Maxim-Silverman .455 Caliber Behemoth of a Pistol
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มี.ค. 2021
- / forgottenweapons
www.floatplane.com/channel/Fo...
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! shop.bbtv.com/collections/forg...
Hiram Maxim’s hired shop supervisor was a man named Louis Silverman. He was a skilled engineer, who was treated rather poorly by Maxim, and whose contributions were systematically understated. One of the most interesting projects Silverman partook in was the design of a self-loading pistol in 1896. A patent was taken out in the names of both he and Maxim, but the lack of discussion by in Maxim’s papers makes it clear that the idea was Silverman’s.
The pistol was simple and efficient; easy to make and quite forward-looking. However, it was crippled by the choice to use cartridges too powerful for its simple blowback operation. Today we are taking a look at the particular massive example made in .455 Webley. The other two regular Maxim-Silverman pistols are rather large, and this one is a true behemoth…
For more information, see my full article on the design, and my video on the surviving 7.65mm Borchardt example:
www.forgottenweapons.com/maxi...
• Maxim Silverman Model ...
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle 36270
Tucson, AZ 85740
A: You can kill a horse with this pistol.
B: What kind of caliber is that?
A: Oh yes, you can shoot with it too.
Don't fire it from a horse.! If your lucky the horse won't go over backwards with you.
"Just hit it in the forehead, it won't damage the gun"
"Oh I was thinking you discharged your weapon"
"No, it's ammunition conservation at it's simplest"
Hemingway reported killing many horses with a .22 pistol from Abercrombie & Fitch
@@OmikronZeta Btw.: It is possible to kill a horse using a pencil.
@@OmikronZeta Btw.: It is possible to kill a horse using a pencil.
As an Australian, I think if I threw that it'd come back to me.
😂 Excellent comment !
in Australian accent "you call that a gun? THIS is a gun!"
nah it would fall to the sun since they dont make ground harnesses for these bad boys
@@ericpode6095 Beat me to it 😂!
“You call that a knoife?!”
Someone give this man some vegemite!
So only three Silverman pistols ever existed and Ian manages to have two of them in front of him ? What sorcery is this ?
Some guns only reveal themselves to true pilgrims of the double-base trail. They resonate with Ian for he knows them as no other does.
He has powers to summon them at will
@@RZombie45 Some of the older texts refer to it as black powder magic.
Not only that but he's handled all three now. The Silverman pistol he did a video on previously had a smooth barrel, the smaller one in this video had an octagonal barrel.
@@Kneb587 Legend holds that, if all three are brought to the same place and fired, the gunsmoke will form into an arrow shape showing the way to the true grave site of John Browning, where the fabled Holy 1911 is kept. Made out of pure gold and filigreed silver, the bullets were hand loaded on the thighs of Cuban virgins. The story goes that firing it will grant the holder their hearts desire.
Maxim: Wait...why do you even need a gun THAT big?
Silverman: That guy on the moon keeps flipping me off....
"It will hold 7 rounds of whatever goes in it."
Gun Jesus - 2021
Amen.
What she said 🤭
*Casually loads paper cartridge*
Fiat Pandas?
Some weapons manage to look futuristic for over 100 years.
Очень красивый пистолет
I wonder if this is the genesis of the 'tube gun'?
Yeah, doesn't this show up in Star Wars? Seems too big for Leia's gun, but (from memory) looks similar to the one she has in the first movie. Either way, definitely has that scifi vibe.
@@baconsarny-geddon8298 doesnt padre use a similar pistol too?
I'd show you the gauntlet that directs microwaves but I'm positive that the U.S government and TH-cam guidelines would simply delete the footage from the internet
Ian throwing truckloads of shade at Maxim and his ego and I'm all here for it.
He Watches the Watchmen.
I love that Ian just manages to have a 1911 for scale almost anywhere he goes
I think it's just his personal 1911. He doesn't use it for self defense, he never would. Ian 100% uses some obscure 1920s french pistol chambered in the weirdest round ever made. He just carries it around everywhere and whenever he needs to measure something he pulls it out and uses it as a comparison
You don’t?
@@Momo_Kawashimalike how some carry a tape measure everywhere, yeah.
It's a manstopper for a man who shall not be stopped.
So your saying john wick used it
@@squirrelhunter1300 I don't think so. Mr. Wick would probably use something like a Glock 18 with a supressor. This was probably used by one of his unknown cousins(Russian-Polish), Veniedict and Krystof Wyckovksi,who are going for the crude overkill effect as well.
