When you think of guns, you probably picture sleek rifles or classic pistols, but history is littered with some truly eccentric creations. In this roundup of 10 bizarre firearms, we dive into the oddball inventions that engineers, soldiers, and even monarchs conjured up—some for practicality, many for sheer novelty.
10 Bizarre Firearms That Redefined the Art of War
10 Ribauldequin
One of the earliest attempts at rapid‑fire artillery, the ribauldequin was a cart‑mounted battery that saw service in the 14th and 15th centuries. Its many barrels, resembling the pipes of a church organ, earned it the nickname “organ gun” or even “death organ”. Though far smaller than full‑size cannons, these guns filled a niche between artillery and ordinary handheld firearms, providing a supporting barrage during sieges and field battles.
The weapon fired by lighting a match that simultaneously ignited the touch‑holes of all its barrels. Some of the largest versions were horse‑drawn wagons sporting three rows of guns on each side, totaling as many as 144 barrels that could rain shot on both infantry and armored cavalry. Unfortunately, the sheer weight of these massive batteries often meant they became stuck in mud, limiting their tactical mobility.
While the concept of a multi‑barrel volley was revolutionary for the 14th century, the ribauldequin suffered a fatal flaw: each barrel still required muzzle‑loading. Reloading was painstakingly slow, so after a thunderous salvo the crew would wait a long time before the next round could be prepared. This cumbersome reload cycle kept the organ gun from becoming a mainstay of medieval warfare.
9 Periscope Rifles
Invented by English Lance Corporal W.C. Beech during the Gallipoli campaign, the periscope rifle let soldiers fire from the safety of a trench or bunker without exposing themselves to enemy fire. Beech’s prototype attached a standard rifle to a wooden board, using a mirror to align the sights with a second mirror at the bottom of the board that the shooter could look through, essentially creating a rudimentary periscope for aiming.
Governments quickly saw the potential and began developing their own versions. The most sophisticated was the Guiberson rifle, which folded its periscope mechanism into the stock. When collapsed, the weapon resembled a normal rifle; a simple switch would pop the mirror assembly into place, converting it into a trench‑fighting instrument. Sadly, most periscope rifles entered development too late to see widespread front‑line service before the war ended.
8 Squeezer Pistols
Unlike conventional pistols, squeezer pistols were engineered to fit entirely within the palm of a hand, offering extreme concealability. Their compact shape allowed them to hold more ammunition than the typical single‑ or double‑shot Derringer, making them an attractive option for those needing a tiny, high‑capacity sidearm.
Many models featured a rectangular box shape and eschewed a traditional trigger. Instead, the rear of the gun was compressed to load and fire. The Mitrailleuse, for example, pushed a round from the magazine into the chamber with a light squeeze, while a deeper press cocked the mechanism and released the firing pin. Another variant, the Tribuzio, employed a firing ring at the bottom that was pulled out to load and pulled back to discharge. Their unconventional operation and odd ergonomics kept squeezer pistols from achieving widespread popularity.
7 Disposable Pistols
During World War II, the United States mass‑produced a million Liberator pistols for just $1.72 each, stamping them out of sheet metal in a frantic four‑week run. These simple weapons lacked rifling, giving them a short effective range of roughly 7.5 meters (25 ft). They were intended as a stop‑gap for resistance fighters, giving them a means to eliminate an occupying soldier before they could acquire a better firearm.
The Office of Strategic Services oversaw distribution, hoping the Liberator would also serve a psychological purpose: the sheer number of stamped parts meant that even a single recovered pistol could sow confusion among enemy forces about how such cheap guns were reaching insurgents. In practice, few Liberators saw combat; most were dumped overboard or melted down for scrap.
A similar concept appeared during the Vietnam era with the CIA‑produced Deer Gun. Made largely of aluminum to keep costs down—only the barrel was steel—the three‑shot pistol measured just 12.7 cm (5 in) in length and sold for $3.50 in 1963. Around a thousand were manufactured, but after the Kennedy assassination the program was cancelled, leaving the Deer Gun a footnote in covert‑war history.
6 Pocketknife Pistols
The Victorian era’s fascination with gadgets gave rise to pocketknife pistols, most famously produced by English firm Unwin & Rodgers. Their hybrid combined a small folding knife with a miniature pistol, marketed as a burglar‑deterrent that could be screwed into a doorpost and set to fire when the door opened—essentially a mechanical alarm with a lethal punch.
Early models relied on percussion caps, but as cartridge technology matured, the design was updated to use metallic cartridges, boosting its effective range from about 45 meters (150 ft) with the cap version to roughly 118 meters (390 ft) after conversion. The knife‑pistol remained a novelty, but its concept inspired later makers.
