Place of origin United States Wars World War II | Used by OSS Manufacturer Sedgley Company | |
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Type Assassination pistol, last resort weapon Designer Office of U.S. Naval Intelligence | ||
The Sedgley OSS .38 glove pistol or Sedgley Fist Gun is a World War II firearm. It was designed by Stanley M. Haight and manufactured by Sedgley Co. of Philadelphia for the U.S. Marines and the U.S. Navy. Its official designation by the US Navy was Hand Firing Mechanism, Mk 2.
Description
The Sedgley OSS is a single shot, break action, smoothbore .38 Special pistol which was designed by Stanley M. Haight for the Naval Intelligence Office. It was meant as a covert operations and assassination weapon in the Pacific Theater. It was mounted on the back of a cowhide glove; the gun would be usually worn along with a long-sleeved coat to hide the weapon until it was used. Due to its appearance, it was commonly nicknamed "Glove Pistol" or "Glove Gun".
The trigger is a bar parallel to and extending past the barrel. After being loaded and cocked, the weapon is fired by the shooter making a fist and pressing the trigger against the target's body. Between 52 and 200 are believed to have been manufactured. Each Sedgley was issued only as one glove and as not a pair.