Originally patented in 1944 by Stanley M. Haight, the Sedgley Fist Gun, also known by the nomenclature "Hand Firing Mechanism Mark 2", has been the subject of great speculation and a certain amount of fantasy about its intended purpose and end users; some sources describe it as an assassination weapon or attribute it to the Office of Strategic Services (to the point of actually being listed as "OSS Glove Pistol" in the ATF's Curio & Relic List), and in fiction they were featured in the film "Inglorious Basterds" (sic) being used by two of the titular commandos to eliminate a pair of Nazi sentries during their attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Per the original patent, Haight's pistol was designed with the regular soldier in mind first and foremost. Citing the prevalence of sneak attacks and hand to hand combat in warfare, Haight designed a weapon that could be ready and at hand at all waking hours, so even if a soldier was caught unaware or while separated from his regular service weapon, he could simply ball up his fist and make a good, loud response. Additionally, the original patent points out that any concealability was secondary to speed of deployment, actively distancing the Fist Gun from previously designed ''sneak'' weapons, and aside from using subsonic loads, there is no on-board provision for noise reduction. Documentation of actual use in the field is virtually non-existent, though the Sedgley has been reported in/on the hands of WWII U.S. Navy Construction Battalion (Seabee) men operating heavy equipment like boats or tractors. Notes supplied by the consignor suggest that a limited run of the Hand Firing Device was made for the United States Marine Corps, distinguished by the use of 38 Special ammunition instead of the 38 Smith & Wesson used by the Navy; while no attempt has been made to load the item, dimensional measurements of the chamber suggest it was configured for Special. The actual weapon is of blued steel construction and mounted to a curved steel plate, which bears the Sedgley nomenclature. For firing, a spring loaded plunger runs about to the first knuckle on the middle or ring finger, with a parallel single shot barrel about an inch shorter and a small manual safety; making a fist takes the fingers out of the way and exposes the plunger, which you then jam into your would-be ambusher's nearest body part, promptly discharging the 38 caliber round at near-contact distance. After discharge, the soldier could either manually eject the empty shell and reload, or keep hitting the enemy with the 1+ pound steel blunt instrument strapped to their hand. This particular example has not been fitted to a glove.

Very fine, with 85% of the original blue finish, showing some mild scattered surface rust and handling marks. Mechanically excellent.