curved gun that shoots around corners?

There is one of these in the Berman Museum in Anniston Alabama. My pictures didn't turn out very well because it was behind glass.
 
I remember seeing a picture of an AK similarly modified. Someone posted it on www.makarov.com and I remember making a joke about Viagra. You might check the archives there.
Luck

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Those who use arms well cultivate the Way and keep the rules.Thus they can govern in such a way as to prevail over the corrupt- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
 
Wow! This was a topic that I thought would get me flamed, laughed at etc. but this has really been interesting and thanks Mike for the photo. I've got in archived in order to silence my future doubters. :)

Lots of good comments which shows the knowledge base of TFL. We ought to start our own magazine. ;)

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The best weapon for self defense is the one you have when the need arises!
 
I cant help but notice that the bent barrel looks like someone ran out of ammo and had the gun shoved up their @ss !


Very amusing.
 
I have seen a Stgw 57 (SIG 510) with a bent barrel at a local gun
show. If one needs more info, I'll ask a friend about it.
 
PreserveFreedom asks:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>What happens when the corner is on the left and your barrel is curved to the right?[/quote]

Hold the gun upside down?
 
Preserve Freedom/Tim:

Sorry, missed your original question, PF.

To shoot around the opposite corner, one simply had to loosen the clamp that held the attachment onto the rifle barrel, rotate it how ever many degrees was necessary, tighten the clamp, and shoot.

This entry is from my Rand McNally Encyclopedia of World War II

Krummlauf

"This German device consisted of a curved barrel attachment fitted to the MP-43 (and MP-44) assault rifle which allowed it to shoot round corners. The device was requested in order to permit riflemen to shoot from cover without exposing themselves and also to allow the crew of a tank to fire downwards, close to the tank side, to prevent enemy infantry coming close enough to attach explosive charges to the tank. Development was undertaken by the CG Haenel Company, and after extensive tirals it was found that a simple extension would turn the bullet through 30 deg. and deliver it accurately to the target up to a range of about 850 meters. The idea was first applied to the standard Gewehr 98 service rifle; it was then tried with the MG 34 machine gun, but since the deflection altered the recoil forces the machine gun would not fire at automatic. It was finally decided to fit it ot the MP-43 since this fired a shorter bullet which set up less strain when passing through the extension. In 1944 orders were given for production of 10,000 'Krummlauf' devices, thought it is doubtful if anything like that number were made.

In addition to the infantry 30 deg. model, a 90 deg. version was made for firing from tanks. Due to the sharp bend it was impossible to hand-hold this model, and it was provided with a ball-joint which fitted into the tank armor. The design was completed in 1945, but very few were made."

Hum... Absolutely nothing about the prismatic sight.



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Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mike Irwin:
The device is called the Kraummerlauf (sp?). It wasn't used with the MP-40 submachine gun, but with the MP-44. I've got a photograph of one around here somewhere.

It was designed to be attached to the barrel of the regular gun with a special clamp. It couldn't be fired fully auto, for obvious reasons.

Anyway, two barrel types were supplied, one in a 45 deg. bend, and one close to 90 deg., may have been 75, but may have been 90.

They were also fitted with special prismatic sights so that you could see what you were shooting at.

They were, I believe, primarily designed for armored crews to use in getting rid of troops that got inside the tank's machine gun perimiter.

[/quote]
abriged version of what it says in the book, military small arms of the 20th century, sixth edition page 149.
the krummlauf attachment used with the mp44, mirror sighting device.
there were three versions, the mp44(p) bent at a 30 degree angle, the mp44(k) bent at a 90 degree angle and the mp44(v) wich was at a 40 degree angle. only the first one, mp44(p) was ever fully developed. it is reported that 10,000 of them were made.
the idea was this: have holes on the outer side of the curved attachment to allow gas pressure to escape and allow the bullet to make the turn, this reduced velocitys to around 948fps making the weapon uneffective, also the bullet was very unstable as it left the device and it was possible only at close ranges to be effective with it.
the british also develpod a similar device for the sten gun, but abandoned the project before ever finishing hte final development.

it seems like a kinda dumb idea to me. but i am not one to talk.

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i may not like what you have to say but i will fight to the death to defend your right to say it.

you might get my gun, but you can have my books when you pry them from my cold dead fingers.

the first ammendment is the most important, and the second is the one that makes the first possible.

[This message has been edited by m_d_atwood (edited July 16, 2000).]
 
I can understand the desire of the tank crews... and it wasn't the only time a weapon was designed/modified with armor crews in mind. I have read in more than one place that one of the design criteria for the Makarov pistol was that it could be fired from the port of a tank. Never tried it myself :D but apparently the Tokarev pistol was too awkward so some crews held on to their old Nagant revolvers for that reason.
I'd hate to be inside one of those cans and have enemy soldiers hanging off the exterior like bums with squeegees at a red light and all you can do is yell," Oh, Darn!" :eek:

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Those who use arms well cultivate the Way and keep the rules.Thus they can govern in such a way as to prevail over the corrupt- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

[This message has been edited by Apple a Day (edited July 16, 2000).]
 
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