The strangest rifles in the world

27
The strangest rifles in the world
Rifle designed by Samuel McClean according to a 1903 patent. Photo forgottenweapons.com


But already now there are people who want the strange. How beautiful it is - a man who desires the strange!
"Attempt to Escape" Br. Strugatsky

stories about weapons. And it so happened that the famous Ian McCollum a few years ago in his Forgotten Weapons reviewed a couple of very interesting bolt-action rifles, which he called "mysterious rifles". It is interesting that even he did not specifically know anything about them and was only able to tell about their completely unusual device.




Rifle designed by Samuel McClean according to a 1898 patent. Photo forgottenweapons.com

The rifles were really quirky and weird, and worst of all, they didn't look comfortable to shoot - especially one that required the shooter's hand to slide inside a steel loop that resembled the lever loop of many classic lever-action rifles. Where to put the thumb of the hand, the index finger of which is to pull the trigger? It is also uncomfortable to keep fingers wedged into this steel loop. But despite this, a rifle made of metal is in front of us. This means that someone had not only the mind to figure out her drawing, but also the finances - to make it to order, because hardly any company would risk its capital for the sake of its manufacture.

The other rifle seems to be more advanced, has a knurled grip behind the trigger, but again, the design of its bolt is such that the back of the receiver and the thumb do not interact in the best way.


Schematic of the McClean rifle from US Patent US601842A. The main details of the mechanism

But most importantly, the "secret" of these rifles did not remain a "secret" for long. Both of these rifles were found to have been patented by Samuel McClean and were granted US Patents US601842A (April 5, 1898) and US723706A (March 24, 1903). McClean was clearly an intelligent man who enjoyed designing firearms, but his designs lacked simplicity, which may explain why they were not as widely recognized and successful as, say, John Browning's guns. But there is no doubt that it was McClean who invented the prototype machine gun, which later turned into the well-known Lewis machine gun.


Schematic of the McClean rifle from US Patent US601842A. Cartridge feeder - fig. 12-13

It's funny how Ian McCollum started with a 1903 rifle and then went back to an 1898 rifle. Both he described as bolt-action rifles with a rotating action with a pair of lugs on the front and upward ejection. But we will not do this and will consider them in chronological order.


Rifle McClean 1898 Photo rockislandauction.com

It is hard to imagine why McClean needed such a complex system of location, and most importantly, the supply of cartridges. Indeed, due to the fact that the store with a vertical arrangement of cartridges is located in it under the barrel, it is impossible to feed cartridges directly to the chamber. Therefore, by moving a sliding bracket with a curly groove (in the first diagram of Fig. 4) through the rod system, the cartridge is first removed from the magazine and fed back, and then enters a special feeder (Fig. 9 - the first diagram and Fig. 12-13 - the second diagram) , which, when this bracket moves forward, rises up and brings the cartridge to the chambering line.


McClean rifle mechanism 1898. Photo forgottenweapons.com

The magazine lifter is described by the inventor as "very clever" as it holds the cartridge inside a pair of curved rails when loaded. As the bolt moves forward, the two halves move apart, allowing the bolt to feed a cartridge into the chamber. Everything is “simple” and elegant, and most importantly, the simultaneous supply of two cartridges is simply excluded. But at what cost has this been achieved?


1898 McClean rifle mechanism. The bolt control handle began to move forward, and in the photo appeared (to the left above the trigger guard) a pair of curved guides, which, if this rifle was loaded, should have held the cartridge. Photo forgottenweapons.com

The most surprising thing about the design of this rifle is that for some reason its inventor did not think of equipping it with ... a curved pistol grip. And let its upper part slide along the guides on the stock of the rifle. But it would be comfortable to hold it in your hands! By the way, the bolt, cocked by a pistol grip, was subsequently used on the Czech post-war machine gun vz.59 designed by Vaclav Holek.


1903 McClean Rifle Movable Grip Action Diagram US723706A Patent (March 24, 1903)


Scheme of the action of the McClean rifle 1903. The shutter control handle is moved forward until it stops


Diagram of the location and movement of cartridges in a 1903 McClean rifle

A striking feature of the 1903 rifle was the corrugated wooden handle behind the trigger guard. That is, the designer seems to have simplified the previous rifle, that is, improved it. But it only seems so. And at first glance. The fact is that the store in it is located behind the trigger guard! A wooden handle wraps around and closes it. When it is moved back to the stop, the shutter will also go back and open.

But the most interesting thing about this rifle is hidden from view. And moreover, it is quite clear that Ian McCollum did not fully disassemble this rifle, otherwise he would certainly have noticed this “zest” of it.


Look at page 6 of patent application US723706A. The diagram shown on it clearly shows that under the barrel of the rifle there is ... a gas outlet tube with a gas chamber. So it's an automatic rifle? But no! The description of the patent says that the purpose of the designer was "to provide means for automatically locking weapons in a loaded state and for keeping them locked until the lock is unlocked by a shot or a hand"

That is, only the shutter locking process was automated in it!

