Last week, we looked at a .45 caliber rotary-barrel BSA recoil operated handgun design, available for auction at James D. Julia. Interestingly, in the same auction are two other rotary-barrel prototypes, these two from Germany. The first is the Nickl prototype by Mauser, which led to the Czech Vz. 24 handgun, and the second is a Walther prototype Volkspistole. Ian of Forgotten Weapons has produced video overviews of both weapons as part of his coverage of the auction:

Despite the dominance of Browning-style tilting barrel locking, the arguably better rotary barrel method seems to be always bubbling just beneath the surface, as evidenced by these unique handguns. Relatively few rotary-barrel handguns have become commercially successful, but maybe it’s just a matter of time before the right handgun comes along and popularizes the design?

Both of these handguns are currently up for auction; should you decide that either is right for you, you can find their listings at James D. Julia’s here and here.