SCARCE MBAssociates MARK1 MODEL B GYROJET SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL WITH SUPER RARE FULL BOX OF FACTORY ORIGINAL "TARGET" OR " WADCUTTER" 13MM ROCKETS. BATF&E DESIGNATED CURIO & RELIC.

An excellent example of the scarce MBA Gyrojet MARK I MODEL B semi-automatic rocket handgun designed for the 13MM rocket version. A product of the 1960’s, the Gyrojet pistol was intended to replace the standard powder filled cartridges with a super-high-velocity, solid fuel “rocket” type cartridge. MBAssociates produced these firearms as semi-automatic pistols, carbines for the civilian market and produced variations for the military. Rocket sizes and designs varied. A wealth of information is available on the internet, including rocket specifications. A “most excellent” book with 28 chapters and a bizillion illustrations is available directly from the author, Mel Carpenter. Some of the MBA Gyrojet pistols were used in a couple of the early James Bond films. This specific example features a lightweight, aluminum, ported frame and action cover with a black finish, a 5 inch barrel, an internal magazine with a 6 rocket capacity, a manual cocking lever for the first shot, a manual safety and wood grips. In place of a traditional cartridge, this Gyrojet pistol fires a self contained, spin stabilized, solid fuel rocket, removing the need for a strong breech or rifled barrel. Fed by the internal fixed magazine, the hammer, mounted in front of the grip, drives the rocket back onto a fixed firing pin, and is reset to the cocked position as the rocket shoots forward. The design uses an “action cover” in place of a more traditional slide. The action cover is ported to direct the escaping gases to the sides, away from the shooter. Recoil is almost non-existent. The grips are smooth hardwood. Included with this pistol is an original MBA box of 24 factory original, 13MM machine turned, copper-plated-steel cased “target” or “wadcutter” rockets, each with four scarfed nozzles in their base. The ammunition for the MBA Gyrojet pistols is now more rare and expensive than the pistols themselves, and getting more-so as existing examples are used, lost or damaged. An original multipage, illustrated, operators’ “manual”, printed on 81/2 inches X 11 inches accompanies this package. This pistol is in “very good” condition cosmetically with approximately 85-90% of the original black finish remaining. The pistol does show areas with minor scratches, edge and high point wear and handling marks. The grips are very good with some vertically running indentations (thought to be manufacturing marks) and general handling marks. Mechanically, the pistol appears to be in excellent condition. The ammunition is excellent with some handling and storage marks. The ammunition box is in excellent condition but has accumulated a bit of dirt here and there, and a few storage marks. It is still solid and complete. The box carries the proper factory correct stampings internally, printed in red ink. We can’t remember seeing another full box of the 13MM rockets in the original factory box for many years.