Are you sure it's not a bearstopper?
The Juggernaut?
And Maxim stopped him
andre the giant: "so i need a handgun, and..."
*silverman slams the table*: "I HAVE JUST THE THING FOR YOU PAL!"
"Anybody want a peanut"
* *smashes the entire bag with the pistol butt* *
@@sammaxgoof8507 entire bag? ENTIRE TABLE!
"That's wonderful."
@πe3 He couldn't fit his finger into the trigger guard.
😄
Desert Eagle: Who are you?
Silverman .455: Ich bin Du, aber besser
I understood that and I only know basic german 🤘🏻
Idk German but meme knowledge tells me that u said "I'm you but better"
There might be more parts in the DE, but the DE works.
@@slaughterround643 dolan pls
@BloodLord81 Nope, Du is correct.
"Because Hiram Maxim was a jerk" I laughed way to loud to that one
Well, he was a man, who according to legend invented the modern machine gun, because someone told him "If you want to make REAL money, you should invent something that will help those Europeans slit each other's throats faster"
@@weldonwin Are you sure that’s legit kind of sounds like bs
@@ngkngk875 Maxim was a man who wanted to get rich and someone told him he would get seriously rich if he invented weapons. You will notice that I preface that quote with "According to Legend"
@@weldonwin who is more of jerk - the man who makes a knife or the man who just wont stop slitting peoples throats?
@@weldonwin he basically edison of firearms world.
The Desert Eagle of choice for all reputable time travellers.
For when you absolutely have to stop a charging Brontosaur
@@maxkennedy8075 💀
Except .455 Webley is less powerful than ,45 ACP.
😂
@@88porpoise imagine this gun in 50 accion express
Now, I want a photo of this on a Tee shirt with the phrase, "Hiram Maxium was a jerk."
Lmao!!! Great comment 😝👍
@@jeeplife2035 with the note: "Ian McCollum, 2021"
That would be hilarious! I'm in, give me two of these shirts 😄.
@@franciscoschwarz6451 heck yeah I’m in with ya
Sign me up!
like a patent drawing?
“Only 3 in existence” has two in the same room.
All praise Gun Jesus!
he is our good lord
Has the 3rd too 👌🏼🔥
No, he had one, the smaller model may have had many more manufactured.
He materialized it with his noodly appendage.
I love the aesthetics here, extra long grip and all. It's just so clean, simple and elegant; futuristic in a timeless way.
You had 2/3 of all the Maxim/Silverman pistols ever made on the table in front of you! Some people have all the fun.
He had the third one in a IWB-holster on his back. On his way to the mud testing place!
@Rider of the North Wait actually?
@@hectorpilgaardgertz5377 No. Not at all, sweet innocent one. I was joking.
@@RiderOftheNorth1968 -- Isn't he in Arizona? Where do they find "mud" there? You kind of need to have *water* to have *mud* ... Do they import the mud? :)
@@jakeblanton6853 Why yes of course they import the mud, from Elbonia naturally.
Hand in your Sterlings boys...the Empire has a new blaster !
I got the space gun vibe too, but more of a Naboo Royal Guard blaster than Imperial Stormtrooper.
Yeah, the Naboo blaster pistol resembles this pretty closely. It came in two sizes too, a full size handgun and a short barreled hold-out gun.
PDW for the Empire xD
@@wolfehoffmann2697 this really looks like a more bare bones version of jango's twin blaster pistols
@@707paws8 that’s what I thought too. This is what Jango brings out when he wants to put a bounty, or Jedi, down with extreme prejudice.
I seriously wish I could start a gun manufacturing company so I could make all these old interesting guns in modern calibers and lighter stronger materials.
For real!
Or a few for antiquated calibers, at that.
"He talks about Silverman... When he has to."
That was just the perfect pause and punchline drop! Thank you for this slightly comedic twist.
Gun Jesus: "Only 3 in existence"
Me: "I'll take 10 of them"
Buy 3 get 0 free.
Let's not forget, he also reviewed the 3rd one a while back
@@nolanwood99
He really is gun Jesus
Reminds me of the fictional guns used by the Sandmen in Logan's Run.
I was just thinking the same thing.
I was thinking the sidearms the Star Force used from Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers
@@kfeltenberger bloody hell, I was just watching that show!
