Top 11 Most Expensive and Rarest Guns Still In Existence Today

Rosemary October 26, 2022 | 08:14

Do you love collecting guns? If you do, don’t miss this list of the most expensive and rarest guns that still exist in the world today. You might want to own one.

Top 11 Most Expensive and Rarest Guns Still In Existence Today. Photo KnowInsiders

Contents
Types of rare guns Top 11 Most Expensive and Rarest Guns Still In Existence Today 1. The Infernal Machine 2. 30-shot Revolver 3. Singer M1911A1 Pistol 4. The Apache Revolver 5. Treeby Chain Gun 6. Colt Walker 7. Nock Gun 8. Winchester Model 73 9. Magpul FMG-9 10. Rock-Ola M1 Carbine 11. Cabot 1911 Conclusion

Most people recognize a vintage sports car, but vintage guns can slide right under the radar. Firearms have long been a part of human history. They have played a crucial role in engineering the world’s power dynamics. Gun collection as a hobby became a popular trend during the second half of the 20th century, especially after World War II.

The collectability and value of a gun are determined by various factors, including the rarity and historical significance of a particular firearm. The condition of a gun and its unique features may also impact its overall value.

Types of rare guns

-Guns Tied to Historical Figures

-Guns Tied to Historical Events or Eras

-Ultra-Rare Guns Produced in Small Numbers

-Guns that Represent the Height of Artistic Gun-Making

-Guns Made from Rare Materials

Top 11 Most Expensive and Rarest Guns Still In Existence Today

1. The Infernal Machine

Production: 1 unit

Country of origin: France

Year: 1835

Designer: Giuseppe Marco Fieschi

Assassination attempt by Giuseppe Fieschi on King Louis Philippe I of France on July 28, 1835. Photo amusing planet

On July 28, 1835, Giuseppe Marco Fieschi positioned himself in front of an open window on the third floor of N. 50 Boulevard du Temple in Paris. Overlooking the window was a street that King Louis-Philippe of France was expected to pass through as he went for his annual review of the Paris National Guard. Fieschi intended to assassinate the King, and to make sure he had a high degree of success, he designed one of the most infernal guns in history.

Instead of firing a single shot at the king and risk missing it, Giuseppe and Morrey decided to build a volley gun with 25 barrels placed side by side. They took the plan to another conspirator, Theodore Pepin, who the gave the plan legs. Because Giuseppe was penniless, the cost of building the “infernal machine”—about 500 francs—was split between Pepin and Morey, while Giuseppe did the building. Eventually, Giuseppe had the gun ready.

The weapon, built of wood and metal, was constructed in a room overlooking the street on the third floor of N. 50 Boulevard du Temple—the same room from which he would fire his gun. The barrels were mounted side by side with each touch hole in line with the next. In combination with a trail of gunpowder, the barrels could all be fired at once with a single fuse. Each barrel contained about 6 to 8 balls and an additional 13 to 14 slugs. It was a powerful killing machine indeed.

Unfortunately, the weapon was too powerful and too crudely made. When Giuseppe lighted the fuse, the gun literally exploded sending bullets all around the room. Giuseppe was thrown back towards the wall, sustaining bullet injuries to his head, face, and hand. Despite his injuries, Giuseppe managed to pull himself up and before the king’s guards could rush into the building, he used a rope to swing out of the room into the adjoining building. But Giuseppe was badly injured and bleeding. The guards soon caught up to him by following the trail of blood he left.

2. 30-shot Revolver

Photo rockislandauction

Production: 1 unit

Country of origin: Unknown

Year: Unknown

Designer: Unknown

Produced by an unknown maker with a design suggesting European, possibly French, manufacture. The revolver is fitted with a set of over/under barrels and a 2-layer cylinder with 30 chambers. Blade and notch sights, with a fixed double firing pin configured to shoot each barrel in sequence and a smooth grip. The revolver is equipped with over and under barrels and has a double layer cylinder with 30 chambers. Although it has a striking look, the pistol is too heavy for practical purposes. Moreover, the user needs to load all the chambers individually.