This was carried out as follows: when a bullet passed through a hole in the barrel, part of the gases entered the chamber and pressed on the piston, which moved forward, after which the gases were bled from this chamber through another hole. The piston is spring-loaded, but the location of the spring cannot be considered thoughtful, since it rests against the gas piston and can get very hot from it, and therefore settle down.

When the piston moves forward, the piston tooth (Fig. 24 - det. O) disengages from the bolt protrusions, and thus nothing prevents it from moving back when the wooden bolt control handle is twitched. That is, by itself, the shutter of this rifle cannot open in any way!


And here is how it looks in the photo in the closed state. The bolt head with two extractor teeth is stationary when closing. It fits into the narrower cut of the extraction port. Its back is turned. Photo forgottenweapons.com


The cartridge extraction port is fully open. Two feeder guide plates are visible inside. Photo forgottenweapons.com


The feeder is raised to the level of sending. As the bolt moves forward, it spreads the cartridge-retaining rails, making it easy to slide a cartridge into the chamber. At the same time, the rear part of the bolt rotates and it is fixed in the receiver. Photo forgottenweapons.com

As already noted here, the inconvenience for the user was precisely in the shutter control handle. In addition, it was extremely inconvenient to load this rifle with cartridges. To do this, it was necessary to move the handle to the butt, open the magazine cover along with the feeder and spring, insert cartridges into it, and then close the magazine by sliding the cover on it.

So it really turns out that the saying “it’s hard to do very easy, but it’s just very difficult to do” is even more than true. On the other hand, like this, step by step, people came to certain technical solutions, tested them in practice and, finding them effective, began to use them more and more often. Everything too complicated was discarded, and everything effective and simple went into the treasury of all mankind!

By the way, the appearance of both of these rifles made a very strong impression on connoisseurs of rare weapons. As a result, the first rifle, being more beautiful, was sold for $12, and the previous one brought the auctioneers $650.
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27 comments
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  1. +5
    30 October 2022 06: 45
    Yes, the prostate and once again the simplicity of the design is the key to reliability!
    Respect to Vyacheslav Olegovich, Kamradam good day!
    1. +1
      1 November 2022 15: 12
      A controversial issue, oversimplification also does not lead to anything good, just remember the 90s and the "tube-hammer" design hi .
  2. 0
    30 October 2022 07: 23
    Vyacheslav hi or maybe a person just designed a complex mechanism as a guarantee of the difference between his weapon and other rifles? After all, any designer knows the truth that wisdom is in the prostate, and here is a complex mechanism that no one will copy precisely because of the complexity, and as a result of this, an increase in the cost of weapons! Only, such a complex mechanism is not a guarantee of its high-quality work, the guides can mow or jam during the ejection of the cartridge case. Namely, the excessive complexity of the mechanism, on the one hand, as copyright protection for which idea, and on the other hand, makes the rifle unsuitable for quick repairs in the field, for example.
    1. +3
      30 October 2022 08: 48
      Quote: Thrifty
      or maybe a person just designed a complex mechanism as a guarantee of distinguishing his weapon from other rifles?

      Who knows?!
    2. +9
      30 October 2022 11: 04
      Quote: Thrifty
      After all, any designer knows the truth that wisdom is in prostate

      Curious disclaimer...
    3. +2
      30 October 2022 14: 59
      Quote: Thrifty
      wisdom in simpleаthose

      belay
      So that's why they check her at the medical examination, this is an OQ test to see!
    4. +2
      30 October 2022 15: 05
      Can you two leave proST alone and focus on simplicity? ) There seems to be no discussion of the genitourinary system ...
      1. +4
        30 October 2022 15: 50
        Don't tell people what to do, you won't know where to go.
        1. 0
          30 October 2022 17: 07
          But I see illiterate kids in front of me) It looks especially funny with big stars)
          1. +4
            30 October 2022 17: 11
            And you baAlshie stars will stop your eyes?
  3. +3
    30 October 2022 09: 12
    The most surprising thing about the design of this rifle is that for some reason its inventor did not think of equipping it with ... a curved pistol grip. And let its upper part slide along the guides on the stock of the rifle. But it would be comfortable to hold it in your hands!


    Perhaps manual manipulation was not intended (but was omitted in the description of the patent) - for example, a special pen or some kind of rifle key was held in the hand or was part of the glove. Armlets of archers, or levers for cocking crossbows, keys of violinists or plumbers, a handle on a magnifying glass by Sherlock Holmes - after all, no one is surprised when they are used.
  4. +1
    30 October 2022 10: 51
    It is hard to imagine why McClean needed such a complex system of location, and most importantly, the supply of cartridges.

    Literally in the second paragraph of the descriptive part of the patent, the author indicates:
    My object is to improve and simplify the construction of breech-loading and magazine firearms.