@@kfeltenberger Those were based on the Nambu.
@@Dr_Mauser They may have been inspired by the Nambu, but this is also visually similar.
Imagine THIS in the famous Crocodile Dundee "knoife" scene ...
"He's got a pistol!"
"A pistol? That's not a pistol ... THIS is a pistol!!" ;-)
So, that's two. What happens when you bring all 3 Maxim-Silverman pistols together? Is it like an Infinity Stones dealie where you gain the power of ultimate dakka, or is it like an Indiana Jones or Da Vinci Code thing there they combine to point the way to the gun Hitler shot himself with?
Oh man, NEVER do that!
If you bring all three guns together you reunite the parts of his soul... and make him vulnerable to mortal weapons
it spawns the wither
He said there were only three of the .455 version.
Both
That whole bolt/receiver setup is giving me STEN gun vibes.
You are spot on, it’s the Stens grandad!
Was giving me a Sterling vibe.
Toobes, toobes for all.
It puts me in mind of a needle-fire rifle for some reason.
You imagine a sten in .455?
What a hambeast of a pistol. They likely stopped at 3 because they were running out of material.
"Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, 'Dear God! What is that thing'..."
There really is a Princess Bride quote for every occasion
@@anthonyhayes1267 inconceivable!
I still can't believe that thing was produced when semi-autos were a new thing. It's just so sleek and efficient looking.
Reminds me to broken tree branches that looks like a shape of a pistol hahah
toys to us poor kids 😂
You are so right!!!
That brings back memories!
@@anonymous1hahaa Yep, I spent a lot of time when I was a kid looking for the right stick so we could play "cop and robbers" or "army"....It wasn't too many years later the Army gave me a functional replacement 😀
Look like i use for my Sling shot .we use what we get
Another antique space gun.
It's a real boat-anchor of a weapon.
Ian, totally off topic, but I just had a university entrance audition in english and I really want to thank you, cause watching your videos during the years really helped me to improve my explanation skills in meaningful ways.
Thank your for your work from a big fan in Italy!
"Had he chambered it for French 32 longe, I could call his grandchildren to see if the still have any ammo..."
Starwars propmasters: Write that down! Write that down!
Just ad a scope and you are good to go.
It does look like Jango or padme's gun...
Makes the DL-44 look like a bb gun, "Heavy blaster pistol you say?, this is a heavy blaster pistol!".
Some weird gun: *exists*
Lucasfilm prop designers: "I'LL TAKE YOUR ENTIRE STOCK!"
Today on Forgotten Weapons: Jango Fett's blaster pistols.
@@troyjardine5850 Ian did those years ago. This is the very heavy blaster version.
Most star wars guns are pretty common guns
@@troyjardine5850
Looks more like Padmes gun
Only three Silverman pistols ever made and now he's handled all three of them. The smaller Silverman in this video had an octagonal barrel as opposed to the Silverman pistol from his previous video which had a smooth barrel.
I absolutely love the aesthetics of the Maxim-Silverman guns. Space guns from before there were space guns.
That gun looks like a Ramset or Captive-bolt gun...
Edit: It's funny how this could have been the first Sub-machinegun if Maxim had had a smaller ego.
Sometimes ideas and designs come before they are fully understood. If I had a wayback machine, I'd set up Mr. Silverman with his own company and some .380 Kurtz casings to start with. Something makes me think he would have been prolific in the mechanical engineering sciences.
Not to mention something that big might as well "have put a stock on it and call it carbine" written on it.
I was thinking that too. Add a stock and it could easily be a grip-magazine fed smg.
@@theinstitute1324 1890’s MP7
3:50 Did Ian drool on the grip? 🤣🤣🤣
Might just be sweat from his hands :p
Ian was so excited
Probably grease from the magazine?
@@alheadbme Grease doesn't dry nearly that fast.
This pistol is one of the most retro sci fi looking guns ever
Very Jango/Boba Fett. Remember, no disintegrations...
Its guns like these that make me appreciate Ian and his work. So much history and ingenuity can go into just 17 pieces of metal, which, without these videos, would've all been forgotten.
Yessss well put, very well put.
Hi, Ian. I'm pretty sure I saw one of those pistols in the Roswell Museum, labeled, "Alien weapon found near saucer crash." Now I know they were just kidding around. Thanks for sharing! Stay healthy!
