• About USA Carry
  • Advertise
  • Contact
WIN A FREE GUN? ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY
USA Carry
  • Home
  • Concealed Carry Resources
    • Concealed Carry Permit Information By State
      • A-E
        • Alabama
        • Alaska
        • American Samoa
        • Arizona
        • Arkansas
        • California
        • Colorado
        • Connecticut
        • Delaware
      • F-J
        • Florida
        • Georgia
        • Guam
        • Hawaii
        • Idaho
        • Illinois
        • Indiana
        • Iowa
      • K-M
        • Kansas
        • Kentucky
        • Louisiana
        • Maine
        • Maryland
        • Massachusetts
        • Michigan
        • Minnesota
        • Mississippi
        • Missouri
        • Montana
      • N-O
        • Nebraska
        • Nevada
        • New Hampshire
        • New Jersey
        • New Mexico
        • New York
        • North Carolina
        • North Dakota
        • Northern Marianas
        • Ohio
        • Oklahoma
        • Oregon
      • P-U
        • Pennsylvania
        • Puerto Rico
        • Rhode Island
        • South Carolina
        • South Dakota
        • Tennessee
        • Texas
        • Utah
      • V-Z
        • Vermont
        • Virgin Islands
        • Virginia
        • Washington
        • Washington D.C.
        • West Virginia
        • Wisconsin
        • Wyoming
    • Concealed Carry Permit Reciprocity Maps
    • Concealed Carry Permit Examples
  • Articles
    • Concealed Carry
    • Reviews
    • Defensive Gun Use Stories
    • Training
    • CCW For Women
    • General Firearm
    • Open Carry
    • Self-Defense
    • Survival
    • EDC
    • Home Defense
  • Forums
  • Directory
    • Firearm Instructors
    • Gun Ranges
    • Gun Stores
    • Gunsmiths
    • Gun Clubs
  • Giveaway
  • Store
  • Deals
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Concealed Carry Resources
    • Concealed Carry Permit Information By State
      • A-E
        • Alabama
        • Alaska
        • American Samoa
        • Arizona
        • Arkansas
        • California
        • Colorado
        • Connecticut
        • Delaware
      • F-J
        • Florida
        • Georgia
        • Guam
        • Hawaii
        • Idaho
        • Illinois
        • Indiana
        • Iowa
      • K-M
        • Kansas
        • Kentucky
        • Louisiana
        • Maine
        • Maryland
        • Massachusetts
        • Michigan
        • Minnesota
        • Mississippi
        • Missouri
        • Montana
      • N-O
        • Nebraska
        • Nevada
        • New Hampshire
        • New Jersey
        • New Mexico
        • New York
        • North Carolina
        • North Dakota
        • Northern Marianas
        • Ohio
        • Oklahoma
        • Oregon
      • P-U
        • Pennsylvania
        • Puerto Rico
        • Rhode Island
        • South Carolina
        • South Dakota
        • Tennessee
        • Texas
        • Utah
      • V-Z
        • Vermont
        • Virgin Islands
        • Virginia
        • Washington
        • Washington D.C.
        • West Virginia
        • Wisconsin
        • Wyoming
    • Concealed Carry Permit Reciprocity Maps
    • Concealed Carry Permit Examples
  • Articles
    • Concealed Carry
    • Reviews
    • Defensive Gun Use Stories
    • Training
    • CCW For Women
    • General Firearm
    • Open Carry
    • Self-Defense
    • Survival
    • EDC
    • Home Defense
  • Forums
  • Directory
    • Firearm Instructors
    • Gun Ranges
    • Gun Stores
    • Gunsmiths
    • Gun Clubs
  • Giveaway
  • Store
  • Deals
No Result
View All Result
USA Carry
No Result
View All Result
Home Articles

4 Strange and Unusual Firearms

Michael Jenkins by Michael Jenkins
June 21, 2017
in Articles, General Firearm
4
Dardick Model 1100 and Model 1500
1
SHARES
7.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

We live in an era of relative conservationism in firearms design. The AR15 in its various forms dominates the semi-automatic rifle market, Mossberg’s 500/590 and Remington’s 870 represent the bulk of the sporting, tactical, and defensive shotguns out there, and while there’s more diversity in the handgun world, let’s be honest: most of you are carrying either GLOCKs or 1911s.