One such later iteration was the U.S. Small Arms Company’s “Defender,” a pocketknife barely longer than 7.5 cm (3 in) that fired .22‑caliber rounds. Priced at $5 in the 1930s—about $70 today—it offered a discreet defensive tool for civilians seeking a compact firepower option.
5 King Henry VIII’s Walking Staff
Beyond his notorious marital history, King Henry VIII reportedly favored an exotic weapon known as his Walking Staff—a staff topped with a morning star that concealed three match‑lock pistols. The multifunctional device allegedly landed the monarch in jail on one fateful night.
According to legend, Henry would patrol the streets at night, checking on his constabulary. One evening a constable confronted him about the menacing weapon, prompting the king to strike the officer with the staff. The constable promptly arrested Henry and threw him into a cell.
The following morning, the bewildered constable learned he had detained the king himself. Rather than face execution, Henry praised the officer’s diligence and even gifted him a token of gratitude, along with a generous allowance of bread and coal to compensate for the candle‑less night in jail. Whether fact or folklore, the walking staff now resides in the Tower of London’s Tudor Room for public viewing.
4 Haight Fist Gun
During World II, the U.S. Navy’s Construction Battalions (Seabees) faced the danger of ambush while clearing brush on remote Pacific islands. To give them a last‑ditch defensive option, Captain Stanley Haight devised a glove‑mounted firearm that fired a single .38 S&W round with a punching motion.
Produced by the Sedgley Company, the weapon—officially the “Hand Firing Mechanism MK 2”—was essentially a steel barrel affixed to a reinforced glove. Records indicate at least one documented use: a Seabee used the glove gun to neutralize a knife‑wielding Japanese soldier who boarded a construction vehicle. Though occasionally portrayed as a spy gadget, there is no evidence of covert operatives employing it.
3 Superimposed Firearms
Before cartridges became standard, inventors experimented with multi‑shot designs, and the superimposed firearm was among the most daring. It stacked several powder‑and‑ball loads within a single barrel, each round sealing the one behind it. Separate touch‑holes allowed each charge to be ignited independently, theoretically preventing premature discharge of the later rounds.
Proponents touted the weapon as a game‑changer, claiming it could decimate boarding parties before they set foot on a ship. An ambitious inventor even petitioned the U.S. Congress, the British War Office, and the East India Company for adoption. However, the design’s inherent risk—any misfire or fouling could cause the barrel to explode in the shooter’s hand—kept militaries from embracing it, relegating it to a historical curiosity.
2 Elgin Cutlass Pistol
The Elgin cutlass pistol holds the distinction of being the United States Navy’s first percussion pistol and the only combination weapon ever formally adopted by the U.S. military. Essentially a Bowie‑style cutlass with a single‑shot, smooth‑bore pistol affixed to the hilt, the weapon saw limited issue—about 150 units—during the Wilkes–South Sea Exploring Expedition, which circumnavigated the globe and proved Antarctica’s continuous coastline.
Its genesis traced back to the fame of James Bowie, whose infamous duel with Norris Wright popularized the large, cross‑guarded knife. The Navy’s experiment merged this iconic blade with a pistol, hoping to give sailors a versatile close‑combat tool. In practice, the awkward balance of a knife beneath a barrel made aiming difficult, and sailors found the hybrid cumbersome. Aside from the expedition’s allocation, the Navy never ordered more, leaving the Elgin cutlass pistol as a footnote in armament history.
1 Knuckle‑Duster Guns
Late‑19th‑century street gangs and travelers alike turned to knuckle‑duster firearms for both protection and intimidation. The most infamous example was the Apache gun, a hybrid of knuckle‑duster, knife, and pepper‑box revolver used by Parisian criminal groups known as the Apaches. Because the barrel doubled as the bullet chamber, its effective range was limited, but the weapon’s novelty made it a feared sight.
Other variations emerged, such as the Le Centenaire—another Apache favorite—and the American “My Friend,” produced after the Civil War. This model came in .22, .32, and .41 caliber versions, small enough to slip into a pocket or be clenched in a fist. Its dual nature meant that once the ammunition was exhausted, the user could flip the piece and employ it as a brass knuckle.
Each “My Friend” pistol was handcrafted, with the inventor and his sons engraving every piece by hand, making surviving examples highly collectible today. The weapon’s blend of firepower and melee capability reflects a bygone era when personal defense often meant carrying a tool that could both shoot and strike.
Nathan keeps a Japan blog where he writes about the sights and expat life, and finds Japanese culture in everyday items. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter.