Beaumont Automatic Rifle, 1920s lolrifle

In Service: 1919-Present
Used By: Principality of Galla

Designed: 1917-1919
Manufacturer: Royal Small Arms Factory Locke
Produced: 1919-Present
Number Produced: +5 million
Cost: $180 (1940)

Length: 1,000mm
Weight: 4.6 kg (loaded 5.4 kg)
Barrel Length: 510mm

Cartridge: 6.5x50mm Gallan
Effective Range: 700m
Action: Gas-operated short stroke; rotating bolt
Firing Modes: Semi-automatic, full-automatic
Rate of Fire: 500 rpm
Magazine: 20, 25-round detachable box magazine

History:

The Beaumont Automatic Rifle was designed by Colonel Erik R. Beaumont of the Royal Gallan Army, based on his experiences as an infantry company commander during the Great War. The weapon was designed as a replacement for the unreliable Mondragon rifle (of which the Beaumont shares similarities in operation), and the Japanese Type 30 Arisaka rifle. Both weapons were seen as insufficient for use by the Gallan Army, which had undergone a rapid modernization programme post-War.

The Type 30 was, as it stood, a fairly accurate and reliable weapon. It was well liked by most soldiers, but the Gallan officer corps felt that the weapon lacked the proper volume of fire required by most soldiers to stop enemy bayonet assaults, and the weapon was far too long and unwieldy to be properly used in a trench. While the submachine gun had solved the problem of size, it lacked the stopping power of the Type 30 and Mondragon, especially at long range. Colonel Beaumont had set about to solve these problems experienced by both weapons, by combining the best features of the submachine gun and rifle.

The original BAR was constructed in early 1917 using spare parts from a Mondragon rifle, rechambered in 6.5x50mmSR Arisaka, and a specially made wooden housing featuring an innovative front grip to help control the weapon in full automatic fire. However, due to the Mondragon's high rate of fire (750 rounds per minute), this version was far too uncontrollable. Even with the lighter 6.5mm Arisaka and the front grip, the average soldier would be unable to hit a target further than 100m.

After testing, the design team went back to the drawing board, and began designing an entirely new weapon based on the unfinished Chase-Locke Self-Loading Rifle. The Mondragon rifle had a history of unreliability, and the design team felt this could be attributed to the rifle's exposed mechanism, and it's use of the long-stroke gas operation. While this exposed action couldn't be helped at the time, the team had set out to make the BAR as reliable as it could be, regardless. Thus, a short stroke mechanism was decided upon, with a large amount of leeway for the piston to move, and to provide the soldier a longer time before requiring disassembly and cleaning.

The new Beaumont rifle prototype was put into early production in late 1918, and while it was too late for use in the Great War, the rifle showed extensive promise due to it's controllability and relative accuracy. It was also 70mm shorter than the Mondragon rifle, and while this wasn't anywhere near comparable to newly introduced submachine guns like the MP-18, it was a fair sight better than the automatic rifles of the time like the Browning Automatic Rifle. The rifle has a tight 1:8 twist rate, giving it improved accuracy over many other competitors, although increasing it's cost considerably.

Within a year, the Beaumont Self-Loading Rifle (which was later renamed the Beaumont Automatic Rifle) was put into full production following touch ups with the rifle's ergonomics and the addition of a new magazine release; which was added after several test soldiers had accidentally released their magazines while holding the grip and wearing gloves.

The BAR has been noted by many Gallan troops as being considerably more reliable than the Mondragon rifle it had replaced, although slightly heavier, and more controllable under automatic fire. The high reliability of the BAR has been attributed to the loose fit of the piston within the gas tube, allowing soldiers to fire more shots longer, without cleaning, than other automatic rifles.

Action:

The BAR operates on a short-stroke gas operation with a rotating bolt. This operation involves tapping gas from the barrel via the gas tube, which is mounted underneath the barrel (and also serves as a bayonet lug). The gas tapped is used to push a piston, and then vented via another hole in the bottom. The piston acts upon a tappet rod attached to the bolt group which forces the bolt open, releasing the empty casing, and stripping a new cartridge from the magazine.

Because the action has no open ejection port, and relies on a piston action as opposed to direct impingement (therefore requiring less lubricant), the weapon achieves a high reliability in desert and jungle conditions. The rifle is easily stripped and cleaned by the soldier, and broken down into eight main assemblies for field maintenance.

Cartridge:

A rimless variant of the 6.5 Arisaka was developed, using a highly aerodynamic round with a long boat tail and spitzered bullet. While the Gallan maintains the same powder load, as the Arisaka, it's effectiveness is greatly increased (with greater stopping power than the old Arisaka even at extreme ranges). The round was specifically created for the BAR, as testing had shown that a rimmed or semi-rimmed round was prone to more jams and less successful feeds than a rimless round; and prior testing with BAR's extraction system led to many nasty jams and case tears.

