For those of us who carry concealed handguns on a daily basis, it's often a necessity to “dress around the gun” by wearing slightly roomier and less-form-fitting clothes. Of course, carrying a smaller pistol makes this less of a challenge — but how small should you go? Most will settle on a subcompact, while a few will consider pocket pistols with even smaller frames. At the most extreme end of this spectrum is the 2.7mm Kolibri, the smallest centerfire pistol that was ever mass-produced. In a classic Forgotten Weapons episode from back in 2014, Ian McCollum gets his hand (singular) on one of the few remaining examples of the world's smallest pistol.
![Forgotten Weapons: The World’s Smallest Pistol](https://bushcrafttips.com/images/blog/thumbnails/202211/img_0511032031.jpg)
The Kolibri, which means “hummingbird” in German, was developed by an Austrian watchmaker named Franz Pfannl and released in 1914. It fires a 3-grain bullet. No, that's not a typo — three grains. For a quick comparison, that's 7.5% of the weight of a 40-grain .22LR projectile, or less than 3% of the weight of a common 115-grain 9mm.
This 2.7mm round delivers 3 foot-pounds of muzzle energy, which was reportedly enough to penetrate about an inch into a pine wood board. It was also said to be quite inaccurate, since early-1900s machining technology made it difficult to add rifling to the tiny barrel. Understandably, it seems that this weapon was not well-received as a practical tool for self-defense.
![Forgotten Weapons: The World’s Smallest Pistol](https://bushcrafttips.com/images/blog/thumbnails/202211/img_05110320311.jpg)
Unlike the simple derringers that are a mainstay of this ultra-compact pistol category, the Kolibri uses a semi-auto blowback mechanism with a reciprocating slide. It even has a removable magazine that holds six rounds. About 1,000 of these pistols were produced before they were discontinued in 1938.
For a closer look at the world's smallest pistol and some more interesting details, check out the Forgotten Weapons episode below. We agree with McCollum's conclusion: “It may be insanely impractical, but it's a great piece of mechanical art.”
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The post Forgotten Weapons: The World’s Smallest Pistol appeared first on RECOIL OFFGRID.
By: Patrick McCarthy
Title: Forgotten Weapons: The World’s Smallest Pistol
Sourced From: www.offgridweb.com/gear/forgotten-weapons-the-worlds-smallest-pistol/
Published Date: Sat, 05 Nov 2022 11:00:54 +0000
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