The Special Purpose Individual Weapon was a unique multipurpose weapon from the early 1960s that was capable of firing tiny lethal darts(Flechettes) and three 40mm high explosive grenades. This particular experimental represents only one of 16 different prototypes. This version is the Springfield Armoury Bullpup SPIW. The original concept called for a 60 round magazine. To hold 60 rounds in a typical single, staggered row would have made the magazine unmanageable. The solution was to combine two 30 round stacks one behind the other. The SPIW programme came to an end when several problems could not be overcome. Most were engineering problems with the ammunition. The expensive Flechette round had to be fired in burst becouse the single hit chance was low. Also when fired, The fibreglass sabot that held the Flechette in place as it travelled through the barrel would shred. In troop tests, Soldiers suffered eye injuries when fibreglass particles blew back into thier eyes. The final blow came in 1973 in the post-vietnam days of tight budgets when Congress 'Pulled the Plug' of this problem-beset programme.
