1960s Cool: The Rarely Seen Gyrojet Semi-Auto Rocket Pistol

By Chris Eger

Used both in secret agent movies and by real-life black ops teams, the Gyrojet Rocket Pistol was ultra-cool but ultimately unsuccessful.
Invented about the same time as The Jetsons were a hit TV show, nuclear weapons researcher Bob Mainhardt and arms designer Art Biehl came together to form MB Associates (after their initials) to explore rocket projects. In addition to a reasonably popular handheld flare projector, they also looked to produce a series or rocket-firing weapons with an eye towards military contracts.
The long-expired patent #3,212,402 for the Gyrojet was filed in 1962 by Mathew C. Hengel, Arthur T Biehl, and Robert Mainhardt on behalf of MBA and was issued in 1965.
These guns– both pistols, and rifles– would be incredibly light (as low as 16-ounces), near recoilless, and powerful. In effect, they would be multi-shot rocket launchers that could be carried and fired by virtually anyone.
The gun itself was an inexpensive affair. It was made largely from zamak, a zinc alloy (think Hi-Point) with a very thin steel barrel. (Photo: Richard Taylor/Guns.com)
A fixed seven-shot magazine loaded through the top of the chamber like the old Broomhandle Mauser pistol. Since the entire rocket cartridge fired and left via the muzzle, there was no

Source: Guns.com