[SHOT 2025] The Ounce - The Most Unusual Pistol at SHOT Show

I've said it before and I'll say it again, my mantra at SHOT Show is to seek out the new and interesting. The Ounce Pistol from Third Bay is a compact .22LR chambered personal defense pistol which has a 10 round internal magazine and can fit in the palm of the hand.

The pistol’s name comes from the Benjamin Franklin quote: "an Ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The pistol doesn't weigh an ounce, but I guess 7.5 ounces of prevention are even better!

The Ounce is technically a bullpup firearm, with the magazine and much of the action positioned behind the trigger mechanism. Its designer is a mechanical engineer with a Masters in mechanical systems from Cornell. This certainly shows as the design is intricate, well thought out and features a range of safeties which prevent accidents.

To use the pistol a latch is depressed on the folding pistol grip housing (which encloses the trigger when not deployed) the grip can then be pivoted down and the pistol is ready to fire.

Surprisingly, the pistol is more ergonomic than it looks despite its open grip face and polymer construction

The barrel assembly is self contained along with the recoil spring. Ammunition is fed in from the top of the action from a 10 round magazine which runs parallel with the barrel. The rounds are held at an approximately 55-60 degree angle and have to be loaded individually. This is, without doubt a ‘get back gun’ intended for close range rapid fire. Reloading in a serious situation is unlikely to be possible and the sights, such as they are, would make aimed fire tricky.

The designer of the Ounce Pistol notes that it runs well with just about any .22 ammunition but he favors CCI MiniMags, Stingers and hotter loads especially for when being carried as a personal defense pistol.