Watch: “Le Petit Protector” Ring Gun

It’s a 5-shot 5mm pinfire gun that can be worn on a finger, but it’s not actually old.

Ian tells us that although the pinfire era was long obsolete by the time these guns were made, they were made in the late 20th century “specifically to evoke that feeling of mid-1800s France.”

Hmmmm.

Although you can’t really cock it, index it, etc, without putting your hand in harm’s way, the ammo is quite low-powered. Per Ian:

This is simultaneously incredibly dangerous and not dangerous at all.

To load this tiny gun, you have to actually unscrew the cylinder pin so you can entirely remove the cylinder. It’s more of a curio than a real, useful firearm, but it’s still cool. I especially like how the central steel ring is actually the hammer spring.

This one sold at auction for $3737.50, which has go to be one heck of a lot more than it cost when it was new.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.