What the Heck is this?

[carnaby]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/hautlipz/unusual1911.jpg

I have no clue. Anyone? :confused: :)

[R33P3R]

yup. that my friend. is a red X.

[Smokey Joe]

Nope, it's a blue square with a question mark. Picture didn't come through.

[carnaby]

That oughta fix it. Sorry :o

[THE DRILL INSTRUCTOR]

What frame is that on? I almost want to say Makarov.
Where did you find this picture?

[PotatoJudge]

Looks like a 1911 frame with a wrap around grip.

And something stuck on the front.

[carnaby]

I found it on a blog with a caption "what the heck is this" so they don't know any more about it than I do.

[Correia]

Beats the heck out of me.

The style of construction looks old.

Pulling the handle back on top would appear to retract the slide, and also open the front end of the boxy whatever it is.

Are those vent holes in the side of the big rectangle?

[owen]

it also appears that the slide is locked closed. Some sort of primitive supressor?

[Angus Podgorney]

Early model Braun, Pistol-grip shaver...

[exar]

Some sort of primitive supressor?
That was my first thought.

[Boxerrider]

Mousetrap?!?

[1BLINDREF]

Its a gun muzzle :neener:

[dcloudy777@aol.com]

A really, really cool peppercorn grinder....

[esheato]

WTF? I don't even know what to Google....

Ed

[Brian Williams]

The Original JMB Jr. It is a burger grill, it can even do 2 Hotdogs at once. Just pop in a ball of meat, press the front closed, insert round and fire, done in a FLASH.

[ZeSpectre]

The last time I saw anything even remotely like this it was an ignitor for a fireworks display. Didn't really look like this though.

[RIDE]

I believe that to be a "Barrel Shroud"... You can even see the "Thing that goes up".

[Carl N. Brown]

The David Cronenberg Mark IV Videodrome Special?

[robear]

Some kind of factory proof-test device?

[MilsurpShooter]

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

Pressure tester? Fire the bullet see if any gas escapes the gun towards the shooter?

[geronimotwo]

no no no... this is the diffuser accessory.........used for drying your hair.....hopefully your smart enough to use blanks......

[Hawk]

The only handgun lock to obtain Brady approval?

[carnaby]

I don't think the Brady's will approve, since it has a handle that conspicuously protrudes above the pistol grip :p

[tanksoldier]

The boxy thing on the front looks like it was designed to lock into something else... and the pistol part looks like it breaks open like a shotgun. The boxy part looks like it has a long horizontal opening in front.

I know that many aircraft engines back in the day used shotgun rounds to get them started. Could this be some sort of device like that?

ie: The ground crew loads a shell in the device, locks it into a port on the side of the engine, fires it off, and the compression starts the engine. After it's running, they then would remove it.

[skinnyguy]

Does the site you got that pic from have any other angles? I'd really like to see the front of the thing.

[rkh]

I think that's the worlds smallest handgun range.

latch it on to the gun, and testfire it anywhere.

[Selfdfenz]

A contraption to test primers

OK.....I'm clueless.

S-

[morcoth]

Toast Launcher?

Big A$$ed Staple Gun?

No clue here.

Morcoth

[Hawk]

I don't think the Brady's will approve, since it has a handle that conspicuously protrudes above the pistol grip

Silly me. I also missed the barrel shroud.

[righteousbarbarian]

I think it's what happens when you park your 1911 illegally and neglect to pay the tickets for a long time.

[SDC]

It APPEARS to be some sort of pressure-test fixture, but I couldn't even hazard a guess beyond that.

lol at "the shoulder thing that goes up" though :D

[tuckerdog1]

Phased plasma pistol in a 40 watt range.

Tuckerdog1

[Warren]

Peppermill at the NRA restaurant?

Whale oil powered weapon-light?

Boombox?

Someone who didn't understand what a grout gun is supposed to look like?

The first, abortive attempt at a Flowbie?

[yhtomit]

"The first, abortive attempt at a Flowbie?"

I think the word you're looking for is "suicidal" ;)

I wonder about the engine-starting device someone mentioned (using shotshells); that sure sounds like a Rube Goldbergism! (Chicken lays egg, which rolls down chute, startles sleeping baby, etc). But this sure does look like it's purpose-built, to put it mildly -- this is not a few strips of duct tape to fix a torn parka, that's for sure.

timothy

[griz]

You know when you try to use an air hose to blow dirt out of the garage and it collects in the corners?
Note holes in side of object. Holds that thing gansta style and it will blow the dirt right out of the corners.

What do I win?:)

[kungfuhippie]

Looks to be built on a Star Model P??? Just looking at the trigger and the magazine release (well ,where it should be) Seams to be a single shot...Star went belly up a few years back, maybe it's a pressure tester or something from their now belly up company?

[DRZinn]

I think it's what happens when you park your 1911 illegally and neglect to pay the tickets for a long time.

[Daniel T]

That looks like a conundrum.

Beyond that...it looks like a 1911 with the mag release removed and a wooden grip purpose-made to hold in the grip safety...? The handle on the top looks like it's pulled straight back to both rack the slide and open that panel on the front/top.

Very odd.

[MDig]

Yes but what caliber connundrum?

[Warren]

A 1911 set on "stun"?

The pen may indeed be mightier than the sword, but this gun can print Braille!

x 1/2 for area affect (anybody here play Champions?)

Card dealing shoe at a mob run casino?

A loudener?

Marital aide for killbots?

[Devonai]

I think it's a device for firing out of the gunport of an APC. Perhaps the mag release isn't missing, but is just a darker metal?

[Legionnaire]

Too bad we can't see the business end. That might help.

[kungfuhippie]

even if it's there (the magazine release) the grip would block it from functioning.

[pendentive]

Looks to me like the device they use to do Ballistic Fingerprinting.

[Geronimo45]

Pistol-end: Looks like a 1911. Magazine's in there. Mag release seems to be missing.
Grips are weird. Safety appears to be screwed on.
Assuming it's not photoshopped, I guess it could be a demilled 1911.
Looks to be home-made. Plain-jane grips, badly done screws. Single-shot .50 BMG pistol, with the front end being a combination muzzle break/dust cover?

[Zak Smith]

Based on the top handle arrangement and the top-front slide opening, I think it's designed to be "fired" with the box "closed". This suggests that something is put inside it and then it is "fired." Note that the to handle is connected to the latch which I think locks the slide closed.

[Geronimo45]

Boombox?
I think that pretty well describes it.

[CajunBass]

That my friends, is what my mother used to call, "A trap to catch meddlers."

[Warren]

Based on the top handle arrangement and the top-front slide opening, I think it's designed to be "fired" with the box "closed". This suggests that something is put inside it and then it is "fired." Note that the to handle is connected to the latch which I think locks the slide closed.

Nuts? Ants? Norwegian parrot?

[Warren]

Stereo opticon? (http://www.threedview.com/)

Pasta maker?

Joystick for an analog game?

Bedwarmer?

Giant staple gun?

[Sylvan-Forge]

Hmm ..
Hand-held.
Single-Shot. Mag welded in for safety.
Accordian port for recovery of....
Multi-use ergonomics.
Fairly easy to build. Appears repairable/user serviceable.
Ports for venting pressure.
May utilize deflection plate to prevent back-scatter/contaimination of....
Fired projectile directed to fragment and channel blast/debri down and backward....

Something used for mining .. for quick examination/determination of mineral content?

Probe drill, extract core sample, knock a chunk off and blast it in the Powderizer2000 .. :confused:

[Byron Quick]

experimental traumatic proctoscope...patent pending

[Kharn]

Definitely looks like a testing setup or maybe an ignition system for something.

Kharn

[Joe Demko]

Note that the handle thingy on top latches into the foreward part of the device in such a way as to lock the slide shut when the device is fired. Also, the box part on the front opens. That means you must be intended to either put something in or take something out as part of the thing's purpose.
So, I conjecture that you load the box part though the slot with something, rack and lock the slide, and trigger the thing off. Possibly, even probably, the cartridge it uses is a blank. No magazine release because the mag is permanently in place and the thing is single-loaded with cartridges.

Now, what is loaded in the box? If we could see the "muzzle end" of the box that would give us a great clue, because then we'd be able to see if this thing is supposed to project something.

[markk]

popcorn maker was my first thought

(but props to whoever said "loudener")made me chuckle

[R33P3R]

i think it is a pooper scooper "vaporizer"

Pull handle

scoop in unwanted yard fertilizer

release handle locking chamber

fire

Vaporization.


No more trips to the can, no more carrying it in a bag until you gety home, no more stinky trashcans.

[Crazy4nitro]

Ash tray

[Ric in Richmond]

At least give the blog some credit.

It is a very good blog!

http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/

[Len S]

It is a THINGAMAJIG. It is what you get when you combine a WHATCHAMACALLIT with a DOHICKY.


Len

[dodgestdshift]

It's the companion piece to the brass catcher, so you can reuse the brass. It lets you reuse the bullets.

[TN Shooter]

I'll bet this is a simply a device to discharge extra/defective/surplus .45 ACP ammo as a means of disposal without having to jump through the extra hoops of dealing with hazardous/explosive waste.

It appears that there is a bullet trap attached to the end of the barrel that would drop the bullet out each time a new cartridge was chambered.

Perhaps this device was used at a facility or location that did not have easy and/or inexpensive access to a range.

[ozwyn]

that is version 1.0 of the gun-grabber's home defense weapon of choice. It makes a loud noise, but does not allow the bullet to hit anyone.

it was quickly replaced as it still looked too much like a weapon, and had enough mass to be used for last ditch bludgeoning.

the replacement (version 2.0) is a cell phone, a handy neck wallet to hold your insurance papers, and a rubber chicken. (rubber chicken was removed for version 2.1 in case you accidentally hurt the violent intruder)

[TN Shooter]

Also note that there is a built-in safety device because it will not fire unless the front "gate" is closed.

[FieroCDSP]

That is certainly a tough one. Are we sure that isn't photoshopped? I think the most important question is this:

If you're given said "gun" with no explaination of what it is, would you fire it to figure it out? :D

[MilsurpShooter]

Make-shift fire starter? Combustible material in the front, blank cartridge in the back. Fire, open, dump combustible material

[Jim Keenan]

It could be a proof test device for M1911 barrels. I do know that all gov't contract barrels were proof tested alone before being installed, so that if one did blow, the time spent on assembly wouldn't be wasted.

Jim

[Joe Demko]

I have seen pictures of old-timey flash guns that photographers used before the invention of flash bulbs and electronic flashes. The bottom part of some of them was not entirely un-gunlike. In general outline, they resembled this thing a little. This gizmo, though, is far more complex. I think it must be part of some larger system. If we knew what that system did, we'd probably look at "Mr. Thingy" here and its function would be obvious.

[Smokey Joe]

(To the best of my recollection, that is)

I have no idea what that is, but, like, I totally want one.

[WinchesterAA]

brass catcher

[bigmike45]

It's the newest invention from Ron Popiel...the RONCO Lasagna Noodle Maker.

Just load the front of the unit with your favorite pasta dough, load the "Lead Free Charge" , lock the unit into firing position and squeeze the trigger. Just "Fire & Forget it" Immediately you will have a 12" long x 4" wide perfectly thin Lasagna noodle.

[obxned]

Don't know what it is, but it sure is a nice one!

[CWL]

Custom holster for a Death Metal enthusiast?

that or a portable proofing chamber.

[Carl N. Brown]

Weapon for use from a firing port in an armored vehicle?

[full metal]

It's a cheese grinder!!!! you put in a 9mm hollow point in the back and add you'r favorite cheese in the front, pull the trigger, and whola shredded cheese.
P.S.the frame look's like a STER MODEL B

[Eightball]

Okay, so the slide has been cut in front of the extractor, and there's a locking device to keep the slide shut when you fire it (has to be manually opened), and when the slide goes back, the front gate opens--so it has to be closed when it "fires".

I still like the vote that it's one of those things you'd stick in a port to clear/start an aircraft engine. I mean, it's built on a 1911, has the wraparound on the grip safety, and those vents around the bottom probably went into the pipes....? The thing on the front presumably catches a bullet, which is why something would have to be manually "let out" before the next round is chambered/fired.

Or maybe a "starter" gun for track races?

[esheato]

Maybe it's not a gun at all.

Maybe they're just using the frame as a handle for another tool?

Ed

[yomama]

http://www.louderthanwords.us/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3079

[Selfdfenz]

Looks like the guys over on LTWs are as clueless as we are :)

S-

[ADKWOODSMAN]

Someone said mouse trap. I say a better mouse trap!

[Geronimo45]

Early supermarket barcode scanner?

Rube Goldberg's top-secret design for a flash suppressor?

John Browning's cheese grater?

[Deer Hunter]

An early pooper-scooper? Pull the trigger, it telescopes outward?

[Seancass]

i really cant believe no one knew this. i sure dont, but we've got walking gun bibles posting on this site.

i of course have absolutely no idea.

