|
Here is some more info
According to an article by David Truby, the Deer Gun was designed by Russell J. Moure, Chief Engineer for American Machine & Foundry's Special Firearms Division, at the request of the CIA. His mission was to design a replacement for the Liberator Pistol. The cost of the pistol was to be under $4.00. After examining Moure's prototype the CIA ordered 1,000 pistols and gave AMF a development contract for $300,000.00. The article says only 1000 pistols were made in the 1962-1963 time frame. This puts the cost at $300.00 each. Moure said that if they had received additional contracts the cost could have been $3.95 each. There are two possible reasons in the article for the name Deer Gun. One does not check out and the other is an opinion, made by an individual. It has been estimated by Keith Melton that about 15 to 20 of these pistols have survived. In my limited research I have found 5 and feel there are more than 20. One that I found does not have the serrations on the grip and has a black color.
CIA Deer Gun
How this pistol came to be called the Deer gun is a mystery.
It was manufactured in the early 1960s for the CIA. (Some Say by Winchester Repeating Arms.) The intended use was for clandestine operations in Southeast Asia. It had a CIA catalog listing as "Pistol, 9 millimeter, [FSN] 1395-H00-9108, Parabellum, single shot, 2.0 in. barrel, reloadable, c/w 3 cartridges in grip, packed for air drop." It was packed in a polystyrene box with three cartridges and an instruction sheet. It could be air dropped, and if it landed in water it would float.
|