Pedersen Rifle (T1E3)

About the Pedersen Rifle (T1E3)

The Pedersen rifle, designated T1E3 in its final form, was a semi-automatic service-rifle prototype designed by John D. Pedersen and built in small numbers by Springfield Armory for U.S. Army trials in the 1920s as a candidate to replace the M1903 Springfield. It used an unusual toggle-delayed blowback action, related in appearance to the Luger pistol's toggle joint, and was chambered for the purpose-designed .276 Pedersen intermediate cartridge fed from a 10-round en-bloc clip.

Pedersen's rifle was the chief rival to John Garand's design in the U.S. semi-automatic rifle trials; the Army ultimately rejected the .276 Pedersen cartridge at the insistence of Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur, who wanted to keep the .30-06, which steered the program toward what became the M1 Garand.

Pedersen Rifle (T1E3) specifications

The toggle-delayed mechanism required dry-wax-lubricated cartridges to function reliably, a logistical drawback that counted against it. About 300 rifles were made for testing. The action is closest to delayed blowback rather than true toggle-locked; the schema lacks a toggle_delayed enum, so blowback is used with the mechanism noted in features.