cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/46985548
Close up of the Pedersen Device:
The Pedersen Device, 1918 Developed during World War I, the Pedersen Device converted a Model 1903 Springfield from a bolt-action rifle to a semiautomatic that fired a .30-caliber pistol cartridge. The device would give U.S. troops fire superiority as they crossed no man's land between trenches. The war ended before the device could be fielded in Europe, but the need for a semiautomatic rifle was clear.
Rock Island Arsenal's Prototype Semiautomatic Rifle, 1909-1913 On 7 April 1909, the chief of ordnance directed the design of a semiautomatic rifle for general use by troops based on the Model 1903 rifle. Two Rock Island Arsenal foremen, Hatch and Woodbury, were tasked with this project. Hatch's rifle was recoil operated, in which the entire barrel and chamber recoiled to cycle the weapon. Woodbury's design was gas operated, with a long piston set in a cylinder below the barrel. The pressure to cycle the piston was drawn from the bore of the rifle through ports set eight inches from the muzzle. Woodbury's design was chosen for further development, but the rifle's complexities slowed its development. In March 1913, the chief of ordnance directed Woodbury's rifle to be placed in condition for firing and testing. No information is known about the testing or the current location of Woodbury's rifle.
