It was 2022, and I was combing the dungeon of SHOT Show. The dungeon is the area where smaller companies set up to show their wares. The quality can vary. It’s home to cheap Turkish shotguns in literal piles, and to some of the more interesting and fascinating firearms. Small companies can bring the heat and deliver some of the more interesting and dynamic firearms at SHOT—guns like the Ounce pocket pistol from Third Bay.
The Third Bay Ounce
I’m a guy who gets his hopes up for neat little guns like the Ounce. I often get left disappointed. Clever, neat, and weird guns rarely go very far. A lot of SHOT Show stuff becomes straight vaporware. Does anyone remember the Zenk RZMK-375? They put out flyers and graphics leading up to the show, and at the show, they had a 3D-printed mock-up, and that was it.
I really liked the Ounce. I signed up on their website to be alerted when they were shipping, and I waited. The Ounce kept coming to SHOT, with small updates and improvements. Still, I was waiting, and there wasn’t much information on when it was shipping.
The Ounce – Now Shipping
Imagine the pleasant surprise and smile that drifted across my face as the email alert slid into my inbox. The Ounce was shipping, kind of. Third Bay is now shipping the Ounce, but is doing so to those on the waiting list. Getting on the waiting list didn’t require a deposit, but it does seem like you need to move quickly when you get the email alert.
Third Bay is a small company, and they are directly selling the gun to consumers. Much like Extar, Third Bay is cutting out the middleman. I imagine production is small, and this is a niche firearm. It’s also fairly expensive, at around 900 dollars; the Ounce isn’t for everyone. It’s a deep concealment pistol in .22LR.
As a pocket pistol enthusiast and lover of weird and unique guns, I had to grab one. So I did, and it shipped. I’ll have an Ounce soon, and you fine folks will read all about it sooner or later.
What Exactly Is the Ounce?
The Ounce is all kinds of weird. The Ounce folds in half, and when folded, doesn’t look like a gun. When unfolded, it also doesn’t really look like a gun, except for the trigger. The magazine is a fixed design and sits above the barrel and holds ten rounds of .22LR. It’s weird, and you load it by opening a flap.
When folded, the gun’s trigger is covered, making it safe to carry without a holster. Since it doesn’t look like a gun, you could open carry it and no one would be the wiser. The Ounce is a locked breech firearm, which is rare for rimfire guns. I’m not totally sure, but the Ounce appears to be a recoil-operated firearm.
That means better reliability, less recoil, and a more complex action. It’s interesting to be sure. The Ounce has sights, but just barely. They qualify as sights, but this is more of a close-range get-off-me gun.
Technically, this is a bullpup since the action sits behind the trigger. The Ounce is a truly unique pistol and an interesting design. I can’t wait for mine, and if you’re interested, hop on the Third Bay website and get your name on the waitlist.
