Automatic Pistol, Caliber .30, Model of 1918

by
posted on August 8, 2014
wiley-clapp.jpg (1)

A reader who read my comments on the French Model 1935A pistol commented on its relationship to the intentionally mysterious cartridge used in the Pedersen device. The existence of the Pedersen device is well-documented, but samples are rare. It was not a pistol at all, but rather a device that replaced the complete bolt of the M1903 Springfield rifle. In place in the rifle, the device took a long, 40 round-magazine of a short .32 caliber cartridge. This gave the infantryman a means to deliver high-volume, low-recoil fire while advancing in a skirmish line. The device was quickly removable when the user needed to return the rifle to its original nature. Officially adopted in the midst of our involvement in WWI, the Pedersen device was kept secret. Many were made, but the war ended before we could deploy them and they were almost all destroyed in the post-war era.

Remington made 65 million rounds of ammo for the system and most of it was destroyed as well. But there is evidence that a carbine shooting the .30 Pedersen cartridge was demonstrated to the French in the late 20s. It is identical to the 7.62mm French Long, the cartridge used in the 1935 vintage automatic pistol and the 1938 submachine gun.

Latest

Gotw 1854 Web
Gotw 1854 Web

Gun Of The Week: Smith & Wesson Model 1854

Welcome to another American Rifleman Gun Of The Week video, and this time we have a modernized American lever-action to take to the range. Meet the Smith & Wesson Model 1854.

New For 2025: Kimber 2K11

With its new 2K11, Kimber now has a dedicated design based on the 2011 concept that comes loaded with a number of added features.

The Armed Citizen® Nov. 22, 2024

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Red Fifty: The Soviet 12.7 mm DShK Heavy Machine Gun

While the Browning .50-cal. M2 machine gun has been unequaled for more than a century, John Moses Browning’s genius design has had one significant 12.7 mm competitor: the Soviet DShK.

Support The NRA Youth Education Summit (YES) On Giving Tuesday

With more than 1,200 students having graduated from the program and over $700,000 in scholarships awarded since 1996, NRA's YES is an immersive leadership program for high school students eager to learn about the foundations of our nation, the importance of civic engagement and the role of the Second Amendment.

Rifleman Review: Remington 360 Buckhammer

Remington Ammunition's 360 Buckhammer is a straight-wall hunting cartridge that's designed to give deer hunters an ideal round for their Midwestern hunt.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.