So recently I have been researching one downright weird friggen wheel gun.
Boom
Traits:
*9-pounds.
*20-shot cylinder with a loading gate.
*11mm/.45cal (ish) chamber.
*10-inch barrel.
*No sights.
*No grip or stock.
*All-metal.
*A long pry-bar shaped trigger with a rope hole in the bottom.
*Belgian proofs that date between circa 1893 and 1911.
I was able to find two clues throughout gun history where other people have encountered such a beast in the wild.
A 1927 Bannerman’s military surplus catalog listing to a rare revolver “found in a Paris gunshop.”
And a 2007 Hermann Historika listing in Germany of an “Unbekannter Grabenrevolver(?),” which translates roughly to an unknown trench/turret revolver (?). Other than the fact it is a top break, it is a dead ringer.
You know when they use the term “unknown” in a two-word title, and end it with a question mark, something bananas is going on.
So what is it?
Good question, more in my column at Guns.com.