The Austin Magic Pistol That Shot Ping Pong Balls With Explosive Force
YouTubeThe Austin Magic Pistol is now considered an actual firearm is several American states.
The Austin Magic Pistol was such a dangerous toy that some American states have since classified it as an actual firearm.
Manufactured in the late 1940s, the Austin Magic Pistol was sold only briefly — and thankfully so. While the projectile-shooting device was designed to fire ping pong balls, it did so with a concerning force that was powered by explosive chemicals.
The momentum generated to deploy the projectile came from the chemical reaction of calcium carbide and water. As a result, children were handling materials that, when mixed, would expand into acetylene gas — and explode. Just dripping some saliva on calcium carbide could result in a fireball.
Even with adult supervision, the flaming sparks shooting out of the breech end of the gun were unruly enough to scorch a user’s wrist. The safety of the breech itself was yet another concern.
Acetylene gas is extremely flammable. With children running around backyard barbecues, anyone in the presence of Austin Magic Pistol-wielding kids in the 1940s and 1950s was lucky not to have died in a fire. Many of these guns either ruptured and broke or simply exploded during use.
This vintage throwback to a less responsible time can often be found on eBay.
Just be careful not to blow your face off while using a cheap plastic toy that uses highly flammable gases to shoot ping pong balls.
