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SIGSHR · September 22, 2005, 10:32 PM

Anyone ever hear of this one-the SPQR-Special Purpose Quiet Revolver. I recall reading about this in one of the gun magazines (Guns & Ammo?) in 1974
or so, have never seen another reference to it. It was designed for the tunnel rats to give them a weapon that not would blind or deafen them in the close and cramped environments they fought in. It was built on the S&W N-frame, had a short (2" or so) smoothbore barrel. The real secret was in the ammunition, not regular cartridges but specially designed ones. They had steel
cases, they were loaded with buckshot over a steel plate, the cartridge was so designed that when it was fired, the powder pushed the steel plate forward propelling its load of buckshot down the barrel, but the steel plate was retained by a lip in the mouth of the cartridge so the noise of the blast
and the flash were retained inside the shell case. In effect, the ammunition was silenced, not the weapon. The article did not have any pictures and I have never seen another reference to it since. You know full well that at least
one GI would have figured out how to smuggle one home. Interesting concept,
curious to see if it actually works, or just a product of a writer's imagination
fired by a veteran's stories, perhaps?

September 22, 2005, 10:32 PM	#1
SIGSHR Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2005 Posts: 4,700	The SPQR Anyone ever hear of this one-the SPQR-Special Purpose Quiet Revolver. I recall reading about this in one of the gun magazines (Guns & Ammo?) in 1974 or so, have never seen another reference to it. It was designed for the tunnel rats to give them a weapon that not would blind or deafen them in the close and cramped environments they fought in. It was built on the S&W N-frame, had a short (2" or so) smoothbore barrel. The real secret was in the ammunition, not regular cartridges but specially designed ones. They had steel cases, they were loaded with buckshot over a steel plate, the cartridge was so designed that when it was fired, the powder pushed the steel plate forward propelling its load of buckshot down the barrel, but the steel plate was retained by a lip in the mouth of the cartridge so the noise of the blast and the flash were retained inside the shell case. In effect, the ammunition was silenced, not the weapon. The article did not have any pictures and I have never seen another reference to it since. You know full well that at least one GI would have figured out how to smuggle one home. Interesting concept, curious to see if it actually works, or just a product of a writer's imagination fired by a veteran's stories, perhaps? Last edited by SIGSHR; September 23, 2005 at 03:14 PM.