104: Widowmaker, Revolving Rifles & Gun Fails You Won’t Believe

This week on the No Lowballers Podcast, Logan Metesh of High Caliber History and Allen Forkner of GunBroker.com dive into firearms that earned reputations as dangerous by design. From shotguns with flawed engineering to revolving rifles that put shooters directly in harm’s way, we look at the missteps in firearms history that left lasting scars — both figuratively and literally.

Join us as we explore how patent law, stubborn manufacturers, and inventive but risky designs led to some of the most infamous guns ever made. Along the way, we’ll connect the dots to modern firearms and the lessons learned (or sometimes ignored) by today’s gunmakers.

🔍 Episode Highlights:

• The Winchester Model 1911 SL “Widowmaker” and why its lack of a charging handle made it one of the most dangerous shotguns ever produced
• How Browning’s Auto-5 patents forced competitors into unsafe design workarounds
• Stories of chainfires, scorched hands, and why grabbing a hot barrel is never a good idea
• Revolving rifles, harmonica guns, and other repeaters that put shooters in the line of fire
• Patent protections that shaped the arms industry — and why they sometimes saved us from even worse designs
• The enduring impact of flawed firearms, including a 2005 police station accident caused by a Widowmaker
• Why collectors still chase these historically significant but inherently unsafe guns
• Don’t miss this winding but fascinating episode that reminds us how far firearm safety and design have come — and why some mistakes are best left in the past.

Share with a friend who loves firearms history, and let us know in the comments which dangerous designs we overlooked.

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