The Gyrojet carbine and rifle at the National Firearms Museum
Type
Small arms (rocket launcher)
Place of origin
United States
Service history
Wars
Vietnam War
Production history
Designer
Robert Mainhardt
Art Biehl
Manufacturer
MBAssociates
Variants
See Variants
Specifications
Mass
0.88 lb (0.40 kg)
Length
10.88 in (27.6 cm)
Barrel length
5 in (13 cm)
Cartridge
Mark I: 13 mm rocket
Mark II: 12 mm rocket
Caliber
Mark I: .51 caliber
Mark II: .49 caliber
Action
Blowback
Rate of fire
60 RPM
Select fire (assault rifle variant)
Muzzle velocity
Very low, but increasing over trajectory to about 1250 fps
Effective firing range
55 yards (50 m)
Feed system
6-round internal box magazine (main variants)
Sights
Iron sights
The Gyrojet is a family of unique firearms developed in the 1960s named for the method of gyroscopically stabilizing its projectiles. Rather than inert bullets, Gyrojets fire small rockets called Microjets which have little recoil and do not require a heavy barrel or chamber to resist the pressure of the combustion gases. Velocity on leaving the tube was very low, but increased to around 1,250 feet per second (380 m/s) at 30 feet (9.1 m). The result is a very lightweight and transportable weapon.[1]
Long out of production, today they are a coveted collector's item with prices for even the most common model ranging above $1,000. They are rarely fired; ammunition, when available at all, can cost over $200 per round.[2]
^"MBA Gyrojet Pistol". biskun.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010.
The Gyrojet is a family of unique firearms developed in the 1960s named for the method of gyroscopically stabilizing its projectiles. Rather than inert...
Coilgun – Artillery using coils to electromagnetically propel a projectile Gyrojet – Firearm that fires small rocket projectiles Polymer-cased ammunition...
commonly the RPG-7) is a Soviet anti-tank weapon. A smaller variation is the gyrojet, a small arms rocket launcher with ammunition slightly larger than that...
Mk 1 Underwater Defense Gun The Lancejet (an underwater variant of the Gyrojet manufactured by MB Associates) was once considered for use by the United...
technology A very small rocket fired by a type of hand-held firearm called the Gyrojet This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Microjet...
Originally, the idea was for the LanceJet, a rocket-based weapon similar to the Gyrojet family of firearms, but rocket-powered weapons proved to be expensive and...
Global Information