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55-468: The Roth–Steyr pistol fires from an unusual style of locked breech. The bolt is very long. Its rear end is solid, except for a sleeve for the striker, but its front part is hollow and fits tightly over the barrel. The interior of the bolt has cam grooves cut into it, and the barrel has studs which fit into the grooves. When the pistol is fired, the barrel and bolt recoil together within the hollow receiver for about 0.5 in (13 mm). During this operation,

110-482: A broken extractor. Stripper clip A stripper clip (also known as a charger or charger clip , especially in Commonwealth English military vocabulary) is a speedloader that holds several cartridges (usually between 5 and 10) together in a single unit for easier and faster loading of a firearm magazine . Stripper clips were originally employed in infantry bolt-action rifles, such as

165-402: A friction wheel that followed the contours of the metal rifle pattern, and the cutting wheel that imitated the movements of the friction wheel to make an exact replica of the pattern in wood. In the 1840s the old flintlock gave way to a percussion ignition system that increased the reliability and simplicity of longarms. The Springfield Armory was largely involved in the growth and influence of

220-718: A highly modified version of the M1 Garand. The M14 was produced from 1959 to 1964 and was the U.S. Army's primary combat rifle until being replaced by the M16 rifle gradually from 1964 to 1970. The M14 has evolved over the years into a more modern sniper rifle—the M21 . By the time the U.S. was involved in the Vietnam War , Springfield Armory developed not only rifles but machine guns for ground and air use, grenade launchers , and associated equipment. Many weapons were not manufactured at

275-600: A mile-long lake called Watershops Pond . The main shops were behind the dam and a foundry was built below it. This factory was modernized, and the greater part of machining for Springfield and Garand rifles was conducted in it. President George Washington appointed David Ames as first superintendent of the armory. His father Capt. John Ames was a blacksmith who had provided guns to the Colonial army. In 1786 and 1787, American Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays led an armed, populist uprising that attempted to overthrow

330-538: A rule, difficult or impossible to top-up to their maximum capacity again with additional cartridges as the remaining rounds must be either fired or ejected before a new fully loaded en bloc clip can be loaded, which is generally easy with stripper-clip loading weapons. Stripper clips were originally employed in infantry bolt-action rifles, such as the Russian Mosin–Nagant , the British Lee–Enfield , and

385-689: A week without cleaning or lubrication." Further testament to the M1s role in combat was given by another well-respected military officer, General George S. Patton, Jr. , who reported to the Army Ordnance Department on January 26, 1945, "In my opinion, the M1 Rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised." The last small arm developed by the Armory was the M14 rifle , which was, essentially,

440-404: A “Mark II”, was tested. Recorded as having an eight round magazine loaded by charger. The velocity was 816.8 ft/s (249.0 m/s) and penetrated ten of the 0.5 in (13 mm) boards, spaced 1 in (25 mm) apart at 25 ft (7.6 m). Bullets weighed 200 gr (13 g) grains with steel envelope and 4.7 gr (0.30 g) of smokeless powder. Conclusions were that it

495-463: Is loaded into the magazine and all of the remaining rounds must be either fired or ejected before being another full en bloc clip can be loaded. A device practically identical to a modern stripper clip was patented by inventor and treasurer of United States Cartridge Company De Witt C. Farrington in 1878, while a rarer type of the clip now known as Swiss-type (after the Schmidt–Rubin ) frame charger

550-627: Is located just north of the Connecticut River's first waterfall ( Enfield Falls ), which is too steep to be navigated by ocean-going vessels. Thus, Springfield was the first town on the Connecticut River protected from attack by seafaring naval vessels. The Armory site itself sits atop a high bluff like a citadel, overlooking a wide stretch of the Connecticut River, at its confluence with the Westfield River . General Knox concurred with Washington that "the plain just above Springfield

605-484: Is perhaps one of the most proper spots on every account" for the location of an arsenal. In 1777, patriot colonists established "The Arsenal at Springfield" to manufacture cartridges and gun carriages for the war effort. During the Revolution, the arsenal stored muskets, cannon, and other weapons. Patriots built barracks, shops, storehouses, and a magazine. Some doubt exists that the colonists manufactured arms during

