Semi-automatic rifle

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Ruger 10/22 - .22 Long Rifle Ruger 10-22.jpg
Ruger 10/22 - .22 Long Rifle
SKS Type 56 - 7.62x39mm Simonov-SKS-45.JPG
SKS Type 56 - 7.62×39mm
Colt AR-15 SP1 - .223 Remington 1973 Colt AR15 SP1.jpg
Colt AR-15 SP1 - .223 Remington
Drawing of the Mannlicher 1885 semi-automatic rifle by Ferdinand Mannlicher, one of the earliest semi-automatic rifle designs. Mannlicher-1885-semi-auto.jpg
Drawing of the Mannlicher 1885 semi-automatic rifle by Ferdinand Mannlicher, one of the earliest semi-automatic rifle designs.
Prague Castle Guard carrying the Czechoslovak vz. 52 rifle Czechguards.jpg
Prague Castle Guard carrying the Czechoslovak vz. 52 rifle

A semi-automatic rifle is an auto-loading rifle that fires a single round of ammunition each time the trigger is pulled. It uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and automatically loads another cartridge into its chamber. [1] [2] This is in contrast to bolt-action or lever-action rifles, which require the user to manually chamber a new round before they can fire again, and fully automatic rifles which fire continuously while the trigger is held down. [3] [4]

Contents

History

In 1883, Hiram Maxim patented a recoil-operated conversion of a Winchester rifle. [5] [6] Another early design for a recoil-operated semi-automatic rifle is attributed to Ferdinand Mannlicher, who unveiled his design in 1885, building on work that began in 1883. [7] [8] [9] Other non-gas-operated models included the Mannlicher Model 85, 91, 93, and 95 rifles. [10] The designs never proceeded past the conceptual and prototyping stage due to issues inherent to the black powder used in their cartridges (based around the Austrian 11×58mmR M/77), such as insufficient velocity and excessive fouling. Use of automatic firearms was only made feasible by the widespread adoption of smokeless powder.

Mannlicher designs served as a basis for multiple other firearms, including the Browning machine guns (M1917, M1919, and M2). [11] [12] Mannlicher produced smokeless powder versions of his guns, beginning in the early 1890s until he died in 1904. [13]

The Fusil Automatique Modele 1917 was an early French semi-automatic rifle issued in limited numbers to the French Armed Forces during World War I. FSA-1917-detoured.jpg
The Fusil Automatique Modele 1917 was an early French semi-automatic rifle issued in limited numbers to the French Armed Forces during World War I.

Blowback semi-automatic

In 1903 and 1905, the Winchester Repeating Arms Company introduced the first low-power blowback (shell-operated) semi-automatic rifles firing rimfire and centerfire ammunition. The Winchester Model 1903 [14] and the Winchester Model 1905 [15] operated on the principle of blowback to function semi-automatically. Designed by T.C. Johnson, the Model 1903 achieved commercial success and continued to be manufactured until 1932 after which the Winchester Model 63 replaced it. [16]

By the early 20th century, several manufacturers had introduced semi-automatic .22 caliber rifles, including Winchester, [14] Remington, [17] Fabrique Nationale [18] and Savage Arms, [19] all using the direct blowback system of operation. Winchester introduced the 351 Winchester Self-Loading semi-automatic rifle, the Model 1907, [20] as an upgrade to the Model 1905, utilizing a blowback system of operation, offering more power than its 22 caliber counterpart. Both the Model 1905 and Model 1907 saw limited military and police use. [21]

Early semi-automatic rifles

In 1883, Artillery Officer Wilhelm H. O. Madsen and Julius A. N. Rasmussen, the intendant of the Copenhagen arms factory, initiated the development of recoil-operated self-loading firearm designs. By 1887, they had produced a functional prototype, later designated the M1888 Forsøgsrekylgevær. The Danish military tested this rifle but ultimately did not adopt it. Subsequently, the pair developed a new design known as the M1896 Flaadens Rekylgevær. This model underwent testing by the Danish military and was deemed reliable. Consequently, 60 units were procured for the Danish Navy, making it one of the earliest semi-automatic rifles officially adopted by a military force. [22] [23]

In the final years of the 19th century and early 20th century, experiments and patents with gas-operated reloading were developed by Hiram Maxim and Richard Paulson as well as a gas-operated conversion system from an American inventor named Henry Pitcher. Other designs were also developed such as the Cei-Rigotti in 1900. [24]

In 1906, Remington Arms introduced the Remington Auto-loading Repeating Rifle. Remington advertised this rifle -renamed the Model 8 in 1911- as a sporting rifle. It was sold in Europe by FN Herstal as the FN Browning 1900. [25] The rifle is a locked breech, long recoil action designed by John Browning, and was offered in .25, .30, .32 and .35 caliber models. In 1936, the Model 81 superseded the Model 8 and was offered in .300 Savage as well as the original Remington calibers.

