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The Worst Guns of the Past
Am Shooting Journal ^ | 11/9/2017 | J Hines

Posted on 11/09/2017 6:36:45 AM PST by w1n1

There are countless number of guns that have been built in the last few centuries, a select few lay claims to being seriously the worst. Some are so weird that they could have only come from the mind of a madman. Others among the worst weapons were products of necessity, designed and built during desperate times by nations at war. Still a few of the worst firearms in history are new spins on an old product, but just aren’t reliable.

Bad guns have many differences, but a few key similarities, no matter if it’s a tiny Kolibri pistol, a nuclear warhead firing Davy Crockett rifle, an Anti-Tank rifle, or a ludicrous volley gun. They tend to be hard to fire, bulky, inaccurate, and prone to jamming. They’re impractical, often to the point of being useless. Issued to soldiers but most threw them away, and civilians who bought them demanded their money back. At their very worst, they have a nasty habit of hurting their owners through horrible recoil and flying parts, yes very unsafe. If you were fending off pirates in the 1800s or target shooting in 2015, these are things you don’t want in a gun.

Here are some of the worst, most impractical and un-reliable guns ever made.

Cochran Turret Revolver

The turret was a round disc with holes bored into it that would hold powder and a ball. To fire the next ball, you moved the disc from an empty hole to a loaded one. It’s not the worst theory, but it winds up with the shooter essentially having a loaded gun pointed at them.

Chauchat

Its construction was so shoddy that parts weren’t interchangeable, while the distinctive magazine had large holes that easily became caked in mud, making the weapon useless. It jammed easily, overheated, and was impossible to aim. Troops who were issued Chauchats often threw them away.

2 mm Kolibri

In practice, it was so small that handling and firing it were next to impossible. If you did manage to get a round off, you probably were better off delivering a swift kick to the shin.

LeMat Revolver

It was a regular old revolver, except for one special feature: a 20 gauge shotgun slapped underneath it. Was also extremely inaccurate, and difficult to reload. See the rest and full description of the worst guns of the past here.


TOPICS: History; Hobbies; Outdoors
KEYWORDS: banglist; guns

1 posted on 11/09/2017 6:36:45 AM PST by w1n1
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To: w1n1

Le Mat...
Used in the movies,

12 MONKEYS and
Cold Moutain.

Weird piece.


2 posted on 11/09/2017 6:44:05 AM PST by Big Red Badger (UNSCANABLE in an IDIOCRACY!)
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To: w1n1

The Lemat was basically a Cavalry officer’s gun with the intent of the maximum firepower (9 plus smoothbore) possible without reloading. Typically used in close combat situations. It’s quite an interesting firearm actually.


3 posted on 11/09/2017 6:47:22 AM PST by headstamp 2 (My "White Privilege" is my work ethic.)
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To: w1n1

How in the world did the Dardick 1500 get left off this list?

4 posted on 11/09/2017 6:49:50 AM PST by DJ Taylor (Once again our country is at war, and once again the Democrats have sided with our enemy.)
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To: w1n1

...and the Gyrojet "Rocket" pistol.

5 posted on 11/09/2017 6:56:24 AM PST by DJ Taylor (Once again our country is at war, and once again the Democrats have sided with our enemy.)
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To: DJ Taylor
Zounds!!!! It takes trounds!


6 posted on 11/09/2017 6:57:32 AM PST by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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To: Big Red Badger
Le Mat...
Used in the movies,
12 MONKEYS and Cold Mountain.
Weird piece.

Also a variation of the LeMat was used in FIREFLY and SERENITY ...

Jayne Cobb's (Adam Baldwin) weapon is a modified LeMat Revolver Navy model with the underbarrel shotgun removed, with a flash and multi-notched site added by the prop department along the barrel. The original featured awesome firepower with its nine .41 caliber bullets and one 20 gauge single barrel firing a slug or buckshot. (The LeMat with the hooked style trigger guard is the Cavalry model. Unlike the original Navy model, the Cavalry model was chambered for a standard .44 cal round ball, and 16 gauge on the shotgun barrel).


7 posted on 11/09/2017 7:02:21 AM PST by BlueLancer (ANTIFA - The new and improved SturmAbteilung)
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To: w1n1

Is that Curly Howard shooting the Boys Anti-Tank Rifle?


8 posted on 11/09/2017 7:13:36 AM PST by catnipman ( Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: w1n1

The m1910 Ross. The issued rifle of the Canadian army at the start of WWI. It was so bad that it had to be withdrawn from service.


9 posted on 11/09/2017 7:18:54 AM PST by MCF (If my home can't be my Castle, then it will be my Alamo.)
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To: w1n1

10 posted on 11/09/2017 7:24:33 AM PST by Fresh Wind (Hillary: Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect 2 billion dollars.)
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To: w1n1

The MARS automatic pistol.


11 posted on 11/09/2017 7:47:36 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
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To: Fresh Wind

isn’t that the one the democrats invented?


12 posted on 11/09/2017 7:49:27 AM PST by V_TWIN
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To: Big Red Badger; All

LeMats were prized guns, it’s a load of crap that that is in there. A friend I detect with has an original handed down from an ancestor in the Civil War. It’s kept in a family trust that needs unanimous consent to release it for sale and they rotate who holds/displays it.


13 posted on 11/09/2017 8:30:01 AM PST by Axenolith (Government blows, and that which governs least, blows least...)
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To: Big Red Badger

The volley gun was used in John Wayne’s Alamo movie.


14 posted on 11/09/2017 9:21:25 AM PST by jim_trent
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