. This was not built in someone's wood shed with a hammer and file. They had actual tools and some experience with machining steel. Very interesting design. Seems rather simple. Kind of a blowback...delay toggle blow back? Looks like it would work.
Ian and his goddamn Chinese Mystery Pistols... I love his enthusiasm for these wretched creations.
wretched
I don't think this is a Chinese mystery pistol, it doesn't fit the mold.
To me it looks like something a hobbyist made for himself in his spare time, possibly even a failed/abandoned patent.
planescaped Agreed. That was someone trying to invent the next million dollar idea
I'd say it's American or central European, it looks cool to me, interesting
Maybe the work of some Italian or Sweden fella
What a unique pistol. Whoever made this was a genius!
Hi, I am a movie nut, mostly very old black and white movies. I have a rather intense interest in firearms, and spent several years working as a gunsmith, even took one of those rinky-dink correspondence courses in gunsmithing. I do recall seeing that pistol in a movie, it was an old black and white, sort of a cross between Charlie Chan and Boston Blackie. I don't recall the name of the flick but I do remember that gun, simply because of it's unique design and the fact that I fell in love with the gun, swearing that one day I would have one of those guns. That's about all I can say about it,but who ever is lucky enough to win that auction will indeed have my envy. Personally I would want to rebuild it, and I would have to fire at least one magazine through it. I think it was the evil villain who had the pistol in the flick.
+Jerry Ericsson - maybe it was a movie prop to begin with?
Have you found the flm title yet? I'm also a movie/firearm enthusiast and I am getting all sorts of joy thinking that there might be a clue to what this pistol is in an old B&W flick.
Sorry I haven't really been searching for it, in fact it sort of slipped my mind, what with life getting in the way and all, seems when you hit your mid 60's things just begin happening all around you, and no matter how much you try and assert yourself, and take charge, the younger and older seem to overpower you with their problems. That said though, I will put some effort in finding the flick, think Boston Blackie, it seems to me it was one of his series, or like I said, Charlie Chan. I think it was used by a bad guy in the movie, but I could be wrong. Going to have to dig through my collection, I have an extensive collection of VHS tapes, but only one player and it isn't all that great of shape. I have transferred many of them to DVD's and CD's however some of my early attempts failed, and I only found out after I had rid myself of the original. I will do some looking though, I KNOW I saw this gun in one of those movies! Wish I could get my hands on it, not that it would help but I just love the looks of the thing. The person who put it together had a great idea on how to build it up, but for the hammer spring, that was sure stupidity.
Thus far this is the closest I have come, but the photo, well it isn't a photo but a movie poster and it just doesn't show the pistol close enough to see the details, but you can get the idea, I will see if I can come up with a copy of this movie somewhere and give it a good watch to see if it is the same one. www.imdb.com/title/tt0033484/mediaviewer/rm1305358848
Very neat. Maybe Ill give that a watch myself to see if I can find it. That's some good detective work man (and I feel ya pain, ya transfer a bunch of stuff only to find out later its crap, lol always keep the originals)
I recognize this gun! It was on Forgotten Weapons!
Please do say what kind of gun is it I'm very very curious it has a very cool aesthetic and nice firing mechanism
@@ethanspaziani1070 he was probably being sarcastic😁
@@sebbi8360 I figured that out already xD
@@ethanspaziani1070 that's a "rocking block" mystery pistol
It’s the handgun that the man from Taured had on his possession when he arrived at Tokyo.
I Know that reference, thanks for sharing it with us. Also I see that your a man of culture.
Genius!
I'd like to understand this reference, plz explain
@@claycarmine7466 The story goes that there was a man in an airport that was checking out of his hotel and going to get on his flight, but when Security stopped him and checked his passport, it said the Man was from Taured, authorities took the man in for questioning, and the man told them that he was from a country called Taured, and they told him that there is no such country that exists and to show them where his is from, but he looked at the map and claimed that it was probably outdated because it didn't show Taured, so he pointed to a place near China and the Middle east, I think that's where he pointed I'm not entirely sure, and claimed he was from a different time. The authorities still didn't believe him and decided to take him back to his hotel until he tell them where he was really from, but the next day, he disappeared and Tokyo authorities looked everywhere for him (this all took place in Tokyo). If you don't understand this explaination, there are countless videos about this topic.
