For the gun lover who wants a pair of out-of-this-world pistols, Cabot Guns has finally released its much-hyped Big Bang Pistol Set. Show
How much for the made-with-meteorite guns? A mere $4.5 million. Which would make them the most expensive guns sold at auction. Earlier this month, the firearms made their big debut at the 2016 NRA Members Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. The Big Bang Pistol Set consists of a pair of left and right pistols that, according to Cabot, are "constructed almost entirely of billions-year old meteorite." The exteriors are marked for their unique Widmanstatten patterns that are found in octahedrite iron meteorites. Cabot Guns Founder and CEO Ron Bianchin says, "we wanted to do something truly different, something so terrifyingly unique that it hadn't even been thought of before." Apparently, the process of crafting the pistols wasn't so easy:
According to Cabot, the company received a seven-figure offer based on the concept. During the manufacturing process, the media repeated Cabot's estimate they'd sell for $1 million. Today, that price has ballooned to $4.5 million, which Bianchin says, "is the current record for the most expensive firearms ever sold." The meteor used is 4.5 billion years old, so you'll be paying $1 million for every billion years. Earlier this month, a Winchester 1886 that belonged to U.S. Army Captain Henry Ware Lawton, who captured Apache leader Geronimo, sold for a record-setting $1.2 million at auction. The history of guns starts more than 1,000 years ago with the invention of gunpowder. Experts think this event may have taken place in China as people hunted for “an elixir of life.” One Chinese alchemist documented the dangerous properties of this new concoction, describing “smoke and flames” as well as the burned faces of those developing the mixture. Gun powder (which was first known as black powder) was originally used for fireworks. But over time, the substance made its way into weaponry, resulting in early gunpowder-powered machines like cannons. As Europe, Asia, and colonial America became more connected through trade, ancestors of modern guns became more common across the globe. As a result, new inventions were created — morphing early exploding weapons into the firearms we know today. In today’s world, the most expensive guns are typically rare symbols of historical events. Guns used by important figures like American presidents and soldiers can sell for thousands if not millions of dollars. Learn more about the most expensive guns ever sold with this top eight list.
Estimated Value: $350,000 Jesse James was born in Clay County Missouri in 1847. As the son of a slave owner, James joined the Civil War in support of the Confederacy in 1864. During the war, James participated in the Centralia massacre (a bloody event resulting in the death of 22 unarmed soldiers by Confederate hands) and many other atrocities. After the Confederacy lost in 1865, James continued to wreak havoc across the States, starting with the robbery of a bank in which an unarmed cashier was killed. Over the years, James and his gang continued to rob and murder across the country. In 1873, James led the world’s first robbery of a moving train — injuring several passengers and killing the engineer. James tried to paint himself as a “Robin Hood” figure, but the outlaw’s legacy is defined more by murder than concern for the poor. James’ reign of terror finally ended in 1882 when he was shot by Bob Ford, a member of his gang. Ford killed James to collect a $10,000 award offered by Missouri Governor Tom Crittenden. In 2003, the gun used by Ford sold for $350,000. Did you know?Ford used a .44 caliber Smith & Wesson to kill James. The Rare .34 Percussion Colt Paterson
Estimated Value: $358,645
|