Winchester Mystery Prototype: Melvin Johnson does Project SALVO?
Prototype & Trials Weapons
•
10m
This rifle is a Winchester semiauto prototype that has no documentation I could find in any source. So, today we will take a look at what we can possibly extrapolate from its various features. It will be a fun exercise, and if any archival record of it ever comes to light we will get to see if any of my guesses were anywhere near correct...
For the record, my best guess is that it was made in the early to mid 1950s under the direction of Melvin Johnson as a testbed for a flechette or multiple-projectile cartridge design for the US military.
Thanks to the Cody Firearms Museum for allowing me access to film this mystery rifle!
Up Next in Prototype & Trials Weapons
-
Prototype Ross "H5" from 1909
The Ross MkII (aka Ross 1905) was a reasonably successful rifle design, but it lacked a few elements that the Canadian military would have preferred. Most significantly, it was not compatible with the charger clip that was introduced for the Lee Enfield rifles in 1907. The rifle we have today is ...
-
Yes, the AR-14 is a Real Gun...Sort Of
The AR-14 was the subject of a widely-seen political gaffe a while back - but what was the real AR-14? Because yes, there was one! It was one of many firearms planned by Armalite, but not put into production...
-
Prototype Silenced Sten for Paratroop...
The Sten Mk4 was developed experimentally in 1943 for use by British paratroops. It used a remarkably awful folding stock along with a shortened receiver and barrel to make a very compact package - albeit one that must have been very uncomfortable to shoot. Several different models were made, wit...