3. Singer M1911A1 Pistol

Production: 500 units

Country of origin: The United States of America

Year: 1939

Designer: John Moses Browning

This is certainly "One Of A Kind" find as it's probably considered the "Holy Grail" of all Model 1911A1 pistols, Singer Model 1911A1 Serial Number "1" pistol. The Singer Model 1911A1 pistols are the most sought after of any Model 1911A1 pistol or for that matter probably any pistol that was produced and issued during WWII. It is a well known fact that the Singer Manufacturing Co. produced a total of 500 pistols under Educational Order W-ORD-396 in 1940. They exhibit the high polish Dulite blue finish with excellent fit finish and that all of these Singer produced pistols were issued to the US Army Air Corp as a service side arm for air crews. There are very few Singer Manufactured Model 1911A1s still available on the collector market in original condition (like this example!).

4. The Apache Revolver

Photo sketchfab

Production: Unknown

Country of origin: Belgium

Year: 1860

Designer: Louis Dolne

Basically, the Apache revolver was an attempt to create the Leatherman Wave of handguns in the 19th century. And like many dedicated multitools, it had many functions, multiple implements and portability.

The design dates back from 1860s. The design was credited to Louise Dolne and the weapon was manufactured until the end of the1800s.

This weapon was unique since it combined the features of a gun (revolver), a knuckle duster and a dagger.

Firstly, let’s talk about its deadliest feature, the revolver. It was based on a pepperbox revolver using pinfire cartridges. The pepperbox revolver is basically a handheld semiautomatic Gatling gun. Imagine a multi-barreled machine gun being scaled down to the size of a pistol. That’s exactly what a pepperbox revolver looks like, except that it won’t fire in full auto. The cylinder is the barrel itself. And in the case of the Apache revolver, the gun feature lacks a barrel but uses cylinders instead.

5. Treeby Chain Gun

Photo Pinterest

Production: 2 units

Country of origin: Britain

Year: 1855

Designer: Thomas Treeby

The Treeby chain gun was a .54 caliber percussion rifle that could fire 14 rounds in rapid succession. Designed in 1854, it was unlike anything else available at the time. Only two were ever made, with the hope of receiving a contract from the British Army. The gun was tested and found wanting, and no further production was ever undertaken.

Firing the Treeby rifle requires following a specific process. First, of course, each of the 14 chambers must be loaded with powder and ball, and a percussion cap placed on the firing nipple on each one. Once the weapon is all loaded, the lever on the barrel must be rotated up. The barrel is connected to the frame by way of a very coarse thread, so lifting the barrel lever pulls the barrel forward, away from the chamber. Next, the hammer is manually cocked, which rotates the chain of chambers and indexes one into position. Then the barrel lever is rotated back down, pulling the barrel in and sealing it against the chamber. Only now can the trigger be pulled, which fires the round currently sealed up to the barrel.

6. Colt Walker

Photo wikimedia

Production: 1100

Country of origin: United States

Year: 1847

Designer: Samuel Colt and Captain Samuel Walker

Ranger Captain Samuel Walker approached American gun maker Samuel Colt to design a pistol that would be extremely powerful at a close range. With the specifications provided by Walker, Colt came up with the design of the single-action revolver Colt Walker.

Only 1100 specimens of this gun were ever made, 1000 for the US Army and 100 for civilians. The weight and size of the gun made it difficult to handle the gun comfortably. Besides, the cylinders of many of them got ruptured after firing. Around 300 guns were returned to Colt for repair. Only about 10% of these guns survive today.

Sam Wilson’s Colt Walker

• Price: $920,000

• Sale: October 2008

• Auction House: James D. Julia, Inc.

This Colt Walker pistol was given to Pvt. Sam Wilson, a Texas Ranger, in 1847. The Colt Walker pistols were a collaboration between famous Texas Ranger Samuel Walker and Samuel Colt, and they were to be used exclusively for Texas Rangers. It’s said that only 1,100 of these pistols were made, and only about 170 are in existence today.

