Videos tagged with Early Semi-Auto

This video details the disassembly of the rare Cei Rigotti, an early Italian self-loading rifle from around 1900. It highlights the rifle's unique design, including its side-mounted recoil spring housing and internal helical bolt rotation system, differentiating it from modified Carcano designs. The video also touches on its select-fire capability and historical context, noting its chambering in either 7.65 Mauser or 6.5 Carcano.

The Walther Model 3, Walther's first .32 ACP pocket pistol produced in 1913, was exceptionally small for its caliber, comparable to modern micro-compacts. Despite its compact size, it featured a unique left-side ejection port and a shrouded hammer. With only about 3,500 units made before being succeeded by the Model 4, it represents a brief but significant step in Walther's early pistol development.

The General Liu rifle was a significant early attempt at a Chinese indigenous semi-automatic military rifle, designed by General T.E. Liu and manufactured with tooling from Pratt & Whitney. It featured a unique Bang-style gas trap system and could also function as a straight-pull bolt action. Despite its innovative design, the project stalled due to General Liu's stroke and WWI delays, leaving the rifle extremely rare today.

The Czech ZH29 was an early semiautomatic service rifle developed in the late 1920s, notable for its unique trigger-actuated bolt closure. It featured a side-locking mechanism, an aluminum cooling handguard, and dual ejectors for reliability. Though it competed in US Army trials against the M1 Garand, it was primarily sold to Ethiopia, China, and Siam.