Swing rifle

Last updated
SWING Target Rifle
Swing Mk4 Right Side.jpg
A SWING Mk4
Type Bolt-action rifle
Place of origin United Kingdom
Production history
DesignerGeorge Swenson & Laurie Ingram
Designed1972
ManufacturerSwing Firearms Ltd
Produced1972 - ~1990
Variants5
Specifications
Cartridge 7.62×51mm
Action Bolt-action
Feed systemSingle-shot
Sights Diopter sight


The Swing rifle was a design developed by a number of target shooting enthusiasts who came together in 1970 at Bisley. The design's primary instigators were George Swenson and Laurie Ingram. [1] At the time target rifle competition in the UK was dominated by designs based on military actions such as those of the Lee–Enfield and Mauser 1898. These designs were felt to have reached the limits of their development potential; especially when combined with commercially manufactured or hand-loaded ammunition.

Contents

Swenson and Ingram's aim was to develop a design that incorporated the best in target rifle design but maintained adherence to the requirement of the British National Rifle Association that rifles should be of a ‘conventional design and safe’ [2] and be within the size and weight constraints imposed by competition rules.

Development

Swenson had been employed by the London gunmaker John Wilkes of Beak Street and whilst with them had commissioned the manufacture of a 'Universal' target sight and a copy of the Finnish Mantari match trigger. He was also the UK importer of Schultz & Larsen cut-rifled barrels. All of these products were later to appear in the Swing products.

Swenson stated [3] that his primary aim was to ‘concentrate on the importance of the trigger’. This combined with a firing action ("lock time") that was measured at less than 1.7 milliseconds was a significant feature in its early success.

In 1972, having successfully developed a prototype (manufactured by Churwick Engineering who had worked for Swenson while at Wilkes) Swenson and Ingram created Swing Firearms Ltd which marketed model SIN 71 Mk1 rifle. [4] The "SIN" of 1971 commemorated in the model name was for George Swenson being disqualified by the NRA for using a 'diopter' visual aid in his backsight, an aid which is now allowed and helps shooters who are no longer young to see the target clearly. The action type was subsequently named as the SWING (for SWenson and INGram). Years after he died, the NRA posthumously 'pardoned' Swenson.

The basic design was:

A single shot, bolt action, target rifle in 7.62×51mm calibre.

A bolt having four locking lugs derived from the Schultz & Larsen Model 54J of 1953 and 62M of 1961. The lugs were moved to the front of the bolt (as opposed to the Schultz & Larsen design) but were of the same ‘generous’ size. The position of the lugs, at 45 degrees when closed, was suggested to be a compromise between the compensation characteristics of the Mauser and Lee–Enfield types of action with the former locking vertically and the latter horizontally.

The Mantaari type trigger. The design came from Scandinavia where it had been designed as a match replacement for the Swedish Mauser 95 rifle.

The case recess in the bolt head was deep at 3mm (.118”) as compared with the standard 2,5mm (.100) set originally by Mauser. This depth was necessitated by the form of the radial sliding extractor. A spring-loaded ejector was fitted.

A bolt stop operating in a slot milled in the bolt body tube.

Further marks were developed as follows:

Mark 2

Mark 3

Mark 4

Various body improvements; primarily internal, including:

Mark 5

A Mark 5 model exists but it is believed that this is just a number change. In the 1986 documentary "Bisley The Queen's Prize", while reviewing the complete history of winning rifles of the competition, what is purported to be a SIN 71 M5 is fired around the 31 minute and 45 second mark. [5]

Following the death of George Swenson, a William Floyd inherited some parts and the rights to the Swing rifle. During this period the final Swing rifles were produced engraved with Swenson's signature and these have become collectable items. [6]

The Swing rifle is no longer in production but its design features have been continued in types such as the RPA and Paramount rifles.

See also

Related Research Articles

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

Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by directly manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the firearm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauser</span> Firearms manufacturer in Germany

Mauser, originally the Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik, was a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols was produced beginning in the 1870s for the German armed forces. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mauser designs were also exported and licensed to many countries, which adopted them as military and civilian sporting firearms. The Gewehr 98 in particular was widely adopted and copied, and it is the foundation of many of today's sporting bolt-action rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross rifle</span> Canadian bolt-action rifle

The Ross rifle is a straight-pull bolt action rifle chambered in .303 British that was produced in Canada from 1903 until 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M1903 Springfield</span> American bolt-action main battle rifle

The M1903 Springfield, officially the United States Rifle, Caliber .30-06, Model 1903, is an American five-round magazine-fed, bolt-action service repeating rifle, used primarily during the first half of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weatherby</span> American gun manufacturer

Weatherby, Inc. is an American gun manufacturer founded in 1945 by Roy Weatherby. The company is best known for its high-powered magnum cartridges, such as the .257 Weatherby Magnum, .270 Weatherby Magnum, .300 Weatherby Magnum, .340 Weatherby Magnum and the .460 Weatherby Magnum. The company's headquarters is based in Sheridan, Wyoming.

