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Colt M1902 pistol (hexbear.net)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

the solo pics absolutely don't do justice to how massive those pistols are

They're so fucking big, I have no idea what Browning/Colt were doing here. I guess the .38 ACP cartridge they were using at the start was a bit spicier (not to be confused with .380 ACP, which is actually relatively weak), but still, the length is ridiculous

But I guess the C93 is even more massive, and the revolvers that came before could get pretty chonky too - so apparently pistols in this period were either massive enough to beat someone with them when you run out of ammo, or tiny little derringers you could hide in your sleeve à la Django Unchained, no in-between

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

So here's my absolutely unsubstantiated hypothetical: Everyone was running black powder. Black powder is a slow-burn propellant that benefits enormously from a longer barrel. It also has a maximum velocity of around 1,200 FPS. Just under the speed of sound. How do you maximize that? Long barrels, and BIG bullets. If velocity is capped, make the biggest bullet you can, and make it go as fast as possible. F = M x V. If "V" is capped, then "M" is how you get more power. That's how we got 4-bore hunting rifles. Capped at around 1,200 FPS? Then we'll just shoot a fucking cannon shell. It's a "stopping rifle" because even though it's "slow" (by modern standards), you still got hit with a 1/2 pound of lead moving at 1,200 FPS.

However because black powder was so absolutely filthy, the idea of an auto-loader was preposterous. They still had cased cartridges. Revolvers (the cutting edge) could barely handle the fouling load of black powder. Then we developed double-base smokeless powder. That changed the game. Now it's all about heat management. And big brass casings are excellent heat-sinks that get kicked out of the system.

I'm just rambling. Old guns are interesting. They were trying to approach some omega point, but they had no hope of getting there. Their entire "operational doctrine" was fucked to begin with. I mean, that C93: look at that thing. I'm sure it made sense at the time, but holy fuck. What a mess.