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660-504: Is placed on the lip of the box magazine, a full clip is inserted in the loader and the rounds are pushed into the magazine. Springfield Armory The Springfield Armory , more formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield located in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts , was the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until its closing in 1968. It

715-608: The Government of Massachusetts . On January 25, 1787, thousands of Shays' Regulators marched on the Springfield Armory, hoping to seize its weaponry and force a change of government. That day the Springfield Armory was defended by state militia, who fired grapeshot at the rebels, forcing them to flee. This confrontation proved decisive, as Shays' Rebellion was crushed soon thereafter, and some of its participants tried for treason. Shays' Rebellion directly influenced

770-597: The Industrial Revolution . Much of this grew out of the military's fascination with interchangeable parts , which was based on the theory that it would be easier to simply replace firearm parts than make battlefield repairs. Mass production of truly interchangeable parts demanded greater use of machines, improved gauging, quality control, and division of labor; all characteristics of the Industrial Revolution. From these individual components,

825-494: The M1 Garand , M1891 Carcano , and Mannlicher M1895 , are designed to be inserted into the magazine itself, essentially forming part of the loaded working magazine. They are faster to use but more expensive to produce then more common Farrington-type chargers, and become unreliable if used many times (hence they are designed for single use). Moreover, once some but not all rounds have been fired, en bloc clip format guns are, as

880-637: The Rock Island Arsenal was established in 1862. During this time production ramped up to unprecedented levels ever seen in American manufacturing up until that time, with only 9,601 rifles manufactured in 1860, rising to a peak of 276,200 by 1864. These advancements would not only give the Union a decisive technological advantage over the Confederacy during the war but served as a precursor to

935-547: The Armory and wrote his poem "The Arsenal at Springfield." The anti-war poem described the rows of finished guns, by that point 1,000,000 stockpiled there, stored vertically in open racks: "Like a huge organ, rise the burnished arms." With the destruction of the Harpers Ferry Armory early in the American Civil War , the Springfield Armory was briefly the only government manufacturer of arms, until

990-571: The Armory, but plans and specifications were drawn up for the use of private contractors who built them elsewhere, representing an economic shift toward the American private arms industry. In 1968, the Springfield Armory was closed. Outer portions of the armory were sold off, including the "Water Shops" production facilities, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Water Shops Armory . The core site

1045-622: The Canadian (FNC1A1) version of the L1A1 self-loading rifle , the US OA-96 carbine and T48 rifles and the Chinese Type 63 and Type 81 assault rifles . Currently, they are used to top off detachable box magazines for semi-automatic and automatic rifles. A magazine loader is placed on the lip of the box magazine, the clip is placed inside the loader, and then the rounds are pushed into

1100-902: The German Gewehr 98 and its variant the Mauser K98k , the related US M1903 Springfield and many others. Stripper clips were also employed in newer, semi-automatic rifles with internal box magazines, such as the Soviet SKS and Egyptian Hakim Rifle . Many early semi-automatic pistols also used stripper clips to reload, including the Mannlicher M1894 , the Roth–Steyr M1907 , and the Mauser C96 . In modern use, strippers are used to fill detachable box magazines for semi-automatic and automatic rifles. A magazine loader

1155-710: The Revolutionary War. After the war, the Army kept the facility to store arms for future needs. By the 1780s, the Springfield Arsenal functioned as a major ammunition and weapons arsenal. Some time later, when manufacturing became important, the arsenal expanded to a second area south and west in Springfield, where water power was available. Around that time, the Mill River was dammed to form

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1210-590: The Revolutionary War. He had the cannons sent to a local foundry to be melted down. The foundry kept some of the iron as payment, and the remainder was cast into 9-foot palings, formed as pikes and spearheads which were then sunk into a red sandstone base. During the Spanish–American War , it was recognized that the Spanish Mauser Model 1893 , exhibited characteristics superior to the "trapdoor" Springfield and Krag–Jørgensen rifles carried by