The Winchester Model 70 is a bolt-action sporting rifle. It has an iconic place in American sporting culture and has been held in high regard by shooters since it was introduced in 1936, earning the moniker "The Rifleman's Rifle". The action has some design similarities to Mauser designs and it is a development of the earlier Winchester Model 54, itself being based on a Mauser 98–type action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gewehr 98</span> German service rifle from 1898 to 1935

The Gewehr 98 is a bolt-action rifle made by Mauser for the German Empire as its service rifle from 1898 to 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M1917 Enfield</span> Bolt-action rifle

The M1917 Enfield, the "American Enfield", formally named "United States Rifle, cal .30, Model of 1917" is an American modification and production of the .303-inch Pattern 1914 Enfield (P14) rifle, which was developed and manufactured during the period 1917–1918. Numerically, it was the main rifle used by the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War I. The Danish Sirius Dog Sled Patrol on Greenland still use the M1917, which performs reliably in Arctic conditions, as their service weapon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fullbore target rifle</span> Shooting sports discipline

Fullbore Target Rifle (TR) is a precision rifle shooting sport discipline governed by the International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations (ICFRA). The sport evolved as a distinct British and Commonwealth of Nations discipline from Service rifle (SR) shooting in the late 1960s. Its development was heavily influenced by the British National Rifle Association (NRA). Due to this history, it is usually contested amongst the shooting events at the Commonwealth Games, although not at the Olympics. World Championships are held on a four-year cycle. The annual NRA Imperial Meeting at Bisley in the UK is globally recognised as a historic annual meeting for the discipline.

The Remington Model 30 is a US sporting rifle of the inter-war period based on the military P14/M1917 Enfield rifle action, which was manufactured for the British and US governments during World War I. Initial specimens used surplus military parts with some modifications in order to consume the stock of parts, though further modifications were made as production progressed and later rifles were produced from newly manufactured parts. Most early rifles were in the military .30-06 calibre used in the M1917 but it became available in a variety of chamberings. It was the first high-powered bolt-action sporting rifle produced by Remington. Some would beg to differ as Remington made the Remington Lee factory sporting rifle from 1899-1909, 1446 were built in a variety of calibers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruger M77</span> Rifle

The Ruger M77 is a bolt-action rifle produced by Sturm, Ruger & Co. It was designed by Jim Sullivan during his three years with Ruger. It was designed primarily as a hunting rifle featuring a traditional Mauser K98-style two-lugged bolt with a claw extractor.

Schultz & Larsen is a Danish rifle and silencer manufacturing company that was founded in 1919 in Otterup. In 1994 it was acquired by Jørgen Nielsen, and the production plants split between Otterup and Rask Mølle near Horsens. Currently the company is owned by Morten Krogh.

The CZ-550 is a bolt-action hunting rifle series manufactured by Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod. The CZ 550 series is available with a medium or magnum sized action. The CZ 550 rifle is based on the Mauser 98 rifle.

The Mauser M 98 are a series of currently (2020) produced bolt-action hunting rifles. The production of the controlled round feed Mauser 98 bolt action system for the German military ceased at the end of World War II in 1945. The new Mauser M 98 and M 98 Magnum rifles for civil users are in production since 1999 in Isny im Allgäu, Germany by Mauser Jagdwaffen GmbH, according to original drawings of 1936 and the respective Mauser patents. Mauser Jagdwaffen GmbH is a subsidiary of SIG Sauer.

The SIG Sauer 200 STR, also known as the SIG Sauer 200 STR Match, is a bolt-action rifle mostly used as a target/competition rifle for national competitions by Norwegian, Swedish and Danish sport shooters. It is a variant of the Sauer 200 TR or SIG Sauer 200 TR Match rifle that features thicker 19 mm (0.75 in) diameter barrels. The 200 STR is produced by J. P. Sauer & Sohn GmbH in Germany.

The M52 was the first in a family of target rifles based on refurbished Mauser M 98 military actions by the Danish company Schultz & Larsen in the years following World War II. They were produced to fill a need for target rifles by the Danish shooting association - De Danske Skytteforeninger. The M52 was superseded by later variants the last of which remained in production until the 1970s. It had a similar development path to other Scandinavian target rifles derived from German M98 and other Mauser actions, such as the Kongsberg M59 and Carl Gustaf M63.

The Parker-Hale Model 82 (M82) is the military version of the Parker-Hale 1200TX target rifle; it was accepted for service by several nations for both military and police use. In appearance and design terms the Model 82 is an entirely conventional sniping weapon. It uses a manual bolt action the same as the classic Mauser 98 rifle, allied to a heavy free-floating barrel chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. The barrel weighs 1.98 kg and is manufactured from chrome molybdenum steel. The Model 82 has an integral four-round magazine and an entirely self-contained trigger unit which can be adjusted as required.

The Weatherby Mark V is a centerfire, bolt-action rifle manufactured by Weatherby of Sheridan, Wyoming. The rifle was introduced in 1957 by Weatherby and was designed to safely contain the high pressures associated with the Weatherby line of high performance cartridges. It is the flagship rifle of the Weatherby line of firearms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Rifles</span>

The Angel M80 Rifle is a 7.62×51mm single shot target rifle designed and made in New South Wales in Australia by Bill Angel in the 1980s. The Angel action was one of the first solid cylindrical type target actions made in that country. It followed the success of the Swing design in the UK which saw the move away from 'open' designs; often derived from 19th Century military actions. It was approved for use in Australia on 1 November 1980.

SIG Sauer 205 is a bolt-action rifle formerly produced by SIG Sauer. The rifle was produced in several variants for competition shooting and law enforcement.

References

  1. Laurie Ingram. "The Birth of the SIN71 Target Rifle". topcorp1.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  2. NRA Handbook inc. NRA Rules of Shooting Section 55.
  3. Cornfield, Susie (1987). The Queen's Prize: the story of the National Rifle Association. Pelham Books. ISBN   0-7207-1751-5
  4. Laurie Ingram (2002). "The SWING SIN71 Rifle Prototype" (PDF). NRA Journal. National Rifle Association. LXXXI (Summer 2002): 24. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  5. Brian Glover (presenter) (1986). Bisley - The Queen's Prize (Television production). Bisley Camp: British Broadcasting Corporation. Event occurs at 29:26. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  6. "Obituary - William J Floyd" (PDF). NRA Journal. National Rifle Association. LXXXVI (Winter 2007): 86. 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2022.


Commons-logo.svg Media related to Swing rifles at Wikimedia Commons