7. Nock Gun

Photo armourer bench

Production: 526 (first model) and 655 (second model)

Country of origin: The United Kingdom

Year: 1779

Designer: James Wilson

Commonly referred to as Nock Guns, the seven barrel volley guns were actually designed by James Wilson. Wilson presented his design to the Board of Ordnance for testing in July 1779. Following testing at Woolwich Arsenal the Board of Ordnance decided that the guns, while of no use to the Army, might be useful aboard the Royal Navy’s ships. The volley gun’s impressive firepower could be devastating at the relatively short ranges aboard ships. The Navy had historically used blunderbusses/musketoons and the Board of Ordnance probably viewed Wilson’s gun as an advancement of this concept. London gunmaker Henry Nock was given an order for two ‘seven barrelled rifle guns’ for Admiralty testing but these proved slow to load in action and subsequent guns had smoothbore barrels.

8. Winchester Model 73

Photo rifle gear

Country of origin: United States

Year: 1873

Designer: John Moses Browning

The Winchester 1873 Rifle was called the “rifle that won the West.” This piece of history is available in 7 distinctive models, including the Uberti 1873 Carbine and the Uberti 1873 Special Sporting Rifle, and others.

When the gun was first offered, it was chambered in the powerful new .44-.40 cartridge. The .44 caliber bullet was propelled by 40 grains of black powder.

The success of the 1873 Rifle was assured when Colt quickly offered its Peacemaker in the same caliber. Then a cowboy needed only 1 cartridge belt for a lever-action rifle plus his 6-shooter.

Exclusively available in 2018, the Uberti USA 1873 Limited Edition Short Rifle Deluxe takes the basic model to new heights of beauty and functionality.

9. Magpul FMG-9

Photo wiki

Production: 1 unit

Country of origin: United States

Year: 2008

Designer: Magpul Industries

Magpul FMG-9 is a prototype that never went to production. It was designed as a folding submachine gun based on a modified Glock 18. The firearm was made with polymer instead of metal to make it lightweight.

The gun was designed primarily for the ease of conceal-carry. It could be folded and put in a small box. Magpul made it clear that they produced the gun only as a proof of concept and didn’t have any intention to bring it into production.

In 2010 Magpul Industries released the Folding Pocket gun almost identical to the FMG-9 prototype. However, the firing mechanism for this gun was different from that of the FMG-9 prototype.

10. Rock-Ola M1 Carbine

Year: 1944

Designer: Magpul Industries

Main Manufacture & Identification Codes: "R" "Rock-Ola"

Main Plant Location: Chicago, Illinois.

Average Cost to Government per completed rifle: $58

World Wars make strange bedfellows. We needed lots of arms and we needed them quickly. So, the Department of War bid out contracts to make pre-designed firearms. Some unusual companies won the bids and made some pretty rare guns. It would be like Apple Computers made a bunch of bayonets today.

In WWII, you could be a super cool cat that coined “Rock and Roll” with its jukeboxes for the hip crowd, and make M1 .30 carbines for the officers of WWII who couldn’t hit anything with their pistols. Yeah, there were lots of other companies who made the M1 like IBM and the Underwood Typewriter Company, but the Rock-Ola is supposedly the rarest. You will get $3,000 to $4,000.

11. Cabot 1911

Photo Getty

Year: 1911

Country of origin: USA

Designer: Rob Bianchin

Officially the most expensive gun for sale in the world? Maybe. At $4.5 Million USD, the pair of Cabot 1911’s made from (mostly) meteorite are something to behold. Meteorite in small sizes is not particularly rare, but to have enough of it to craft two full-sized 1911 pistols from – that’s something special, not to mention how tough it is to machine meteorite. Cabot has something truly special, if not a complete novelty made only for the purposes of headlines and absurdity.

Conclusion

Many rare types exist in the gun world and justify being the most expensive types of guns. Most will eventually find their way to the auction block as the heir to the family fortune loses interest, or as money dictates the necessity. These will be the clear majority of guns in the upper echelon of the market.

Others may never see the auctioneer’s gavel because they are too historically valuable or are controlled by well-off individuals or corporations.