Civil War SMG

"Yes,"
-Abraham Lincoln

No, black powder fouls the bore and action far too quickly

>>32940957

You do know that black powder full autos are nothing new, don't even have those problems. You're a retard.

>>32940957
I've never dealt with BP. Would that really matter after a dozen rounds in an open-bolt gun with loose clearances?

>>32940957
Gatling and Maxim guns both functioned with black powder, and SMGs aren't meant to provide sustained fire like they are. I'm sure it would cause problems, but I'm not sure that's enough to call it completely unreasonable.

>>32940986
>>32940988
>>32941109

A miniature gatling gun firing handgun rounds would be viable.

>>32940986

If that were the case, why does my BP revolver seize up after about 40 shots?

>>32941199
Probably because it's a piece of shit Pietta

>>32940788
I'm not sure using a Spencer-style magazine makes sense. Feeding from it looks really dependent on the Spencer's rolling block action. In the gun you're imagining, what stops all the cartridges from being forced out into the action by the follower when the bolt is back?

>>32941230

>Uberti

I don't think it would work well with early rimfire cartridges.

>>32941310
Some sort of rocking lever which is tripped by the bolt, letting one cartridge advance per cycle. The only box-like magazines they had at the time were gravity-fed Gatling single-stacks, and I'm not sure how well that would work for this.

File: 1870 gatling assault rifle.jpg (84KB, 620x562px) Image search: [Google]

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Someone tried.

>>32941533
This is steampunk/nerf autism.

>>32941370
I'm not sure that's impossible. I think you'll need considerably more room in your receiver to make that work.

Are you focusing on the Spencer magazine because of its pseudo-detachability (basically pulling an internal magazine body and follower out of the external tube housing)? I think something like the Henry magazine might also be worth looking at, if so. The concept it similar, but the follower stays attached to the gun.

even beyond the inadequacy of metallurgy in the 19th century and how much BP fouls, ammunition wasn't really consistent enough for a semi-auto or auto. Even strictly controlling for volume, the powder would burn unevenly and have inconsistent grain size

>>32941570
The initial idea was to have the magazine in the stock, like a spencer. A Henry-style tube would also work, but I dislike the way they reload.

>>32940986
operated by gas? at 1800s level powder inconsistencies?

you need smokeless powder to have a controlled and clean enough ignition to operate a self loading mechanism.

>>32941627
The reloading processes seem basically similar, aside from the location of the magazine.

1. Remove the follower from the magazine (in the Henry you lock it forward and swing it to the side still attached, in the Spencer you remove the follower section from the gun entirely)
2. Insert cartridges into the magazine (speed loaders like the Blakeslee Box should work with either, though I'm only aware of it being used with the Spencer)
3. Replace the follower

File: 1466139342528.png (194KB, 3408x2320px) Image search: [Google]

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>>32941533
someone actually tried

>>32941731
Even for straight blowback?

>>32941770
(I'm mostly bringing up the Henry because I think it's feed system might be easier to adapt to what I assume is a simple blowback action, as its bolt travel path is more similar.)

>>32941925
The cartridge lifter from a Henry is anything but simple.

>>32941938
I can more easily see how you could use the bolt to operate it. I'm having a hard time imagining a simple way to make a tube magazine feeding from the opposite direction at a sharp angle work either.

File: 1 barrel nordenfelt.jpg (61KB, 1303x530px) Image search: [Google]

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>>32940788
no, but an autoloader with a manual action and loose as fuck tolerances would.

see: single barrel nordenfelt
brass cased gravity fed slam fire "machinegun" of various configurations ranging from 1 to 4 barrels and a variety of calibers

Maybe something along the lines of the Girandoni air rifle you could

>>32941230
nah, the Pietta seizes up in under six.

File: Screen-Shot-2016-11-12-at-11.34.58-AM.png (825KB, 885x441px) Image search: [Google]

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Maybe something like the Guycot 40-shot pistol?

>>32941731
Its rather obvious OP meant straight blowback.

Gas isn't the only system for self loader, long or short recoil, roller delayed blowback or lever delayed blowback are all options

>>32940788

In theory, yes. Though making it with .22 short (which was already established caliber at the time) would have been better.

>inb4 .22 won't hurt nobody

Think about the era. What was the general solution to dealing with gun shots? Amputation. A small and compact .22 short sub-machine gun held by valiant warriors of the Southern Cause would have mowed down Bluecoats and ended the War of Northern Aggression with a righteous Confederate victory.

File: the great American pistol test.gif (2MB, 1275x4385px) Image search: [Google]

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>>32940788
One problem with autoloading firearms that people really don't realize is that they tend to require higher quality ammunition to run well. It would more than likely possible to build using civil war era technology, but it would be incredibly expensive to make not only the gun but the ammunition as well. Pic related was some testing from before the US military adopted the Beretta 92 and shows how picky semi autos used to be about what ammo you fed them, it features guns from FN and HK having tons of failures simply because the guns didn't like the ammunition (the Browning Hi Power that was tested averaged 72 rounds between stoppages).

>>32945309
Using rockeball type ammo you would be able to make normal pistol with that capacity