Vickers-Armstrong Pedersen Self-Loading Rifle .276 cal Serial #: 175 Manufacturer: Vickers & Armstrong Barrel Length: 24 inch round Finish: blue/parkerized Stock: walnut Description: Very rare Pedersen Self-Loading Rifle designed by John D. Pedersen and manufactured in England by Vickers-Armstrong around 1930. The Pedersen Rifle is chambered for a .276 caliber cartridge tentatively approved in 1927 by the U.S. Army as a replacement for the .30-06 cartridge. The rifle features a delayed blow-back action with toggle breech-block and a 10-round en-block magazine loaded with a 10-round clip similar to that used in the M1 Rifle. The rifle has a M1917 type pattern upper barrel band and a distinctive half round barrel with spiral cooling fins covered by a steel hand-guard with fourteen cooling holes on each side. The bolt toggle has sliding bar safety marked: "REDY" on the left side of the bar and "SAFE" on the right side. The rifle's unique aperture type rear sight has fine, half-minute of angle, elevation and windage adjustments. The metal components have a high quality blue finish. The pistol grip stock is oil-finished, European walnut with grasping grooves, a stamped checkered butt-plate and cooling holes on the underside from the upper barrel band to the trigger guard finial. "PEDERSEN SELFLOADER PA/VICKERS-ARMSTRONGS LTD" is roll stamped in two lines on the left side of the receiver. The serial number, "175" is located on the right side of the receiver. "C2" is stamped in a circle on the top of the bolt. In 1923 the Army hired J.D. Pedersen to design a semi-automatic rifle to replace the bolt action M1903 and M1917 rifles. The first Pedersen Self-Loading Rifle was approved by the Army for testing in 1924. Springfield Armory manufactured twenty Pedersen rifles in 1927 for field tests concurrently with the .276 caliber semi-automatic rifle developed by John C. Garand. The Pedersen rifle performed well in the initial service tests; in 1929 Pedersen contracted with Vickers-Armstrong to manufacture the Pedersen Self-loading Rifle in England. English-made rifles were used in the final Army tests between the Pedersen and Garand rifles. In 1932 the Army selected the Garand rifle for limited procurement and development of the Pedersen rifle for the Army ceased. Vickers-Armstrong manufactured less than 200 Pedersen Self-Loading Rifles for testing by China and Portugal. Examples of the Pedersen Self-Loading Rifle are very rare.   
BRITISH PEDERSEN SEMI-AUTO MILITARY RIFLE. SN 98. Cal. 276 Pedersen.     |