CIA Deer Gun
American Machine & Foundry · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1964
Also known as: Deer Gun, CIA Deer Pistol
Overview
The CIA Deer Gun is a clandestine single-shot pistol developed in the early 1960s as a Vietnam-era successor to the WWII FP-45 Liberator. Chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum, it consists of a die-cast aluminum receiver with a screw-out steel barrel; three spare cartridges are stored in the hollow plastic grip. Roughly 1,000 were produced cheaply for distribution to South Vietnamese irregulars to assassinate enemy soldiers and capture their weapons, but the gun was never officially fielded.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 340 g (12.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 127 mm (5.00") |
| Barrel Length | 51 mm (2.01") |
| Height | 105 mm (4.13") |
| Width | 38 mm (1.50") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 320 m/s (1050 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 481 J (355 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 5 m (5 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Aluminum |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Polymer |
| Finish | Bright |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Manual Breech Loading
- Features: Screw Out Barrel, Hollow Grip Ammo Storage, Die Cast Aluminum Receiver, No Sights, Single Shot Breech Loader
Service history
Operators
- Central Intelligence Agency · adopted 1964
Conflicts
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,000 · Production years: 1964
Approximately 1,000 produced by American Machine & Foundry under a roughly $300,000 development contract; never officially deployed and most were destroyed.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Russell J. Moure
Discontinued: 1964
Notes
To reload, the user unscrews the barrel, ejects the spent case with the provided rod, inserts a fresh cartridge, and screws the barrel back on. Both rifled and smoothbore barrels were made. The plastic muzzle collar doubled as a crude front sight. Most surviving examples were destroyed; intact specimens are extremely rare collector items.
Background
The Deer Gun was so cheap and disposable that the printed instruction sheet used only wordless cartoon pictures, so that an illiterate guerrilla anywhere in the world could load and fire it without reading a single word.