@@bigalwaldron5038 much appreciated
Grampa was busy in the basement.
Honestly it happens more then you think. Worked at a small machine shop in a small town. Had several guys come in wanting parts machined for custom in-house made guns.
Channel's really earned it's name here. Fun find. Wish I could learn more
Regardless of it's origin, the design is just brilliant and quite viable albeit impractical. I would love to make something like this in .22LR caliber just to see whether it actually works.
@@brambaco9537 My own, I started to work on it but keep on gravitating towards more viable projects.
@@chapiit08 you sound like a talented machinist..
I see no reason that this shouldn't work, provided you implement some sort of delay in the blowback action so that rounds don't eject before the bullet leaves the barrel.
@@angrydingus5256 That or simply stick with smaller calibers like .22LR, .32ACP and .380.
That pistol was not designed with a modern, high grip in mind. A whole new kind of slide bite.
I agree. Nice, unique cuts on your hand.
If I were able to get my hands on this thing I'd do my best to make it functional. I wanna see that unique action working in slow mo!
TestECull Well, it'd be a better idea to break it down and make an inspired design
iotaje1 It's easiest to learn how this thing works by repairing it. If you can get it to fire, even just two rounds in succession, then you've already gained a wealth of information on the action that you won't get by taking it apart and making an inspired design. There may be quirks to this thing that only manifest when you're putting rounds through it, after all.
You're right. Now I'm thinking, could the rocking movement be used to counteract recoil? This would require the action to be turned inside down, and have the mag out of the handle. the result would be similar to a C96, with a lower bore axis and an upside down rocking bolt system.
I just redesigned the kriss vector
TestECull I bet it will fire with the firing pin stuck forward like that
That's a unique design, never seen anything like it. The craftsmanship is good, wouldn't surprise me if someone like John Browning had made it. Browning had a lot of designs that didn't achieve the success of the 1911
Browning at some point, makes this, and goes “eh, it’s junk.” And then 100 years later we’re all foaming at the mouth over it lol
This dude seems to have a different cut on his hands in every video.
My guns are biting me as angry cats when I disassemble them
It’s almost like time passes in the real world between videos. Weird hu?
I actually really like that action. Its rare to see something that isnt just a straight copy of more popular firearm mechanisms.
Is there a name for that type of feeding assembly?
thelol1759 Rocking block ?
I think lugers run off a similar action
@@boxfoxreyes9950 this is nothing like Luger.
Luger toggle action is similar to Paterson Rifle, which is similar to Maxim Machinegun toggle action.
@@davidjacobs8558 Are you talking about John Pedersen? Or am I wrong? I think Ian has a video on what you are talking about.
yes, it's called Ralph
Years later the mystery of this pistol still eats away at me. My guess is something from South or Central America (mostly because of the rolling-block-like action) or even perhaps a hand-made firearm concocted in a backroom/garage in Ireland during their times of strife during and after the first world war. Pure conjecture. I doubt we will ever know.
Thanks for sharing,
this is a weird one for sure...
3:48:73ms, - 3:49secs,
There are a few stills that are remarkable.
There appears to be on the left hand side of the slide a "Y" and a symbol beneath that (Pali or Sanskrit, maybe the sinoxenic pictogram for 'month'?).
It also appears to have writing or etching faded near that (sanskrit thats faded?) - maybe makers marks on the weapon?
On the right hand slide, there is an 'E' with an = sign in place of the middle "-"
The knurling and action remind me of French or Indian design influence,
the handle looks bizarre though,
(a 5 lightly etched on the right side)
and there's a tulip/lotus-shaped "pacman" relief on the knurled reciprocating arm...
The hammer also appears to have been sawed or filed... (the still at 2:08:41ms) - there might have been 'spurs' which interacted in that gap?
My guess is that its from Asia(thailand, Vietnam, Laos/Cambodia) or India.
Apart from that, Metallurgical analysis might help (it'd tell you how old and what kind of metals are in it),
and looking at the internals would help (I'd be more inclined to say European if theres a lot of watch-like internals or any makers-marks in there).
Those tulips are probably the tell though.
What a weird prototype gun though.
Very insightful!
Im no expert but it looks like a reverse recoil spring where it is stretched but I can allso imagine it working like a plunger with a Spring behind the plunger piston head tho I’m kinda intrigued by the idea of something having a pneumatic function like that now and how to make use of such a thing.
other than its incomplete/damaged state, this looks really well made
This channel is so amazing!
Such a great move to work with the auction houses!
The pistol definitely had a lot of time and careful consideration put into it. The fit and finish is pretty incredible for a workshop prototype. The tilting bolt mechanism makes for a short action. I would like to have seen it developed further. Handguns could look a lot different. Just my 2 pennies...
What's so impressive is the capacity looks very large compared to other 32acp pistols of what looks like that era. There is very little above the hand with this pistol unlike most of the others.
An actual forgotten weapon on Forgotten Weapons.
Huh.
this design is VERY cool. It also looks to have a lot of potential
You certainly come across some wacky stuff. Of all of them, this one actually appears practical and simply functional.
If you were crowd sourcing to purchase and disassemble, I'd pay to see the innards of this sweet lil thing.
Cheers for the vid as always :-)
AusiKifaru27 as would I. I... Think I see what the aim might've have been, looks like it was blow back, would eject the spent brass straght backward, into the face of the poor sap shooting it, but it does look like it might work
DFX2KX As it is, it looks like it would be kind of scary to shoot if it was functional. But I don't think it would be very complicated to slightly modify the design to be safer to shoot.
hydrapr
true, brass to the face is no fun!
You know what, Ima gonna start building interesting yet mystery firearms without any records so that future Ian might review them.
When I saw the dual side springs that run under the grips, I immediately thought of the Le Français pistol by Manufrance was produced from 1913 till 1969. Several people mentioned in the comments that they had seen this gun in old black & white movies which leads me to believe I'm right about my assumption that it is somehow related to the Le Français pistol. If this were an amateur copy, I believe they would not have used the more complicated coiled spring on the hammer. As such, I think it would be worth looking into the possibility that this is the original concept model that might have been created to test the feasibility of the dual springs. Once it is open it might prove to be a cheap mystery gun, but they used a unique feature from a very distinctive weapon and skipped the simple innovations and that makes me think it might be worth taking a closer look at this.
Guns like this make you appreciate just how difficult it is to make a working and reliable firearm. Like, it's possible to hand file bits of steel and bang rivets in place. You can hand rifle a barrel. You can make a working Sten gun as long as you have a decent machine shop. But the shit they make in Fallout or some other game with crafting is just nonsense.
I'd love to see this gun fired, but I don't want to be the guy holding it when it goes off.
An artifact from a parallel universe.
I think it is supposed to be a blowback pistol, so that the angled way it moves back slows it down enough that pressure decreases and will both cock the hammer and then chamber a round after ejecting and probably had a floating firing pin like a rast and gasser revolver and that is what it is missing
Ian you have to buy this pistol!
I'm glad you hooked up with Rock Island. They have some really neat stuff for you to show us.
That is a cool gun. Super simple, yet a design I haven't quite seen before. Like I'd consider trying to build one similar.
I think it's a really interesting gun, especially since it's a smooth bore pistol chambered in .32 acp with an awesome checker design!
That looks awesome, I would totally buy a working replica of this for the hell of it.
Somewhere in the Philippines this is still being used
Although I am by no uncertain means a weapons expert, I have spent my whole life working with a bizarre variety of goofy technology ( I worked with, among other things, every weird European car you could name: Renault, Alfa, Peugeot, Simca,... plus other goofball stuff from everybody else : Mazda, Saab, etc....) And my strong impression us: it's a whackadoodle French toolroom job by some tortured genius... Possibly an unintentional suicide gadget...." The French copy no one and no one copies the French" What a fun thingy you have presented here...I would recommend bench shooting on a Ransomrest only, kids! If you find another, don't head to the range unless you have a death wish...
Thats actually a really nice pistol, the craftsmanship is very well done.
What i REALLY miss on your channel is the price they eventually sold for. Is it possible for you, when the auction is over, that you make a annotation in the video with the price?
theres a note in the description stating that it "failed to sell at auction"
The Bodine Hog Leg toggle model.
Someone has to name it. 🤣
Maybe it was made by Captain Nemo
Dagg It certainly has that sort of look to it.
Slav Overlord Well, Ned would be better with a rifle or a harpoon...
That pistol... It's an enemy stand!
That's why I love JoJo fanbase, we pop out of nowhere to say some random stuff
I like you
That's a neat idea. Definitely wouldn't want to put something any beefier than .32acp in a design like that though. Seems like it gets you a decently compact action to keep the barrel longer in a smaller total package.
i love this channel
My guess is that it's either Spanish or Italian. It's definitely a "proof of concept" piece. The brass plated spring is broken and my guess is that its a blowback of the "Ruby" variety since the barrel is fixed. Might be an attempt at an officer's pistol from the "Great War" that fizzled out from an assault of Peace. Unceta as a maker, perhaps? Decidedly interesting pistol made to imitate a 1911 given the shape.
that's a really impressive operating mechanism. it took some very precise machining to get the parts to fit as well as they do. I gotta say though, it's clear that the designer was an engineer and not an artist.
It actually looks like a simple and robust system. I wish we could find out more about it.
these mystols are truly unique
I'm glad you point to yourself when you introduce yourself. Im kinda slow on the pickup. All jokes aside love your vids!
That action could make for some beautiful designer pieces, like an eagles beak snapping or something.
Snapping on the user's hand lol
It’s kinda sad to think that this might have been someone’s final project and it was never finished
Why never finished? I guess by replace the hammer spring it couldwork. So i think he finished it. Just time has broke one of the spring
I don’t know how well it works but it looks like a really elegant mechanism.
My gut feeling is that the designer probably looked at an early "slide action" pistol (as opposed to those with a more typical bolt) and sought to minimise recoil by focusing reciprocation to only the breach block. The seemingly tough spring being both necessary to maintain a safe action with the lighter block and to dampen felt recoil. It may also be an accuracy thing as the sights don't move and will always be aligned the same with barrel, something a more typical pistol action has to be finely machined to accomplish. This latter hypothesis would explain the sights fixed on the barrel only and the smaller cartridge, both features which would suggest a target intention.
It's fairly compact so a home-brew pocket pistol is not out of the question but it's still large enough that a military contract or the target concept could be viable.
In summary, a bloody cryptic gun.
Ian, you sold my great grandfathers custom movie prop. He based it off of a 1911 platform and added things to make it more menacing because it was going to the movie's bad guy. Anyway he wanted it back as payment for the job but they "misplaced" it and apparently here you are now. Jesus what waa the movies name... I don't remember and I cant go dig him up and ask him but it was definitely black and white
There is a guy here in the comments who remembers seeing that gun in that movie and he is really passionate about how much he likes that prop gun. He couldn't recall the name of it either.
Weak. Booooo. Weak story.
@Sock Cucka No, I don't think the movie was called 'Bravo Sierra'.
@@MrTerrymiff Prehaps *"Bovine Secretions"* then?
@@ED-2.0.9. Nope. That one doesn't ring a bell either.
That has a really nice look, I can't say I trust that mechanism to hold in the cartridge long enough, but otherwise it seems quite serviceable design.
I wish I could import this into the UK, but it'd have to be deactivated, and that's a sin for something as interesting as this.
Still one of my favorite odd guns Ian has looked at!
It’s kind of a shame this failed to sell, I wonder where it is now.
The things you get to see on this channel! Awesome!
The overall shape reminds me of a Makarov style (which, there were a lot of pistols with a similar shape), and the whole cocking action, reminds me of a Luger.
I imagine that what is missing from the firing pin is the spring, which is probably inside of the housing but broken or bound up which is why the pin is stuck forward.
Seems like that design has the potential for a low bore axis
At 3:01, there appears to be the other end of the hammer spring.
This might be the first gun i've ever looked at with the word "Lawsuits" being the first thing that came to mind.
Clever design though, it's like something you would find in a alternate history novel like "The Two Georges".
Its strange because someone clearly went to alot of effort to make this pistol yet seemingly didn't do it for monetary reasons.
To me this just seems like somebody had a neat idea for a pistol mechanism, built it then finished it to a point where they were satisfied.
Judging by how the spring is broken and the firing pin stuck forward, the maker may have met his maker when firing it for the first time, or the guy who was trying it out before buying 1000 of them.
@@travishanson166 Could be, im not sure a failure of that magnitude could have resulted in that damage but still a possibility.
This piece of art seems like some Khyber Pass gem
this gun is so round and smooth, it honestly looks like one of those pistols you hear about prisoners making a bar of soap in the shape of a gun to try and break out.