1265-685: The Russian Mosin–Nagant , the British Lee–Enfield , and the German Mauser Model 1889 , Gewehr 98 , and its variant the Karabiner 98k , the related American M1903 Springfield and M1917 Enfield , Swiss K31 , and many others. Stripper clips were also employed in newer, semi-automatic rifles with internal box magazines, such as the Soviet SKS and the Egyptian Hakim Rifle . Semi and full automatic firearms using both stripper feed inserts and detatchable box magazines are

1320-539: The Springfield Armory from 1794 to 1968 are referred to as "Springfield muskets and rifles ". Local and colonial militia used the bluff on which the Springfield Armory would become located during the 17th century for militia training, particularly after the Attack on Springfield during King Philip's War . In 1777, during the American Revolutionary War , George Washington scouted and approved

1375-956: The Springfield Armory produced the new nation's first musket - the Model 1795 Musket which was largely patterned after the French Charleville musket which had armed the French army during the American Revolution . The Armory played a major role in providing weapons for the American Army during the War of 1812 . Its monthly reports to the War Department are online, and they indicate it made 9588 new muskets in 1814 and repaired 5190 old ones that year. It several times reported that its funding had been delayed. Fueled by

1430-460: The Springfield Armory, the City of Springfield quickly became a national center for invention and development. In 1819 Thomas Blanchard developed a special lathe for the consistent mass production of rifle stocks. Thomas Blanchard worked at Springfield Armory for 5 years. The lathe enabled an unskilled workman to quickly and easily turn out identical irregular shapes. The large drum turned two wheels:

1485-622: The United States troops. On August 15, 1900, Springfield Armory completed an experimental magazine rifle which they believed to be an improvement over the Krag. They fashioned a clip loading magazine rifle in which the cartridges were contained within the stock, preventing damage to an otherwise exposed magazine. It was approved for production in as the Model 1903 . Mauser later sued for patent infringement and won royalties from Springfield. By

1540-407: The additional 47,251 rifles produced by the Rock Island Arsenal and the weapons already in service, were enough to supply the war effort. During World War I the Springfield Armory produced ≈25,000 M1911 pistols before all facilities were dedicated to production of M1903 rifles . In 1919, when John Garand was 31, he came to Springfield, where he worked to develop a semi-automatic rifle . Over

1595-619: The adoption of the .455SL Webley in 1912. The first trial of the 11.35 mm (0.447 in) Roth is recorded in Minute 635 of June 1902. An 8mm Roth had been tested earlier in October 1900. In 1902, Roth submitted two 11.35 mm (0.447 in) and one 8mm pistol of “improved design”. The committee reported that the ammunition had a bullet of 198 gr (12.8 g) with a copper envelope with exposed lead tip with 5 gr (0.32 g) of smokeless powder. In March 1903, another Roth pistol

1650-552: The barrel and bolt to recoil together within a hollow receiver. It is chambered for a cartridge specific to this model. The Roth–Steyr does not have a detachable magazine, but features a fixed magazine loaded from the top with stripper clips . The sights are fixed, the grips are wooden and terminate in a lanyard ring. Rifling is four grooves with right-hand twist. The Bundeswehr Museum of German Defense Technology in Koblenz has one of these specimen in its collection. The pistol

1705-429: The closure of the U.S. Army Springfield Armory in 1968, the L. H. Gun Co. of Devine, Texas , was renamed Springfield Armory, Inc. to capitalize on the name recognition. There is no affiliation or licensing between the original Springfield Armory and Springfield Armory, Inc., despite a timeline on the commercial website of the latter that includes the history of the former. The company's products include M1911 pistols and

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1760-413: The concept of the assembly line was devised. The Springfield Armory also contributed to improved business management techniques. Colonel Roswell Lee, hired as superintendent in 1815, brought centralized authority, cost accounting for payroll, time, and materials, and increased discipline to a manufacturing environment—all business practices still in use today. In 1843, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow visited

1815-743: The delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Washington cited it as his reason for coming out of retirement. During the debates over the U.S. Constitution, in encouraging a stronger Federal government, James Madison cautioned the attendees that "the rebellion in Massachusetts is a warning, gentlemen." In 1793, the National Arsenal contained brass ordnance, howitzers , traveling carriages, shot strapt, canisters filled, quilted grape, iron shot, shells, powder, musket ball , cylinders, caps, paper cartridges, fuzes filled, muskets , swords, various military stores, and implements. In 1795,

