The Simplest Single-Shot Pistol You’ve Ever Seen from Altor Corp.

in C. Travis, Industry News, Max Slowik, This Week
The Simplest Single-Shot Pistol You've Ever Seen from Altor Corp.
Altor Corp. wants to modernize the single-shot pistol. (Pnoto: Austin Van Gilder)

To learn more, visit AltorCorp.com.

The Altor Corp. is showing off an extremely simple single-shot pistol for self-defense at this year’s NASGW trade show. The concept of the single-shot pistol or derringer is one of the oldest and it can be interesting to see modern takes on the hold-out handgun.

Altor’s concept is a breech-loading pistol with a detachable barrel section and simple double-action striker firing system mounted in a basic nylon grip housing. The Altor Pistol will be available in .380 ACP and 9mm Luger and both versions have just six sub-components in their assemblies.

The parts include a steel chambered barrel piece, a steel breech face and shell holder, the grip housing and crossbolt safety, a striker and trigger unit, a striker spring and an assembly pin holding it all together.

The Simplest Single-Shot Pistol You've Ever Seen from Altor Corp.
Here you can see the six parts and assemblies. (Pnoto: Austin Van Gilder)

Only two parts need cleaning and maintenance, the barrel and the breech face, and they are accessed when loading and unloading the pistol. That said, the Altor pistol has not one but two safeties, the crossbolt trigger safety as well as a rotating barrel safety.

To load the Altor pistol remove the barrel, place a cartridge onto the shell holder, and reinstall the barrel. To fire the pistol, rotate the barrel into the fire notch, press the crossbolt safety button and pull the double-action trigger.

One of the key selling points of the Altor pistol is that it doesn’t really look like a firearm. Apart from the general gun shape, it looks more like a tool than a real pistol.

Weighing just 10 ounces with an overall length of 6.5 inches and a height of 3.5 inches, it’s plenty portable and easily concealed.

MSRP for the .380 version is set at $119. MSRP for the 9mm version is set at $129. Altor Corp hopes to have it available for purchase in the coming months. Stay tuned for updates!

The Simplest Single-Shot Pistol You've Ever Seen from Altor Corp.
Barrel length isn’t specified. (Pnoto: Austin Van Gilder)

To learn more, visit AltorCorp.com.

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About the author: Max Slowik is a writer with over a dozen years of experience and is a lifelong shooter. He has unwavering support for the Second Amendment and the human right to self-defense. Like Thomas Paine, he’s a journalist by profession and a propagandist by inclination.

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  • Phillip Kleinmann September 14, 2021, 11:59 pm

    If it was priced more as what it’s worth (under $50. I’d buy one for the tool box to use fmj rounds to punch holes in sheet metal during builds. With blanks it may be an OK spike driver if you have plastic sabots for protecting the barrel from nail head scratching. It possibly could make a good blank gun for setting up a trip line. 3″ and under barrels are lame in my estimation.

  • Jawbone_Donkey November 2, 2020, 11:11 pm

    😎Munish’unz…blaak’awk 🤙😁🤙

  • Dennis July 5, 2020, 5:25 pm

    i would give one to my wife as a purse gun. She may never need but I would feel better that she has something at least to defend herself. Of course I would make dammed sure she became proficient with it before I trusted her with it. Good in glove box also..one chance to stop an attacker is better than no chance at all

  • Mr_Gixxer May 15, 2020, 12:21 pm

    But does it take Glock mags?

    • Dennis White July 5, 2020, 5:36 pm

      no Glock mag..you just fill your mouth with bullets and spit them into the gun to reload

  • Matthew Van Camp March 5, 2020, 2:35 pm

    $100 Belly gun, Snake slayer, dispatch gun… It works… Stainless and Nylon, it works. This will be still lying there, where you put it, when the time comes, twist and shoot. Toolbox or desk drawer, behind the mantle clock or above the washer & dryer… On the Tractor or in the Feed truck, out near the Hog pen… Hell its cheap enough to buy one for each place on the farm where you might encounter snakes, rats or pests…
    Wherever you want to bury a Ziploc bag to keep the dirt out of the barrel… The stainless steel and nylon damn sure ain’t gonna care…
    The dent that the $100 bucks you spent has vanished a month or two after you bought it.
    Kill that Rattler long before he can strike…
    I think this is a great idea.

  • Jacob March 2, 2020, 11:47 am

    A whole lot of weapon’s experts in this comment section. Their tiny brains can’t comprehend a valid use for such a weapon therefore, to them, nobody else can.

    Word of advice. The vast majority of you probably couldn’t of even designed something as simple as this pistol.

    • Matthew Van Camp March 5, 2020, 1:58 pm

      Agreed.

  • Jim from LI February 4, 2020, 5:44 pm

    This thing makes a hi-point look like a SIG P210. The only possible use for these is to scatter by air over North Korea or Venezuela as a modern take on the Liberator pistol. A junk gun with which to acquire a real gun. At least the Liberator could be cocked before firing.

    • Dave December 20, 2020, 8:31 pm

      Hmm, it can’t protect me from the foreign army I’m sure is heading to my house! 9mm wouldn’t even pierce my thick leathery man hide! I only carry full auto .50 cal with 200 round clips! Anything less is just stupid!

  • Chris October 29, 2019, 5:52 pm

    “One of the key selling points of the Altor pistol is that it doesn’t really look like a firearm.”
    Keep repeating things like that, and you will get the BATFE reconsidering their judgement on it.
    This is a doomed product for a number of reasons. I am all for someone making a new Liberator, but it should be priced like what it is. Which at that point what FFL is going to want to bother with the paperwork?

    • Jacob March 2, 2020, 11:33 am

      A dealer’s interest isn’t exactly relevant in the day and age of internet sales.

      Name one reason this product is “doomed”?

      It’s probably dirt-cheap to make and does it job well.

  • John J Kable October 28, 2019, 9:10 pm

    BBwwwwaahaha!!, my Old Lady has a tulip bulb planter that this piece of crap is an exact replica of, I’ll bet there will be a patent infringement suit in short order. On the other hand seeing as how Fall time is tulip bulb planting time it would be a good time to buy one for your better half, might impress her enough that she might consider ‘putting out’ for a change….

  • Robert Smith October 26, 2019, 9:05 pm

    Wrist holster is what you want for this. You wait for your opponent to close in, then flick it out for a quick face-blast. If that doesn’t work, go to your backup, the Heritage Rough Rider. Carried in a shoulder bag with a quick-draw flap. Pepper the bad guy with 6 rounds of .22 LR. It’s self-defense, circa 1875!

    • rjb March 2, 2020, 6:31 pm

      AND you will would be crying like a baby or dead after getting shot with either….

  • Robert October 26, 2019, 8:36 pm

    What part of that is the trigger, again? I must be missing something.

  • camelskinner October 26, 2019, 2:23 pm

    Let’s put a bayonet on it, make it use subsonic loads, maybe with a SOS strobe and siren to really scare the bad guys or just make it scream out the “ice-cream man is here” song.

  • Peter Norris October 26, 2019, 7:41 am

    Amazingly accurate! Consistently shoots ‘one hole’ groups !

  • Don Bradley October 25, 2019, 11:58 pm

    Is this an early April Fools joke? I wouldn’t want this even if you gave me one for free.

    • Jacob March 2, 2020, 11:34 am

      Nobody cares.

    • Bat Ray January 8, 2021, 6:58 pm

      Well aren’t you a princess. Sheesh. Get over yourself.

  • Scotty Gunn October 25, 2019, 9:46 pm

    Put a long tube cover on it and make it a cane. Oh wait, that’s a no no….

  • Peter Miles October 25, 2019, 9:16 pm

    This could have a dozen uses…one in each bug out bag….one in each vehicle…no kamikaze uses for me

    • IZM March 6, 2020, 5:49 am

      Great idea, be perfect for bugout bags.

  • Dano October 25, 2019, 7:28 pm

    Why thinks this crap up?

  • Bruce Gray October 25, 2019, 2:18 pm

    I could modify it to fire a weighted projectile, a flare or a dart!

  • Leonard Stephen Feinman October 25, 2019, 1:49 pm

    While it is cheap, it is practically useless for self-defense. You can purchase a more potent gun that provides more than one shot and takes less space.
    I have seen more impressive zip-guns.
    I would not trust this caliber to commit suicide is how unimpressed I am.

    • Pete March 6, 2020, 9:27 pm

      Seriously? A 9 mm is not deadly enough? Not for self defense? Tell that to Robert Kennedy. He was killed with a .22. And yes, it will kill you if you want to go that way. Try it.

  • PJ Smith October 25, 2019, 11:43 am

    It’s clearly a suicide gun, an end of life tool. It has no other conceivable purpose. I might consider one when the time comes, so none of my other guns would be too tainted to handle by my surviving family or friends.

    • Jacob March 2, 2020, 11:38 am

      “It has no other conceivable purpose”

      Other than suicide? What is wrong with you?

      This thing is perfect for someone who doesn’t own firearms for defense or sport, like a farmer who needs to put down livestock, or they could load it with snakeshot and keep it stored on their farm equipment for small pests.

