P1140808

I know what you’re thinking, and I agree: this thing is ridiculous. Some loadings of the 5.56 cartridge would probably have the tip of the bullet poking out in front of the muzzle. But at SHOT Show, I had the opportunity to pick it up and talk to the guys at Heizer who make the thing, and their reasoning behind the contraption actually made a lot of sense. In their opinion, this gun is perfect for one application and one application only . . .

Throwing massive fireballs into the sky.

Since all of the powder in the cartridge burns outside the barrel, there’s a massive watermelon sized fireball that accompanies each pull of the trigger. The bullet will never accelerate to anything even close to resembling an acceptable velocity — in fact, it might just land on the ground 10 feet away. But target shooting or home defense are not what the guys at Heizer had in mind when they designed it, they just wanted something that would be loud and pretty and make you smile. Which, after all, is why anyone buys a Mosin Nagant M44.

The pricing makes sense as well, if you don’t look at the whole package. As an add-on (the barrels are interchangeable between the 5.56 and .410 version), the barrel is only $130. Which is less than a Mosin Nagant, and the ammo is easier to get as well.

There’s a word for what this thing is: comedy option.

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61 COMMENTS

    • It should also be drilled and tapped for a scope mount.
      One that extends back over the receiver about 6 inches or so, to keep the soot/powder residue from building-up on the front lens.

      And maybe add a bottom rail for a laser sight?

      Oh yeah, baby…

  4. Hah! Somebody figured out how to make an uglier gun than a block, Glock brand, GLOCK. I applaud them! And don’t take that as a swipe at Gaston, I own 4.

    • You poor, misguided soul. What did your shoulder and eyebrows do to you to warrant such mistreatment.

      JWM here. Once again my comment is credited to another. Whut up?

      • I fixed the problem by continuing to put my email and name in until it finally recognized me on multiple articles, hope this helps.

    • I would really love to see someone run this preposterous rig over a chrono. The projectile weight is within 20% of a .22LR, and I bet if you run the .22 out of a barrel of the same overall length as this silly gun, the muzzle energy would be higher for the .22LR.

      But it wouldn’t be quite the ridiculous marketing piece…

      • well with a slight redesign it might make for a good brass knuckles substitute…

        i wonder what the effect of a contact shot to for example the torso or the the ear might be…
        its sort of a modern version of the guide lamp devision of GM’s ww2 liberator .45 isn’t it?

  8. Maybe you could load a .223 with 40 grains of FFF and a lot of wadding.

    I think I’d use a pull cord the first few times, though.

    • Yeah I don’t get the hate. I love massive fireballs. I would like to get a 308 G3 pistol but I don’t have any illusions about how ridiculous it is.

  17. Keep mentioning the Heizer and the Mosin in the same post and these dudes will make a chambering in 7.62x54mmR.

    • Okay to everyone saying they should do a 7.62x54R, are y’all forgetting the federal ban on the importation of steel core ammunition for pistols? If there is a pistol available in this caliber, then a lot of surplus ammo imports will become illegal and we’ll be SOL on the cheap stuff. Making a pistol in 7.62x54R would be a horrible idea and I’d be freaking pissed if they did it!

    • Yep. Light ’em up!

      Ambulance attendant: “Even though he had a small-caliber bullet hole in his chest, and the front of his coat and shirt were both on fire, he still might have survived if you hadn’t stomped-out the flames…”

  21. I’m still getting spam cans of mosin nagant ammo out of a lot of online retailers, so it aint hard to find, bad pun, bad (smacks with newspaper)

    • He didn’t really say that 7.62x54R was hard to find, just that .223 is easier to find. Which is a true statement.

  25. How about one chambered for the .38-40/.410 with 1 in 200″ two groove rifling and an .400″ exit diameter built in “choke.” Oh yeah, almost forgot – a 6 to 8 inch barrel would be about right. Now that would be a useful DAO pistol!

  27. I can see a use for this! Fifty years from now when your children have retired, and this thing has been long long gone, and forgotten, Your son may find one in a safe that just surfaced. Probably would be worth a lot, since very few folks would even believe that anyone would ever make something like this.

  30. Sounds like a great idea. The perfect home defense firearm and my creepy white teeth would really look cool when it goes off.

    Parody Account.

  31. That ain’t so bad. At the Firearm Festival a while back, some group had a soda-can-launcher upper for an AR. Nicely machined, looked like something real, but all it did was fire (single shot) a blank which pitched a full soda can a hundred yards or so. Craziest piece of crap you can imagine, so much fun it made me cry. When I got to it, there was a big pile of soda cans downrange, and the target had been hit twice. And usually the can burst when it hit the ground, you can imagine the mess! They said they got all stupid and built a dozen of them to bring along, and had already sold 8, for $400 each. And I just barely escaped without being number nine. If they’d had one with a barrel an inch longer, I think I’da been a goner.

    • No air drops needed. Apparently, AK’s and rocket launchers are readily available in Belgian train stations these days.

  33. I defend my home with a bangsite canon. I ask perps to wait while I get her ready, I point, light and BANG! They always laugh and run away. Sometimes we meet up later for coffee.

  34. I love my M44. I get to be that obnoxious girl at the range shooting the loud dinosaur rifle while surrounded by operators with tricked out ARs that get shot twice a year.

  36. They need to load it with the .416 Hushpuppy . Bigger fireball and would knock someone down if it actually hit them. A 450 grain bullet would feel like a sledge hammer to the gut even if it didnt penetrate.

  37. From what I have seen, the bullet will go at asubsonic velocity. In short, it will be essentially .22 with a better bullet… and a huge flash. Though somebody needs to test it with a suppressor.

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