In 1908, General Manuel Mondragón patented the Mondragón rifle, designated the M1908. The rifle was used by Mexican forces in the Mexican Revolution, making Mexico the first nation to use a semi-automatic rifle in battle, in 1911.

The M1 Garand was designed by John Garand in 1936 and initially produced for the United States military. M1 Garand rifle USA noBg.jpg
The M1 Garand was designed by John Garand in 1936 and initially produced for the United States military.

Shortly after the Mondragón rifle was produced, France introduced its own semi-automatic rifle, the Fusil Automatique Modele 1917. It had a locked breech, gas-operated action that was similar in its mechanical principles to the American M1 Garand. However, the shortened and improved version, the Model 1918 saw more use during the Moroccan Rif War from 1921 to 1926. [26] [27] The bolt-action Lebel Model 1886 rifle remained the standard French infantry rifle until it was replaced in 1936 by another bolt-action rifle, the MAS-36.

Other nations experimented with self-loading rifles during the inter-war period, including the United Kingdom, which had intended to replace the bolt-action Lee–Enfield with a self-loading rifle. This plan was discarded when the Second World War became imminent and the United Kingdom hastily rearmed with more traditional weapons designs.

Gas-operated rifles

M1941 Johnson rifle Semi-Automatic Rifle with original spike bayonet and leather sheath. The 10-round rotary magazine could be quickly reloaded using two clips of .30 Caliber M2 Ball ammunition. M1941.jpg
M1941 Johnson rifle Semi-Automatic Rifle with original spike bayonet and leather sheath. The 10-round rotary magazine could be quickly reloaded using two clips of .30 Caliber M2 Ball ammunition.

In Springfield, Massachusetts, John Garand, a Canadian-born firearms designer, was tasked with designing a basic gas-actuated self-loading infantry rifle and carbine that would eject the spent cartridge and reload a new round using a gas-operated system. It took fifteen years to perfect the M1 prototype model to meet all the U.S. Army specifications. [28] [29] The resulting Semi-Automatic, Caliber .30, M1 Rifle was patented by Garand in 1932, approved by the U.S. Army on January 9, 1936, and underwent mass-production in 1940. [30] General George S. Patton described the M1 Garand as "the greatest battle implement ever devised." [31] It replaced the bolt action M1903 Springfield and was the first gas-operated semi-automatic rifle adopted as national standard-issue service rifle, and was often referred to as the "Garand Rifle". [32] During World War II, over 4,000,000 M1 rifles were manufactured. [33]

The Soviet AVS-36, SVT-38, and SVT-40, as well as the German Gewehr 43, were semi-automatic gas-operated rifles issued during World War II in relatively small numbers. In practice, they did not replace the bolt-action rifle as a standard infantry weapon of their respective nations—Germany produced 402,000 Gewehr 43 rifles, [34] and over 14,000,000 of the Kar98k. [35]

Another gas-operated semi-automatic rifle developed toward the end of World War II was the SKS. Designed by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov in 1945, it came equipped with a bayonet and could be loaded with ten rounds using a stripper clip. It was the first widely issued rifle to use the 7.62×39mm cartridge. [36] By the end of World War II, however, semi-automatic rifles had been largely superseded in military usage by their select-fire counterparts - weapons such as the AK-47, FN FAL and M16 limited the viability of widespread deployment of semi-automatic rifles.

U.S. Marine with a Barrett M82 Staff Sergeant Richard J Clark USMC 2013-07-09 16-55.jpg
U.S. Marine with a Barrett M82

Gradually, military doctrine increasingly prioritized volume of fire over individual marksmanship. During World War II, American ground forces fired approximately 25,000 rounds for each enemy killed. This number rose to 50,000 rounds in the Korean War, and rose again, to 200,000, during the Vietnam War. [37] The first fully-automatic rifle to see widespread usage was the German StG 44, which was reportedly well-liked by troops, [38] as the 30-round select-fire rifle gave them much more flexibility than the bolt-action Karabiner 98k.

Ultimately, automatic rifles would become standard in military usage, as their firepower was superior to that of a semi-automatic rifle. However, both semi-automatic and bolt-action rifles are still widely used today in military service in specific roles, such as designated marksman rifles, which prioritize accuracy over volume of fire. Furthermore, to accommodate for this greater firepower, battle rifles were mostly replaced by assault rifles, whose lighter bullets allowed more ammunition to be carried at once. Where semi-automatic rifles continue to be used, they are usually in higher calibers, such as the .50 BMG Barrett M82.