And Ian makes the leap from steam-punky to Buck Rogers... 😉
What a stunning pistol for 1896 !!! The 'cutouts' in the grip panel makes this pistol look so modern. I'm so glad Ian has amassed so many subscribers because this guy's knowledge is incredible.
This would be an awesome mechanism for a 9mm SMG. The non-disconnector could easily be made into a select fire system by choosing either a ramp sticking up that trips the sear when it goes into battery or the current semi auto system.
The maxim Silverman looks like something the elves would use in a fantasy steampunk setting IMO
Ian, your original video on Silverman’s pistol is still one of my favorite videos of all time so I can say with confidence that I’m damn excited to watch this one.
Yes!
And now I’ve watched it ten times over and enjoyed it every time. Thanks so much Ian. Cheers!
This is what Jango Fett grabs when he absolutely wants to put a bounty, or a Jedi, down hard.
Futuristic sleek-looking blowback pipe handgun lobbing enormous archaic British .455 service pistol rounds. What's not to love?
RIA is selling a lot of very unique firearms from the Clive Cussler collection. There is even a Salvatore Dormus in the next premier auction. I wonder, if CC might have been the legendary "fireplace" collector.
Seems likely, he had a house in Paradise Valley, he and Ian were practically neighbours. Also, given his car collection, it would make sense that he had a gun collection to match.
The man had taste for the finer mechanical contrivance in life, as well as Patron tequila (We're not going to pretend that Dirk isn't CC wish fulfillment?)
Did he pass away and i didn't hear about it? One of my favorite authors. Great imagination.
@@troy9477 Yes unfortunately, fairly recently.
Absolutely using this thing as a basis for a sci-fi pistol in something I've been writing.
It’s a basis for the Naboo Pistol in Star Wars
@Ray Allen mostly just background and world building stuff for a sci-fi adventure story I've been toying with for a few years
Reminds me of Jango Fett's dual blasters
@Ray Allen Probably will end up being a small collection of short stories about a treasure hidden in a temple on another planet and the various adventurer's journeys.
I'm always surprised something like this didn't get built for a trench pistol in World War One.
** best DBZ narrator voice **
On the next episode of Forgotten Weapons, Ian finds an Ammo manufacturer willing to make custom bullets that fit the Maxim-Silverman pistol.
I believe that Fiocchi make .455 Webley brass. Then we could have ammo with no gun, instead of a gun with no ammo.
@@webtoedman not if ian is allowed to take it to the range with the pistol
Unfortunately, unless Fireplace Guy decides to bless us with this most frabjous fate, I think this is very unlikely given there's only three of them in existence. It's like the Blue Eyes of early magnum pistols - powerful, rare, and ultimately kind of outmoded.
@@SilenTHerO78614 We can only hope...
@@littlebigheroman well I mean its not like its particularly fragile. You could use that thing like a damn hammer.
if this was slimmed down and chambered for a smaller round like you said I could see this lasting all the way up to ww2 because of its simplicity you probably could manufacture this in the boatload
Looks like grandfather of Ruger 22!
Pretty simple yet monstrous pistol.
This guy is brilliant. His knowledge is encyclopedic and his presentation skills are outstanding.
When the original video came out, I was enamored by the shape and design of this pistol. I never imagined we'd get another video on it!
I wonder if this gun was designed to take the cartridge for the Webley Automatic pistol. It's a bit early for the pistol itself, but on Wikipedias notes about the cartridges it says "The early version of the cartridge (c.1904) had a shorter 21.7mm semi-rimmed case with a narrow rim and a pointed bullet." If the chamber is 21mm, then maybe this was the cartridge Silverman was intending to use. Whilst extremely unlikely, it's possible that he heard about Webleys new cartridge and decided to make a protoype that could use it. Probably completely wrong, but seems odd to design a gun to use a Webley cartridge that won't fit.
It could have been made/converted after 1904 to Webley AP for marketing reasons.
The rear sight put on the pivot point is very smart gunsmithing.
I really wish Maxim would have put some resources into this design (and its smaller brother), it would have been fascinating to see where it went.
Quite beautiful design. Kind of streamlined. And very simple. I like it.
Beauty in its simplicity
Just so, simplicity goes hand in hand with reliability. It looks as though it would be cheap to mass produce as well.
1 and a 1/2 hand swords are common, but a 1 and 1/2 hand gun, that's new. With a foldable stock a bigger magazine, it could be the first SMG.
