The Arsenal 2011 began as a manufacturing proof of concept, to showcase the technical ability of the company making it (their prior experience was largely in exquisite miniature firearms). It was introduced to the public at SHOT Show a few years ago, and garnered more purchases than had been anticipated.

The gun itself is basically two 1911 frames and slides mated together into a single gun. It has two barrels, two magazines, and two hammers attached to make a single unit. The triggers are also connected together, and pulling either one will cause both barrels to fire simultaneously.

While this sort of firearm is fun to consider (and fantastic for use by movie villains), it is rather difficult to imagine a practical use for it. Most oversized handguns are made for hunting and target competition, but the two-shots-per-trigger-pull nature of the 2011 make it rather unsuited to these uses. It is impossible to shoot a truly small group, as the bullets will always be about an inch apart and they cannot be regulated by the shooter to group together. Not that this stops people from wanting this sort of over-the-top handgun, of course.