Operation

SIG Sauer MCX SIG-MCX-Rifle.jpeg
SIG Sauer MCX

Semi-automatic rifles use gas, blow-forward, blowback or recoil energy to eject the casing after a round has been fired, to chamber a new cartridge from the magazine, and to reset the action. This enables another round to be fired once the trigger is depressed again. [39]

Semi-automatic rifles can be fed by an en-bloc clip, external magazine, or stripper clip.

Ruger AR-556. Ruger AR-556 (40251945971).jpg
Ruger AR-556.

Advantages

The main advantage of semi-automatic rifles is their ability to fire multiple sequential shots quickly, as avoiding manually chambering cartridges helps to maintain the aiming position. Repeatedly engaging single or multiple targets rapidly greatly increases the effectiveness of a firearm in most applications. Semi-automatic rifles can typically more than double the hits at close range and increase hits by about 50% at longer distances compared to manually loaded rifles. The added weight of springs and fittings in self-loading mechanisms, along with some of the cartridge energy being used to reload, can help reduce recoil. [40] Reduced recoil helps keep the rifle on target for successive shots, improving overall accuracy.

Disadvantages

A self-loading mechanism tuned for specific cartridge dimensions and power may fail to reload dirty or bent cartridges, struggle to extract low-power training cartridges, or be damaged by cartridges of excessively high power. Some rifles require lubricated cartridges, making them prone to collecting dirt. Reliability issues in the mechanism can negate the advantage of faster firing, potentially lowering the rate of fire compared to manually loaded rifles if not designed for easy manual reloading. The United Kingdom regarded the reliable rate of fire from manually loaded rifles to be nearly as high as self-loading rifles as recently as World War II. [41]

Semi-automatic rifles are uniquely susceptible to slamfire malfunctions caused by abrupt cartridge acceleration during self-loading. Slamfire discharges are unlikely to hit the target and may cause collateral damage. [42]

The time required for changing or reloading magazines can reduce the effectiveness of a rifle, as it imposes an effective duration limit on the continuous rate of fire of any rifle. High-capacity magazines increase the weight of the rifle and typically reduce feeding reliability due to the varying spring tension from a full to a nearly empty magazine. Detachable magazines are generally less durable than internal magazines. [43]

The complexity of a self-loading mechanism makes self-loading rifles more expensive to manufacture and heavier than manually loaded rifles. The semi-automatic M1 Garand weighs about 410 grams (0.9 lbs.) more than the bolt-action M1903 Springfield it replaced, an increase of seven percent. American development of a self-loading infantry rifle began with the 276 Pedersen cartridge in recognition of the difficulties of producing reliable self-loading mechanisms for more powerful cartridges. Although the M1 Garand was ultimately adapted to fire the 30-06 Springfield cartridge at the insistence of General Douglas MacArthur, [44] most subsequent self-loading rifles for infantry use have been chambered for less powerful cartridges to reduce weight, making the service rifles easier to carry. [45]

Select examples

Civilian uses for semi-automatic rifles

Sport shooting

Semi-automatic rifles are often used for sport shooting. There are various types of sport shooting, ranging from rapid-fire shooting, target shooting, and distance shooting. Shooting clubs in America became increasingly common in the 1830s, [46] and have since grown in popularity.

Hunting

Semi-automatic rifles have grown popularity amongst some hunters. [47] Some hunters use semi-automatic rifles, including AR-15 style models, citing their compact design and customization options, effectively making it easier to traverse rugged terrain while tracking a target and providing a large variety of customization ranging from scopes and muzzle devices to different calibers.[ citation needed ] Semi-automatic fire greatly assists in maintaining one's sight picture, which is especially important when follow-up shots are required. [48] Due to their demand, the manufacturers of semi-automatic firearms have greatly increased the effective firing distance of their products compared to the first semi-automatics sold on the civilian market. [49]

Self defense

Semi-automatic rifles are sometimes used for self-defense. [50] [51] Most semi-automatic rifles are rather lightweight and simple to operate, without compromising accuracy. Range-adjustable sights are also common, [52] allowing their use in different environments.

