This post was originally published here.
In 1985, I received an exotic, modified 6-inch S&W K-38 revolver from the Phillips and Rodgers Company in Texas. What was different about the gun was its special smooth, round cylinder, still in the white with no flutes, but that wasn’t all. This gun’s cylinder would accept virtually every 9mm and .38-caliber handgun cartridge in the world. The list included .38 S&W, .38 Short Colt, .38 Long Colt, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .380, 9×19, 9mm Ultra, 9mm Bayard Long, 9mm Styer, 9×23 Winchester, .356 TSW, .38 Super. .38 TJ, 9mm Winchester Magnum and more. How is this possible?
The chambers of this revolver were like no other. I described the drawing as three chambers within a chamber with all six chambers able to be loaded with any of the above, fired and ejected as normal. How? All ammunition is flush with the cylinder, and the ejector has six spring steel “teeth,” each set just inside a small cut. The teeth are all pushed aside by the cartridges as inserted and are simply ejected as normal with the teeth catching the rimless casings.
Going to Market With The Medusa
The gun I had was only the test piece, but Phillips and Rodgers was nearing completion of its own revolver with some improvements such as a spring-loaded firing pin, round butt and a great double action! With several people discussing what to call the gun, someone suggested “Medusa” (after the Greek maiden who could ward off enemies with her hair of many snakes), but the P&R Medusa had an appearance all its own without snakes. It had a relatively heavy match-grade barrel, adjustable sights, a smooth, non-fluted cylinder and a visible spring around the ejector rod that worked the six ejectors. The barrel was offered in 2.5-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-inch lengths with one 8-inch presentation Medusa made.
The Medusa was immediately popular, and P&R shipped one to the German Magazine, Visier. The Visier promoted the gun, pronouncing it the Bullseye gun of 1994 and presented P&R with that award. The owner of Visier magazine submitted the Medusa for approval, but the German Government refused to allow such a gun of many calibers into the Fatherland where it was verboten to own more than one caliber. However, 25 Medusas were sold to a company in Switzerland where its people are trusted and are free to own firearms.
Phillips and Rodgers sold less than 300 Medusas in America and stopped production, but the patent was valid, and the design lingered on until Colt discovered it, but that’s another story.
Shoot ’Em All 9mm & .38 Cartridges
So, what was the gimmick with the Medusa? Zero! One could simply buy the handgun and just shoot .38 Special, .357 Magnum or 9x19mm. However, what if suddenly none of those calibers were to be had? What about the other calibers? Let’s say a person had a few rounds of .38 S&W, .38 Super, or 9×23 ammo, or perhaps 9mm Bayard Long, 9mm Styer or 9mm Mauser laying around. I happen to have a few dozen in my collection. Wouldn’t it be handy or even fun if you had something in which you could shoot them? Or had to?
Having a handgun like the Medusa sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Too bad it’ll never again be made (or will it)?
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