1870-628: The dissolution of Austria-Hungary , the Roth–Steyr was fielded by Yugoslavia , with limited use during World War II by the Austrians and Hungarians . Italy received a number of pistols as World War I reparations from Austria-Hungary, and these pistols were used by Italian troops during World War II . They were used also in Czechoslovakia and Poland. 8x19? 0.329? FÉG FÉG FÉG *not to be confused with ACP The company

1925-469: The earliest years of the 1913–1915 automobile assembly line, indirectly due to mass production manufacturing advancements pioneered by the armory 50 years earlier. In 1865, Master Armorer Erskine Allin introduced the "Allin Conversion," which incorporated the far more advanced design of breech-loading into the now-obsolete muzzleloaders , thereby extending their service life. In 1891 a new function

1980-590: The entire production history of the M1 rifle, the Springfield Armory produced over 4.5 million of them. The M1's accuracy and durability in battle earned it high praise. General Douglas MacArthur reported on the M1 to the Ordnance Department during heavy fighting on Bataan that "Under combat conditions it operated with no mechanical defects and when used in foxholes did not develop stoppages from dust or dirt. It has been in almost constant action for as much as

2035-575: The government bought all the rights and ordered production in the Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft (OEWG) in Steyr and FEG in Budapest. From 1908 to 1914, approximately 99,000 weapons were manufactured (the Army received 59,334 from Steyr and 38,213 from FEG, plus several hundred were sold on the civilian market). Despite common name for the pistol Roth–Steyr, Steyr works did not participate in its design, apart from minor improvements. Following

2090-403: The helical grooves in the muzzle bush cause the barrel to turn 90 degrees clockwise, after which it is held while the unlocked bolt continues to the rear, cocking the action as it does so. For safety in the intended use by mounted cavalry, the pistol has a heavy trigger pull against the firing striker spring, similar to a hammerless revolver. The Roth–Steyr is a locked-breech pistol, which allows

2145-766: The legacy of technological innovation at the Springfield Armory site. The Main Arsenal Building and the Commanding Officer's Quarters were extensively renovated by Eastern General Contractors of Springfield, Massachusetts between 1987 and 1991. The Main Arsenal now houses the Springfield Armory Museum, which includes the Benton Small Arms Collection, one of the largest collections of weaponry. Following

2200-665: The magazine. It is called a "stripper" clip because, after the bolt is opened and the stripper clip is placed in position (generally by placing it in a slot on either the receiver or bolt ), the user presses on the cartridges from above, sliding them into the magazine and stripping them off the clip. Depending on the firearm, magazine, and cartridge, stripper clips come in a variety of shapes, some are quite complex, though most are either straight or crescent-shaped pieces of stamped metal—usually brass, steel (often blued , parkerized ), or plastic. Stripper clips differ from en bloc clips in that they are not designed to be inserted into

2255-472: The mass production manufacturing that contributed to the post-war Second Industrial Revolution and 20th century machine manufacturing capabilities. American historian Merritt Roe Smith has drawn comparisons between the early assembly machining of the Springfield rifles and the later production of the Ford Model T , with the latter having considerably more parts, but producing a similar numbers of units in

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2310-413: The next five years many designs were submitted for the rifle, but none met the army's rigid specifications. In 1924, Garand offered a design that was approved for further testing. This was the famous M1, or " Garand rifle " as it came to be known. The army adopted the rifle in 1936, and production began the next year. This began what was to become the greatest production effort in the armory's history: during

2365-408: The scene of a confrontation during Shays' Rebellion , the Springfield Armory in the 19th and 20th centuries became the site of numerous technological innovations of global importance, including interchangeable parts , the assembly line style of mass production , and modern business practices, such as hourly wages. The facility would play a decisive role in the American Civil War , producing most of

2420-407: The site of the Springfield Armory, after it was referred to him by General Henry Knox , his artillery chief. Although a small town at the time, Springfield, Massachusetts , offered obvious geographical advantages—it lay at the intersection of three rivers (including the major Connecticut River ), and four major roads headed toward New York City, Boston, Albany, and Montreal. Additionally, Springfield