      • Matthew Van Camp March 5, 2020, 2:04 pm

        Exactly, this is a great gun for a Ben Franklin and one shot.

  • Stephen Graham October 25, 2019, 11:40 am

    OMG! If someone thinks that a single 9mm bullet will end a potentially deadly dynamic personal encounter, he is on a fool\’s errand. IF one can be assured of placing that 1 9mm bullet into the aggressor\’s midbrain or upper cervical spinal cord, then this pistol MIGHT be effective. Otherwise, it may just enrage a determined attacker. SECONDLY, rats travel in packs, so what will you do about the \”not-yet-seen\” accomplice when he presents himself. Since one can now purchase a S&W Shield with 7 shots for $60 more, and since it is essentially the same size, what responsible and experienced firearms instructor / tactician would EVER allow someone to purchase this HORRIBLE and DANGEROUS \”idea\”??

    • Kris March 1, 2020, 9:04 pm

      Where can I buy a Shield for $175.00 ??? I need a dozen or two !!

  • Jaw dropped October 25, 2019, 11:38 am

    “Non threatening appearance”??? THEN WHATS THE FRIGGING POINT OF HAVING IT! Is this what we’ve come too? Now we are building guns with a “non threatening appearance”, so the burgers aren’t offended or so a child would pick it up? I just don’t understand that statement.

  • Stephen Graham October 25, 2019, 11:34 am

    OMG! If someone thinks that a single 9mm bullet will end a potentially deadly dynamic personal encounter, he is on a fool’s errand. IF one can be assured of placing that 1 9mm bullet into the aggressor’s midbrain or upper cervical spinal cord, then this pistol MIGHT be effective. Otherwise, it may just enrage a determined attacker. SECONDLY, rats travel in packs, so what will you do about the “not-yet-seen” accomplice when he presents himself. Since one can now purchase a S&W Shield with 7 shots for $60 more, and since it is essentially the same size, what responsible and experienced firearms instructor / tactician would EVER allow someone to purchase this HORRIBLE and DANGEROUS “idea”??

  • Patrick McWilliams October 25, 2019, 11:31 am

    Let’s face it. The lever-action rifle was perfected in 1892. The bolt action rifle in 1898. The revolver peaked, in terms of design, in 1899. The auto-loading pistol in 1911. Anything since then has consisted of improvements (or not) in materials and manufacturing techniques. So, manufacturers, seeking something new to sell, and writers, needing something to write about, have begun to devise ever more impractical, difficult to operate, borderline illegal, and painful to shoot novelties. Who needs a double-barrel .22 Magnum revolver, or a pocket pistol in 7,62x39mm or a sawed off shotgun that somehow gained BATF approval (for now). I’m glad Americans still have the freedom to make and sell such things. But, I don’t see much market for something like this single shot .380 which exceeds the dimensions of a Jimenez .32 or .380, and costs nearly as much. Does anyone else notice the striking resemblance to the CIA “Deer Gun” of the Viet Nam war era? That one at least had the theoretical mission of allowing a guerrilla fighter to shoot an enemy and take his weapon. In the end, just as with its WWII predecessor, the FP45 “Liberator”, the idea didn’t work out, and most were dumped in the ocean. I like the line “Altor Corp hopes to have it available in the coming months”. In other words, one prototype that will never be seen outside the pages of a gun magazine.

    • Jacob March 2, 2020, 11:42 am

      Well, they’re being produced. So, you were wrong.

      • Eric March 4, 2020, 10:01 pm

        Hey Jacob, this should really be made in 45 acp or maybe a large caliber revolver cartridge. I would never buy one in 9mm, but I would definitely buy one in a larger caliber. If it’s going to be single shot, then it might as well be big. I would use it to pop groundhogs that get into my garden. I would just leave it laying right inside of my back door of my house.

    • David March 27, 2020, 7:05 pm

      They made some very good firearms in the 1870’s.
      I think I would have went with a 357 many more options including snake shot.

  • Terry Rauh October 25, 2019, 11:27 am

    I can see how it would be an effective weapon . When you whipped it out to defend yourself when the bad guy started laughing you could whack em on the head with it and run and still have 1 round left.

  • LL October 25, 2019, 11:02 am

    Someone should send one to Hillary and tell her its the new cordless hair dryer.

    • Peter Brown October 25, 2019, 11:54 am

      Please. That nutso hasbeen may believe it.

  • FirstStateMark October 25, 2019, 10:36 am

    No thank you on this POS looking gun.

  • Mike in a Truck October 25, 2019, 10:36 am

    I like it! Would make a good snake gun with 9mm shot loads to keep on the tractor while working around the property. The street price should be lower. Hell, I’ll get two so I have a New York Reload.

  • David Kent October 25, 2019, 10:25 am

    Hand held pipe bomb.

    • Jacob March 2, 2020, 11:44 am

      Right, because I’m sure they didn’t take that consideration. I love armchair weapon’s designers. You guys really are the best.

  • PB- dave October 25, 2019, 10:20 am

    if sales do not meet their expectations, maybe the can covert production to compact nail-setting guns for construction trades….

  • Ken October 25, 2019, 9:38 am

    “Nonthreatening appearance”. Right, because that’s the image you want to present to an attacker, that you’re nonthreatening.

  • WILLIAM HICKS October 25, 2019, 9:33 am

    What is the old saying, a brilliant solution to a non-existent problem? A pistol that requires 2 hands to fire one shot in a package the size of a small semi-auto.

  • Chuck October 25, 2019, 9:12 am

    I wonder if Bianchi is making holsters for it yet?

  • Zupglick October 25, 2019, 8:59 am

    Giant step back to muzzle-loading caplock.

  • john in DFW October 25, 2019, 8:57 am

    Finally , a California compliant firearm … for now !

    • Alan1018 October 25, 2019, 11:30 am

      It can’t be CA compliant it can still shoot.

    • Allen Richardson October 25, 2019, 1:57 pm

      Not even. Would need to have a way to microstamp the case on firing.

  • Cz52 October 25, 2019, 8:40 am

    Don’t seem to be as simple, rugged, or handy as the Leinad 410/.45 Colt derringer. I gots a couple of those, and can get a shot on a snake quick, without rotating a barrel.

    Trick with them is tearing the interlock/safety plate off, and using a jeweler file to “reverse” the safety to make it more “handy” for one hand. Then practice, with it empty, until you “get” running it single Handed.

    This looks like a last ditch, and would do me no good as a snake gun, as it is too big, n clumsy to run….

  • Jack Leone October 25, 2019, 8:20 am

    What’s the point of sticking a 6.5 inch hair dryer gun in your pocket with one round?and then you have to remember to twist it to fire? it’s the perfect gun for liberals it gives a false sense of security yet the hypocrites will never use it. I’ll stick with my North American Arms 5 shot mini revolver, it’s so small I forget it’s in my pocket.

    • Curby Keith October 25, 2019, 1:24 pm

      My NAA revolver is in my pocket as I type this. With five .22WMR rounds loaded.

    • Jeremy October 26, 2019, 9:11 am

      Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I love my NAA .22 Mag. As far as the gun in the article. For the price, if it were sitting in front of me I may get one as a conversation piece at the range. But I cant see a single practical use for it.

  • AR Libertarian October 25, 2019, 8:16 am

    Solution in search of a problem.

    “Can I have fewer cartridges” said no one. Ever.

  • Alan1018 October 25, 2019, 8:03 am

    A mass produced zip gun

  • Blasted Cap October 25, 2019, 7:59 am

    Cheaper than a captive bolt gun. More readily available and cheaper rounds than the 9×17 rimmed blanks.
    I’d put one in my hog barns for downer pigs that need to be euthanized.
    Point blank head shot between the eyes. And yes that is plenty of power for a 280lb domestic pig. Been doing it for years.

  • John Bourbon October 25, 2019, 7:52 am

    Looks like its halfway to being a cane gun…

  • Daniel October 25, 2019, 7:49 am

    Looks just like the zip guns that were made in 60’s&70’s just buy average joe

  • Richard October 25, 2019, 6:14 am

    WTF! Not 6+1, not 10+1…..just +1….Provides the illusion of self defense….Pairs well with the Bobby-pin knife…

  • Thomas Davis October 25, 2019, 5:29 am

    Will be sold only to those who have an ignorant, irrational fear of firearms

  • Singleshotcajun October 25, 2019, 5:03 am

    You know the Grease gun now meet the Glue gun.

    • Mr. Bubblegum October 25, 2019, 8:53 am

      That is hilarious!

  • Willie-O October 25, 2019, 3:18 am

    ummm, why ? I own a Bond Arms derringer and my biggest issue with it is only (2) rounds. It accepts 3” shells and I usually keep it loaded with 00 buck, so that’s (5) .32cal balls per shot/barrel. I use it in certain situations, but even then it’s primarily in a back-up capacity. I sure as hell wouldn’t feel any real comfort level with (1) round of .380 or 9mm. I’ll pass on this rivet-gun look alike.

    • Matthew Van Camp March 5, 2020, 2:12 pm

      Bond Arms $500+ This $100… Perhaps?

  • ro October 24, 2019, 11:06 am

    seems like a High Point would be cheaper and go bang, faster and more often…….

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