It looks Belgian to me, around 1900, someone came up with something original and go around existing patents ....
This looks like the gun I drew when I was a kid.
That looks like something out of mad max
Holy shit!
that is no doubt the rare and elusive piece of shit!
I don't know what it is, but Remington should be coming out with it as the R52 shortly.
"Hello guys. Im Ean Mccallum. Otherwise known as "Gun Jesus"." Mr.Macallum if you we're to say that your video would get 30% more likes guaranteed" 😂 Love your videos man. Its you and Hickhock45 for me. Rock n' roll.
Ian Mccollum* butchered your name dawg sorry haha
the magazine release looks very similar to the savage 1907s
Can you try to follow up on this one? I'd really love to see one of those actually functioning
These mystery pistols are so lovely. Shooting them must be really scary
very cool.
judging from the placement and proportions of the slide, it looks like there would be a lot of gas escaping from the side way too close to your hand.
I didn't see any screws in the grips. Are they glued on, or attached internally in some way?
It's not forgotten it's an urban legend
This would look good in a Bioshock game
How much did it sell for?
+Kristiano Bertucci It didn't sell - didn't meet the consignor's minimum (I don't know what that was).
Forgotten Weapons it's also known as a reserve, or a price that the auctioneer crew and the seller agree on that if a specific bid is not exceeded or met, the seller retains the lot.
He knows what a reserve is.. he didn't know the price of the minimum.
So. If the magazine works and the firing pin is stuck forward that makes it an open bolt machine pistol. Right? Sort of?
That was really fascinating! No indicatio at all as to the origin of thi pistol??? I think the action is so intresting!
I suspect that there is no missing part, and that there is a broken or dislodged firing pin return spring. When you pulled the breach back, the firing pin was protruding from the breach face, and the back of it wasn't coming back far enough for the hammer to hit it. Try pushing the firing pin into the breach block, and see if the back of it doesn't come out far enough for the hammer to get to it.
BSA was messing around with some rocking block firearms way back. That looks like a home-built.
Wasn't expecting that to be a repeating pistol. Thought it was a single shot....
Check out the Vice video on the Afghan Gunsmiths... looks like one of their specials.
That really looks like an early version of the Tokarev pistol.
With the fire pin stuck the way it was, wouldn't it make it fire the hole magazine with out control as soon as you release the slide?
What does is say on the side of the barrel/housing? Something is printed there. You can see it in the reflected light.
"failed to sell at auction"
I can't imagine why...
now this truly is just that gun
Those slide serrations/checkering would tear your hands apart
It is what my gun enthusiast brothers would describe as "funny little European automatic".
Was the barrel rifled? and if so what was the condition of it? would be interesting in some of the videos if you could show the bore.
Hey ian, have you tried to get your hands on it afterwards since it didn't sell...
Fascinating never seen one before.
Good luck finding a maker.
Maybe a resistance pistol made by a clockmaker or something?
+Derpasaurusrex1 Due to the lack of detail and gaps, I doubt about it, more like someone with access to a mill and some curiosity about guns
good point about the lack of fine fit and finish
it looks interwar-ish European (but not french) to me but i might be totally off
I doubt those guns are almost always straight blowback and aren't particularly creative mechanically
Estimated price 2000 - 4000 dollars? I was thinking about a hundred bucks.
koolaidman007 i'm with you. if more was known about it maybe it would be worth more. but as it sits, with Ian's knowledge, .. scrap metal
koolaidman007 I was thinking $50.
koolaidman007 I would have to agree. Rare does not mean expensive. I have a canteen that was a sprint run in the 1950s. They made like 50 of them. It is rare. Worth about $5, haha. I have a Mossberg shotgun they only made 500 of. Worth about $120.
In this country I could be facing 15 years jail for that paper weight if I made it myself lol.
j0nthegreat Sure, it's not worth much, but I wouldn't call it "scrap metal". I think it's neat, that has add some degree of value, right?
Only one who could explain that thing is the person who made it. Definitely a unique item.
It ... kinda looks like a hybrid of pistols ... like the way the slide works reminds me of like lunger ... and then it kinda looks like a browning HP ... and then some other things are thrown in ....
Also wouldn't your hand stand to get caught by the slide moving back and forth and its postion near your hand?
Maybe the somewhat upward arc of motion of the breech block helps counteract muzzle rise?