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Introducing the world's smallest gun that fires deadly 300mph bullets - but is just TWO inches long.

Doug Huffman

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=526655&in_page_id=1770

Meet the pistol that fits in your pocket - and packs a hell of a punch.

The SwissMiniGun is the size of a key fob but fires tiny 270mph bullets powerful enough to kill at close range.

Officially the world's smallest working revolver, the gun is being marketed as a collector's item and measures just 2.16 inches long (5.5cm). It can fire real 4.53 bullets up to a range of 367ft (112m).

The stainless steel gun costs £3,000 although the manufacturers also produce extravagant, made-to-order versions made out of 18-carat gold with customised diamond studs which sell for up to £30,000.

MiniGunHandLL_468x348.jpg


At just over two inches long it is the world's smallest gun - but the 300mph bullets it fires mean it is still deadly

It cannot be imported into the UK, and buyers in Switzerland and Europe must produce an import permit from police to obtain one.

The gun is banned from being imported into the US - because it's barrel is less than three inches, meaning it is deemed too small to qualify for sporting purposes.

Jonathan Spencer, consultant forensic scientist and firearms expert, said that although the gun, which fires bullets at a speed of 399 feet a second, was tiny, it could still prove fatal and in the eyes of the law was as dangerous as a machine gun.

He said: "The general threshold for perforating the skin is about 330 feet a second.

"Apart from bone, skin offers the greatest resistance to penetration. If it can pass through the skin it is potentially lethal, even if the bullets are small.

"If you shoved something 3mm across into someone's chest you could kill them. It's the same with these bullets, they could penetrate the heart.

"It is capable of killing someone. Under section 5 of the Firearms Act it would be a prohibited weapon. It would be on the same scale as a machine gun."
The gun shoots 2.34 mm calibre rim fire ammunition especially developed for it as the smallest rim fire ammunition in the world.

MiniGunBulletsLL_468x350.jpg


The Swiss Minigun, which is being marketed as a collector's item, is just 5.5cm long, and fires 4.53mm bullets up to 112 metres

MiniGunHolsterLL_468x289.jpg


It weighs in at just 0.7oz (19.8grams) and fires live and blank ammunition.

The gun is the first product of the SwissMiniGun company, a gunsmiths based at La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

Owner Paul Erard said that since the product's launch three years ago, the firm had sold around 300 of the guns, mainly to collectors in the Middle and Far East.

He said: "We are producing in very small quantities - perhaps 25 gold guns and 100 steel guns a year, and there is a six month waiting list to get one.

"We will make whatever the customer wishes for. The most expensive version we have sold cost £30,000 and was covered in diamonds and came with a gold chain."

Other bespoke finishes available include ebony grips, hand engraved grips, gold grips with diamonds or collared precious stones.

Mr Erard said that although the double action revolver is similar in appearance to a Colt Python full-size weapon, it was actually based on a Swiss-made revolver.

In September 2006 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives(ATF) in New York issued a warning about the gun after being alerted by a police officer who spotted it on a website.

Special Agent William McMahon said the gun was so small it could pass for a key fob, and warned it made the perfect stealth weapon for serious criminals.

But Mr Erard denied the gun was deadly and said it was only a tenth as powerful as some air guns.

"Since September 11 there has been a lot of paranoia in America", he said.

"It is ridiculous. Why would criminals want my gun when you can go out and buy a Kalashnikov there already?"

A Guinness World Records spokesman confirmed the gun held the record as the word's smallest working revolver.
 

Pointman

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The gun is banned from being imported into the US - because it's barrel is less than three inches, meaning it is deemed too small to qualify for sporting purposes.
So racing all sorts of small automobile is fine, down to slot cars, and competitions can be legally held, but the U.S. Government has determined there is a size limit on the Second Amendment, and our God-given (natural) rights?
---
Thanks for another interesting read, Doug!
 

glockrocker

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That's awesome. If that revolver wasn't £3,000 I would consider picking one up. I think I'll just take a North American Arms mini for $200, or maybe one of those Bond Arms deringers that fire .410 shot shells :).

I'm amazed anyone could call that a criminal's gun with a straight face. Is the ATF actively recruiting idiots these days? :banghead:
 

Decoligny

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If some criminal has the combination of balls and lack of brains to pull that on anyone to try to rob them, they will probably get laughed at while getting thierasses kicked. Even if they emptied the gun it's a 1 in a million chance of getting seriously injured.

At 399 fps it is barely more than the 395 fps limit by this organization that reinacts battles with airsoft air guns. They say at 400 fps they would need face shields to protect from minor injuries if shot in the face at close range.

http://www.cimmerians.org/Why_395fps.html
 

Sa45auto

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Introducing the world's smallest gun that fires deadly 300mph bullets - but is just TWO inches long.
The SwissMiniGun is the size of a key fob but fires tiny 270mph bullets powerful enough to kill at close range.

Ok does it shoot a bullet at 300 MPH which is 440 FPS or does it shoot one at 270 MPH which is 396 FPS?

If you knew the mass of the bullet you could get some idea of potential penetration.

You can't compare these bullets to an air soft projectile as the mass for a lead bullet and an air soft projectile would be vastly different and thus the penetration would be vastly different.



It would be interesting to see some ballistics information on the little Jewel. :dude:
 

BobCav

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Doug Huffman

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http://www.swissminigun.com/home.html

http://www.swissminigun.com/ammunition.html

[align=center][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]2.34 mm. AMMUNITION TECHNICAL DATA[/font][/align] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Type : Rim fire cartridge[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Metric[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]English[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Calibre:[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]2.34 mm.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]0.092126 in.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Bullet length:[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]4.53 mm.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]0.178346 in.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Bullet weight:[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]0.128 g.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]1.9753 grains[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Cartridge length:[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]6.1 mm.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]0.240157 in.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Cartridge diameter:[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]2.34 mm.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]0.092126 in.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Rim diameter:[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]2.8 mm.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]0.110236 in[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Live ammunition total length:[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]9.13 mm.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]0.359449 in.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Average V0:[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]121.8 m/sec.-[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]399.6 f/sec.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Bullet energy:[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]0.97 J.[/font] [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]0.7154 ft-lbf[/font] This 2.34mm rim fire ammunition is made by SwissMiniGun.
Blank and live cartridges are available.
The power of the SwissMiniGun Cal. 2.34m/m ammunition is just less than 1 joule.
 

Sa45auto

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Thanks Bob and Doug for the information.



Having read the truth, from the home page, it is obvious that this is what it was meant to be. A revolver, for someone who has everything.



You can't believe the media at all when it comes to anything to do with guns. (Just like they say on the ballistics page about erroneous news stories)



A contact shot to the open eye, might do some damage......even though I think a sharp stick is probably more lethal........BUT is is a cute little puppy.
 

deepdiver

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It is a cute little novelty. A very expensive cute little novelty.
A contact shot to the open eye, might do some damage......even though I think a sharp stick is probably more lethal
LMAO --- nice summary of the lethality potential.
Special Agent William McMahon said the gun was so small it could pass for a key fob, and warned it made the perfect stealth weapon for serious criminals.
Why don't we respect the BATFE? Their employees live to say stupid, knee jerk things that only a retarded sea urchin could believe as true.

If a "serious criminal" came at me with that less powerful than a spring actuated BB gun pistol, he better have deburred it and oiled the exterior because it is going to get shoved up his #@$.
 

Pointman

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The 2.34 mm bullets have less than 1 Joule of energy, but maintain it fairly well at a self-defense range of 21 feet.
 

Neplusultra

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Sa45auto wrote:
A contact shot to the open eye, might do some damage......even though I think a sharp stick is probably more lethal........BUT is is a cute little puppy.

I'd say, 0.7ft/lbs of energy? I think I'd take the pointy stick too :^).
 

swillden

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Pointman wrote:
This will not kill a squirrel, unless it causes an elderly squirrel to have a heart-attack, or die of laughter.
Unrelated, but funny, I once killed a pine hen (what we call them in Utah -- apparently their "correct" name is blue grouse) with my bow while hunting deer. No surprise that a bow with a 70-lb. draw shooting inch-wide razor-tipped broadheads would kill a bird, right? Except I missed, by about two feet. Obligingly, the bird dropped dead anyway so I picked it up, cleaned it and took it back to camp for lunch. Yummy.
 

Joe Sixpack

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i did'nt even know there was a min length for handguns.. if it's 3inch then what about 2inch snubby revolvers?

i think the min length laws.. as with many gun laws.. is totally BS.
 

Sa45auto

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Joe Sixpack wrote:
i did'nt even know there was a min length for handguns.. if it's 3inch then what about 2inch snubby revolvers?

i think the min length laws.. as with many gun laws.. is totally BS.
The 3 inch length is referring to the overall length of the handgun and not the length of the barrel. :dude:
 

Legba

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They have some weird (largely arbitrary) scoring system for importing handguns. You need 25 points to be legal, as I recall - so many points for various barrel lengths, whether it has American made parts, whether it has target grips, etc. - theseall figure into the formula. That's why you can't get the Glock .380s here, they only score a 23 or so.

I'll stick with my $40 pump BB/pellet gun for low-power shooting.

-ljp
 

Marco

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A contact shot to the open eye, might do some damage......even though I think a sharp stick is probably more lethal........

I'd say, 0.7ft/lbs of energy? I think I'd take the pointy stick too :^).
And a cheap plastic BIC doesn't cost nearly as much, doesn't require paper work, can easily be replaced, can out perform it (if thrust with force:exclaim: )and no one will bat an eye if I carry one Openly.
And for the pen snobs there is the MONT BLANC writing instruments.

I'm going to have to chrono a Pea shooter.:lol:
http://www.peashooters.org/index1.htm
 
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