History is full of strange experiments in firepower, and not every design was destined for mass production. From makeshift pistols hacked together in garages to bizarre hybrids that merged swords, bicycles, or even rocket technology with guns, these unusual weapons show just how far inventors were willing to push the limits of creativity. Some were clever dead ends, others paved the way for future innovations, but all of them stand out as some of the most unconventional firearms ever imagined.
1. Obrez Pistol
This sawed-down Mosin-Nagant rifle, usually cut just past the chamber and stock, is a crude, oversized handgun. These makeshift firearms weren’t factory-produced but rather improvised, making them especially unique.
2. The ‘Praying Mantis’ Experimental Machine Gun Carrier
The “Praying Mantis” was a British wartime design that enabled the crew compartment to reach up to nearly a 60-degree angle. In turn, the machine gun was able to fire its dual Brens over obstacles.
3. Machine Gun Mounted on a Bicycle
This Italian Bersaglieri machine gunner with a Fiat Revelli M1914 machine gun was mounted on a Bianchi Model 1912 bicycle. The setup was circa 1918.
4. Standschütze Hellriegel M1915
Hailing from 1915, this Austro-Hungarian water-cooled machine gun was a prototype developed during World War I. It was unusually large and included a water-filled jacket around the barrel.
5. A Gun Sword!
The 1913 Patton Saber gun-sword was an experimental hybrid that combined Patton’s thrusting cavalry saber with a Colt 1911 pistol built into the guard. Only a few prototypes were made, making it one of the rarest and most unusual weapon experiments of the early 20th century.
6. Experimental Triple Lewis Gun Mount
Rotating machine guns sounds pretty advanced for 1918, which is why this one was experimental.
7. Sedgley OSS .38 Fist Gun
This (literal) handheld gun fired if you punched someone. So unsuspecting!
8. Gyrojet Gun
Made in the USA, this semi-automatic pistol fired rocket-propelled ammunition.
9. Punt Gun
This massive shotgun often exceeded one gauge in diameter and could take out 50 ducks at once.
10. The Owen SMG Prototype
In 1938, Australian inventor Evelyn Owen built his first prototype submachine gun using parts from a .22 rifle, a homemade thumb trigger, and a drum magazine ingeniously fashioned from a car crankshaft balancer. Initially dismissed by the military, the design eventually caught interest, leading to the development of the famous Owen Gun in 1941.
11. XM556 Machine Gun
This compact, man-portable rotary machine gun is essentially a scaled-down version of the M134 Minigun. Designed for high firepower in a smaller package, it boasts extreme rates of fire.
12. The Sputter Gun
The Sputter Gun was a crude, semi-homemade firearm sold in the U.S. during the 1960s that fired .22 caliber rounds without a trigger mechanism. Instead, it operated by manually pulling back and releasing the bolt, causing it to “sputter” shots in slam-fire fashion until the magazine was empty.
13. Cemetery Guns
Cemetery guns were 18th- and 19th-century security devices designed to deter grave robbers. Mounted near fresh graves, they were essentially spring-loaded, tripwire-activated firearms that discharged when disturbed, scaring off or injuring would-be robbers.
14. Thompson Submachine Gun
The experimental buttstock on this submachine gun was aligned with the barrel to reduce muzzle climb while firing.
15. The Davis Gun
The Davis Gun was the world’s first practical recoilless gun. During World War I, the U.S. Navy mounted it on F5L flying boats for anti-submarine missions. Its design used a counterweight of grease and lead shot to offset recoil, allowing the massive weapon to be fired from relatively lightweight aircraft.
