[imchillyb]

> There, researchers under Dr. Nathan Gordon, a CIA chemist, mixed shellfish toxin with water and froze the mixture into a small pellet or dart. The finished projectile would be fired from a modified Colt M1911 pistol equipped with an electrical firing mechanism. It had an effective range of 100 meters and was virtually noiseless when fired.

> When fired into a target, the frozen dart would immediately melt and release its poisonous payload into the victim’s bloodstream. Shellfish toxins, which are known to completely shut down the cardiovascular system in concentrated doses, would spread to the victim’s heart, mimicking a heart attack and causing death within minutes.

> All that would be left behind was a tiny red dot where the dart entered the body, undetectable to those who didn’t know to look for it. As the target lay dying, the assassin could escape without notice.

> https://allthatsinteresting.com/heart-attack-gun

[2OEH8eoCRo0]

Sounds even more ridiculous, ice bullet handgun "effective" to 100m? Have you ever fired a handgun? That's quite far for even a conventional handgun

I have no doubt they researched it but I highly doubt it was effective or used.

[cryptonector]

To be effective to 100m it would have to have near rifle muzzle velocities, and that would _not_ be "virtually noiseless" because that would be mach 2 or higher, and anything supersonic makes a loud crack. So if it was subsonic then the bullet drop at 100m would be at least a foot and a half. Wind would make its accuracy terrible enough, but then consider how you might stabilize a bullet made of ice... (I know it was a "dart", but the whole thing had to be made of ice or else plenty of evidence would be left behind.) And being an ice bullet (or dart) surely it would be melting along the way and not have enough mass to penetrate the victim's clothing.

No, the point blank range of such a weapon would be very short, perhaps not even 20m, and presumably it was meant to be used in public, which would be weird because the gunman would be very conspicuous.

[arresin]

It’s of course bogus. But why? What would be the point?

[cryptonector]

That requires speculation as to motives and such. Maybe the CIA wanted to show something nefarious-seeming to distract from actually nefarious things.

[dralley]

>undetectable to those who didn’t know to look for it

So is polonium. It's nonetheless not exactly that difficult to pinpoint if someone just drops dead.

[john-h-k]

> When fired into a target, the frozen dart would immediately melt and release its poisonous payload into the victim’s bloodstream

Ah yes, a gun which can send a chunk of ice fully intact 100m yet it will still puncture the victim unnoticeably and immediately melt