“Are you ready for the one gun you will most certainly want to buy this year?” Trailblazer Firearms‘ presser asks. Ready or not . . . “Nestled in the hills of North Carolina, a new firearms start-up launches LifeCard®, a truly innovative .22 LR in a super-compact, no-snag design that folds to the size of a credit card.”

The sleek, no-snag designed pistol’s frame and grip handle is constructed from fully-machined aluminum billet and hard-coat black anodized. The tilt-up barrel, bolt and trigger are made of steel with an Isonite® finish for corrosion resistance.

Trailblazer Firearms’ Prez Aaron Voigt’s been working on his LifeCard concept for quite some time, as “Voigt tackled the jungle of patents, trademarks, prototyping, machining, licensing, marketing and more. Now, seven years later, the dream that started as a sketch on a piece of paper can be held in the hand, aimed down range and fired.”

Once, without reloading. How long it takes to reload the LifeCard — whose bottom half holds four rounds — is not yet known.

Plenty of gun owners have a daily load-out that encompasses a gun, spare mag, knife, keys, sunglasses, wallet and phone. Is there room, indeed a need, for a credit-card-sized, playing card deck-wide single-shot .22?

Your thoughts?

Trailblazer LifeCard Specifications:

Caliber:                .22LR Single-Action, Single-Shot
Length:                3.375 inches
Height:                 2.125 inches
Width:                  0.5 inches
Weight:                 7 oz
Barrel:                  Steel, Tilt-Up
Frame:                 Aluminum (includes folding handle)
Features:             Ambidextrous, built-in safety features, ammo storage in handle for 4 rounds

UPDATE – Trailblazer Firearms’ PR firm saw our post and asked us to post this disclaimer.”We’d like to emphasis that LifeCard is not a pistol that should be relied on for personal defense. Rather, we consider LifeCard to be a fun addition to anyone’s firearms collection. We hope that LifeCard’s uniqueness may entice new shooters to our industry, but Trailblazer Firearms has never intended LifeCard to be used as a primary personal defense weapon.”

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137 COMMENTS

  1. Single Shot = strike one

    22LR = strike two

    Single shot, 22LR = STRIKE THREE and YOUUUUR OUUUUUUUT

        • TWEET! Flag on the play!

          Michael in GA uses a false equivalency to debunk a false equivalency. Penalties offset. Replay the down.

        • Single shot!
          Really great idea. If your accosted by two dudes, the choice will be which one do you shoot?

      • I’m not volunteering to get shot with a BB gun, but I certainly don’t expect one to kill me.

    • I guess it’s a novelty item only, not for defense:

      “UPDATE – Trailblazer Firearms’ PR firm saw our post and asked us to post this disclaimer.”We’d like to emphasis that LifeCard is not a pistol that should be relied on for personal defense. Rather, we consider LifeCard to be a fun addition to anyone’s firearms collection. We hope that LifeCard’s uniqueness may entice new shooters to our industry, but Trailblazer Firearms has never intended LifeCard to be used as a primary personal defense weapon.””

  2. Almost as dumb as a “smart gun.”

    “Excuse me while I whip this out…. then unfold it…. then…. I SAID WAIT!”

  5. That thing makes NAA mini revolvers look user friendly!

    Wait Mr Bad Guy while I unfold my gimmick. Oh one 22lr shot wasn’t enough to bring you down? Hold my beer as I reload ONE more round!

  6. Not to say that there’s not a place for a subcompact centerfire pistol for self-defense purposes, I view this as the pistol equivalent of a .22 takedown rifle, for killing bunnies and squirrels for food should you find yourself in the middle of nowhere and about to starve.

    Not every gun has to fill every role in order to be useful.

    The question, as ever, will be cost. For $100, I’d buy one. $200, much tougher sell. $250, I won’t waste my time or money.

    Also, there seem to be no sights on their demonstration pistol, which makes it much less useful for my purposes.

    • I can’t see this being useful as anything other than a range toy or assassination (contact distance) weapon.

      • The assassination thing was my first thought. I would think that there’s a SLIM possibility that in a kidnapping/abduction scenario this could give you the upper hand if the assailant fails to search you effectively and you have it tucked in well somewhere. But again, you’re talking movie scripts, not real life at that point.

        • If ultimate concealment is the goal, they should have made it in the shape of a cigar. A very small cigar, preferably.

      • How about as a last option for people who work at non-firearm friendly places? Even if it was exposed by accident, no non-firearm friendly person would even think “GUN!”
        I’d buy one just so I didn’t have to chance having my mouse gun at work any longer. These liberal fucks I work with are on their own in any kind of active shooter scenario…I’ll pop a squat behind a road case if I don’t think I can make it to the parking lot and my sub2k unfold my one round (knife it the other hand) and hope to get a clear back of the head shot while he (they) blast away at unarmed libtards in their “gun free zone”.
        One shot is better than no shots any day.

        • When I first saw this… My thoughts exactly. Most folks don’t know that, barring warfare, more people have died from 22 caliber wounds than any other round. Not my 1st line EDC for sure (I might have to stash that G43 in my glove box here in Illinois) but better then an empty hand loaded with skin. I wouldn’t stick it in a “holster” tho.

    • This is what I was thinking. A tiny somewhat useful tool for anything super bad that happens. I could think of a few not-so-likely scenarios where this would be amazing to have. In general use though, is definitely buy if the price is right.

    • The MSRP on this thing is $399! For that much money I can get a lot of other guns that work much better for . . . just about anything, or I can buy some more ammo to shoot the guns I already have. I may be going out on a limb here, but I predict they aren’t going to sell very many of these things.

  8. I have this uncanny feeling that this…this..what ever this is.. will somehow fail to make the California Handgun Roster…though I can’t imagine why not (sarc).

  9. “Are you ready for the one gun you will most certainly NOT want to buy this year?”
    there fixed it for you.

    • As I understand it, that would be impossible, as the ATF would classify it as a “machine gun” (i.e., a gun that fires more than one round for each press of the trigger).

      • Actually you are incorrect. The ATF allows volley fire guns. I.E. a weapon that fire two or more round simultaneously. It is the simultaneous part that separates it from machine guns.

        • The BATFE(ARBF), as I understand it, isn’t following the actual law with such a finding (“volley fire” vs automatic fire).
          While their determination that the AF2011-A1 is legal would seem to mean that volley fire is different from automatic fire, that’s not what the law actually says.
          If it fires more than one round per trigger pull (serially or simultaneously isn’t differentiated), it’s an automatic firearm, or “machine gun.”
          I’m not a lawyer, but it would seem that in the case of the AF2011-A1, BATFE(ARBF) didn’t follow the law, as written.
          I’m not saying they are actually wrong (lots of laws are interpreted in ways that make the actual wording of the law “inoperable”), I’m just saying that, according to the actual law (the “NFA”), there’s no actual, legal difference between volley fire and automatic fire. As I understand it.

        • Bill, so a double barrel shotgun is a full auto weapon? Some of the older ones will fire both barrels with a single pull of the trigger. I’m pretty sure FA has to be more than 2 rounds with a single pull of the trigger. They even make a 1911 that fires 2 rounds with a single pull of the trigger and holds magazines.

          Show us this law you think makes s double barrel shotgun an FA weapon.

          • Wade says: “Bill, so a double barrel shotgun is a full auto weapon? Some of the older ones will fire both barrels with a single pull of the trigger. ”

            I’m not aware of any that are not specifically volley fire, and antique, and therefore not subject to the normal NFA rules. Could you please give an example of what you’re talking about?

            “Show us this law you think makes s[sic] double barrel shotgun an FA weapon.”

            Now you’re moving the goal posts. Any modern double barrel shotgun that fires both barrels simultaneously is malfunctioning, and must be repaired immediately.
            I do own a double bbl SxS that can fire both bbls together, but I have to pull two separate, distinct triggers to do so.
            That makes it NOT an automatic firearm.

            I can, though, show a firearm that does fire more than one round with a single pull of the trigger that is legal to own without a tax stamp, although why the ATF says it’s legal to do so remains a mystery: the Arsenal Firearms AF2011-A1. Going against the very clear language in the NFA, the ATF has decided it’s not an AF. Their “explanation” was not an explanation, but only a reiteration of their decision, thus proving that truth is stranger than fiction.

      • Oh, you want my cell phone?
        I suppose you expect me to unlock it, too?
        Here ya go, you get the bullet out of it first…

      • Saw 22 Plingster do it in 3 seconds from a deep back pocket on the second try, first try was 4.1 seconds, so I imagine it can be done even faster with practice. I bet that I could deploy that from a fron’t pocket and fire it in about 2 seconds.

        Or maybe when they guy asks for your wallet, you produce this instead. He is expecting you pulled out a wallet, and before he catches on to what just happened you already shot him.

