Stoehr machine pistol

The Stoehr machine pistol is an experimental American prototype firearm designed by Donald Stoehr during the late 20th century. Chambered in .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (.22 WMR), the weapon featured a bullpup configuration, a blow-forward operating system, and a top-mounted spiral magazine using a metallic tape feed system. The firearm never entered production.

History

Little public documentation survives regarding the development of the experimental Stoehr machine pistol. The weapon is generally attributed to American designer Donald Stoehr and is believed to date from the late 1960s or 1970s. The firearm remained at the prototype stage and no evidence of military or commercial adoption is known. According to later firearms publications and online forum discussions among collectors, approximately five prototypes may have been produced before the project was abandoned.

Donald A. Stoehr is also known for designing the experimental TRW Low Maintenance Rifle developed in the early 1970s for the Vietnam war.

Description

The Stoehr machine pistol used a blow-forward operating mechanism, an unusual firearm action in which the barrel moves forward during cycling rather than relying on a conventional rearward-moving bolt assembly. The weapon was configured in a compact bullpup layout and lacked a traditional shoulder stock, instead resting along the shooter's forearm in the manner of an arm gun. The pan magazine likely fed 22 WMR cartridges and likely offered a high capacity. Expended sections of the tape were ejected from the weapon during operation.