OT - Medussa revolver???

[rjohns94]

very unusual revolver. Anyone know anything about them?

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =152762677

[RKrodle]

Never heard of them but that's cool.

[TedH]

That's the first one I've seen. Interesting concept.

[Doc Hudson]

i remember reading about these guns several years ago, but I've never seen one in the "flesh," so to speak.

i can't help but wonder how well this system works. But I've never met anyone who'd ever fired one before.

Go a haead and buy the thing and give us an honest range report.

[MrMurphy]

They've been around for some years. Just prior to the new century Colt was going to mass produce a Detective Special using that system called the Survivor or something close to that. Never quite went through.

Have spoken to half a dozen guys who've shot 3 or 4 of them and two guys who have or do own a Medusa-modified S&W.

The system does work. Not for everyone, but the basic idea is sound.

[piller]

My brother, Doctor in Berryville,AR has one. It is on the 586 frame. He says that the .38 and .357 out of it are highly accurate. The 9mm and .380 are not very accurate. The cylinder is not bored exactly straight and it is made that way so that the shorter rimless cartridges are supposed to point into the forcing cone. He likes it and claims to get some funny comments at the range when someone new sees him dropping 9mm and then .38 special into the same cylinder. The big thing I noticed that was different was the way the spring extractor caught the rim of the cartridge. With an original extractor it would be right back to being a plain 586.

[KWK]

It's clever enough, but I can't see the point in the thing. I'd rather have a second, 9mm cylinder instead; make the bore for 9mm and make the cylinder stout enough the pressure raised in a .357 won't bother it. For the typical shooter, you can load the .357 down to below .380 performance.

[MrMurphy]

it's made for people in countries or places where ammo supply is not guaranteed.

If you traveled a lot or were in someplace like Africa, etc in the bad parts, you might have access to .357 some of the time, 9mm Makarov some of the time, .38's and .380s.... hit and miss. This allows you to use them all. Not always the most accurately, but "good enough" at defensive ranges.

[Harry O]

I saw an article about it many years ago (late 1980's or early 1990's). It was from a company that did not build complete revolvers. They would take your S&W or Colt and machine a new cylinder that would take anything in the 9mm/38/357 family. On a drawing, they overlaid every cartridge they could find on top of each other and then machined the chamber to match the outermost line. The only thing really unusual about it was the extractor/ejector. It was complicated, but could handle either rimmed or rimless on each chamber individually (you could load any number of different cartridges on adjacent cylinders).

I toyed around with sending one of mine in and having it done, but never got around to it. A couple of years before Y2K Colt bought the rights from them and planned to offer their version. I saw a picture of a prototype, but it never got into production.

[Ysabel Kid]

it's made for people in countries or places where ammo supply is not guaranteed.

If you traveled a lot or were in someplace like Africa, etc in the bad parts, you might have access to .357 some of the time, 9mm Makarov some of the time, .38's and .380s.... hit and miss. This allows you to use them all. Not always the most accurately, but "good enough" at defensive ranges.

Excellent idea - but Lordy is that one expensive revolver!

[4t5]

As I recall, back when it was produced, is was such a unique design,POPULAR MECHANICS magazine carried an article on it,(imagaine that, mainstream media with a fair firearm article) it was a good read .Also I remember reading that the government,FBI or ATF,not sure which,asked it to be manufactured in a way(because of the variety of calibers it could shoot)that it would be known the round came from a MADUSSA,I believe that the rifling was how they did it ,more lands and grooves than any firearm produced at the time.

[76/444]

Hmmmmm,... like others I remember when it came out and thought it was a pretty good idea. Now, years later and with a little more under my belt,... I think I could buy a revolver in all four calibers it shoots, for the same money.

[rjohns94]

76/44 I hear you!! It is a might pricey but it is a cool concept. I was thinking of JimT going over to Mozambique, he might have need of such a versatile firearm. For that matter, I was thinking for when I move over there.

[David]

A $2,500 gun in a cheap $3.00 original case, wow someone needs some marketing advise...

[MrMurphy]

Many countries restrict how many guns you can have, especially pistols, because of their history of political crime/coups/anarchy. So having a multicaliber gun makes sense.

[Harry O]

One thing that has not been mentioned so far: The gun was supposed to be for someone who did not reload. The long straight cases (such as .357 Magnum) came out of that fancy chamber not so straight. I don't know if they couldn't be reloaded, but if they could, their life would be short. If you reload (and especially if you cast), you don't need the multi-cartridge capability.