While innovation still exists—see our friends at Hudson—there was a time when widespread experimentation abounded in the industry. As a celebration of the oddities of the past, here’s a list of some of the most unusual firearms out there.

Dardick Model 1100 and Model 1500

Dardick Model 1100 and Model 1500

David Dardick accomplished a remarkable feat with his 1958 patent: a genuinely unique cartridge. His three-sided “tround” (triangular round, get it?) allowed for an equally unique chamber, open on one side. This removed the need for a reciprocating bolt or slide in order to load a chamber, thus allowing the creation of the Dardick Model 1100 and 1500: three-chambered magazine fed revolvers. The tround and its revolving action potentially offered some real advantages: higher rates of fire with less wear and tear on the weapon. This, to me, is an exercise in “what might have been”–there’s an alternate dimension in which the tround took off and we’re all shooting very different firearms than we are in this world.

Shevchenko PSH-4

Shevchenko PSH-4

You’ll need to bear with me on this one, it take some explaining.

The Shevchenko PSH-4 is a Ukrainian design which incorporates a variety of it’s-not-a-glitch-it’s-a-feature elements. Designed in the early 1990s, the Shevchenko went back to the drawing board, looking to some of the earliest self-loading pistols for inspiration. It included a two-stage loading system, apparently borrowed from the Gabbet-Fairfax “Mars” pistol of 1898. The gas-operated locking system was drawn from an experimental German design of the Second World War. And then, perhaps the most ridiculous feature: a slide stop that held the slide open when there was one round left in the gun. This was supposed intended to allow the shooter to make a “deliberate last shot”. What that means only God and the designers know.

The Shevchenko is exceptionally rare in the US. I’m not entirely sad about that.

Colt 2000/All American 2000

Colt 2000/All American 2000

The early 1990s were a very special time, as any of us who were there can attest. Wonder Nines were rapidly taking over the market, and polymer frame handguns were now a force to be reckoned with. Colt, a venerable US manufacture struggling to find its place in this brave new world, designed to enter the fray with its own polymer Wonder Nine.

The end result was the Colt 2000, also known as the Colt All American 2000. Designed by Reed Knight and Eugene Stoner, this semi-automatic pistol came in both polymer and aluminum frame variants. At the time, that would have been interesting enough, but Knight and Stoner also opted for a rotating bolt with a roller-locking mechanism reminsicent of early 20th century French and Austrian handguns. Colt stepped in with their own requirements, insisting on a 12 lb trigger pull rather than the 6 lbs suggested by Knight. The gun, intended to recapture the law enforcement and military markets, missed its aim entirely. Colt historian Rick Sapp refers to the whole thing as “an embarrassing failure” and I’m hard pressed to disagree.

Nagant M1895 Revolver

Nagant M1895 Revolver

I know what you’re thinking—these were available for less than a hundred bucks not too long ago; what makes them so weird? Well, hear me out—there’s a lot more going on here than meets the eye.

For most contemporary shooters, the Nagant M1895 is just a rather crude Russian revolver. You have to manually pop the spent brass out of each chamber with a tool—hardly the mark of a sophisticated design! However, the features that make this so special are easy to miss.

The Nagant incorporates a “gas seal” system, in which the cylinder moves forward when the gun is cocked. This closes the gap between the cylinder and the barrel, allowing no gas to escape, thus increasing the muzzle velocity of the weapon. Not only does this provide better safety for the user and performance for the projectile, it enables the shooter, should they wish, to add a suppressor to the weapon. Few, if any, other revolver designs allow for this, and I think that’s worth remembering.

As always, the world of firearms is a big one, and there are a lot of guns that didn’t make it to this list. Feel free to share your favorites in the comment section and help us all learn a thing or two about the odd ducks and experiments of the past.

Tags: firearmsliststrangeunusual
Previous Post

Revolver Reloads: Using Speed Strips

Next Post

Two Businesses That Should Always Allow Employees To Carry Concealed

Michael Jenkins

Michael Jenkins

Michael Jenkins is a writer and editor based in Wilmington, North Carolina. He is a lifelong reader, gardener, shooter, and musician. You can reach him at opencarryjenkins@gmail.com.

Related Posts

Father Shoots Man That Pulled Gun on Him and His Two Sons in Grocery Store Parking Lot
DGU

Father Shoots Man That Pulled Gun on Him and His Two Sons in Grocery Store Parking Lot

by Luke McCoy
May 27, 2022
New Details On Uvalde School Shooting, Commanding Officer On Scene Treated It As A Barricaded Suspect Vs. Active Shooter
News

New Details On Uvalde School Shooting, Commanding Officer On Scene Treated It As A Barricaded Suspect Vs. Active Shooter

by Concealed Nation
May 27, 2022
Woman Waving Gun Around During Road Rage Incident Gets Shot At
DGU

Woman Waving Gun Around During Road Rage Incident Gets Shot At

by Luke McCoy
May 27, 2022
Urge the Louisiana Senate to Vote on Constitutional Carry
Politics

Urge the Louisiana Senate to Vote on Constitutional Carry

by USA Carry
May 26, 2022
Springfield Armory Releases the XD-M Elite 4.5" OSP 10mm
Guns & Gear Reviews

Springfield Armory Releases the XD-M Elite 4.5″ OSP 10mm

by USA Carry
May 26, 2022
Next Post
Two Businesses That Should Always Allow Employees To Carry Concealed

Two Businesses That Should Always Allow Employees To Carry Concealed

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Connect with
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
guest
Connect with
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
guest
4 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

USA Carry

© 2022 USA Carry LLC

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • Concealed Carry Resources
  • Articles
  • Forums
  • Directory
  • Giveaway
  • Store
  • Deals

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Concealed Carry Resources
    • Concealed Carry Permit Information By State
      • Alabama
      • Alaska
      • American Samoa
      • Arizona
      • Arkansas
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Connecticut
      • Delaware
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Guam
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Illinois
      • Indiana
      • Iowa
      • Kansas
      • Kentucky
      • Louisiana
      • Maine
      • Maryland
      • Massachusetts
      • Michigan
      • Minnesota
      • Mississippi
      • Missouri
      • Montana
      • Nebraska
      • Nevada
      • New Hampshire
      • New Jersey
      • New Mexico
      • New York
      • North Carolina
      • North Dakota
      • Northern Marianas
      • Ohio
      • Oklahoma
      • Oregon
      • Pennsylvania
      • Puerto Rico
      • Rhode Island
      • South Carolina
      • South Dakota
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Utah
      • Vermont
      • Virgin Islands
      • Virginia
      • Washington
      • Washington D.C.
      • West Virginia
      • Wisconsin
      • Wyoming
    • Concealed Carry Permit Reciprocity Maps
    • Concealed Carry Permit Examples
  • Articles
    • Concealed Carry
    • Reviews
    • Defensive Gun Use Stories
    • Training
    • CCW For Women
    • General Firearm
    • Open Carry
    • Self-Defense
    • Survival
    • EDC
    • Home Defense
  • Forums
  • Directory
    • Firearm Instructors
    • Gun Ranges
    • Gun Stores
    • Gunsmiths
    • Gun Clubs
  • Giveaway
  • Store
  • Deals

© 2022 USA Carry LLC

Popup Button
wpDiscuz
4
0
Join the conversation, please comment.x
()
x
| Reply
You are going to send email to

Move Comment