[los]

It was recovered from one of the UFOs at Area 51. Now you know the rest of the Story...

[gbran]

This gun is for indoor shooting, it comes with its own bullit trap.

[Drifter721]

It's the latest California approved gun lock.

[2sigs]

I'm really surprised that no one got it yet,

It is a combination gas grill scraper igniter of course :neener:

but the only guess that is truly close is it for sure is a Conundrum

73 de 2sigs

[Warren]

Gravy gunboat?

Harm-monica?

X-ring-ray?

Street Swiffer?

Bullseye lantern?

A Phased Plasma Gun in the, what is generally considered to be underpowered, 35 Watt range?

[RNB65]

It's the firing mechanism for the sub-atomic weasel launcher. JMB's finest design.

Everybody knows that!

:D

[Glock22]

This gun is for indoor shooting, it comes with its own bullit trap.

Thats what I was going to say.

[coelacanth]

now THAT'S a muzzle brake. . . . .

[jeepmor]

If it was for a gun port, it would not lock the slide, I'd stick with some industrial application using blanks, like a starter of some sort.

[steveracer]

Ever see Swiss Family Robinson? They used tinder boxes to light fuses. (The tinder box was a wonderful invention)
My guess is that this device is used to start/ignite another device. The aircraft engine probably a good direction to go, but not one I've seen, and I grew up at a warbird airdrome, and have seen basically all the firing devices ever used. I can assume it is to blast some other thing to life, and it is the best piece of curious engineering to date, since this is the very first time NOBODY has one in their safe.
Steve

[Kharn]

Here's another view of the device, from the Louderthanwords thread:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/kwill1911/Misc/4a561423.jpg

Given that front end, I have no idea what it could be.

Kharn

[2sigs]

oh I see !!

It's for checking counterfiet money, you point at customer and tell him to insert bill to check authenticity....

73 de 2sigs

[Joe Demko]

I posted links to the pics at a general interest discussion board where a fair number of technoids hang out. None of them could say what it was either. One of them conjectures that it may be something used in a slaughterhouse. Another thinks that one of the pieces visible from the muzzle end is a knife edge driven by a blank cartridge, though he doesn't know what it might be used to cut.
I'm leaning towards it being some kind of ignition device.

[Joe Demko]

This site (http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/admin/product_details.php?itemID=1888) says it's a powder tester. 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 (http://www.ok.gov/~jmdavis/handguns.html). Mr. Thingy doesn't seem to have any such mechanism.

[Joe Demko]

A guy on the other site posted this:
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.

[Cliff47]

As anybody that has spent some time in the Puget Sound area of Washington State can tell at a glance - it's a CLAM GUN. You have to aim between the eyes, they tend to charge when wounded.

On a more practical vein, how would one conceal that for carry?

[4fingermick]

deleted

[Joe Demko]

A guy at the other site contacted the people who have one for sale. this is the reply he got:

Dear Sir,



From what I have gathered, this is a powder tester for cartridges to be used in the 1911 pistols. A loaded, crimped cartridge was placed in the tester and fired to determine if the pressures were sufficient for this pistol. We do not know how many were made nor do we know the stock number from the company. If you have any further questions, please contact us toll free at 1-877-214-9327 and ask for Wayne C. We appreciate your interest.



Best regards,


Collectors Firearms

I'm not convinced that just because they have one they know what it is.

[kungfuhippie]

I'm not convinced it's a 1911 frame, it lookes like a star model B or P, the magazine release, now that I saw both sides, and the trigger give me that impression.

[Selfdfenz]

I agree with Joe Demko.

Seems to me knowing the performance of a given powder type in a crimped cartridge has pretty much nothing to do with the performance of the same powder in a live round. Also, this device just seems like a very exotic and labor intensive design to execute considering there were simpler alternatives back in the day. For some reason the submarine signaling device doesn't seem right either. Shutters in front of a light source I buy. Shutters in front of 1-6 constant intensity gunpowder flashes doesn't seem capable of conveying much information other than "I'm over here" and, why be noisy.

Now having said that, if someone had many lots of primers they were evaluating back at the ammo plant they could fire the rig against paper to determine primer power or against a piece of polished carbon steel to check for corrosiveness using this one device. Or someone could stand right beside the assembly line & spot check QC on primers or primed cases in real time with this gizmo. I don't think the mag is intended to come out of this critter.

