If you really want something new: the original Larsen-Winteross gun
The bolt box of a shotgun designed by Larsen-Winteross. It is difficult to imagine a more intricate device, especially knowing that the system for feeding cartridges using the “Henry bracket” has been known since 1860. But... this is how its creators at once bypassed all the patents of Spencer, Henry, Winchester, Merlin, Borgess, Schneider and Bollard. Of course, this was an achievement in the field of ingenuity, but... such guns (even outwardly very impressive!) did not become widespread. Photo by A. Dobress
– See, you also want something new.
- Of course, new, new army, new spirit...
Dialogue from the film "Red Square".
First episode: “Commissioner Amelin”
- Of course, new, new army, new spirit...
Dialogue from the film "Red Square".
First episode: “Commissioner Amelin”
stories about weapons. As they say, when you really want something, anything is possible. Or almost everything. Especially when you want something new and something that hasn’t happened yet. But... it’s just very, very difficult to come up with something completely new. And many follow the path of minor improvements to the old, so that this old becomes at least a little newer.
There are countless variants of weapons in which everything new consists of a new mount for the revolver barrel with a drum or a new fuse, or this is a completely new magazine for the rifle, but the barrel and bolt were taken from somewhere.
But it also happens that, despite all the similarities with something previously known, the novelty of the new design is still obvious. Another thing is how useful this novelty is, how technologically advanced, ergonomic it is and, simply put, convenient in all respects.
And today we will have a story about one such example of a handgun - the Norwegian Larsen-Winteross gun.
This is a shotgun manufactured in Liege and has a caliber of 16,4 mm. From a distance, it can easily be mistaken for a Winchester, since this model is a gun with a bolt that is controlled by a lever, which is also a trigger guard, that is, simply put, a “Henry guard.” The walnut stock has a semi-pistol grip with ribbed rifling. The arrow-shaped safety is located on the left side of the bolt housing. Then its right side is completely given over to... the reloading mechanism!
This amazing weapon was patented (patent no. 334) in 244 and bears two marks from the Liège test bench.
The double name means that it was invented by two designers, both of Swedish origin - August Lefredius Larsen and Klaas Erik Winteross.
A rifle manufactured by Larsen's father, Hans Larsen and Sons. What we have in front of us is a typical rifle with an external hammer, the bolt of which is controlled by a trigger lever. The Cherrin rifles, mod. 1865, Comblenas, arr. 1871, and Francotta and Peabody. Photo by A. Dobress
In the 1875 edition of Sveriges Olh Norges Stats Kalender we find August Lefredius Larsen. It is reported that he was the son of the famous Norwegian gunsmith Hans Larsen, who had two shops and a workshop in Drammen and Oslo in Norway, which at that time was part of the United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway, and a firm in Belgium - Hans Larsen and Sons. It was founded in 1877 and produced single-shot rifles with a bolt operated by a "Henry brace" and a side lever located on the right side of the receiver. In 1882 the company changed its name to Larsen & Co. Rifles and kept it until 1887.
This is how the lever mechanism of the Hans Larsen and Sons rifle operated. Photo by A. Dobress
And this is the “British patent” stamp on the bolt box of this rifle... Photo by A. Dobress
As for his son Larsen Jr., he served in the Trondheim brigade with the rank of second lieutenant, and after retiring, he began developing weapons independently together with Klaas Erik Winteross from Stockholm. From 1883 to 1886, they successively received patents for the gun they designed with an under-barrel magazine and Henry bracket, both in Europe and in the USA, which provided them with complete priority.
Well, this is exactly the Larsen-Winteross gun. Left view. Photo by A. Dobress
Thus, on December 29, 1883, August L. Larsen and Klaas E. Winteross received British patent No. 5935 for a shotgun with a lever-operated bolt. On October 23, 1884, they were issued German patent No. 29234 for the same design. They were followed by US Patent No. 334,244, dated January 12, 1886.
The gun had a tubular magazine with four rounds. The bolt contains a linearly acting firing pin driven by a spiral mainspring. The rear of the firing pin protrudes from the bolt and has two tabs that can be pulled to engage the firing pin lock as a safety.
Diagram of the Larsen-Winteross shotgun mechanism from a British patent of 1884
Diagram of the mechanism of the Larsen-Winteross shotgun from an American patent of 1886
Diagram of the operation of the Larsen-Winteross mechanism from an American patent of 1886. The bolt is pulled back, the feed tray for the next cartridge is on the feed line, the empty cartridge case is pushed out by a new cartridge...
The bolt is moved using a lever mechanism, which is not located inside the bolt box, as in Winchester, Borgess, and others like them, but outside on the right side, and it is partially protected by a cover.
Some authorities claim that John Browning's Model 1887 Winchester lever-action shotgun was the first successful Henry-brace repeating shotgun, but the design predates Browning's M1887 Winchester by a full three years.
This is how two hot Swedish-Norwegian guys overtook the American-Belgian Mormon designer, who then had to develop his gun with an eye on their weapons!
Diagram of a lever system for controlling the rectilinear movement of the bolt of a Larsen-Winteross shotgun from an American patent of 1886
Moreover, the result was a truly international weapon, developed by two men (one from Norway, the other, most likely, Swede) in Belgium, manufactured by a Norwegian company in Liege using components made in Germany, and then sold by a dealer in Germany.
View of the gun on the left. The semi-pistol grip and arrow-shaped safety are clearly visible. Photo by A. Dobress
The operation of the lever mechanism of the Larsen-Winteross shotgun: the Henry bracket goes down, the system of levers, covered with a sector plate, begins to move and opens the bolt. Photo by A. Dobress
The same action, but only viewed from the right. Don't be surprised that the window for ejecting cartridges is not visible. The spent cartridge case on this gun is ejected upward, and here we see an original solution: the spent cartridge case is pushed by the next cartridge on the tray. Photo by A. Dobress
The window for loading cartridges into the magazine is open, and the gun can be loaded. Photo by A. Dobress
Loading window in closed position. Photo by A. Dobress
The butt and fore-end of the gun were made of beautiful walnut wood. Photo by A. Dobress
Side shield with the branded inscription “Larsen-Winteross. Belgium". Photo by A. Dobress
Today it is known that at least three such guns have survived to this day: one is in the United States, one in Sweden and one in Australia. Moreover, the specimen in Sweden has a 61 cm long barrel with straight rifling. This is another original feature that distinguishes this gun from other shotguns. It was impossible to fire a bullet from this gun, as even the inscription on the barrel warned about. But at that time, for some reason, it was believed that straight cutting of the barrel increased the accuracy of shot shooting. Why they decided this and what tests were carried out to prove this is unknown.
Theoretically, this is possible, but only if the pellets match the size of the rifling, that is, they fall into them and along them and move. But if they are larger or smaller, nothing like this can happen even in principle. But... someone decided so, someone wrote or said about it, and the result was such a completely unusual rifled shotgun with a very original, one might say, unique bolt drive!
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