    "My goal is to improve and simplify (!) the design of breech-loading magazine weapons."
    Looking at the design, such a statement by the author looks somewhat surreal, but nonetheless.
    The store lift is described by the author of the invention as "very smart"

    I specifically read the entire descriptive part of the patent - there is no such thing there. This is the author of the article, Russ Chastain writes so.
  5. +2
    30 October 2022 11: 08
    One feels the good acquaintance of the author of this rifle with the Nudelman sewing machine.
    Unlike Singer, where the bobbin was motionless and the looper was spinning, Nudelman's bobbin was worn in an arc, around a vertical axis. The cinematics are just amazing! I tried to simply bring this miracle into working condition - it took four days off, despite the fact that together with my wife who knows how to sew, they debugged it.
    1. 0
      30 October 2022 13: 11
      And none of the inventors began to invent a surgical sewing machine and an embroidery machine for automated stitching of small wounds with washing and sterilization - although during WWII and WWII the invention would have been mega-relevant for those times of conveyor operations.
      - "Slap! (on the pedal) - Whack!" - take away the finished (darned).
      1. +3
        30 October 2022 13: 25
        And none of the inventors began to invent a surgical sewing machine and an embroidery machine for automated stitching of small wounds.


        1908 A surgical stapler developed by Hültl and Fischer in Austria.
        1. +1
          30 October 2022 13: 40
          So it's a hand tool. Compare with the most primitive drill - it is much more advanced mechanically and in terms of labor productivity. They literally almost thought of it to get high-performance surgical machines for military doctors from the time of the great wars - for cutting, drilling, washing, sterilizing, sewing and other things.
          1. +3
            30 October 2022 14: 05
            Obviously, you have never been present during a surgical operation in general and during an amputation in particular. Therefore, you do not even remotely imagine all its complexity. It is no coincidence that the process of amputation is even today carried out with the help of a Farabeus rasp, a muscle retractor, various hand saws, Luer and Liston nippers, sequester forceps, and other similar tools.
            1. +3
              30 October 2022 15: 09
              Obviously, you have never been present at a surgical operation in general and at an amputation in particular.
              Me too, by the way. The maximum that I can, uncomplicated childbirth to take.
              1. +2
                30 October 2022 18: 51
                Obviously, you have never been present at a surgical operation.

                .. Maybe Herkimer doesn't know something, but I didn't notice it from the book.
                laughing

                Hello Anton! laughing
            2. +3
              30 October 2022 17: 56
              I don’t remember which tribe in the Amazon uses ants to connect the edges of wounds! They are big and biting. They bring the edges of the wound together, let the ant bite, and then unscrew its head. And so close, like a zipper on jeans spread. When the seam heals, the jaws are removed. I don't remember where I read it, when. But remember...
              1. +3
                30 October 2022 19: 33
                I don't remember where I read it, when.

                Probably in the "Journal of the European Association for the Treatment of Wounds." There, in one of the issues, May 2004, I believe, there is an article "Wound Healing: Historical Aspects" and describes the use of ants and beetles.
            3. 0
              30 October 2022 18: 14
              This is no reason not to think about the mechanization and automation of surgery. Now the first surgical robots have already been invented, which have not gained distribution.
              On the other hand, the treatment of many minor wounds, all sorts of injuries and fractures, after all, could be mechanized and even automated quite easily, saving the time and effort of specialists who are forced to do everything manually - both the most complex manipulations and routine ones. Therefore, an extensive class of developed medical mechanisms, which are much simpler than the same medical robots, but cheaper and suitable for mass production, just like Kalashmats or Makarychis, have the right to life. I recently read criticism of a modern first-aid kit on the resource, but if you go a little further, such an approach to equipment and mechanization of field and hospital medicine is technically and economically progressive. These mechanisms can be used not only in stationary hospitals - there are no obstacles for their work in the fields, for example, when they are powered by a lithium power bank ...
              1. +1
                30 October 2022 19: 18
                This is no reason not to think

                You must always think, even during bouts of unbridled optimism.
  6. +5
    30 October 2022 15: 28
    hi
    As they say, all the best to those who began to put Foggoten Veapon in the comments on Caliber articles!
    There is material - under three thousand commercials!

    Otherwise, the editors would have continued to "sculpt nonsense from Mitrofanov" and the creative team of "Samsonov" would have stepped up its onslaught ...

    Thanks to the author! good
  7. +1
    30 October 2022 22: 57
    Quote: kalibr
    I don’t remember which tribe in the Amazon uses ants to connect the edges of wounds! They are big and biting. They bring the edges of the wound together, let the ant bite, and then unscrew its head. And so close, like a zipper on jeans spread. When the seam heals, the jaws are removed. I don't remember where I read it, when. But remember...

    "Apocalypto". From 47:48 video course in the field.
  8. 0
    20 November 2022 22: 52
    Of course, the main thing in a weapon is its effectiveness, but I personally think that samples with SUCH inconveniences (you just don’t know how to pick them up correctly) as shown in this article should not be allowed to be produced as unsuitable. Well, unless there are other alternatives.
  9. 0
    13 January 2023 15: 02
    It seems that the inventor expected that the main consumers of his rifles would be blacks and the natives of Oceania. It was their manner in those years - shooting from the hip, with outstretched arms. The negros shot in this way very quickly, though the bullets flew anywhere, but the arrow, firing in all directions with hatched eyes, did not care at all)

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