Guns are, first and foremost, practical tools for warfare, self-defense, hunting and guarding America’s freedoms for the non-gun owners. Yet, we sometimes abandon practicality to indulge in the purchase of a firearm that is just plain fun. A hoot to shoot. Something with undefinable “cool factor” that doesn’t really have any genuine pragmatism arguing in its favor. Like a blaster.
If you’ve watched the original “Star Wars” movie of 1977 (who hasn’t?), you are likely aware that character Han Solo utilized a “blaster” movie prop that was at its modified heart the iconic Model 1896 Mauser “Broomhandle” pistol. Among “Star Wars” aficionados, Han Solo’s blaster is itself iconic, with any number of non-firing replicas sought-after to add to sci-fi movie collections. There have even been a few examples of individual firearms deliberately built on Broomhandle Mausers to replicate Han Solo’s blaster.
For the science fiction buff who is also enamored of firearms—and especially of the Broomhandle—Battle Arms Development, Inc. in Henderson, Nevada, has created a must-have BAD Solo Blaster chambered in .22 Long Rifle. Because each BAD Solo Blaster utilizes some proprietary parts made in-house and entails considerable hand work, there aren’t likely going to be many thousands of them available, and they will be real attention-getters at every range where they make an appearance.
AR-15 BLASTER
Just when we thought we’d seen everything that can be done with and to the AR-15, it becomes quickly apparent that the BAD Solo Blaster is built upon AR-15 upper and lower receivers (they in fact bear marks identifying Cerro Forge as the manufacturer). This necessarily makes the Blaster a wee bit larger than the movie prop which, again, was modelled on the Mauser Broomhandle pistol. The only Broomhandle I have at hand for visual comparison here is a so-called Commercial Mauser apparently modified for a customer by its upscale New York importer, Von Lengerke & Detmold, around 1905. Despite its oversize grip, the difference in physical size between the two is obvious. Weight of the Solo Blaster (sans scope) is right at three pounds, less than that of a full-size Desert Eagle and about that of a large revolver.
Lower receiver internal parts—hammer, springs, disconnector, pins and trigger—appear to be standard AR-15, while other parts are decidedly non-standard. Because no receiver extension (buffer tube), buffer or spring is needed for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge, Battle Arms Development designed an appropriate-looking blank-off nut that threads into the back of the lower receiver in place of the receiver extension. The bolt release incorporates a vertical nub on top to act as a bolt hold-open, and the safety selector has a third, inoperative position marked for fully automatic operation.
The upper receiver is non-standard as well, as it lacks the forward assist and shell deflector found on today’s AR-15, and the ejection port is shortened in deference to the smaller .22 Long Rifle cartridge. An integral Pic rail permits mounting a long eye relief (LER) scope to mimic the movie prop, or some other optic.
A RIMFIRE BOLT CARRIER GROUP
We may consider the rimfire bolt carrier group (BCG) itself as the mechanical heart of the Solo Blaster. Designing it required finding the balance between the .22 Long Rifle cartridge’s gas pressure and bolt thrust, the weight of the bolt and the strength of the recoil spring that drives the bolt back into battery. More than that, the Solo Blaster’s BCG is cleverly designed to fit the AR-15 upper receiver and is precisely machined stainless steel consisting of three major subassemblies—the bolt, carrier and a kind of barrel extension.
The bolt’s carrier key is TIG welded to the bolt, and as on the AR-15, the charging handle grasps the front of the carrier key for withdrawing the bolt backward; there is no gas system, so this is the only function of the carrier key and charging handle. A recoil spring stretching behind the carrier key on a strut propels the bolt forward again. Owners of the AR-15 will recognize the cotter key retaining the firing pin that, in the Solo Blaster, also retains the firing pin return spring. The extractor is held in place with an ordinary pin.
Longitudinal slots machined into the bolt sides allow the bolt to ride on the carrier’s platform that provides dual rails for the bolt’s longitudinal slots. It is not necessary to retract the charging handle to remove the BCG. A projection machined into the left rail acts as the ejector. The hammer passes upward and forward between the two rails to strike the firing pin.
The AR-15’s barrel extension, where the bolt lugs engage, is part of that rifle’s barrel. Another bit of clever engineering, the Solo Blaster’s barrel extension is instead part of the BCG. This is possible because the .22 Long Rifle cartridge generates little-enough gas pressure that locking lugs aren’t necessary; as is universal among semi-automatic .22s, the Solo Blaster operates on the blowback principal where only the strength of the recoil spring holds the action closed. The Solo Blaster’s barrel extension has a slight inside taper that fits over the rounded breech end of the barrel (which protrudes well into the upper receiver) to provide adequate gas sealing, and a ramp machined integral to the barrel extension ensures proper feeding from the magazine.
Barrel length is 4⅞ inches; the barrel is not crowned, as the simulated flash hider provides more than ample protection. Despite appearances, the entire length of the “flash hider” is a single unit that is actually the barrel nut that threads onto the front of the upper receiver and locks the barrel in place. Removing the wooden grip panels reveals the grip, made by Canto Arms, attaches to the receiver in the usual AR-15 manner.
Battle Arms Development calls the Solo Blaster’s finish, “battle worn,” and it does have the scuffed appearance of having travelled a few million parsecs around the galaxy without actually inflicting any real wear on the pistol. The effect looks to be the result of anodizing a dark brown/black and selectively rubbing off the finish in visible areas by hand.
SHOOTING ENERGY BOLTS
Magazine release, bolt stop/release and safety selector operation are all familiar to the AR-15 shooter, as are the takedown pins and, as noted, the charging handle. The safety selector differs only in being ambidextrous, bearing a round knob rather than a lever on the right side of the pistol. Battle Arms Development employs the magazines from Smith & Wesson’s popular M&P 15-22 rifle rather than designing something completely proprietary. Magazine fit is quite snug, and I found I had press inward on the magazine catch from the left side to coax the catch into engaging its slot in the magazine’s left sidewall to lock it into place. Beyond that idiosyncrasy, traced to a fixable fault with the magazine catch, there were no other glitches with the pistol.
For accuracy testing, I mounted a Hammers 2x20 LER scope, selecting it mostly for its profile, to replicate the movie prop as closely as possible. Like the Broomhandle Mauser, the Solo Blaster is a bit muzzle-heavy for firing one-handed, at least with any accuracy; results here are those fired from a rest.
Test ammunition included 36-, 38- and 40-grain high velocity ammunition. Measuring about seven pounds, trigger pull weight certainly contributed to enlarging groups, which were still quite respectable, averaging 0.8 inches overall at 15 yards. In the “Star Wars” movie, Han Solo’s blaster launched red bolts of undefined energy; due to arid conditions here in the Southwest, I resisted the temptation to amuse my inner sci-fi buff by reproducing that visual with .22 Long Rifle red tracer cartridges.
Bad Solo Blasters are available directly from Battle Arms Development, Inc. for $1,995. Pricey for a fun gun? Yes. But aren’t you worth it? If not, then you probably know someone who is worthy of such a unique gift from you—and they might let you borrow it.
May the Fourth be with you.
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