Huh. I really do appreciate designs that cut down on the number of parts and have pieces that serve multiple functions. Very interesting.
the insides totally look like a WWII SMG, but the disconnector mechanism is very cool! way ahead of its time, methinks.
Does thin mean that You have had the most experience with these pistols of anyone currently alive. I have a hard time believing that anyone else has ever investigated all three of these if there is only three of them.
I mean, no one except probably silverman himself
I didn't think it was that big from the thumbnail until I saw it sitting in front of him. Fuck me that is huge.
Silverman: Boss I have made pistol of appropriate size to do justice to your ego
Thank you for addressing the sight placement, I was wondering why they didn't make use of all that sight radius when you posted that on the Instagram.
looks like a retro-futuristic Fallout-like plasma blaster of a sort. So cool
It looks like some of the Naboo pistols used in Star Wars episode 1
I knew something in Star Wars was familiar to this!
Really beautiful engineering and milling!
Videos like this one is why I subscribed years ago. Really interesting find Ian. Thanks for sharing.
The action makes me think that the Stevens .22 rifle designer started with this.
This is not a hand-cannon this is hand-artillery.
I like the mechanical simplicity of that, I would wager Silverman was trying to find some manner of optimum load to try and mitigate some of the recoil problem.
You know, when I first watched your earlier M-S video and mentioned this one, I really didn't grasp just how freakishly huge it is.
You can tell he had limited machining tools. Probably state of the art back then.
I'd love to see a reprducton of a small size in 22LR. Simple, steampunk, and would look at home in Flash Gordon or Buck Rodgers hsnd...
wouldn't that basically be a Ruger Mk IV?
@@korblborp similar but absolutely different. One of my friends routinely brings me bag O' gun containing a Ruger Mk 2. I don't mind becouse my side job routinely involves bag O' gun with parts missing. This would have less parts than a Ruger, I'm tempted to try sketching up this as fun in the sop and use a Ruger #2 mag...
A Whitney Wolverine is a close contender.
I am thinking that 22mag would be more fun! 😁
The open bolt design sadly means it would probably need a few extra parts for a proper disconnector.
It looks like something a genius prisoner made out of stuff stolen from the prison machine shop. Thanks for showing it.
Ian, I love your videos. You are a man of pure taste and mystery. Truly a remarkable person in history.
Crocodile Dundee would be proud... "That's not a gun.... THAT's a gun!"
Looks similar to the early ruger 22 pistols, though predating them by almost 100 years, makes me wonder if either Sturm or Ruger ever saw one?
I love the simplicity of this weapon .
Amazingly simple design. Definitely feels like this is something that could be produced in a shed by an engineer with some pretty commonplace machinery.
Perfect for dual-weilding while shooting at jedi
Looks like a back up Paintball Marker 🔫
If this aint my favorite youtube channel, then i have no idea which one is
Another good video by Ian. Well done Sir.
And interesting that H Maxim was such a primadonna, I didn't know that.
11:35
_"Of all sad words of tongue or pen,_
_The saddest are these: It might have been."_
You know I liked Bergman week, but Pistols that should be Star Wars props is my new favorite week.
All jokes aside about the size and shape of the pistol... Its simplicity is brilliant and so close to be a real deal.
3:50 made me giggle, aww Ian you gentle soul
Looks like Bill Ruger "borrowed" a lot of design aesthetics from this pistol for the Mk II.
It's a giant ruger mk1 lol
Nah. Takedown and reassembly wouldn't have been nearly so quick.
@@mikethurman3147 man, you really have to swear and hold your mouth the right way to get those things back together.
very clever design. I'm going have to look up your video on the smaller pistol.
Very cool pistol & video! The old term "pocket cannon" definitely fits in this case!
That gun is awesome!
“The biggest no-joke pistol I think I’ve ever seen”
*cough* AR Pistol *cough*
You're assuming an AR pistol isn't a joke, I feel there's some controversy there ;)
An AR butchered down to pistol shape is not an actual pistol.
AR pistols are a bad joke. AK “Krink” guns are where it’s at
Ar pistols are a joke.
@@TheDiameter now as an AK guy myself I would love to agree with you but the ak platform is a little, well... chunky to be a pistol (Ignoring desert eagle, 500 S&W, etc)
It looks so minimalist and streamlined!
Very interesting and rather odd gun.Seems like a potential starting point for a long rifle. Thank you Ian!