See also

Related Research Articles

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In firearm designs, the term single-shot refers to guns that can hold only a single round of ammunition inside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shot repeating firearms ("repeaters"), single-shot designs have no moving parts other than the trigger, hammer/firing pin or frizzen, and therefore do not need a sizable receiver behind the barrel to accommodate a moving action, making them far less complex and more robust than revolvers or magazine/belt-fed firearms, but also with much slower rates of fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolt action</span> Type of firearm mechanism

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action (firearms)</span> Functional mechanism of breech-loading

In firearms terminology, an action is the functional mechanism of a breechloading firearm that handles the ammunition cartridges, or the method by which that mechanism works. Actions are technically not present on muzzleloaders, as all those are single-shot firearms with a closed off breech with the powder and projectile manually loaded from the muzzle. Instead, the muzzleloader ignition mechanism is referred to as the lock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Browning</span> American firearms designer (1855–1926)

John Moses Browning was an American firearm designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world. He made his first firearm at age 13 in his father's gun shop and was awarded the first of his 128 firearm patents on October 7, 1879, at the age of 24. He is regarded as one of the most successful firearms designers of the 19th and 20th centuries and a pioneer of modern repeating, semi-automatic, and automatic firearms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M1 Garand</span> American semi-automatic rifle

The M1 Garand or M1 rifle is a semi-automatic rifle that was the service rifle of the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War.

A semi-automatic firearm, also called a self-loading or autoloading firearm, is a repeating firearm whose action mechanism automatically loads a following round of cartridge into the chamber and prepares it for subsequent firing, but requires the shooter to manually actuate the trigger in order to discharge each shot. Typically, this involves the weapon's action utilizing the excess energy released during the preceding shot to unlock and move the bolt, extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge case from the chamber, re-cocking the firing mechanism, and loading a new cartridge into the firing chamber, all without input from the user. To fire again, however, the user must actively release the trigger, and allow it to "reset", before pulling the trigger again to fire off the next round. As a result, each trigger pull only discharges a single round from a semi-automatic weapon, as opposed to a fully automatic weapon, which will shoot continuously as long as the ammunition is replete and the trigger is kept depressed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magazine (firearms)</span> Ammunition feeding device of a firearm

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clip (firearms)</span> Device used to store multiple rounds of ammunition for loading into a firearm

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The Winchester Model 1907 is a blowback-operated, semi-automatic rifle produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company beginning in 1907 with production ending in 1957. It fired a cartridge of intermediate power, cycled through a semi-automatic operating mechanism, fed from a 5, 10, or 15 round detachable box magazine located immediately forward of the trigger guard. In size and handling, it is much like an M1 carbine, though the 1907 is heavier and fires a much harder hitting round.

References

Johnson, Melvin M. (1944). Rifles and Machine Guns. New York: William Morrow and Company.

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  22. ↑ "Madsen-Rasmussen". 2015.
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  25. ↑ Woodall, Cameron. ""F.N. 1900"" . Retrieved 9 August 2020.
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  28. ↑ Bruce N. Canfield. The Unknown M1 Garand, American Rifleman, 142 (January 1994): 46–49.
  29. ↑ Hindsight: A Critique Of The M1 Garand, December 14, 2014.
  30. ↑ U.S. patent 1,892,141
  31. ↑ Thompson, Leroy (2012). The M1 Garand. Osprey Publishing. p. 4.
  32. ↑ He Invented the World's Deadliest Rifle, Popular Science, December 1940, page 68.
  33. ↑ Bruce N. Canfield. The Winchester Garand, American Rifleman, Volume 153 (April 2005), pages 46–49.
  34. ↑ McNab, Chris (2013). German Automatic Rifles 1941-45: Gew 41, Gew 43, FG 42 and StG 44. Osprey Publishing. p. 19.
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  40. ↑ Johnson, Melvin (1944). Rifles and Machine Guns. William Morrow and Company. p. 45.
  41. ↑ Johnson (1944) p.43
  42. ↑ Johnson (1944) pp.352-357
  43. ↑ "Detachable Vs. Fixed Gun Magazines". GunCreed. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
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  45. ↑ Hollings, Alex (2021-08-25). "Why the US military switched from 7.62 to 5.56 rounds". We Are The Mighty. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  46. ↑ Encyclopedia Britannica. "Shooting". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  47. ↑ CROCENZI, MADDIE (February 17, 2018). "Hunters split on use of semi-automatic rifles". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2025-01-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  48. ↑ Brenton, Bartt (28 December 2017). "5 Reasons to Hunt with an AR-15". Brenton Performance Grade Hunting Rifles. Bartt Brenton. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  49. ↑ "Britain's Commandos to get new assault rifles".
  50. ↑ Mascia, Jennifer (2023-08-29). "How Often Are AR-Style Rifles Used for Self-Defense?". The Trace. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  51. ↑ Midkiff, Ken (2021-04-12). "It's time to ban assault rifles and move past the guns are used for self-defense argument". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  52. ↑ McGough, Steven (11 January 2013). "Why semi-Automatic Rifles are a Good Choice for Home Defense". RadioVice Online. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
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