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The catalog of Morphy Extraordinary, Sporting, & Collector Firearms April auction is now available online. Just like in the case of many previous auction-related TFB articles, we browsed the catalog to see what interesting, rare and unusual firearms are consigned. The Morphy catalog is full of such firearms. If I was to choose every rare gun, I’d probably end up talking about each and every lot seen there.
The five rare and unusual firearms that you’ll see in this article, are this author’s picks. If this subject is interesting to you, go ahead and take a look at the Morphy auction catalog. I am sure you’ll find dozens and dozens of other guns that are worth being included in such a list.
Now let’s see what guns we have on our list. The list goes in no particular order. The model names of the guns are linked to the corresponding pages of Morphy Auction’s online catalog where you can read more detailed descriptions and find more images.
1. GROUP INDUSTRIES STAINLESS STEEL M16A1
This rifle is a fully transferrable machine gun. However, that is not the only feature that makes it interesting. Although it looks like a normal M16, this particular gun sports a stainless steel lower receiver. Why did Group Industries decide to make a steel receiver for the gun that is known for successfully utilizing lightweight aircraft grade aluminum as a receiver material? I am not completely sure. Probably they were trying to meet the demand of small niche market.
Estimated price: $17,500 – $25,000
2. G.R.A.D. MODEL MB16F BAYONET REVOLVER
The G.R.A.D. (Global Research And Development) MB16F bayonet revolver is exactly what its name implies. It is an M-16 type bayonet which houses a small six-shot .22 LR revolver inside the handle. The muzzle of the 3-1/2″ barrel can be seen near the base of the blade, right above the muzzle ring of the bayonet. In order to fire the revolver, you need to unfold the DAO trigger and compress it towards the handle. In order to get access to the mechanism of the revolver, the user needs to hinge open half of the handle by depressing the button located on the pommel.
These gun-bayonets were manufactured in the early 2000s. Legally, the G.R.A.D. MB16F is an AOW (Any Other Weapon). The Morphy auction’s description of this lot says that this is: “A neat way to take a gun to a knife fight!“. I’d add that this is also a knife that you can actually bring to a gunfight.
Estimated price: $1,500 – $2,000
3. LAKESIDE MACHINE RAZORBACK .22LR BELT FED AR-15 UPPER ASSEMBLY
Lakeside Machine Razorback is an AR-15 compatible upper receiver that converts your AR into a belt-fed rimfire gun. Why would anyone want a belt fed .22 LR upper? Simply because it would be a ton of fun to shoot such a gun especially if mounted to a full-auto lower receiver. Also, it looks cool.
This lot is consigned with a box full of different accessories including six cloth belts of 50, 100 and 200 round capacity, spare cocking knobs, buffers, loading accessories and parts, etc.
Estimated price: $2,500 – $3,500
4. Abbiatico & Salvinelli “QUATTRO CANNE” Four Barrel 28 Gauge Shotgun
Made in 1982 by Italian Abbiatico & Salvinelli, the Quattro Canne shotgun combines a block of four 28 gauge barrels with an interesting hybrid boxlock/sidelock action. It has a single non-selective trigger. When the hammers are cocked the single trigger fires the barrels in the following succession: upper right, upper left, lower right, lower left. If the hammers are not cocked, then the gun will fire the bottom two barrels as a standard boxlock side by side shotgun.
As in the case of the previous two lots of our list, this gun is more of an engineering and firearms design marvel than a practical tool. Although this shotgun will be a capable firearm at your upland hunting trip, I bet the owners won’t risk taking this artwork to the field. Which probably was the case because the gun is in near new condition and according to the Morphy auction description it is “likely test fired only“.
Estimated price: $30,000 – $50,000
5. FRENCH HOTCHKISS 37MM REVOLVING CANNON
Among several cannons, mortars and anti-tank rifles consigned to the April 2019 Morphy auction, this 37mm Hotchkiss revolving cannon stands out with its little bit steampunky charm.
According to the description of the auction house, this revolving cannon was most-likely captured during the Battle of San Juan Hill of Spanish-American War. It is in excellent condition with the only restored (repainted) part being the carriage. This gun is also consigned with a number of accessories and reloaded 37mm rounds. The last bit of description on Morphy auction website perfectly wraps up the role of this gun by calling it “19th Century version of the modern MK-19 Grenade launcher”
Estimated price: $40,000 – $50,000
Lastly, let’s see what lot has the highest estimated price. Believe or not, it is a Soviet Tula (TsKIB SOO) shotgun with an estimated price of $150,000 – $225,000. What makes it valuable is that this shotgun is attributed to Nikita Khrushchev, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Soviet Union (1958-1964).
Morphy Extraordinary, Sporting, & Collector Firearms April auction will take place from April 24 and 25. Once the auction ends and the list of prices realized is published, we’ll also put together an article telling about the top most expensive lots sold during this auction. Stay tuned!
Images courtesy of Morphy Auctions, www.morphyauctions.com
