Very early over and under percussion sporting gun,
Originally a flintlock converted into percussion, this odd firearm features over and under barrels, one below the other. It has double triggers and and two separate percussion locks locks. Unfortunately the listing does not specify caliber, so I don’t know if it is a rifle or fowling piece. Dated 1800.
(Source: thomasdelmar.com)
The Fusil Mexico,
One of the strangest firearms design that I have ever seen, the Fusil Mexico was invented by Rafael Mendozza, a common Mexican gunmaker of the day. The action of the rifle was worked by twisting the barrel 90 degrees, which would eject the spent cartridge casing, them pushing the barrel forward and back would would loading and chamber a new cartridge from its five round box magazine. Releasing a switch would break the rifle down from storage and maintenance. Loading the rifle was done through a special loading port located near right hand side of the receiver. It was chambered for 8X57 Mauser and fitted with a Mauser bayonet. While certainly a unique design, it was complicated and weird compared standard Mexican Mauser bolt action rifle. They were first produced in 1918, but few were made or used.
(Source: forgottenweapons.com)
Delvigne percussion pistol,
Made by French gunsmith Henri Gustave Delvigne in 1828, this is indeed a very odd and unique pistol. As you can see it is very heavily decorated in gothic themes and it has rubber grips. Keep in mind this was a time when rubber was a rare and mysterious substance in Europe. A percussion lock, the monster head on the back of the pistol serves as a hammer, and when cocked you can see the nipple on which a percussion cap was placed. Caliber is .35 and the bore is rifle, rare among pistols of that era.
(Source: horstheld.com)
President for an hour
On the 18th of February, 1913, a minor Mexican Army commander by the name of Victoriano Huerta successfully led a military coup against President Francisco Madero. The coup was successful and Huerta ousted President Madero, his Vice President Jose Swaurez, and the Attorney General Adolfo Valles Baca, who would all later be executed.
Huerta felt that he could not just seize the reins of power like many other military dictators before him. He felt that something needed to be done to give his rule an air of legitimacy, he did not want to be seen as a usurper but rather a legitimate President of Mexico.
According to the Mexican Constitution, the next person in line for the presidency was foreign minister, Pedero Lascuráin. Huerta had a plan to make himself President of Mexico according to the law and the constitution. On the 19th of February, 1913 Lascuráin was sworn in as President of Mexico. His first and only act as president was to appoint Huerta as interior minister, making Huerta next in line for the presidency. A short moment later, Lascuráin resigned, and Huerta was then sworn in a president. Lascuráin’s very brief presidency lasted less than an hour, perhaps somewhere around 30-45 minutes, with some estimates as low as 15 minutes. Today it is recognized as the shortest presidential term in Mexican history, the shortest presidential term in world history, and the shortest reign of any head of state.
Huerta’s trick did not work, and the Mexican people rebelled against him. He was later defeated and ousted by revolutionary leaders Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa. He died in exile in 1916. Lascuráin was offered a post in Huerta’s cabinet, which he declined. He settled to a life as a simple lawyer, a wise decision since most of Huerta’s officials were later lined up against a wall and shot.
(Source: tcmam.wordpress.com)
Another strange Victorian Era Cane Gun,
Made around the later half of the 1800’s this is another one of those odd and rare cane guns. The hand removes to reveal a thin dagger and four shot .22 caliber pepperbox revolver. The revolver would have needed to be rotated by hand, and was fired by pressing a small button on the handle.
(Source: coastconfan.blogspot.com)
Lemaire Flintlock Revolving Fowling musket,
Made by Sadam A. Lemaire in Lorraine, France around the late 1690’s, this interesting piece is a multishot flintlock fowling piece (shotgun). It has a five shot cylinder, pulling a leaver in front of the trigger guard releases the cylinder, which was rotated by hand. Each chamber has an individual flash pan that would have needed to be primed with powder for each shot. Interestingly, this firearm is also a take-down piece. The stock and barrel are removable making it easier for transport.
Unfortunately the example above is not an original piece but a reproduction. Regardless this reproduction sold at Rock Island Auctions for around $4,000.
(Source: bluebookofgunvalues.com)
Italian Partisan Air Rifle,
Apparently this strange air rifle was a weapon concocted by an Italian bicycle maker during World War II. In WWII Italy there were many paramilitary groups disgruntled with the German occupation of Italy and the Italian Fascist Party. The rifle was filled with air from a bicylce pump and several 11mm round bullets were inserted into a spring fed tube magazine on the left hand side. To load the user worked a bolt which fed a bullet from the magazine into the chamber. Pulling the trigger forced a strong gust of air into the chamber propelling the bullet.
While primitive compared to modern firearm technology, this unique air rifle would certainly have been deadly. It had a range of up to 100 yards and actually packed enough force to kill a person. It would have been especially useful because it was silent and lacked muzzle flash or smoke when discharged. Currently this odd air rifle is in the possession of the Beeman Precision Air Rifle Company.
(Source: beemans.net)
A very unique and interesting 18th century flintlock, this odd musket has a reservoir of powder built into it. When the user turned a crank a small charge of powder would be deposited into the priming pan.
Sold At Auction: $2,250
(Source: icollector.com)
A very bizarre percussion lock knife pistol thingy.
(Source: thefirearmblog.com)
An interesting 19th Century percussionlock rifle created by Alexander Henry of Edinburg. Features two triggers, each of which can fire the rifle, adjustable front and rear sights, and a forward grip with a pistol grip. Very unusual for that time period.
(Source: battermans.com)
The bizarrely bizarre Isiah Jennings Multi-shot Flintlock,
Made in the early 1800’s, there bizarre and uniques rifles were revolutionary. They have a removable barrel and a removable skeleton stock, making it a very early takedown rifle. However, that was not its most bizarre innovation. Despite being a flintlock, the Jennings rifle was capable of firing 12 shots without being reloaded. Twelve shots were loaded into the muzzle, each superimposed. This means the user would load powder, then a bullet, reapting the process until 12 loads were stacked one on top of the other. On the barrel of the rifle were 12 touch holes, each of which had a swivel conver to prevent accidental discharge of more than one charge at a time. The lock was moveable. So when a shot was fired, the user would just swing the lock back, prime the pan, and fire. Then repeat the process until all 12 shots were discharged. A bizarre and complex rifle, they were hard to produce, especially at a time before the industrial revolution. Very few were produced, which were sold to wealthy individuals.
(Source: bornrich.com)
The Madness of Modern Plastic Surgery
In Manhattan, New York, the pursuit of beauty has led some women to surgically shorten their toes and secure them with metal pins to fit more easily into three-inch Jimmy Choo stiletto heels. Shortening your toes to wear a particular type of shoe is not the pursuit of beauty, it’s the result of madness. It’s a longing to be everything that humans are not - perfect. It’s not a problem, it’s a sickness. Whenever we think the line has been drawn, the growing insecurity of self image will drive somebody to cross it.
A muzzleloading AR-15 created by Tromix Systems. While it looks like a standard AR-15 without a magazine, it has been converted so that it is loaded by pouring loose powder and a bullet into the barrel and fired with a percussion cap, just like a Civil War era musket.
(Source: forum.saiga-12.com)
Another strange Chinese pistol,
During the World War II and Pre World War II era China needed weapons, and they needed them badly. The Japanese had overrun Manchuria, Northern China, and were beginning to make forays into the south. Unfortunately China did not have the manufacturing base to mass produce arms in enough quantities, nor the cash to buy imports. It was not uncommon for the enterprising owner of a small machine shop to begin making firearms. Anyone with technical expertise might be called upon to make weapons for the Chinese Republic.
This strange pistol is an example. Most likely made by hand in a small workshop, this 9mm semi auto pistol has features from a 1906 Browning and a Mauser 1910/1914. Perhaps its most unusual aspect it the odd assortment of stamping all over the pistol, which is common on such Chinese knockoffs, and quite interesting.
On the right hand side the Mauser logo is flanked by two Belgian proof marks. The pistol is dated 1941 and the trigger is stamped with a random number. On the left hand side above the trigger “GUERRE NATIONALE” is stamped, while “BELIGIQUEHERSTALGUERREDARMESdeNATIONALEFABRIQUE” is stamped. The upper receiver is stamped, which a mix a gibberish proof marks and “BELGIOUE”.
There were many of these pistols made, all of the same design, but none are exactly the same.
(Source: guncollectorsforum.com)
Plus a lot of history too.