2475-515: The time that the United States entered World War I , approximately 843,239 standard service Model 1903 rifles had been manufactured. However, this was insufficient to arm U.S. troops for an undertaking of the magnitude of World War I. During the war Springfield Armory produced over 265,620 Model 1903 rifles. In addition, the War Department contracted for production of the M1917 Enfield Rifle to help aid American troops. These, along with

2530-426: The weapon itself, but only to load it or its magazine. After the magazine is loaded, the stripper clip is removed and set aside for reloading, or simply discarded during combat. On the other hand, en bloc clips are loaded inside the weapon while shooting. Generally, a weapon that can use a stripper clip for loading can also be loaded one round at a time, while a weapon designed for an en bloc clip can only be used when it

2585-582: The weaponry used by Union troops which, in sum, outpaced Confederate firearm production by a ratio of 32 to 1. American historian Merritt Roe Smith has posited that advancements in machine manufacturing which allowed the facility to increase production capacity by more than 25 fold, from 9,601 rifles in 1860 to 276,200 in 1864, served as a precursor to the mass production of the Second Industrial Revolution and 20th century assembly line production. The numerous firearm models produced at

2640-537: Was a handy and well balanced pistol with good certainty of action. It performed well in the sand test, strips easily, and had less recoil that the Webley pistol. There was no safety catch, which was a disadvantage. A prototype in 10.3 mm (0.41 in) cartridge was tested at the Springfield Armory and it failed the 1,250 rounds endurance test with 191 malfunctions of 9 different types of ammunition and

2695-508: Was assigned to the Armory—it became the army's main laboratory for the development and testing of new small arms. One of the most distinctive elements of the Armory is the fence surrounding the site, which was started after the Civil War and completed in 1890. Unable to find funding for the purchase of a fence, Major James W. Ripley requested obsolete cannons from government storage, some from

2750-569: Was developed by the Czech designer Karel Krnka  [ cs ] , working for the ammunition company of Georg Roth, based on the earlier Roth–Theodorovic pistol . After development and tests of several prototypes, the final version of the Roth–Krnka won a contest for an Army pistol in 1906, and was adapted as a standard gun of Austro-Hungarian Army as: Repetierpistole M.7. (self-loading pistol M1907). Since Roth had no weapon production capabilities,

2805-717: Was looking forward to get a military contract for their brand new gun. The pistol was originally chambered for 8x18 mm Roth Steyr however the United Kingdom and United States asked for a gun that would use a bigger cartridge, most preferably a 0.45 in (11 mm) Cal. The trials are exhaustively described in the Minutes of the Small Arms Committee, starting in April 1900 with the Borchardt and ending with

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2860-423: Was patented in 1886 by Louis P. Diss of Remington Arms . The former was not adopted on a military rifle until 1889 (on Mauser Model 1889 ) and the latter until 1887 (on Vetterli-Vitali M1870/87 ). A different device known as the en bloc clip has been used since the mid to late 1880s ( Mannlicher M1886 ). Stripper clips are intended purely to load ammunition into the magazine , while en bloc clips, as used in

2915-598: Was preserved and the property was turned over to the city and state. It is now the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, and is managed and operated by the National Park Service . As of 2011, the 35 acres behind the Springfield Armory (and several of its former buildings) housed Springfield Technical Community College (STCC). STCC is the only "technical" community college in Massachusetts, which aims to continue

2970-469: Was tested (Minute 745), this time in “.0.44 in (11 mm) caliber” with a bullet of 247 gr (16.0 g) which gave a velocity of 975 ft/s (297 m/s). The conclusion was that the method of loading was unsatisfactory, pull-off too heavy, too many openings to admit dust but Figure of Merit was good. The last mention of a Roth is Minute 1077 of May 1909 when an 11 mm (0.43 in) (0.403 in (10.2 mm) actual) pistol, described as

3025-542: Was the first federal armory and one of the first factories in the United States dedicated to the manufacture of weapons. The site is preserved as the Springfield Armory National Historic Site , Western Massachusetts ' only unit of the national park system . It features the world's largest collection of historic American firearms. Famous first as the United States' primary arsenal during the American Revolutionary War , and then as

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