1911s That Came From the Heavens

[Ben]

A brace of 1911s - the "Big Bang Pistol Set" forged from a meteorite. They are expected to fetch a cool mil.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/12/28/firearm-company-to-make-set-of-guns-from-unprecedented-material-we-wanted-to-raise-the-bar/

[230RN]

Huh.  I guess they'd have to re-refine or re-melt it, but the basic composition seems OK:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_meteorite#Composition

Maybe need to add a little carbon?  Yes? No?  I know some of the later Springfield 03s were "nickel steel."

In browsing that article, I discovered that

The iron found in iron meteorites was one of the earliest sources of usable iron available to humans, before the development of smelting that signaled the beginning of the iron age.

Didn't know that.

Somehow that reminds me of the adage:  "Those who beat their swords into plowshares will forever plow for those who didn't."

I think that was a Heinlein quote.  It has his kind of snottiness.

Terry, 230RN

[Viking]

Speaking of weapons made from meteorite iron: the late Sir Terry Pratchett had a sword forged out of meteorite iron.

[MechAg94]

Looks pretty interesting. 

[Perd Hapley]

Too bad they're being made by GaudyUgly1911s.com 

[Pb]

Cool, but I would be astounded if they actually sold for a million.

[MillCreek]

Some Googling reveals that the fragments come from a large debris field in Africa from when the meteor exploded in the atmosphere, and several hundred kilos of material have been recovered.  I was thinking that the set was being forged from a single discrete meteorite, but there seems to be a fair amount of the material available.