Deer Gun

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Deer Gun
Deer Gun mod alu noBG.png
general information
Country of operation: Vietnam War
Developer / Manufacturer: CIA / American Machine and Foundry (AMF)
Development year: 1964
Manufacturer country: United States
Production time: since 1964
Weapon Category: Single-shot weapon / pistol
Furnishing
Overall length: 127 mm
Weight: (unloaded) approx. 0.34 kg
Barrel length : 48 mm
Technical specifications
Caliber : 9 × 19 mm (Parabellum)
Fire types: Single fire
Lists on the subject

The Deer Gun was a successor or a further development of the Liberator pistol produced during the Second World War . It was developed by the CIA during the Vietnam War . The single-shot weapon was to be distributed to South Vietnamese guerrillas as a short-range weapon for use against North Vietnamese soldiers and the Viet Cong .

history

Instructions for Using the Deer Gun

An initial batch of 1,000 was produced as a test run in 1964, with an estimated final cost of $ 3.95 (2019 inflation-adjusted price: $ 32.12) per weapon. It was planned to drop the Deer Gun, similar to the Liberator produced in World War II, on small parachutes over the areas of the "mountain peoples" (such as the Montagnards ) who largely supported the south . Since the Vietnam War developed very quickly from a small, locally limited conflict to a large proxy war in which the Deer Gun with its limited potential quickly became superfluous, further production was discontinued. A few specimens were issued and tested in Vietnam; there is no reliable information about the fate of the remaining weapons. Most sources state that all remaining specimens were destroyed.

description

Illustration of a Deer Gun in the olive-green insert paint

In contrast to its predecessor, which was manufactured using the sheet metal stamping process, the Deer Gun was made of cast aluminum, which was also a very inexpensive form of production. In terms of ammunition, the .45 ACP cartridge was switched to the 9 × 19 mm caliber (Parabellum) , one of the most widely used cartridges in the world. The lock with the associated components was housed in a cylinder above the handle. The firing pin protruded from the back of the breech block and had to be cocked manually to fire. When the gun was fully loaded, a small plastic clip was attached between the housing and the firing pin to prevent accidental firing, as the Deer Gun had no mechanical safety device. The grip was embossed with a grid relief for better handling, was hollow on the inside and sealed with a plastic cap on the underside. It had space for three 9mm cartridges and a metal pin with which the fired case could be removed from the chamber. The Deer Gun lacked any markings such as serial numbers or emblems with which the manufacturer or user could be identified, mainly to prevent the tracing of the guns, which would have exposed the involvement of the US intelligence services at this early stage of the conflict. All weapons were delivered in unmarked styrofoam boxes with three 9mm cartridges and a series of illustrations explaining the use of the weapon non-verbally . An embossed groove on the top of the weapon should serve as a rough sighting aid and make aiming easier. To load and remove the empty cartridge case, the barrel had to be unscrewed and then screwed back in. The weapon did not have a ring around the trigger guard. In contrast to the weapons shown in most of the well-known photos, the specimens that were used were painted in matt olive to prevent unwanted light reflections.

functionality

The Deer Gun was loaded by unscrewing the barrel and inserting a 9mm cartridge into the chamber. Then the firing pin was cocked by pulling it backwards and a small plastic clip was placed around the pin to prevent it from bouncing forward and thus avoiding an accidental fire. The barrel was then screwed back onto the gun. The Deer Gun was fired by removing the plastic clip and pulling the trigger. After a successful hit, the user should, if possible, take over the victim's equipment and continue to fight with it or flee to improve his own combat value . The user later reloaded the weapon by unscrewing the barrel and pushing out the empty cartridge case with the supplied metal pin, as described in the instruction sheet supplied.

Trivia

Due to the low mintage of 1,000 pieces and the very likely destruction of most weapons, specimens obtained at auctions achieve quite high collector prices. At an auction in Illinois (USA) in 2011, according to the auction house's website, a price of 25,875 US dollars was reached.

There are various theories about the unusual name. Several researchers and senior military personnel have speculated as to the origin of the Deer Gun name. Some assume it is an agency code name that sardonically refers to a weapon of survival. One thesis is that the weapon was named after an OSS operation from World War II, the “Deer Mission” in Burma. Another approach is that the word “Deer” is wrong and should actually be “DEAR”, according to DEnied ARea (prohibited zone).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Ian V Hogg, John Walter: Pistols of the World , 4th edition, David & Charles, Iola, WI 2004, ISBN 978-0-87349-460-1 , p. 353.
  2. ↑ https://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=1&year=1964
  3. ^ Ian V. Hogg: Military Small Arms of the 20th Century: A Comprehensive Illustrated Encyclopaedia of the World's Small-Caliber Firearms . DBI Books, 1991, ISBN 978-0-87349-120-4 , pp. 27 .
  4. ^ Ian McCollum: The CIA's New Liberator: the 9mm Deer Gun. In: Forgotten Weapons. February 2, 2015, accessed December 4, 2019 (YouTube video).
  5. ^ Bernard Fitzsimons: The Illustrated encyclopedia of 20th century weapons and warfare . Columbia House, 1978, pp. 2052-2053.
  6. ↑ https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/54/3724/unknown-single-shot-pistol-9-mm-parabellum
  7. ↑ http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=3699