Belt-fed, bull-pup, lever-action.

[just Warren]

In England.


It's a work-around to their stupid laws and I don't like the looks but would I buy one? Hell, yes.

[K Frame]

It will be outlawed next week.

[French G.]

If a platypus was a gun.

[230RN]

Y'know.... it seems to me they ought to figure out some way to make either the recoil or the gas pressure operate that lever.

Why didn't they think of that?  It seems so obvious.

Terry, 230RN

[Angel Eyes]

"The Rifleman 2020"

[230RN]

"The Rifleman 2020"

Good one.  Wish I'd thought of it. Not enough coffee yet, I guess.

[zxcvbob]

Y'know.... it seems to me they ought to figure out some way to make either the recoil or the gas pressure operate that lever.

Why didn't they think of that?  It seems so obvious.

Terry, 230RN

I've seen a contraption like that a long time ago in a magazine.  A little cup at the muzzle (with a hole in the middle for the bullet to pass through) that the gasses escaping the muzzle would push forward, operating a pushrod to work the lever.  I don't remember how the linkage worked.  I think it was full auto just to prove they could.

The point was that outlawing guns that /could be/ converted to machineguns basically bans all of them.

[K Frame]

"I've seen a contraption like that a long time ago in a magazine.  A little cup at the muzzle (with a hole in the middle for the bullet to pass through) that the gasses escaping the muzzle would push forward, operating a pushrod to work the lever.  I don't remember how the linkage worked.  I think it was full auto just to prove they could."

Yeah... that was John M. and Matthew Browning's proof of concept for an early semi-automatic rifle. They later altered the basic design and turned it into the M1895 Colt-Browning Machine Gun, aka the Potato Digger.

[Pb]

"I've seen a contraption like that a long time ago in a magazine.  A little cup at the muzzle (with a hole in the middle for the bullet to pass through) that the gasses escaping the muzzle would push forward, operating a pushrod to work the lever.  I don't remember how the linkage worked.  I think it was full auto just to prove they could."

Yeah... that was John M. and Matthew Browning's proof of concept for an early semi-automatic rifle. They later altered the basic design and turned it into the M1895 Colt-Browning Machine Gun, aka the Potato Digger.

I think it was actually fully automatic.  The very first gas operated firearm, converted from a lever action.

[K Frame]

"I think it was actually fully automatic.  The very first gas operated firearm, converted from a lever action."

It was.

This was, as I noted, a proof of concept in that it proved that the gas pushing the bullet had more than enough power to operate the action of the gun.

They knew that trying to make a marketable bodge of a lever action with a big flap on the front wasn't going to happen, so they didn't put a lot of effort into development. That came later in fresh designs for both the M1895 and Browning's gas operated rifle designs.


In fact, here's a picture of it...

[French G.]

In the same vein Jim March, who should be familiar with TFL and THR people, made an auto-ejecting SA revolver in the same way.

[230RN]

I gotta start putting :) s and s in my tongue-in-cheek posts.

:)  

Although it was a good opportunity to expand on the potato digger's history.

[MechAg94]

John Browning vs Hiram Maxim: Patent Fight!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A85S8u7L4j8

Looks like Forgotten Weapons has the potato digger on the table in this video.

[Pb]

Thank you for the picture, Mike!  I don't think I have ever seen it.

[K Frame]

Back when I worked as an intern for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission I built, from parts that were in stores, two M1895 Potato Diggers to be used in exhibitions. Didn't get to fire them, unfortunately. Couldn't fire them, unfortunately, as the barrels had been drilled as part of the accession process.

There were enough parts to build several more, as well.

I believe that all of that came from the 28th Infantry Division after World War II.

[gunsmith]

In the same vein Jim March, who should be familiar with TFL and THR people, made an auto-ejecting SA revolver in the same way.

jims a cool dude, i finally tracked him down, he's a truck driver now

[MechAg94]

Back when I worked as an intern for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission I built, from parts that were in stores, two M1895 Potato Diggers to be used in exhibitions. Didn't get to fire them, unfortunately. Couldn't fire them, unfortunately, as the barrels had been drilled as part of the accession process.

There were enough parts to build several more, as well.

I believe that all of that came from the 28th Infantry Division after World War II.

I certainly hope none of those parts ever got lost.   

[cordex]

jims a cool dude, i finally tracked him down, he's a truck driver now

If I recall, the last I remember of Jim he was kitting out a camper with the funds he won from suing California or Diebold. Truck driver seems a good fit for him, although if he could have made a living suing California I would have preferred that.

[Hawkmoon]

"The Rifleman 2020"

It doesn't have a large loop, and I doubt you can spin cock it.

[Angel Eyes]

It doesn't have a large loop, and I doubt you can spin cock it.

Given all the parts that he already fabricated, I doubt a large loop would be a challenge.

As for spin cocking, he should send the rifle to me for T&E.

 

[T.O.M.]

Is it just me, or does that gun from the OP look like something from Firefly??

[Northwoods]

I'd buy one just for the freedom boner.