Blow Forward locking systems.

[Badger Arms]

I was wondering if there ever was a design where the barrel on a repeating firearm moved forward and then rearward to work the action? I do know that the Semmerling (sp) pistol has a manually operated forward action. I also read an article about a shotgun -- South African design? -- that utilized a slide action in this manner. My question is if any have been patented, prototyped, or produced that were semi-automatic in nature. It seems to solve many compactness concerns.

[Coinneach]

A friend told me about a guy he knew (yes, third-hand info) who designed and built a blow-forward pistol. Turned out it didn't want to go into battery.

When a blowback doesn't go into battery, you smack the back of the slide. Well, with a blow-forward, you smack the front... that is, the muzzle.

Rule 2 comes to mind here.

Boy genius got a slamfire as his pistol went into battery. He's missing some previously-installed components from his hand now.

So, unless you can figure out a way to get a blow-forward design to go into battery 100% of the time, I'd say give it a miss.

[Badger Arms]

Good point.

[cghammo]

The 1894 Mannlicher, the Hino-Komuro and the 1908 Schwarzlose are all blow-forward designs. Doesn't appear that they solved any concerns at all.

[James K]

The Schwartzlose seems to have been an attempt to circumvent various blowback patents. In practice, there is no advantage to such a design and many disadvantages. One of the problems is how to make the magazine work when the barrel scoops up the round from the front. The blow-forward designers solved the problem, but 'twarn't easy!

Jim