semi-auto action information (site, book)

[hologon]

Although I noticed the Beretta 92 had an awfully funny looking slide, I didn't notice until yesterday that the Hi-Power and 1911 also have some different guts from my USP.

Of course, the blowback of the Buckmark and the Ruger 22/45 look pretty different, too.

Is there a website or book (still in print) with really good illustrations and explanations for all the types of semi-auto actions (and preferably rifle/shotgun actions)?

One question I have is what's delayed-blowback vs. blowback, and why should a delayed-blowback pistol be any harder to rack than a whatever-you-call-the-action-on-a-Glock.

Not to mention, why is the USP's action called "Browning linkless" if it looks (to me) nothing like the Hi-Power's?

Thanks!

-Jon

 

[singleshot]

Not an easy question for a short answer and I don't know of a web site. Lots of books explain the various operating systems.

In 1886 John Browning received patents on the three basic operating systems still in use today:

Staight blowback: the weight of the slide (adn to a lesser extent the recoil spring) hold the slide closed until the bullet leaves the barrel and pressure drops. This is the common operating system for everything from .22 to .380.

Short recoil, locked breech: This is the Browning system that is used in your USP. It can either have a link (such as the Govt. Model) or not. Doesn't matter. The basic principle is the tilting barrel. The slide and barrel are locked togther and recoil as a unit for a brief time before the bullet leaves. Then the barrel drops down and unlocks and the slide continues to the rear.

The third system was gas operation where a port in the barrel bleeds off some powder gas and uses it to operate the mechanism. A variation is "gas retarded" which is much like blowback, but bleeds off a little gas to push _forward_ on a piston that helps keep the slide closed until pressure drops.

hope this helps.