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In the early 1960s, an influential but little-known (today) firearms designer by the name of Robert Hillberg came up with an idea for a cheap-but-effective armament for the masses. With encouragement from DARPA, the Winchester company took up manufacture and development of the design, under the name “Liberator”.
The guns were initially planned to be made almost entirely as magnesium castings, with steel liners in the barrels, with a total cost of about $20 per gun. They would use prepackaged 4-round ammunition packets as well, rather than standard individual shotgun shells. By the time production was actually begun, however, the design had been altered to a break-action system using regular shells – the prepackaged quad-cartridges proved too difficult to perfect. So the production Mark II guns used conventional shells with a break-open action.
As it turned out, casting the frames over the steel barrel inserts was a quite difficult process, and Winchester soon moved to a MkIII design which replace the barrel casting with 4 independent all-steel barrels fixed at the muzzles by a stamped plate. By this time, however, military interest in the guns had fallen away and Winchester was left to try to market them commercially. They attempted to interest both police and civilian markets (although with 13 inch barrels, the guns were regulated by the NFA). None of these marketing attempts succeeded, and major production never began. The design was too impractical and guerrilla-oriented to really appeal to anyone with a more ordinary use (like recreational shooting, sport shooting, or security/law enforcement) in mind.
Thanks to the Cody Firearms Museum for allowing me access to film these! Check them out at:
https://centerofthewest.org/explore/firearms/
Related:
USAS-12 Combat Shotgun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKbC7ldO3fY
SPAS-12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcuOUBG0Fz0
Pancor Jackhammer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VKGhqIl4Gw
High Standard 10B Bullpup Shotgun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H5Z9umFlzk
Burgess Folding Shotgun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXvmGtLYwKA
Cobray Terminator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnpOis10NyQ
Cobray Streetsweeper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uoy14h6K5TY
Ishapore .410 Enfield: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzWrMhDYL3M
At Forgotten Weapons I think the most interesting guns out there are the most obscure ones. I try to search out experimental and prototype weapons and show you how they work, in addition to more conventional guns that you may not have heard of before. You’re much more likely to find a video on the Cei Rigotti or Webley-Fosbery here than an AR or Glock. So, do you want to learn about something new today? Then stick around!
Items you may have missed...
The Kit of Britishmuzzleloaders: PART SEVEN – Battledress, Khaki Drill, and the 1937 Web Equipment
The 1854/67 Wänzl rifle in caliber 14x33R
Seven shot flintock pistol, 20 shot revolver and other rarities at Holt’s booth at 2019 IWA
George Hyde’s First Submachine Gun: The Hyde Model 33
Bill Ruger’s Prototype WW2 Light Machine Gun
Final Prices: RIA September 2017 Premier Auction (and what I bought!)