S-

[Selfdfenz]

Deleted

[Joe Demko]

As far as it being a signaling device, I guess you could put flash powder or magnesium "wool" in the box end and use a blank cartridge to ignite it for a brief burst of very intense light. You could, but I don't think that's what it's for. It seems overbuilt for that purpose, for one thing. For another, the sides of the box have removable pieces and "vent" holes that seem purposeless in such an application.

[NORTEXED]

I actually saw something similiar (not exact at all) years ago, and it was a kiln breaker. They used them for breaking the brick on the bottom of a smelt after the steel was liquified and the mold in place. Many devices used an 8 or 10 gauge shotgun shell, but some used smaller "pistol like" devices on the smaller smelts.

[SDC]

Looking at the front end of the "box" on the frame, it appears that there's a blade that would be driven forward by the force of a blank being fired; is this maybe some sort of powder-actuated cutting device? Sedgely (the manufacturer) was sort of an all-purpose gun crank who made all sorts of revolvers, converted a lot of Mausers and Springfields into "sporters", and even designed and built a number of SMG designs as possible replacements for the Thompson (none of which were adopted).

[Legionnaire]

Prop for Saw IV?

[oldcop1971]

...used backstage to simulate a gun shot when called for in the play. :D

[nemoaz]

This thread is hilarious.

[4fingermick]

I originally thought that it was an aircraft engine starter, but after seeing the front, I'm not so sure. It looks like it is designed to hold/press tight up against something and also is built to contain a fair bit of recoil with the big wooden handgrip for the strong hand and the other hand on the top 'grip.'

There is vent holes in the sides as well, so it obviously contained some sort of explosive.

It might be a fire starter for emergency back burns or to fire a kiln or something through a 'port' that the front is pressed up against. Starting coal fires quickly in locos?

[Stickjockey]

Maybe a powder-actuated blackjack dealer?

[Hawk]

http://www.spitfirespares.com/SpitfireSpares.com/Website%20products%2061%20Thunderbolt/Coffman%20starter.jpg

Coffman starter - looks more like one of those evil "street sweeper" things. You can even make out the shoulder thing that goes up if you squint and hold your mouth just right.

Perhaps the OP is a single shot Coffman starter? Looks more like a powder actuated dust bin, though.

[Avenger]

I think Nortexed is correct. One of the local schools used to have something like this for their art/shop classes. I didn't see it myself, just heard about it when some twit complained that her kid was being forced to "use a gun!"
There are tons of powder-charge tools out there, but most of them use the .22 crimped LR power cartridges.

[Dravur]

according to what I saw, it is a Powder Tester... and supposedly worth $1800.

:what:

I think I shall.... pass on that.

[jahwarrior]

jeez, don't you guys know anything? that's a thingamajig. i happen to own 3.

:)

[RNB65]

I'm thinking it may be JMB's attempt at building a better circumcision machine. John Browning's first (and thankfully last) contribution to medical science.

:eek:

[armoredman]

Now THAT'S a painful thought...

[koja48]

It's the illegitimate offspring of a 1911 and a Zamboni . . .

[James NM]

The Guaranteed "Help You Stop Smoking" Ashtray.

...And it's quicker than killing yourself with cigarettes!:neener:

[Mat, not doormat]

My first thought on seeing the thing was that it was some crank's version of a pooper scooper. the retraction and general shape of the front end look similar. But there was a bit too much engineering that went into this thing for it to have been that jokey. Then I started liking the primer test idea, until I saw the left side of the contraption on the LTW thread. What would ordinarily be the thumb safety looks like it's been modified to simply lock the breech. Which brings to mind another issue: Why build wrap around grips to block the grip safety, rather than simply pin the sucker? It can't really be any sort of pressure tester, since it's got vent holes all over it. Also, there's some sort of funnel shaped contrivance that runs from the back of the unidentified frontal object back to the frame, just above the trigger guard, right about where the hole for the slide stop should be. My Sherlock skills seem to be eluding me. I can't eliminate all the impossible, and the entire gizmo looks so improbable that I can't get at the truth.

I think someone should buy it, stick it in a ransom rest, and shoot it. Once we know what it does, we might be better able to figure out why someone wanted a doodad to do that. $1800, anyone?

~~~Mat

[Ron James]

If someone has not already named I will do so. There really isn't any guesswork. It's a Powder Tester made up by Sedgley. Yes, It really is.

[WeThePeople]

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/admin/product_details.php?itemID=1888