C&R · II · 363
MBA Gyrojet pistols
Section II: curio or relic, still subject to the Gun Control Act
Official wording
ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION II · VERBATIM · PDF P. 12 ↗
MBA Gyrojet semiautomatic pistols, cal.’s 12mm or smaller, all models.
What this entry requires
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1962–1975.
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
United StatesBasis: outside reference ²- Manufacturer
- MBAssociates, San Ramon, CABasis: the ATF wording
- Type
- PistolBasis: the ATF wording
- Action
- Semi-autoBasis: the ATF wording
- Caliber
- 12mm or smallerBasis: the ATF wording
- Made
- 1962–1975production; ATF states no dateBasis: outside reference ¹
- Service
- Commercial
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section II · PDF p. 12 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: Medium · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “Gyrojet” ↗, years: infobox production date 1962 - 1975
- 2. Wikipedia, “Gyrojet” ↗, country: infobox origin United States
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- 1 change · see below
Correction history
- Evidence passYears: 1962–1970 → 1962–1975. Wikipedia infobox production date 1962–1975
Historical context

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Gyrojet pistol.png” by Advanced Research Projects Agency, Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “Gyrojet”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The Gyrojet is a family of unique firearms developed in the 1960s named for the method of gyroscopically stabilizing its projectiles. Rather than inert bullets, Gyrojets fire small rockets called Microjets which have little recoil and do not require a heavy barrel or chamber to resist the pressure of the combustion gases. Velocity on leaving the tube was very low, but increased to around 1,250 feet per second (380 m/s) at 30 feet (9.1 m). The result is a very lightweight and transportable weapon.