Small Guns with a Big Sting

TL;DR

Five of history's smallest firearms prove that compact guns can still deliver meaningful stopping power and concealability despite their diminutive size.

Key Points

• 1.The Calibri pistol is the smallest production pistol in history. Designed in 1914 by Austrian watchmaker France Fanel, it fires a 2.7mm bullet weighing 3 grains — comparable to a grain of rice — with only 3 ft-lb of force, less than an air pistol pellet.
• 2.The North American Arms Mini Revolver prioritizes concealability over firepower. At just 4 inches long and 6 oz unloaded, this .22 LR single-action revolver is considered a backup weapon due to its underpowered round and cumbersome cylinder-detach reloading process.
• 3.The Bond Arms Backup defies small-gun limitations by chambering the powerful .45 ACP round. Styled like a 19th-century derringer with a double-barreled over-under design, its modular barrel and grips allow swapping to 9mm, .357 Magnum, or .40 S&W.
• 4.The Beretta 950 Jetfire featured a unique tip-up barrel allowing single-round loading without racking the slide. Designed in the 1950s at 4.7 inches long and 10 oz, it was adopted by spies, undercover law enforcement, and featured prominently in Hollywood war and action films.
• 5.The CCAP LWS32 was so in demand that secondhand pistols sold for more than new ones. Hand-assembled in small quantities since 1985 and chambered in .32 ACP, the waiting list grew so long it created a premium secondhand market for gunsmith Ludwig Wilhelm Camp's compact pistol.