Sleeve gun
Sleeve gun / Wrist gun is a generic term for a small firearm designed to be concealed under a long-sleeved coat or jacket—in fictional examples there is often a device with a mechanism to extend it out into the hand to fire.
Real examples[edit]
The "sleeve gun" was developed during World War II by Station IX of the Special Operations Executive. The design was by Hugh Reeves.[1] It was essentially a version of the noise-suppressed Welrod pistol, minus the pistol grip, and produced in both .32 ACP and 9×19mm.[2][3] Between 150 and 200 of the guns were manufactured almost certainly by Birmingham Small Arms Company.[4][5] A Mark 1 version was designed but its unclear if it ever made it off the drawing board.[6]
Fictional examples[edit]
Though designs vary, most fictional sleeve guns involve a small conventional pistol on a sliding or telescoping rail, which quickly releases the weapon into the hand for firing,[7] either by a trigger mechanism, or just the sudden movement of the forearm. Such sleeve guns have appeared in multiple media.
In comics[edit]
- The Punisher Back to School Special (1992-1994)[8]
- Blade of the Phantom Master (2001-2007)
In film and television[edit]
Film[edit]
- Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)
- Taxi Driver (1976)[9]
- Blood Debts (1985)
- Red Heat (1988)
- The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)
- Aces: Iron Eagle III (1992)
- Maverick (1994)
- Desperado (1995)
- Alien Resurrection (1997)
- Equilibrium (2002)
- Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Sukiyaki Western Django (2007)
- Hot Fuzz (2007)
- Sherlock Holmes (2009)
- Django Unchained (2012)[10]
Television[edit]
- The Wild Wild West (1965–1969)[11]
- Hogan's Heroes (1965-1971)
- Jumanji (TV series) (1996)
- Archer (2009)
- Hetty in NCIS: Los Angeles carries one (2009 to present)
- Justified (2010)
- The Walking Dead (TV series) (2011)[12]
- Fargo (2014)
- Timeless (TV series) (2016)
- Vice Principals (2017)
- Gotham (TV series) (2017)
- Warrior (TV series) (2019)
- Walker (TV series) (2021)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Jonathan Ferguson (15 Jun 2022). The silenced, concealable stripped back Welrod, with weapons and firearms expert, Jonathan Ferguson. Royal Armouries. Event occurs at 1:40-1:50. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ "Sleeve Gun". Timelapse. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
- ^ Fredric Boyce and Douglas Everett. SOE The Scientific Secrets.
- ^ Jonathan Ferguson (15 Jun 2022). The silenced, concealable stripped back Welrod, with weapons and firearms expert, Jonathan Ferguson. Royal Armouries. Event occurs at 9:10-9:30. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ Jonathan Ferguson (15 Jun 2022). The silenced, concealable stripped back Welrod, with weapons and firearms expert, Jonathan Ferguson. Royal Armouries. Event occurs at 10:30-11:00. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ Jonathan Ferguson (15 Jun 2022). The silenced, concealable stripped back Welrod, with weapons and firearms expert, Jonathan Ferguson. Royal Armouries. Event occurs at 2:25-2:40. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ Wolfgang Michel: Britische Schalldämpferwaffen 1939–1945: Entwicklung, Technik, Wirkung. ISBN 978-3-8370-2149-3
- ^ Punisher Back to School Special "Sorry, My Mistake", vol. 1, #2 October, 1993
- ^ Leigh, Danny. "Why we are locked in the back of Taxi Driver's mind". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ Steinberg, Don (14 December 2012). "Tarantino Tackles Slavery". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ "Jim West's Sleeve Gun (Wild Wild West)". Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 2010-12-29. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
- ^ "East (The Walking Dead)", Wikipedia, 2021-10-19, retrieved 2021-12-27
External links[edit]
Media related to Sleeve gun at Wikimedia Commons- Firearm with underarm gun stock
- Firearm apparatus to be worn on the user's forearm
- Forearm gun
- Multi-Barrel Firearm Apparatus Worn on the User's Forearm
