THE GYROJET

In the late 20th century (I feel old just typing that), Americans had been involved in multiple world wars and conflicts and were looking for a new frontier. That frontier, however, looked quite different from the days of the Old West. Rather, they set their sights on outer space, both physically and metaphorically. Americans landed on the moon in 1969 and even though not everyone could travel to space, they dreamed about it in movies, television, and novels. So, it’s no surprise that the space race would impact other industries.

In the firearms industry, both military and civilian manufacturers were trying to develop more durable firearms with less weight and recoil, by incorporating new materials. The most well-known and popular firearm