http://www.forgottenweapons.com
Theme music by Dylan Benson – http://dbproductioncompany.webs.com
We have often touched on the series of US magazine rifle trials that took place through the late 1800s – those trials brought out a slew of interesting new ideas and clever (or not so clever) designs. However, the trials were also responsible for an experimental version of the old standby Allin conversion Trapdoor Springfield.
In order to have some rational standard to judge the new rifles against in the later trials (after the .30 Army, aka .30-40, cartridge had been specified instead of the old .45-70), the Ordnance Department decided to rebarrel a handful of Trapdoor rifles for the .30-40 cartridge. These would act as the baseline against which the recoil, accuracy, rate of fire, handling, etc of the new designs would be judged. Few if any of those original conversion exist today (I have not ever seen one, but I suspect one or two are probably in museum collections somewhere), but I did have the opportunity to try out a modern reproduction of the pattern made from original parts.
At Forgotten Weapons I think the most interesting guns out there are the most obscure ones. I try to search out experimental and prototype weapons and show you how they work, in addition to more conventional guns that you may not have heard of before. You’re much more likely to find a video on the Cei Rigotti or Webley-Fosbery here than an AR or Glock. So, do you want to learn about something new today? Then stick around!
Items you may have missed...
French 8mm revolvers: Model 92 (NOT A LEBEL!) and “Spanish model 92”
AMT Automag IV – A Browning in .45 Winchester Magnum
MLAIC World Championships 2016 – Final Competition Day, Awarding Ceremony and Gala
Pietta’s PPS/50 – A Popular PPSh Plinker
TAB Episode 65: CETME L VS. Heckler & Koch G41
The FAL for British Troop Trials in 1954: X8E1 & X8E2