It’s a mousetrap for people who really hate the little fuckers
This site calls it a powder tester .
Gave the photo to my Father and he has this to say:
In the late 50’s on diesel subs we had several varients of flare/signal guns. Some like the photo were built on a 1911 frames. They were used by officers in lieu of photo signaling, because the light emitted was short and acute. Think rudamentary laser flashes, without the long distance application. Laser is probably not the right word, but nontheless we had flare/signal “units” that looked very similar to that contraption. The trigger was pulled and (2) windows opened from the top of the metal box, flashed for a fraction of a second. We has 6 “rounds” to fire off, the “rounds” were held in a drum type magazine.
Hope this helps. Neat looking contraption no question, and I wouldn’t say it was a prototype, I’d say is was simply out dated military machinery.
It doesn’t look completely unlike some blackpowder era powder testers I’ve seen, but those basically worked by using the explosive force of the powder to move a gauge of some kind like the one on this page. Mr. Thingy doesn’t seem to have any such mechanism.
If you use my link you can buy it for $1850. Test it out all you want.
I am no expert on guns
- but it looks like a modified Browning
I can’t see a break, so it is not a form of shotgun - actually it looks more like a cut down machine pistol
The stuff at the front looks like an experimental silencer, but the two cuts look as if somebody was modifying something built by an engineer, but used and modified by a yahoo - which would explain the non anal line up of the screw heads. Engineers and craftsmen like neat lines.
To the left of the trigger there is a 0,1,2,3 go slot, which makes me suspect a Kalashnikov or a German precursor.
The top bit looks like a well engineered piece of metal, slotted into sights sockets.
Basically I think you have a German machine pistol that has been modified to reduce sound, at that point a complete moron has tried to improve it.
Basically it looks like an experimental single shot automatic with a mechanical silenser
Looks like a helluva entertaining way to split firewood.
If you would look at all the pictures you would see it is on a M1911 frame. The parts in question were manufactured by R.F. Sedgley of Philadelphia. Not German or Russian. Built by a legit company, not some moron with a machine shop in his garage.
Googling “powder Tester” turned up a lot of hits, including tjhis similarly bizarre-looking contraption (and its attacxhed explanation):
The company selling the powder tester has an email address for request of information. I just asked for some help. Lets see what happens.
And here is the reply:
Nifty.
I sent this to an ex-military buddy of mine, who passed it amongst some people he knows. Here’s his reply to me…
That sounds ridiculous. Without a cite I maintain that it is ridiculous. It is a powder tester. That answer came from someone who has one. And you can own it too if you follow my link about and pay $1850.
Ahhhh, it’s a 1920’s-style “Death Ray”.
1911-style “Death Ray”. It was the prototype.
It looks like a better mouse trap. Once it’s in the box, you shoot it.
I was going to guess something along testing primers, but I see it’s resolved. I obviously would not be safe to check ammo with a slug still in it.
Owning it doesn’t, in and of itself, prove he knows what it is. Other than, perhaps the guy who sold it to him telling him so, how does he know what it is? How many owners did it pass through between Sedgley and him?
I’ve seen too many misidentified gun-related items for sale to trust he knows what it is just because he has it.
No doubt. But much more likely than a shoot from a tank gun. Especially without cites. I’m not 100% sure of the answer but it does seem to be the likely answer.
The only way to be sure is for someone to put out the $1850 and run some tests. I’m a little short right now…
A Forensics tool?
The box is detatchable, & you fire a round into it to get a slug for ballistics comparison purposes?
No, I don’t want forensics TV. :rolleyes: