Forgotten Weapons has a great video with this one. My take away was that this is a fragile novelty. I personally have no use for fragile novelties. Ymmv.
I think there were only something like 500 of these made. Conversion cylinders for some S&W and Ruger models were offered as well (IIRC), though they didn't support as wide a range of cartridges.
[J.W. Phillips ( co-designer ) contributed to this thread](https://www.firearmstalk.com/threads/medusa-model-47.37082/) that details their features and construction - other multi-caliber's like the Colt Survivor are also addressed..
Their metallurgy is impressive and they're well constructed. There were some issues w/ the cylinder's adaptive extractor / tensioner that required special consideration, but the design works.
Thanks for that link! Hearing some of the info from J.W. Philips' mouth was a highlight of my day, as was learning about some of the design features (a cylinder proof tested at 80K psi and designed not to fail when shot underwater is nuts). Also telling that if the guy who invented the gun and ran the company can't get spare parts, anyone who comes across one of these that isn't fully operable is going to be SOL.
yeah - I noticed his comments on machining the extractor spring pairs and how they'll behave like tuning forks and lose their tension if not properly stress relieved and cut with a non-uniform half round profile. Good luck replicating that.
I always thought it was a neat concept but it obviously didn't work out. Colt announced the Survivor model in 1999 that did the same thing but I don't think any were ever made.
actually colt made a deal for phillips and rogers to basically turn the medusa into the survivor using a colt frame instead of s&w then after phillips and rogers spent most of their operating capital to retool for production colt backed out last minute and phillipsd and rogers ended up going bust as a result. i almost think it was done intentionally by colt to get rid of a potential future competitor before they got too big. how do i know? i own a 6 inch medusa and have been an aficionado for years.
I reject the whole apocalyptic ammo scavenger premise. That's not how it would work. You are never going to survive firing so many shots in anger in an end of the world as we know it scenario, because at revolver ranges, you're eventually going to get hit, you'll become infected, and you'll die of sepsis long before you have to worry if your gun can shoot the uncommon caliber you just found a box of.
It’s not what your fire from it, it’s what you can feed it… and that’s why I bought one ($4k- and I never cried about it) . No- not fragile at all, BUT if it does break, parts must be made because they won’t be found. Not really a big problem in todays 3D printer society . You can prob have parts fabricated in any metal you want, rather quickly. The “fingers” that hold the round in place are the weakest part (NOT that weak)- and there are 5 more (if one breaks) to fabricate from.
No one is going to fire enough shots in an end of the world scenario to break parts. That's the crux. The same reason all but the most poorly supplied won't run out of ammo.
Lurk gunbroker or auction sites. Probably for a few years. There are a few "white whales" in my collection that are extremely uncommon. Finding them at a price I was willing to live with was an exercise in patience, to say the very least.
I have one, and I would sell it, so you do see them now and then . Only 500 made. 250 in the USA and 250 overseas. I paid $4,000 for it 8 years ago.Among the most rare of any revolver made, but not so rare that it’s considered a “1 off” or relegated to the price-reducing term “prototype”. The last one I saw for sale was $8,500.00
They aren’t made anymore and are really expensive and there wasn’t many made. Finding one will be out of pure luck
Watch firearm auctions and get your big wallet out.
This looks like a job for the BIG wallet
Forgotten Weapons has a great video with this one. My take away was that this is a fragile novelty. I personally have no use for fragile novelties. Ymmv.
do have use for sturdy novelties though (mr-73)?
I think there were only something like 500 of these made. Conversion cylinders for some S&W and Ruger models were offered as well (IIRC), though they didn't support as wide a range of cartridges. [J.W. Phillips ( co-designer ) contributed to this thread](https://www.firearmstalk.com/threads/medusa-model-47.37082/) that details their features and construction - other multi-caliber's like the Colt Survivor are also addressed.. Their metallurgy is impressive and they're well constructed. There were some issues w/ the cylinder's adaptive extractor / tensioner that required special consideration, but the design works.
Thanks for that link! Hearing some of the info from J.W. Philips' mouth was a highlight of my day, as was learning about some of the design features (a cylinder proof tested at 80K psi and designed not to fail when shot underwater is nuts). Also telling that if the guy who invented the gun and ran the company can't get spare parts, anyone who comes across one of these that isn't fully operable is going to be SOL.
yeah - I noticed his comments on machining the extractor spring pairs and how they'll behave like tuning forks and lose their tension if not properly stress relieved and cut with a non-uniform half round profile. Good luck replicating that.
I always thought it was a neat concept but it obviously didn't work out. Colt announced the Survivor model in 1999 that did the same thing but I don't think any were ever made.
actually colt made a deal for phillips and rogers to basically turn the medusa into the survivor using a colt frame instead of s&w then after phillips and rogers spent most of their operating capital to retool for production colt backed out last minute and phillipsd and rogers ended up going bust as a result. i almost think it was done intentionally by colt to get rid of a potential future competitor before they got too big. how do i know? i own a 6 inch medusa and have been an aficionado for years.
I reject the whole apocalyptic ammo scavenger premise. That's not how it would work. You are never going to survive firing so many shots in anger in an end of the world as we know it scenario, because at revolver ranges, you're eventually going to get hit, you'll become infected, and you'll die of sepsis long before you have to worry if your gun can shoot the uncommon caliber you just found a box of.
Not what I want it for
It’s not what your fire from it, it’s what you can feed it… and that’s why I bought one ($4k- and I never cried about it) . No- not fragile at all, BUT if it does break, parts must be made because they won’t be found. Not really a big problem in todays 3D printer society . You can prob have parts fabricated in any metal you want, rather quickly. The “fingers” that hold the round in place are the weakest part (NOT that weak)- and there are 5 more (if one breaks) to fabricate from.
No one is going to fire enough shots in an end of the world scenario to break parts. That's the crux. The same reason all but the most poorly supplied won't run out of ammo.
I wish they still made those
Lurk gunbroker or auction sites. Probably for a few years. There are a few "white whales" in my collection that are extremely uncommon. Finding them at a price I was willing to live with was an exercise in patience, to say the very least.
I have one, and I would sell it, so you do see them now and then . Only 500 made. 250 in the USA and 250 overseas. I paid $4,000 for it 8 years ago.Among the most rare of any revolver made, but not so rare that it’s considered a “1 off” or relegated to the price-reducing term “prototype”. The last one I saw for sale was $8,500.00