Weird Slide Action Prototype Rifles 

Sources are patents US601842A and US723706A.

Oh sweet. I was looking at the patents someone else posted and thought that name sounded familiar but I couldn't think of where.

Wow, great job! Those patents match the rifles exactly.

I looked up those patents, and I'm very impressed and glad that you shared them.

Reading the patent, it looks like the unknown control on the earlier prototype may have been a magazine cut-off

POOR PIRANO Like you :O

Get out lol

*CARLOS!*

@Judge Dredd he didn't say being gay was bad, he said that term sounds like a euphemism for some kind of gay sex, which it totally kind of does. Go up to a gay friend and ask if they can give you a "bull pump", and see that sassy eyebrow raise

Bullpup, no M.

For a man of his power it truly is.

It’s a minor issue because it’s for the best

He did write it down, just not on the gun itself. Looks like he patented this in 1898. So not 30-06. 30 Krag maybe?

Alaric _ this has my dead

Or don't so historians will be like "what the fuck is this thing?"

Its apparently a sammuel maclean gun, see coment above

Dont forget put the blue prints into the stock!🤣

@@xXvenomslasherXx NO! I REFUSE TO TURN SLIGHTLY!

@Andrew Abbott LOL very witty! BUT, there goes your sight picture with that 90 degree turn.

@Andrew Abbot Very true but there weren't many semi-autos to choose from when this weapon was designed. patents.google.com/patent/US723706A/en Plus I was really just being nit-picky to see what kind of comments I would get, the "range ninja" comment made it totally worth it. LOL!

just dig a very small trench below your firing position

Cinnamanster A supine shooting!

Right?? Totally my initial thoughts

I think there was one other. Of another mystery gun. I think it was an unidentified Mauser.

Education :)

DenInDaWuds Take a look at the general Lieu Rifle video thumbnail...

@@154Kilroy It was the mystery European revolver.

And for good reason!

They were made by Samuel McClean. He's best known for designing a machine gun that would eventually evolve into the Lewis Gun.

umconwa5; Bingo!

Patent US601842A also for the "slide lever" rifle.

@@davidgreen40 ..the ultimate gun control weapon.......sigh

"Why did you put the pump in the back?" "Shut up! That's why!"

At a time Winchester held the patent on pump action fore ends, which is why I'd date this anywhere from 1890 to 1920

Lol

That actually makes a lot of sense. +1 to that.

I thought the same thing; but you lose the speed advantage of a lever action or a pump action, while adding complexity. That's probably why the design doesn't seem to have got past the prototype stage.

I think you are right. Good call mr larsen

This is a good theory. In that case, these were probably made around the civil war era and the creator was going to try and cash in.

@@-Griffin older model according to the patents was 1896 newer model was 1903

I know. When he was pointing that out I was like man did you not just see those insane mechanisms?

You're probably right since there's no point to this system if you could just use pump action.

I think you are right. I see no improvement over pump or leaver action.

@@FreeOfFantasy Or straight pull bolt action. You could use the same bolt and carrier with a much more sensible handle out the side or top.

@@FreeOfFantasy Might be better than either a pump or lever action for firing prone, which could be relevant if the designer had any ambition for military contracts. Other than that, it seems like the worst of all worlds: slower than either a pump action or a lever action, more complicated than a bolt action, more awkward than any of the above. No wonder only two prototypes seem to have been made before they gave up.

That's what I was wondering, as well. It feels like whoever made these rifles was trying to (albeit vaguely & unsuccessfully) replicate the slide action of the Burgess folding shotgun.

rickardspaghetti exactly what I was about to ask, I'd guess yes just because of the "magazine behind trigger" design

Sorta the bullpup rifle has the action behind the trigger. all we have in this gun is a magazine behind the trigger so I’d say it’s a bastard bullpup it’s like a bullpup but its also not a bullpup

@@allencook6574 that's what I was thinking as well. The magazine is far back, but the barrel still starts ahead of the trigger. The whole point of a bull pup is to have a longer barrel, this does not.

It's a bullshit :P

@@David-kd4qr The barrel starts ahead of the trigger, but still closer to it than it could've been with a conventional design, because then there wouldn't be room to load a long rifle cartridge.

Indeed the mystery gun videos and the oddball oneoff prototypes are great.

Zach Coulter the pinned first commenter identified it right away and even provided damn patent info and pics! That guy above is on par with Ian with his knowledge no doubt

no such thing as a "california or any other commie state compliant rifle" because their "laws" about this stuff are unconstitutional therefore null and void of power of law

@@gcart7675 As right you are, good luck with that

The 1898 patent someone else found suggests that your idea could be spot on.

willlowery84 There’s only one set of locking lugs so it probably is a cartridge of that power level.

I love this community

Credited. .30-40 Krag would be a good guess. The patents are 1890s and appearance of these prototype guns looks very end of the 19th/turn of the 20th century ish. .30-40 Krag would be a good bet for that era.

Those barrel bands and front sight are extremely Krag-ish.

You know he could. He'd probably love it.

@@tomminton5512 ...while endlessly bitching & moaning about the level of overcomplexity

Let Mae test fire it...

Apparently this was made by Samuel N. Mcclean. The patent numbers are US601842A and US723706A if you want to check it out

@Aaron Harris I heard of a tribe from Novaia Zemiya (far north Island where Tsar Bomba test took place) which uses this method. They are using powder from matches and lead balls made from old batteries.

I guess the best designs for any firearm from an isolated civ would be like the Japanese or Chinese matchlocks. When the west invented lever locks, they were still developing pretty crude matchlocks and cannons made from iron or sometimes bamboo.

it's pretty difficult to sell plastic scrap as an antique.

