Colt Franklin: Detachable 9-Round Magazine of .45-70 in 1884
Prototype & Trials Weapons
•
8m 9s
Patented in 1884 and designed by retired Civil War General William Franklin, this was an effort by Colt to win a military contract for a repeating rifle. It was a wholly new rifle (not a conversion) that operated like a Gras action, was chambered for .45-70 cartridges, and fed from a 9-round hopper type magazine. Only 50 were made, and they underwent extensive trials with both the US Army and Navy in 1887 and 1888. Despite successfully firing some 4,000 rounds, none were ordered - probably because the magazine would have been far too easily damaged in field use.
Up Next in Prototype & Trials Weapons
-
The G40k: A German Experimental Mause...
In April 1940, WaPrüf 2 directed Mauser to begin development of a shortened Master carbine with a 490mm (19.3”) barrel, presumably for specialty troops. Development meandered on until July 1942, by which time just 28 rifles had been made, in two series. The first batch were numbered 3-15 and the ...
-
Barton Jenks' Model 1867 Rolling Bloc...
Barton Jenks was parts of a family rifle with inventors. These included Joseph Jenks, who was granted the first patent in the American colony in 1646 (for a sawmill design), his uncle William Jenks who created the Jenks Mule-Ear carbine, and his father Alfred who was an innovator in textile machi...
-
Thompson T2 Submachine Gun Prototype
The T2 submachine gun was Auto-Ordnance's entry into the ongoing competition to replace the classic Thompson submachine gun with something more economical to produce. It was a closed-bolt, select-fire design using a progressive trigger and a tubular receiver, along with stand Thompson gun magazin...
