Leinad Inc. Model MR22 Pepperbox .22 WMR 3.75″ 10 Shot Single Action Pistol
SOLD FOR: $1,104.00
LSB#: LSB260612CW079
Make: Leinad Inc. (Cobray)
Model: MR22 Pepperbox
Serial Number: U0110
Year of Manufacture: 1990s to 00s / Modern
Caliber: .22 Magnum
Action Type: Break Action, 10 Barrel Hammer Fired Manually Clocked Pepperbox Pistol.
Barrel Length: 3.75”
Sights / Optics: Each bore has a bladed front post and U-notch rear.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two piece textured plastic panels. There are no chips or cracks. There is faint handling wear with a few small pressure dents throughout. The grips rate in Very Good to Excellent condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The blued bores are dark and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bores, but there is some moderate fouling in each. In this writer’s opinion the bores rate 7/10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 99% of its metal finish. There are faint handling marks throughout. The markings are clear. The screw heads are sharp and the pins are undamaged. Overall, this pistol rates in about Excellent condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.
Our Assessment: The Leinad MR22 Pepperbox is one of the more unusual modern descendants of the traditional pepperbox pistol concept, adapting the basic idea of multiple fixed barrels to a simple manually indexed derringer-style action. Rather than using a rotating cylinder like a revolver, the MR22 employs a cluster of ten individual .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire barrels that must be manually indexed between shots. Contemporary references specifically identify the 10-shot .22 Magnum version as one of the less common Cobray/Leinad pepperbox variants, built around the same basic family of inexpensive derringer-type frames associated with the company’s unconventional handgun designs. This example retains its compact 3.75″ barrel cluster, individual sighting surfaces for each bore, hammer-fired action, and simple plastic grip panels, making it a particularly distinctive example of Leinad’s eccentric commercial firearms production. This pistol remains in Excellent overall condition, retaining approximately 99% of its original blued finish. The exterior shows only faint handling marks, while the screw heads remain sharp, the pins are undamaged, and the markings are clear. The ten blued bores remain dark from their finish but retain sharp rifling with no visible erosion, though moderate fouling is present in each, rating 7/10 in this writer’s opinion. The two-piece textured plastic grips show faint handling wear and a few small pressure dents but remain free of chips or cracks and rate in Very Good to Excellent condition. Mechanically, the hammer-fired action functions correctly and the barrel cluster indexes as intended.
For collectors of Cobray and Leinad firearms, unusual derringers, and mechanically unconventional handguns, the MR22 has considerable novelty and collector appeal. The ten-shot .22 WMR format is far removed from the conventional revolver or semi-automatic pistol and represents a rare modern attempt to revive the pepperbox concept using contemporary materials and manufacturing. The manual indexing system, individual barrel sights, and compact derringer frame give the pistol a character unlike nearly anything else produced in the same era. With its excellent finish retention, intact grips, functional action, and uncommon ten-barrel configuration, this is an especially interesting example from the more eccentric side of late-20th-century American handgun design. -R.E.