Tag Archives: BMP-23

Return of the Arm Pistol

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Arguably the first large format AR-style pistol to hit the market is now set to make a return, no brace needed.

Firearms maverick Mack Gwinn Jr., a Vietnam-era Special Forces veteran, in the early 1970s acquired the rights to Colt-made IMP-221, a stockless, gas-operated bullpup pistol intended to provide aircrew with a compact survival gun chambered in .221 Fireball. While the Air Force had already scrapped the project, Gwinn made lemons into lemonade, adapting the design to use 5.56 NATO and accept standard AR mags, launching the Bushmaster Arm Pistol.

Bushmaster Armpistol ads started popping up in the early-1970s

The original Gwinn/Bushmaster Arm Pistol borrowed from both AR-15 and AK-47 designs, with its AR-style rotating bolt and AK-type long-stroke gas piston.

Based on the Colt IMP-221/ Air Force GUU-4/P air crew weapon originally designed at Eglin Air Force Base, the original Gwinn Firearms in Bangor, Maine produced the 5.56mm Bushmaster Arm Pistol “in limited quantities” for the USAF in the early 1970s before sending it to the consumer market. Just 20.63 inches long, the Arm Pistol had a lot of M16-style features in a very abbreviated bullpup format.

With the Arm Pistol long out of production and Bushmaster now in at least its third reincarnation since Gwinn sold the company in 1976, his son, Mack Gwinn III, has founded Maine-based Hydra Weaponry and returned a much-improved version of the design to production.

We caught up with the fine folks from Hydra at the recent 2024 NRA Annual Meetings in Dallas to “lay arm” on the new BMP-23.

Hydra feels the BMP-23 is the 5.56mm pistol that Gwinn Jr. would have built if he had access to today’s CNC machinery and technologically advanced materials.

Remember the Arm Pistol? It’s Back (Maybe)

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Designed by Mack W. Gwinn, Jr, Bushmaster Armpistol ads started popping up for the gun in the early-1970s. It was arguably the first AR pistol on the consumer market. 

Mack W. Gwinn, Jr, a Vietnam-era member of the Army’s Special Forces recon teams, was also an un-lauded 1970s firearms genius. He created the Bushmaster series pistols (the Arm Pistol), rifles, and SMGs; the QCB variant of the .50 cal M-2HB, the SSP-86 pistol, and the 90-round MWG magazine for M16 and Mini-14.

His son, Mack Gwinn, III, now leads Hydra Weaponry.

HW was supposed to come to SHOT show and exhibit the newest version of the old Arm Pistol, the BMP-223, but their booth space (40420) was empty when we went looking for them in “the basement.”

As noted by Hydra: “The BMP-23 is the 5.56m pistol that Gwinn Jr. would have built if he had today’s CNC machinery and technologically advanced materials.

The AK47-type gas piston design pistol with an A2 grip is composed of lightweight aluminum and steel construction, coming in at 5.2 lbs. The chrome-moly barrel is 11.5 inches. The BMP-23 features integral iron sights and a unique 40-degree swivel design that allows it to switch from right to left-hand operation.”

Sounds cool. Be a lot cooler if we could have seen it.