Medusa Multi-Caliber Revolver

Sunday Gunday: Look Back at the Medusa Multi-Caliber Revolver

Have you ever heard of a revolver that shot multiple calibers?

The Medusa Multi-Caliber Revolver was the doomsday prepper's dream.

I remember seeing this gun at a local gun shop. The idea of being able to fire many different calibers from one revolver was just super-intriguing.

Having a tight budget, I never did purchase that revolver, which is too bad because it's now a collector's item and the prices have skyrocketed.

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Back in the late 1990s, Phillips & Rodgers produced the Medusa Model 47. It would digest .380 ACP, 9mm Luger, .38 ACP, .38 Auto, .38 Colt Super, .38 S & W, .38 Special and .357 Magnum ammunition. There were 25 different calibers the Medusa 47 could supposedly fire. What other revolver has ever been able to do that?

Based on a Smith & Wesson K-Frame, the Medusa Model 47 looked to have a bright future ahead of it. Unique, spring-loaded teeth in the cylinder allowed rimless cartridges to function and extract from the double-action revolver. The barrel was made with chrome-moly steel, making the gun strong and a bit heavy.

The Phillips & Rodgers, Inc. Medusa Model 47 was going to be a favorite of lawmen, woodsmen and military for self-defense. Well, the revolvers were only made in small numbers, and not for very long. Accuracy with free-bore cartridges and extraction issues may have doomed this concept.

If you find a Medusa Model 47 Multi-Caliber Revolver, though, be ready to pay a high price.

Do you like articles about the outdoors? Click here to view more articles by Eric Nestor. You can follow him @ericthewoodsman on Twitter, The Classic Woodsman on Facebook, and @theclassicwoodsman on Instagram.  You can view more Nestor Photography photos at Nestor Photography.  

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