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Rifles

KAC Chainsaw Machine Gun

Somehow I missed this gem at the 2009 SHOT Show.  Knight’s Armament showed a new chainsaw-styled machine gun, which is based on the Stoner LMG (light machine gun).  This functioning chainsaw machine gun is belt-fed, chambered in 5.56, and has an integral suppressor and 37mm flare launcher.  Oh, and the appearance kicks ass.

Knight’s said that this machine gun was more of a fun expriment than a serious exercise in a new platform development.  However, they make an excellent point, which was with new sighting systems, bringing a rifle to your shoulder to align the sights may be obsolete in the near future.  If so, something like the chainsaw machine gun may be a better alternative as a shooting platform.  The concept is certainly worth exploring.

The non-machinegun chainsaw is a fairly ergonomic tool that many people use regularly.  I’ve always found chainsaws to be a natural extension of my arm and easy to wield without any real training or optics.  Granted, shooting a machinegun-like device from the hip is different, but I think the ergonomics can make sense.

Imagine having an optic on the gun that relays a signal via wire or Bluetooth to a heads up display integrated into the helmet.  It may sound like an Aliens rip-off, but I think the system could work.

Take a look at the Chainsaw Gun in action:

My question is:  Can you shoot this gun without yelling “get some!”?  I’m not sure.  Knight’s Armament has a real flair for developing the fun guns, and this one is right at the top of the fun chart.  Mossberg went on to develop a shotgun that uses a chainsaw-like appearance:

Mossberg Chainsaw

The Mossberg Chainsaw shotgun is a curious design, but not nearly as fun or practical as the KAC Chainsaw machinegun.  Mossberg makes a few good use-cases for their shotgun, such as breeching duties, but I think the hip-fired machine gun is a more useful tool.

By Richard Johnson

Richard Johnson is a gun writer, amateur historian and - most importantly - a dad. He's done a lot of silly things in his life, but quitting police work to follow his passion of writing about guns was one of the smartest things he ever did. He founded this site and continues to manage its operation.

2 replies on “KAC Chainsaw Machine Gun”

That second video was undeniably cool! Mounting a camera/sight on the gun and slaving it to a heads up display for aiming would complete the package.

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