Medusa Model 47

Lore & Background

The company that created the Medusa M47 is Phillips & Rodgers Inc., designed principally by Jonathan W. Philips Jr and Roger A. Hunziker, who produced a relatively small numbers of the handgun in the late 1990s. Jonathan W. Phillips was a gunsmith and also worked as a computer scientist for NASA. He was mainly responsible for designing the cylinder, extractor and ejector mechanism as well as the system used for positioning the cartridges. He applied for two patents on February 3, 1993, for the “Ejector and cartridge positioner for revolvers” and the "Ejector and cartridge positioner". He later filed for a patent called "Bore for weapons" on February 27, 1996, outlining the rifling the Medusa would use. Roger A. Hunziker designed the firing pin mechanism, filing for a patent on August 1, 1995, for the "Firing pin mechanism".

The firing pin mechanism is very similar to the system of Smith & Wesson revolvers. The firing pin is not part of the hammer; instead, it floats freely in the frame under spring tension, so it does not rest against the primer of a cartridge. The hammer has a special feature: unless the trigger is squeezed, it will not be in contact with the firing pin, resting a few millimeters back. There is also a transfer bar system between the hammer and firing pin, allowing the hammer to hit the firing pin only when the bar is up and the trigger is pulled.

The cylinder design includes a spring-loaded tooth that extends into the chamber. When a rimmed cartridge is loaded, the tooth is pushed out of the way into the center of the cylinder and remains there until the round is extracted. When a rimless pistol cartridge is placed in the cylinder, the tooth is pushed down initially as the case wall slides in, but when the extraction groove near the base is over the tooth, it is pushed back out by spring pressure and catches the round, keeping the cartridge from sliding out the front. The back of the frame keeps it from sliding out the back.

Reader's Guide

The Medusa Model 47 was not a commercial success, and the company that produced them ceased operations after just a few hundred units were made. Phillips & Rodgers Inc. not only produced the Medusa M47 revolver but also made several conversion cylinders for revolvers made by Smith & Wesson, Colt, and Ruger. Very few of these revolvers were actually produced. The revolver is able to be fired in both double and single action. The frame is constructed of 8620 steel hardened to 28 Rockwell, and the barrel is composed of 4150 chromemoly steel. The barrel is fluted, which may save some weight and speed up cooling, but in practical terms these effects are minimal in a firearm so small, so the fluting is mostly for style. The cylinder is made of mil spec 4330 modified vanadium steel. The revolver is based on the Smith & Wesson K frame, one of the most common revolver frame sizes, especially for revolvers chambered in the 9mm, .38, and .357 family of calibers. Revolvers of this size have been very popular with police and military groups as well as the civilian market due to its reasonable weight and dimensions.

Did You Know?

• The Medusa M47 can fire approximately 25 different cartridges within the 9 mm caliber family.
• Jonathan W. Phillips, a co-designer, worked as a computer scientist for NASA.
• The cylinder uses a spring-loaded tooth to hold rimless cartridges in place via the extraction groove.
• Fewer than a few hundred Medusa M47 revolvers were produced.