Gun Digest 2011. Dan ShidelerЧитать онлайн книгу.
operate the heavy slide of the gun. In the Remington Model 550 autoloading rifle, the floating chamber selectively boosted the recoil of the .22 Short cartridge, allowing .22 Short, Long and Long Rifle cartridges to be used interchangeably. These guns, as well as the floating chamber itself, were the brainchildren of the legendary Marsh “Carbine” Williams. He is, however, best remembered for having developed the short stroke gas piston used in the M-1 carbine of World War II. He was a genius at understanding the momentum dynamics of autoloading guns and went on to perfect the short recoil system of operation. Surprisingly, he wasn’t a formally trained engineer. In fact he had little formal education at all. However he managed to work out the principles of operation of those guns while serving out his prison sentence at the Caledonia Road Camp in North Carolina! Even more amazing is the fact that the warden allowed him to build and modify the guns needed to prove their system of operation.
Some of the earlier autoloaders were plagued by the uncomfortable positioning of their triggers. The Models 50 and 59 maintained the feel and trigger location of the beloved Model 12 pump action. This can be traced back to the fact that back in 1945 Winchester Modified a Model 12 as a prototype to test the float-ing chamber concept. Like the Model 12 and most other repeating shotguns, the Models 50 and 59 had a conventional crossbolt safety located in the anterior portion of the trigger guard. Removing the aluminum assembly reveals some of the innovations of the firing mechanism. A novel feature for the time was how easily it could be removed. Simply drift out the two transverse retaining pins located above the trigger guard and then depress the carrier lock button.
The trigger assembly can then be pulled out of the bottom of the receiver. The Model 59 was known for its quality trigger pulls. The lack of creep and slack was actually a feature of the design. The sear was integral with the trigger, which virtually eliminated any free travel. The distance from the pivot pin to the sear was maximized in relation to the distance from the pivot to the trigger. This in turn shortened the trigger pull and minimized the shooter’s perception of the still-present creep. Unfortunately, this made the earlier versions prone to misfiring. The short length of pull also made them prone to doubling. To prevent this, an additional or back-up sear was configured into the hammer ahead of the main sear notch. Thus, if the trigger were not pulled back far enough, this extra sear notch would block the fall of the hammer.
Unfortunately for Winchester, a number of guns were already sold before this system was adopted. To address this potential problem, Winchester sent a “Blue Book” to gunsmiths throughout the U. S. and Canada explaining how to rectify this potential problem.
With the trigger assembly removed, the complex shapes of the various components of the feeding assembly become apparent. These were also designed by Marsh Williams. He “whittled” them through trial and error until they functioned flawlessly. However, this resulted in shapes that were difficult to manufacture. The then relatively new technique of investment casting helped, but only somewhat. However, they were still nowhere as easy to make as the stamped sheet metal components in modern repeaters. Fortunately the springs were all simple wire springs rather than the more expensive and less reliable leaf springs.
Surprisingly, the magazines of the Models 50 and 59 only held two shells, plus of course one in the chamber. (While this is certainly no disadvantage nowadays, shooters of the time placed an excessive value on firepower.) The ejector was also simple and reliable: a sturdy rod sliding lengthwise within the bolt with the rear portion of the ejector protruding out the back of the bolt. When the bolt reached the end of its rearward travel, the ejector struck an abutment within the rear of the receiver. This then transmitted the force forward, forcibly ejecting the shell. The system is simple and effective, as there were no small parts to break or malfunction because of congealed lubricants.
Unlike the Model 50, which was available in 12 or 20 gauge, the Model 59 was available only in 12 gauge. However, a deluxe version called the Pigeon Grade was manufactured in 1962 and 1963. It featured hand-honed internal components and engine-turned bolts and bolt carriers as well as better-grade stocks built to customer specifications. In 1962 this grade listed for $249.65 while the standard grade sold for $149.50. To put these prices into perspective, the competing Browning A--5 “Hump Back” listed for $129.75 with a plain barrel or $149.75 with a ventilated rib. So the Model 59 was competitively priced. Yet sales of the Model 59 were so poor that Winchester even resorted to a free trial offer. Prospective buyers could take a Model 59 hunting for a day, free of charge. Still, sales lagged to the point that production was terminated in 1965.
The Win Lite barrel, although slightly larger in diameter and shinier, closely resembles a conventional shotgun barrel. Note the interrupted threads at the breech and the interchangeable choke tube at the muzzle.
Unfortunately, things are different today. Today Model 59s are scarce and people willing to part with one are even more scarce. Even if they are too old to hunt with them, they still retain a definite affection for them. If you can locate one in need of repair, replacement parts are occasionally available from the Guns Parts Corporation of West Hurley, New York. However if you are thinking of converting an old lightweight Model 50 (which had an aluminum receiver) into a 59, the Win-Lite barrels are seldom if ever available.
So the Model 59 was definitely a better mouse trap. Yet the shooting world failed to beat a path to Winchester’s door. Why this was so remains a mystery. Perhaps the shooters of the time weren’t as sophisticated as the gun. Despite their short production runs, the Models 50 and 59 sired many innovations that continue to live on in other guns. That’s not a bad epitaph for any gun.
The French service Revolver Models of 1873 and 1874
On the upper face of barrel, the model number marking.
BY RAYMOND CARANTA
Just as the Civil War has been called the major military event of the 19th century in the United States, the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 is considered in France to be the landmark for armament evolution during the last thirty years of that period.
As a matter of fact, for instance, 1870 marked the bridge between the muzzle-loading and breech-loading eras for military firearms. In this connection, if we consider handguns, immediately after the war, most cavalry departments shifted from traditional muzzle-loading horse pistols to the most up-to-date metallic cartridge revolvers.
FRENCH CAVALRY HANDGUNS BEFORE THE WAR
In the French cavalry, the handgun was considered, up to the war, quite as a secondary weapon, after the saber and the lance. It is for this reason that, in 1870, the “1822 T Bis” horse pistol, a flintlock single shot design converted to percussion in 1860, was still the basic service handgun.
It was a conventional side-lock single shot 69-caliber gun, 13.7 inches long and weighing 43 oz. with a 7.8-inch barrel. Officers were either armed with single shot flintlock “1822 T” horse pistols converted in 1840 to percussion (overall length 13.4 inches; weight 35 oz. with 7.8-inch barrel) or with the Officers Model of 1833 (same caliber; overall length 14.3 inches; weight 32 oz. with 7.8-inch barrel). However, most cavalry officers used personal handguns, such as the Lefaucheux 12mm pinfire revolvers.
Also, it can be added that, while the converted “1822 T” Officers pistols were only improved basic trooper handguns, the Model of 1833 was much closer to an aristocratic continental duelling pistol. Nevertheless, if we refer to 1855 French military literature (“Maximes, conseils et instructions sur l’art de la guerre.” Paris, Leneveu, Libraire – Editeur. 1855), our top brass did not rely too much on handguns: “…A pistol shot, if not fired at very close range, will miss 99 times out of one hundred; however, never rest the muzzle against the object aimed at, for fear of bursting the barrel….”
Right side view of