With these problems solved, the cartridge was officially adopted by Royal Ordnance as the "M7 Ball", and has been steadily improved in both powder load and bullet weight throughout the years. In it's current incarnation, the 6.5 Gallan has several different cartridges available:

• 6.5x50mm, Royal Ordnance, Ball, M1
• 6.5x50mm, Royal Ordnance, Ball, Match, M20
• 6.5x50mm, Royal Ordnance, Tracer, M3
• 6.5x50mm, Royal Ordnance, Blank, M10
• 6.5x50mm, Royal Ordnance, Short-Range Training, M6
• 6.5x50mm, Royal Ordnance, Armour Piercing, M4 (Hardened Steel Penetrator)
• 6.5x50mm, Royal Ordnance, Dim Tracer, T7
• 6.5x50mm, Royal Ordnance, Drill, M9, (Plastic for training)

Construction:

The original specifications for the BAR called for a walnut stock with a frontal grip to support automatic fire during assaults. However, extensive testing during the prototype phase in Galla's more extreme locales, found that the, cheap, simple shellac used on the stock was insufficient and provided far less than adequate moisture protection.

This was especially true compared to the Type 97 and Type 99 rifles used by the Gallan Royal Army, which were finished in boiled linseed oil and laminated. Despite the slightly higher manufacturing cost, the specifications were revised and boiled linseed oil, as well as an inner wax coating along the inside of the barrel groove was used for the second prototype. This one performed markedly better, without cracking, warping, or deformation.

Final manufacture (post-1920) BARs were issued with laminated walnut stocks and tins of BLO, to be applied by hand by the individual infantryman.

The barrel and receiver are both constructed of fairly standard chrome-moly steel, and the chamber and barrel are hard chromed (the latter a feature exclusive to the "final" model BAR of the early 20s) to improve barrel life and resist erosion caused by the high velocity 6.5mm round.

Service-years make no sense.

How can it be around in 1915 if development didn't start until 1917, and full-production lagged for an additional year?

Action seems to be long-strok gas operation. Annular ring or piston-rod style?
How is it not reciprocating?

You'll probably find, like the Japanese, that the 6.5x50 is insufficient as a full-power rifle round.

1) That was a typo. >_< *Fixes*

2) It's a piston rod, I would assume.

3) >_> I know nothing of firearms operation, which is obvious. I need a book or something to help me with this all I have are a view vague THR threads and a Wiki. ): So...um...I guess short/long-stroke operations are reciprocating, DI is non-reciprocating (?), all recoil operation is reciprocating...?

More controllable on automatic fire than most other battle rifle cartridges, though...right?

More controllable on automatic fire than most other battle rifle cartridges, though...right?

Not exactly. Both are meant to be high-power rifle cartridges, thus both highly uncontrollable to the point where you're better off saying fuck it and going with something in the 7.5-8mm range.

More controllable on automatic fire than most other battle rifle cartridges, though...right? <_<

Not exactly. Both are meant to be high-power rifle cartridges, thus both highly uncontrollable to the point where you're better off saying fuck it and going with something in the 7.5-8mm range.

It's meant to be used in an assault rifle role, though. \:

The concept of assault rifles didn't exist back then. Big rifles for firing between trenches and subbies for trenchbashing.

Doesn't mean his nation can't create the concept of an assault rifle from scratch.

Long stroke operation is simpler than short-stroke. Arguably more reliable.

High rates of fire with the 6.5x50 will create unacceptable wear (as the Japs found out), so I'd recommend lowering that.

Otherwise, it's nice to see someone else using the Mondragón and accurate fire instead of volleys in the early 20c.

Could you explain the differences between long-stroke and short-stroke for me? I've found conflicting definitions that make short-stroke seem like it'd be more reliable, and read that the AK-47 is a short-stroke firearm. It was mainly from a THR thread that I'd read this:

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-266713.html

Oh, and would 550 or 500 RPM be better?

EDIT: Also, could you explain how it would damage the barrel? Is the ammunition just too hot to be fired that quickly, or is it something else?

wat

wat

The first true assault rifle was the StG-44, which as it's name implies was designed in '44.

An assault rifle is one usually capable of automatic fire which uses an intermediate round.

Vaguely similar concepts existed back then, but the concept of an intermediate, even if it did, never got off the ground, so at this point in time using a smaller round has no value.

wat

The first true assault rifle was the StG-44, which as it's name implies was designed in '44.

Soviet Union disagrees.

Technically, SMGs are assault-rifles taken to the lulzy extreme of tiny cartridges.

See also: PPSh-41 And Federov Avtomat (using Nip 6.5x50SR).

Non-reciprocating implies that the bolt doesn't chug back and forth, but has decided to do something more exotic, like... rotate... revolver-style if you're lucky...

Revolver assault rifle do it now

Fedorov on line one.

Canadai to the white courtesy phone.