@@jackvernian7779 Tell that to any collector of 19th century celluloid.

2199: I see you replaced the original rubber bands. That knocks the value down by half.

Jack Vernian not really

If that's the kind of thing you like, try IV8888's video Determining Unknown Calibers With Cerrosafe, and the follow-up video.

@@jic1 Midway

@@bobkissinger4893 Huh?

Yeah I agree, I immediately thought it was a Winchester or Winchester inspired.

I wonder if this gun wasn't meant to fire a full size smokeless spitzer .30 round before the 95 came round. Seems to me somebody had a lightbulb moment and tried a slide system rather than the toggle link lever system.

noth606 Straight back and forth actions like a slide or a straight pull are VERY close to a semi auto, all you need is some sort of gas system or blowback system and a return spring at that point.

@@lunarpking Yes, but this particular rifle was clearly not a semi-auto.

my first thought when i saw them was a mod. 1895 win. one other thought could it be slam fire

I see what you're saying - "brining." Thought you could slip that one past us?

stop

Wise One @cmbunit01

I like that name

I imagine the OP to have many toy action figures still in the packaging lining the walls of his room.

According to the patent someone found in another comment thread, it was patented in 1898 so 30-40 Krag would be a likely guess.

Oh that's actually really interesting and sounds like it could have worked

@@LoneWolf-wp9dn Socialism works very well. It is basically communism with a lot of capitalist features (or I guess communism 2.0) Communism it the one that does not work, although technically there has never been a true communist state. True communism is a very direct governance by the people or a more regulated anarchy (technically no government but there is order). The USSR got stuck at stage two with a revolutionary government. The actual theory argues that the revolution government would then transfer power from the few, to the people and make itself obsolete in the process. But seriously, true capitalism is horrific. Things like labor laws, minimum wage, public education and all the rest are actually socialist ideas that have been added on to the base capitalist system. If you want to see what true capitalism looks like, take a peek at china's labor conditions (I know, ironic that a communist state has a very capitalist industry). Or look up working conditions during the 19th century in the mines and factories.

Chris Collins can we just keep politics out of this and just in joy the guns.

@@paulhickie9148 Why you telling me, I didn't say shit about politics lol

Chris Collins not you the people who bought it up.

@@paulhickie9148 We can keep correct spelling out of this also. Enjoy.

Put the magazine behind the trigger, put the pump action behind the trigger, fuck it, put the barrel behind the trigger

I’m honestly surprised no one did this before or after lever action

@@thepeoplesrepublicofdisney5058 Probably had something to do with the success of bolt action rifles and pump action shotguns

The Peoples Republic Of Disney someone made a prototype bullpup double barrel its on forgotten weapons thats pretty cool to me

Howard Black; it was probably proof of concept, and there could be provision to fit an equally “interesting” firing mechanism to a subsequent model that either might be a subject of another patent, or a mechanism that could possibly be subject to some kind of patent infringement? BTW, I think on the fired rifle, I think the handle on the slide came from one of the turn-of the century slide action rifles. Looking at the rifle kind of “cross-eyed”, I wonder if it could have made operational sense with a sort of thumb-hole stock?

those'd be some large kids

Evidently the trigger system depended on two tiny springs... Tiny weak springs don't usually last over a hundred years! 😅

It better not chew the ammo in the chamber, like a nerf gun

It even sounds like a nerf gun

@@MKRocker2012 It triggered some serious "dart stuck in the middle of the barrel" flashbacks

Michael, you realise that he didn't want to damage the gun and that he showed how it worked right? The manly toughness arsehole mindset gets so many things wrong.

@@Isaac-ho8gh calm down, Michael was using the general you and referring to the manual of arms of the rifle.

Good Q&A question.

Of course he forgets them. They're FORGOTTEN WEAPONS

The army is almost complete!

it might have held a kerosene lamp from a train engine, based on the freaky lines of the rest of the beast.

@@stoneblue1795 19th century Tacticool. I like it.

@@wingracer1614 No stripper clip guide, though.

I’m guessing rifle grenade 😂

@@Hebwastaken You mean an attachment for launching them?

You may want to upload a video or something about it, seems like an extremely obscure gun

upload a video about it, nothing in google is showing up about it, could be something.

I didn't realize they were that rare! Next time I go down and visit my grandpa, I'll have to bring down my gopro and make my own little forgotten weapons video!!

June of 1903

That's the impression that I was getting

Technically neither ar because there is no trigger group for the action to be behind but if you want to get really into it depending on the source bullpup is defined as either both the action and magazine are behind the trigger in which neither of these are a bullpup because the elevator is still above the trigger instead of behind. Another source ive found defines bullpup as the action and magazine being part of or housed in the stock which would also mean thses are not bullpups.

Nope. Bull pup has it's action behind the trigger.

if it were to work I tihnk it would be on part with SMLE in the regards to target picture.

It was patented by an American in 1898.

@@wingracer1614 "It" huh? That's so very precise. Patent number, please.

@@marshaul US601842A and US723706A

​@@lessthenoriginalcynical1493 Those do appear to be patents for this firearm, sure enough, though the first has to do with the magazine and I cannot find the second, though it does not appear to be for the slide action. So this gun is a few years earlier than I guessed, but at the same time it confirms my bet that the this design well postdates the expiry of any action patents against which this gun might have competed.

Mosin? You're kidding, right? What parts?

Connor Williams I wouldn’t say a Mosin, but this definitely bears a strong resemblance to a Winchester 1895 Russian. I’m being inclined to believe this may be a prototype iteration of that rifle, designed to negate the disadvantages of a lever action (firing while prone) like the 1895.