3 ms·
Off topic, but it seems like self-loading pistols took a weird detour; at least for cartridges too powerful for blowback operation. There are all sorts of wei
by aidenn0 2y ago
Off topic, but it seems like self-loading pistols took a weird detour; at least for cartridges too powerful for blowback operation. There are all sorts of weird delayed-blowback systems that were popular between WW2 and 1980-ish, and now 9mm and larger seems to almost exclusively use a 1911-style short-recoil system.
- netbioserror 2y agoIt's simple, reliable, and quite necessary. Pistol chamberings feature heavy bullets in straight-walled, short cases. Blowback bolts are always extremely heavy to compensate for those attributes. Beretta and FN are famous for resisting Browning short-recoil for alternatives like rotating barrels and locking blocks. But they pay for those tradeoffs: Heat buildup, wider slides/frames, extra complexity, and more. Browning short recoil is the best of all worlds. Replacing rotating links with simple cam cuts sealed the deal.
- aidenn0 2y agoI actually think the gas-delayed blowback in the HK P7 hits "simple and reliable" as well, but it has the huge downside of putting very hot gasses very close to where you handle the gun.