Unique and Cool Guns for the Finest Collections

Key Takeaways:

• The coolest collectible guns aren’t always the famous ones — they’re often the strange ones: Whether it’s a rocket-firing Gyrojet, a revolver with a turret-shaped cylinder, or a triple-barrel Luftwaffe survival gun, the weirdos of the firearms world tend to tell the most interesting stories. And let’s be honest, they’re way more fun to talk about at the range or a collector’s dinner.
• Every gun has a story — and the forgotten prototypes and failed experiments might just have the best ones: From breech-loading flintlocks that predated their time to beta-model pistols that never made it to mass production, these forgotten firearms are like little alternate histories you can hold in your hand. They’re not just tools — they’re what-ifs with triggers.
• Collecting is less about perfection and more about personality: The guns people gravitate toward-the ones they keep, display, and brag about—are rarely the ones with the cleanest lines or the highest price tags. They’re the ones that feel alive, that come with quirks, scars, and a sense of “wait… what is this thing?” That’s what makes a great collection.

A Collector’s Ramble Through Some of the Rarest and Most Fascinating Firearms Ever Made

There’s something about holding a truly rare firearm that makes time feel… slower. Not in a bad way — more like you’re suddenly in a conversation with history. The weight, the craftsmanship, the strange or brilliant mechanical decisions — it all tells a story. And for collectors who live for those moments, the hunt for unique, even bizarre guns never really ends.

That’s why places like Rock Island Auction Company (RIAC) feel almost mythical. They’re not just auction houses — they’re museums with price tags. Walk through one of their catalogs and you’ll see everything from elegant prototypes to head-scratching oddities. Guns that were ahead of their time, behind it, or somehow outside of it altogether.

So, let’s take a walk. Here’s a not-at-all-comprehensive (but deeply personal) tour through some of the most unique and cool guns that have passed through RIAC’s orbit — each one a strange little gem in its own right.

Evolutionary Arms: The Awkward Teen Years of Iconic Guns

You know those “before they were famous” photos of celebrities? Guns have those, too. Take the Jennings repeater. Doesn’t ring a bell? That’s fair — it’s not exactly a household name. But this awkward, early lever-action long gun was a key link in the chain that led to the legendary Winchester rifles.

Based on Walter Hunt’s 1848 Rocket Ball cartridge (yes, really — it was a hollow bullet with powder inside) and Lewis Jennings’ 1849 patent, the Jennings repeater was technically the first commercially produced lever-action rifle. It jammed a lot. It was weird. But without it, you don’t get the Volcanic pistol, or the Henry, or any of the repeaters that conquered the West.

The same goes for the Colt Walker. Now this one is famous — and deservedly so. Commissioned by Captain Samuel Walker and built by Samuel Colt himself, the Walker was a .44 caliber monster. Sixty grains of powder per shot. The most powerful black powder revolver ever issued. It was more hand-cannon than sidearm. And yeah, it made quite an impression on the Texas Rangers.

Antique Firepower: Where Science and Sorcery Meet

Some of the strangest — and coolest — guns are also the oldest. And let’s be honest, 16th- and 17th-century gunsmiths were mad scientists with royal budgets.

Take the hand mortar. Imagine a mini-cannon designed to launch grenades (and sometimes fireworks or grappling hooks). Sounds dangerous? It was. But also fascinating. There’s one wheellock version that looks like something a steampunk villain might carry. It’s not just a weapon — it’s functional art.

Then you’ve got volley guns. The infamous Nock volley gun had seven barrels, all welded in a tight circle, designed to fire simultaneously. Loud, smoky, and dangerous to both enemy and user. Later versions, such as the Henry Harrington percussion volley gun or the H. Pieper rolling block volley rifle, were slightly more refined but no less unusual.

These guns weren’t practical — most were one-hit wonders — but that’s precisely why collectors love them. They dared to be different.

Flintlocks That Went Off Script

Flintlocks had their moment. And while a lot of them followed the same basic formula, now and then, a gunmaker decided to throw out the rulebook.

Like the double-barreled blunderbuss — that’s already weird enough. Short, flared muzzle, loud as a cannon, and great for close-range terror. But pair that design with two barrels, and it starts feeling like a pirate-themed sci-fi weapon.

And then there’s the inverted flintlock. This beauty came out of the Grand Dukes of Saxe-Weimar’s collection. It’s engraved, silver-inlaid, and — get this — the lock mechanism is on the bottom. That’s right, it’s an underhammer. One of the first. Guns like this weren’t just weapons. They were conversation starters… in 1700s royal hunting lodges.

Also worth mentioning are breechloading flintlocks, such as the Chaumette or Ferguson-style rifles. Screw-in breech plugs. Faster loading. Early signs of what would eventually become modern bolt actions. These are the little breadcrumbs of innovation that lead to entire firearm families.

Revolvers That Broke the Mold (and Maybe a Few Rules)

Colt gets all the glory when it comes to revolvers, and to be fair, he earned it. But other folks were out there trying wild things — like turret revolvers.

