They shot a gyrojet!!!!

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WestKentucky

WestKentucky

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I stumbled across the video linked below a little while ago. I have always been intrigued by the gyrojet and have read quite a bit about them. I had never seen video of live fire, but I’m glad that I stumbled across the video because that has now changed.

I now want to build a .45acp or similar single shot gun replicating the look of the carbine. That big cone on the end is interesting.

So for those who like weird, here ya go.
 
The slow motion shots at the end with the carbine are really interesting to see the reaction in the "chamber" as well as the spin after it leaves the muzzle.
 
When I had a lathe and mill, I seriously considered what it would take to make and load some of these, particularly because I saw a couple of the guns relatively cheap at a show--because you couldn't feed them.
Once I get machines again... I'm wondering if it would be possible and legal to make some for a shotgun.
 
Until I watched the video I was not aware of the 3rd variety of gyrojet guns. I have seen the pistols, have heard of the carbines, but never knew there were both military and civilian styled carbines. The military carbine is kinda fugly but interesting. Would make for a very interesting AR based look-alike. It it were mine, it would have to shoot tracers exclusively though.
 
Deus Machina said:
When I had a lathe and mill, I seriously considered what it would take to make and load some of these, particularly because I saw a couple of the guns relatively cheap at a show--because you couldn't feed them.
Once I get machines again... I'm wondering if it would be possible and legal to make some for a shotgun.
Click to expand...

I'm not a lawyer but our legal system is based on the premiss that if it's not explicitly prohibited then it's legal.

Now, I'm not saying to go build stuff and not be aware of the law. In fact, I'd say just the opposite, check the laws, then double check then triple check. Then if you're really confused, find a good lawyer. Then go have a few drinks as lawyers are the ones making the laws and they make them so hard that they've become basically impossible to understand. In fact, many lawyers don't even understand them.

But that's another tangent.
 
There were a number of issues with these, especially in any sort of military application. Accuracy was poor, the ammo was moisture-sensitive, night firing revealed the shooters position-simultaneously destroying his night vision, and point-blank energy was very low as the projectile was still accelerating.

When I used to cruise the gunshows as a kid with my Dad, these turned up with some frequency for pretty cheap.....often at the same table with a Dardick Tround revolver! Lol.:)

IIRC, Gyrojet presented President Kennedy with an engraved pistol in a nice presentation box. Wonder if he ever actually shot it......
 
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Back in the Viet Namese War we used 5" naval rifle shells called RAP (rocket assisted projectile) for greatly extended range, but somewhat reduced accuracy. They were launched with a conventional powder charge, but a small rocket motor kicked in somewhere in midflight. This motor reduced the "payload" of the projectile, but substantially increased the range - no free lunch after all....

I suspect this principal would have given acceptable close range performance, plus the extended range they were looking for.
 
I understand the tround is still around, fighting for it's life. Some years ago I read it had been considered for naval ship defense and also considered for boring by using three projectiles in it's (sort of) triangular case to simultaneously hit and shatter rock.

Is the Gyrojet classified as a firearm? It doesn't use an explosive charge. Today, of course, if it looks or smells like a firearm, they treat it like one.
 
I would hazard a guess it would be treated like hobby rocketry - it's just a rocket. Put an explosive payload in it and now you're talking NFA violations. But just making a rocket...kids do that all the time. I think one of the reasons they were so inaccurate was the rockets were hand drilled, and the exhaust ports were not perfectly centered. Perhaps if it were designed like an discarding sabot...or fold out fins like some of our large combat rockets...
 
armoredman said:
I would hazard a guess it would be treated like hobby rocketry - it's just a rocket. Put an explosive payload in it and now you're talking NFA violations. But just making a rocket...kids do that all the time. I think one of the reasons they were so inaccurate was the rockets were hand drilled, and the exhaust ports were not perfectly centered. Perhaps if it were designed like an discarding sabot...or fold out fins like some of our large combat rockets...
Click to expand...

Back in the day, during Viet Nam, we had something called RAP (rocket assisted projectile) that easily doubled the range of our 5" cannons. They used a normal powder charge, with a small rocket motor in the base of the projectile. Cut down on the payload, but we could hit targets that were otherwise unreachable.

I've often thought a similar two stage projectile would solve the gyrojets lack of close range power..... :cool:
 
Merle1 said:
Back in the day, during Viet Nam, we had something called RAP (rocket assisted projectile) that easily doubled the range of our 5" cannons. They used a normal powder charge, with a small rocket motor in the base of the projectile. Cut down on the payload, but we could hit targets that were otherwise unreachable.
Click to expand...

We had the same thing on our 16"50 rounds, would boost that huge shell our past 26 miles. However, I never saw one, just the specs when in Gunner's Mate A School.
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
There were a number of issues with these, especially in any sort of military application. Accuracy was poor, the ammo was moisture-sensitive, night firing revealed the shooters position-simultaneously destroying his night vision, and point-blank energy was very low as the projectile was still accelerating.

When I used to cruise the gunshows as a kid with my Dad, these turned up with some frequency for pretty cheap.....often at the same table with a Dardick Tround revolver! Lol.:)

IIRC, Gyrojet presented President Kennedy with an engraved pistol in a nice presentation box. Wonder if he ever actually shot it......
Click to expand...


The slow acceleration was what I read about also. At close range the round was moving to slow to do any damage at all
 
Never even knew these existed. While not practical, that is one cool weapon system. Thanks for posting that video!
 
armoredman said:
We had the same thing on our 16"50 rounds, would boost that huge shell our past 26 miles. However, I never saw one, just the specs when in Gunner's Mate A School.
Click to expand...


IIRC, there were some experiments made using those 16" projectiles as depth charges for anti submarine use - wouldn't have to get all that close to be effective! :what:

Pretty good stand off range too, and far better odds of your ship's survival as compared to nuclear ASROCs.....
 
I remember when the Gyrojet was introduced (about the same time frame as the Dardick Tround ammo and pistol, another whizz-bang flop).

The supposed charm of the Gyrojet rocket was no cartridge case ejection, no breech pressure, thin smoothbore barrel.

Turning the Gyrojet cartridge into a two stage system (conventional cartridge with rocket propelled projectile like the 5" and 16" naval guns) would change the Gyrojet gun from a smoothbore rocket launcher into, well, a conventional firearm, with the complications of a cartridge casing, sealed breech, barrel capable of withstanding pressure.
 
Carl N. Brown said:
I remember when the Gyrojet was introduced (about the same time frame as the Dardick Tround ammo and pistol, another whizz-bang flop).

The supposed charm of the Gyrojet rocket was no cartridge case ejection, no breech pressure, thin smoothbore barrel.

Turning the Gyrojet cartridge into a two stage system (conventional cartridge with rocket propelled projectile like the 5" and 16" naval guns) would change the Gyrojet gun from a smoothbore rocket launcher into, well, a conventional firearm, with the complications of a cartridge casing, sealed breech, barrel capable of withstanding pressure.
Click to expand...

Yep - BUT with the ability to have a flat trajectory over an extra long range.....
 
A conventional firearm could use ammunition with a rocket propelled projectile -- say, .45 ACP with the recoil of a target get .45 ACP but bullet impact of a .45 Win Mag. But the gun would not have the Buck Rogers look of of a GyroJet pistol.
 
"That big cone on the end is interesting."

With your face looking down the sights as the rocket motor accelerated to speed, the carbine needed that cone.

BTW:
The MBA Gyrojet pistol, rifle and carbine were used in the James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice",
Internet Movie Firearms Database IMFDb has a page at:
http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/You_Only_Live_Twice
 
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