    • Oof, too high. I’d be a buyer for a c-note (novelty and all) but much over that is crazy. My EDC cost four bills and has a boatload more firepower.

    • Doubt they’ll sell many at that price. I would have considered it just for the novelty value at 100-150, which is top end for a single shot 22.

        • I can’t see it at the MSRP price either, the money would be better spent on a Kel-Tec PF-9 for MSRP: $356.36, it’s 9MM and holds 7 rounds. I personally use the Kel-Tec P11 as a shorts gun when a heavy gun is too much weight, it’s 9MM as well and sells for MSRP: $347.27, and it comes with a 10 round magazine, but will accept Smith and Wesson 59 series magazines which is what I carry in it. I got 17 rounds of 9MM for the price of this thing I can put into someone. I can put my P11 in a back pocket with that magazine or even my fron’t pocket and nobody knows it’s there.

    • Street price: too f’ing much.

      For that kind of money, you could scratch your “mostly useless, but fun, let’s pretend it’s a BBBUG” itch with a NAA 5 shot.

    • Personally (and this is just me, as I will explain), I find any 9mm pistol that costs >$1000 to be overpriced, I am obviously not the authority on this matter.
      Lots of >$1000 9mm pistols are sold, so there must be a lot of people who hold a different opinion than I do on that matter.
      So, following that logic, there are probably a lot of people out there who would spend >$400 (including tax, holster) for this gun. Simply because it might not be on the market long, and having a semi-rare gun of any sort is what they want, for just one reason.

  13. If I was going to carry a .22LR gun ( and I have many times, usually as a back-up or very discrete carry ) I choose my Walther TPH. Well made, 7 shots instead of one, quick and reliable, and not that much bigger.

  14. Would have to be REALLY inexpensive as you can get a Ruger LCR for less than $200 these days. I’d rather have 6 380’s than 1 .22 LR.

  15. yes, it could be used to save your life. a 22 in the face is not fun. it does not look like a gun so it might be passed up during a glance or search be the unskilled. but I do have 2 NAA mini revolvers that appear to be smaller and they hold 5 rounds. one is a 22map, the other a 22lr. then there is the PSA 25 auto. still very small,( and still not fun in the face). so I guess if you must be armed but not appear armed them maybe this is good, but as it was said the price will tell.

  16. It might be worth carrying as your backup gun’s
    backup gun, but only if it’s one-handable.

  17. Okay, I love to buy gimmick guns. Not to actually carry, but just cause, they’re interesting to have.

    400.00???

    They’re out of their minds.

    • How much time and sweat did you put into the project? How long did you spend on a patent? How long did you spend building a company without the backing of a corporate gun maker? I bet Sam Colt heard the same crap about the Patterson revolver. In world of $ 400 Jordan’s & $ 80k Dodges, this is not crazy. Some of you think guns grow on trees or something?

  18. Sure, why not? I’d pay a c-note out the door if it came with a box of ammo.

    Now, if it were in something with, even a little, more power I’d be interested. What is the ballistic differences between .22 long rifle and .22 magnum? Maybe if it came in .25 ACP.

  19. Perfect if you want to try and sneak a holdout gun through a search and then kill someone unawares, preferably from behind.

    Other than that, useless except as a novelty.

  20. This reminds me of the much more usable Magpul FMG. Shame the FMG never hit production. Hell, for the hidden concept, I’d take the cell phone .380 pistol.

  22. How can you consider this any kind of a review? No accuracy results? No info on speed to open/reload? No price? It’s just a press release. And not a very good one, either.

    • No because it doesn’t fire until it’s unfolded/assembled, like the non-NFA stinger pen guns. ATF considers the unfolded mode to look vaguely like a pistol I’m guessing.

      • A wallet gun is an AOW until the Derringer is removed from the wallet, then it’s just a gun.
        Based on that definition, this is an AOW until it is unfolded, then it’s just a gun.
        It is disguised as something else. Just like a cane gun which doesn’t look like a gun until you open it.
        So disguised as a credit card or even just a rectangular block, my opinion is AOW. Especially in the second picture in a leather case in the pocket.
        Has anyone bothered to get a determination letter from ATF? If so, publish it.
        See the ATF definition of AOW.
        www dot atf dot gov/firearms/firearms-guides-importation-verification-firearms-national-firearms-act-definitions-any

  25. This piece of plastic one shot wonder is better than an NAA mini revolver that has five shots? I think not, stop with this sponsored content RF.

    • If it says “sponsored content” you know it is an advertisement. so don’t read it, or as here, read it–or the comments–for the entertainment value.

  26. Nifty item. Looks like something from 007’s Q branch. Derringers have had their place in the universe for over 160 years. Why not a new one? No more crazy than the folding pen gun. No more wacky than a single shot 7.62×39 pistol.

  27. Like others have said, if cheap enough, I would buy for the novelty or as a deep cover, last ditch piece (assuming you had the time to get it into action). Otherwise just snag a NAA mini

  30. My biggest problem with .22LR as a defensive round is not stopping power, but reliability. Every brand of .22LR I’ve shot has failed me at least once – and yes, that includes mini-mags. It’s just the nature of the beast.

    • +1

      Although marginally less “powerful” than a similarly weighted .22LR, the reliability of the center-fire.25 ACP, is a trade off I would take all day long.

      Even if this were .25 or above, it’s not a product that interests me. YMMV.

    • An NAA mini revolver carries five shots and costs half as much.

      I’d buy this thing for $50, for.the novelty factor. At $399, no. You can get a Kel-Tec Sub2000 for that (only similarities being that they both unfold open, and they cost about the same).

  33. Well, it’s double-naught-spy-cool, is what it is.

    I want one. I would never carry it for defense, but it would be neat to have.

    Reason enough for it’s existence.

    It can sit near my Minox camera. LOL.

  35. The MSRP of this is $399. The only reason I’d buy it is because I’d think it would be a collectible when the company folds over after they sell less than 100.

  36. I will buy this! And I will put a scope on it and light and laser and make a stock using the sb brace! You know why? Cause I will most certainly become famous from it and get all the pretty ladies to love me, hahaha but seriously I do love gimmicky guns especially small ones even if I won’t carry it, at least it’s as thin as a 1/2″ credit card cause you know those exist

  38. I am in the same boat as many other people here … I would be interested for about $100. For $400? No way.

    I would rather purchase a Derringer or an NAA Mini Revolver before I purchased that.

  39. To all the people who expect it to be 150 dollars. Get real. This seems like a small upstart and you cant sell guns for $150 unless you make a million of them or make them really cheap. I like people who make innovative products and would love to see this made. Why do Seecamp .380’s cost 750$ when you can get a Taurus for 175$? Let them build it and charge a fair price. Maybe their next model will be better and more innovative. I also love the NAA Mini’s but wish they would innovate and improve some issues.

  41. If the price is right and it was offered in .22mag I would buy one if only for a curio piece.

    In the meantime I will hang onto my NAA PUG.

  42. Would it be that hard to make a little gun like this in .32 acp? Something centerfire and you can get fmj ammo for it. It does have more power but not that much more that it would necessitate a redesign of the whole gun.

  44. ”We’d like to emphasis [sic] that LifeCard is not a pistol that should be relied on for personal defense.”

    Then I guess “LifeCard” was a pretty misleading name to choose, huh? If you’re selling it for novelty purposes only, then maybe “PlinkCard” or “JustFartingAroundAtTheRangeCard” would have been a better moniker.

  47. If you’re stuck in a place run by commie pukes (for instance, a college or just about any place in NJ, CA, or HI) this gives you a more deeply concealed option than a more gun-shaped gun ever could. And one shot to the back of a psycho/jihadi’s head is a hell of a lot better than none. So there’s that, at least.

    If I had money to throw at interesting/unusual firearms, I’d definitely pick up one of these.

  48. I might buy one, even at the inflated price. I’ve got two of the Stinger pen guns that are now worth significantly more than I paid for them. Completely useless for almost everything, but still neat to have and enjoy the ingenuity that went into them.

  50. I mean, I think we’ve all run into situations where you need to shoot something, but you only need to shoot it *a little* and your regular carry piece is just overkill.

    Right?

  51. I saw the patent for this design a while ago, and then there was no news on it. I’m glad it’s finally being made, it’s pretty clever in design!

  52. In a weapons market rich in oddities, another enters the field. Figuring out how this silly thing could be of real value brings us to the narrowest of niches.

  53. There is a real danger in having a single shot gun. If you are in a situation where you may need to defend yourself a single round, of any size, will probably not be enough. For years I’ve carried a NAA 5 shot 22mag. I always have this gun with me even when most of the time I also carry a more substantial gun. My theory is: have a gun, any gun. But a single shot, I don’t think so.

    • You realize for most of history a single shot was normal? Repeating guns are not at 200 years of use.

      • Doesn’t mean they were good. Colt solved that problem in 1836 and no one looked back.

  55. I thought it was neat at first. As something you could get past security with in most places when youre like me and want a gun, any gun, all the time with you.
    Then I thought about it. Taking 5 seconds to draw, unfold, cock, aim, and shoot doesn’t sound effective at all. Especially not with a 22 and taking longer to reload after that first shot.
    The Double shot can be had in 45 or 9mm (serious defense rounds). They aren’t all that much bigger, fire two rounds simultaneously, double action so no cocking or unfolding, and they also keep extra rounds in the grip. Sure they hurt like hell, but so what? It still sounds better than this thing.
    I’m glad they have that disclaimer, but for something to plink with or as a survival pistol, I’d much rather have something bigger.

  56. The range and lethality of a 1/4″ phillips head screw driver without the possibility of quick follow-ups.

  57. From the instruction manual: “Do not carry the pistol with a live cartridge in the chamber.” Bit of an understatement to say that it’s not really intended for actual defense. It’s essentially a $400 paperweight. Too expensive for a novelty item, and absolutely no use at all.

  58. Why would any buy this thing (22 long rifle, single shot) when you can get a 5 shot 22 magnum for less??

  60. I’ll bet you can throw this in a tray at the TSA inspection station and the guy looking at the X-ray screen won’t even know it’s a gun. Try that with an NAA.

  61. I’ll stick with my short barrel, .22lr NAA Mini, with its Laserlyte grips for backup. 5 shots, no waiting and negligibly larger than the gun mentioned here.

  62. take the barrel half, make it a bit thicker, to accommodate .410 bore. widen it a bit, to take two rounds, add a hammer.

    Oh, wait…

    take a bond arms, fill in the gap between barrels, duracoat it, put a square grip on it, and some way to hold in the rounds when folded.

  63. If it’s not supposed to be used for personal defense, then why was it made to NOT look like a gun?

  64. Outstanding! Love it! If the price is reasonable (under $200) I’ll buy one – maybe two. Load it with 22LR Stingers or such.

  65. Yea, and if any of you guys made that pc of shit, you’d go to jail for no serial number… haha If they were going to do it, they could have put a man stopper in it rather than a snake charmer !! 22 and only one w/o reloading! bahahaha

  67. Yes!

    This allows you to carry more guns at a time.

    If you already have a good carry gun or two, if this is affordable getting one or two just so you can brag about carrying 4 or 5 guns at a time is a great idea.

    I know if/when I’m free to carry, I’m definitely going to be at least 6 pounds heavier overnight.

  68. Let’s be real, this is not a self-defense firearm. This is a novelty item with some possible utility for a planned assassination. Stealthily put one of these near the back of a cranium and yeah, it might be lethal.

  69. Without knowing COST, my opinion is 99% of buyers will buy, intending to use FOR a form of self defense,, PRIMARY,, not hardly,, a secondary backup,, only way I’d ever recommend to students taking Firearms Safety class for ccw permits,, even then with cudo / limitations.

    THEN I WOULD OFFER SUGGESTION TO DESIGNER,, IF, .. IF THIS IS TO BE A SINGLE SHOT WEAPON,, why not in 22mag,, (yeah, pressures are higher, but if barrel/breach etc can withstand 22lr, why not 22mag.),, the aluminum credit card part is solely platform to hold barrel. NEVER going to sell as toy or novelty. in 22mag, size as shown with width or thickness of 1/4″,, IN a 22 magnum rimfire,, then you would have product that will sell as single shot. ,, a real HAIL MARY for personal last ditch protection. As always, price will determine it’s VALUE to consumers VS other products which might be used for similar purposes. davzway

  70. a Kel-Tec P-32 is just as light, almost as flat, holds 7 rounds of a (slightly) more powerful round, is easyish to shoot, doesn’t need to be unfolded to put into action, and in my experience has been reliable, unlike it’s larger sibling the P3AT.

    And you can quickly change mags.

    it’s the best ultra-lightweight available.

  72. I could sorta think of a situation where you’re getting mugged and forced to pull your wallet out and then slide this thing out for an ultra close quarters shot. But, outside that, its sorta neat, I suppose.

  74. if your going to make it in .22 then why not .22 magnum? i prob would have bought it to keep in my bug out bag if it were.

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