The Cochran and Porter designs are… bonkers. Imagine a horizontally rotating disk with multiple chambers, each one pointing outward like the petals of a flower. When one chamber fires, the whole disk rotates. Less than 150 were ever made. It’s no surprise — they’re weird, awkward, and mechanically risky. But incredibly cool.

Then there’s the LeMat revolver. Nine shots in the cylinder plus a central “grapeshot” barrel, you could fire with a flick of a lever. Civil War Confederate officers appreciated these items, despite their weight and slow reloading speed. If Mad Max had a revolver, it might look like this.

Civil War Carbines: Ugly, Rare, and Historically Juicy

The Civil War was a hotbed of improvisation and desperation, especially in the South. Which means collectors now have a treasure trove of odd, short-run guns with fascinating backstories.

The Confederate Morse First Type carbine is a standout — brass frame, breech-loader, and very advanced for its time. The problem was that the Confederacy didn’t have the resources to produce many. Today? It’s an absolute unicorn.

Union guns had their quirks. The U.S. Type Greene carbine, for instance, was issued in small numbers and was weirdly ahead of its time, with a tilting block breech. The one given to Lt. Col. Joseph York for bravery at Big Bethel is especially cool, if only for the story attached to it. These aren’t just guns. They’re artifacts of grit, failure, and invention.

Trial Guns and Prototypes: Firearms in Beta

If you ever want to see a gun that’s both brilliant and doomed, look at trials rifles.

Take the Jenks musketoon — a breechloading flintlock that saw limited testing during the Second Seminole War. Neat idea. Never really caught on. But when you find one today, it’s a ghost from a timeline where the U.S. military went full breechloader before the Civil War.

Then there are cutaway Winchesters used in testing and training — skeletonized frames showing the inner workings. The Winchester Model 1881 Hotchkiss “Cutaway” bolt action is a personal favorite, especially in nickel plate. Bonus points if it belonged to a Medal of Honor recipient like Lt. George Emerson Albee.

Pistol Prototypes: Weird, Wild, and Often One-Off

Ever seen a pistol that feels like a rough draft of the future? That’s what early prototypes are all about.

The Webley Model 1903, for instance, is a semi-automatic striker-fired design by William J. Whiting, designed for British military trials. As far as anyone knows, there’s only one.

And then there’s Steyr’s serial number 1 Model 1911 pistol. Rotating barrel. Fixed internal magazine. Sleek, weird, and utterly unlike anything American troops were carrying at the time. It was built for adoption, and it almost made it. Instead, it became a collector’s dream.

WW2 Guns: Brutal, Brilliant, and Sometimes Beautiful

World War II brought us some of the most iconic — and odd — firearms ever made.

The FG42 is a beast. Germany wanted a rifle that could function like a machine gun but handle like a submachine gun. What they got was a beautifully over-engineered Frankenstein that looked like the future. Lightweight, automatic, and capable of long-range fire, it inspired the development of the M60 later on. But at the time? Total overkill. And collectors adore it for that very reason.

Then there’s the M30 drilling — a triple-barrel survival gun issued to Luftwaffe pilots—two 12-gauge barrels over a rifle barrel. Fancy wood, perfect engraving. Impractical in a jungle crash scenario, but stunning in every other way.

Ammunition Oddities: When Cartridges Go Off the Rails

Sometimes the ammo is the weirdest part.

The Dardick Model 1500 is one of those fever-dream guns — a revolver/semi-auto hybrid that fires triangular cartridges called “trounds.” Yes, trounds. The idea was cool, but the execution? Eh. Still, it’s one of the most collectible oddballs out there.

And let’s not forget the Gyrojet. A rocket pistol. Actual micro-rockets instead of bullets. Low recoil, super light, completely impractical. You had to be standing downrange with a stopwatch to catch the projectile doing anything meaningful. But again, so weird it’s terrific.

Concealed Curiosities: Spy Guns and Pocket Surprises

If James Bond had a garage sale, this is the stuff you’d see.

The Deer Gun — a single-shot Cold War-era CIA pistol meant for resistance fighters. Cheap, crude, and super rare. It was like the Liberator pistol’s quieter little brother.

And then there’s the world of disguised guns: cane guns, ring guns, guns hidden in watches or belt buckles. Most were novelties, but a few were issued or used in practice. They’re the physical embodiment of espionage lore.

Just Plain Cool: Guns That Look Like They Time-Traveled

Some guns are collectible not because they’re rare or experimental, but because they look cool.

The Whitney Wolverine is one of those. Space-age curves. Aluminum frame. Looks like Buck Rogers’ sidearm. Shoots .22s, but in style.

Then there’s the Smith & Wesson .357 Registered Magnum — the original king of the magnum revolvers. Custom ordered, serial-numbered, and delivered with style. The kind of gun that makes you feel like you should be wearing a fedora and solving noir crimes.

Final Shot

Collecting guns isn’t just about ballistics or value. It’s about the stories, the strangeness, and sometimes the sheer coolness of the design. Whether you’re chasing hand mortars from the 1500s or polymer pistols from the space age, each piece adds something to the conversation.

And if you’re lucky enough to spend time flipping through a Rock Island catalog, don’t be surprised if you find yourself falling for something you didn’t even know existed.

Because in this world? The weirder, the better.

Frequently Asked Questions