Ever heard of this kind of action?

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yidava25

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So my Dad described a rifle to me that I cannot verify exists and would love to find a picture and more info.
He was guiding a German client for moose in the early 2000s and the guy brought a rifle that he says had an action which you operated by pulling back a knob at the rear that was under spring tension (inline with the bore, not hanging down the side of the action as I understand it) and letting it go, at which point it slammed forward, picking up a cartridge and locking the action. Similar to how you would rack a semi-auto handgun but with a knob.
I've googled quite a bit, and cannot find anything matching his description. Even questioned whether it could have been a semi-auto and the guy was just chambering the first round, but he says that was not the case, it basically operated like a bolt action repeater. I know there's all kinds of straight-pull bolt actions like a K31 or a Blaser but this sounds different. Anyone know if something like that is out there and what it might be called?
 
Well that's another one I've never heard of but on that one you push the bolt forward. He distinctly described this bolt as being under tension and springing forward when released.
Similar to the cocking knob on a Cooey or similar single-shot .22, only that's just to kock/decock, not cycle the action.

Censor didn't allow me to spell that correctly :)
 
There are many "straight pull" actions out there, Beretta and Savage have recently made them more main stream but they were a thing in Europe for years. I haven't heard of a spring loaded one before but it's not far fetched
 
Although I've never seen one live, your description of how the action works sounds remarkably similar to the description of how the Browning Maral works. That too has a spring loaded slide that snaps shut like a semiauto, but is manualy cycled like a straight pull bolt. Available only in Eurostan, AFAIK. However, the part that doesn't fit is that the action knob is on a side- mounted handle that's angled backwards.

1729208935825.png
 
270WSMXBolt said:
If the bolt closes automatically while feeding the cartridge, it is in fact an auto loading rifle. The description reminds me of a Browning T-Bolt though. You still push the bolt and feed the round by hand but the bolt closes under spring tension to lock. Rimfire only though.
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If you have to pull the slide or whatever back, and it THEN closes under spring tension it is NOT a semi auto. It would be a spring assisted straight pull.

One example would be the MRA Renegade, which is a bolt action according to the FRT.
 
Suther said:
If you have to pull the slide or whatever back, and it THEN closes under spring tension it is NOT a semi auto. It would be a spring assisted straight pull.

One example would be the MRA Renegade, which is a bolt action according to the FRT.
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I understand but I did not call the action a semi automatic. A semi auto ejects the spent case and uses the stored energy to automatically reload. It was not my intention to imply it was a semi auto, only to add definition to the description. European definitions of actions may vary from Canada and subsequently could produce a need for auto feed as opposed to a semi auto. I'm sure there are many military actions that get converted for hunting purposes as well. Any BAR would fit the description amongst others if it weren't for the knob descriptor in the original post. I just reread the original post and he doesn't define if it auto ejects after firing. I would love to see what he is talking about regardless. Cheers
 
Think there was two version of the acera one you had to manually close/push the bolt forward and one that was spring loaded
 
m1008 said:
Think there was two version of the acera one you had to manually close/push the bolt forward and one that was spring loaded
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I looked this up and USOG on YouTube said that the Acera was not spring loaded but they replaced it with the Maral, which was. However I believe the Maral wasn't released until 2018ish although I can't confirm that.
I asked my Dad about it again and he said they had examined the gun specifically because it was so unique, and the cocking handle was at the rear of the action, not off the side. Otherwise he said it did operate exactly like the Maral.
This kind of thing fascinates me and I hope to someday find out what this mysterious rifle was.
 
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270WSMXBolt said:
I understand but I did not call the action a semi automatic. A semi auto ejects the spent case and uses the stored energy to automatically reload. It was not my intention to imply it was a semi auto, only to add definition to the description. European definitions of actions may vary from Canada and subsequently could produce a need for auto feed as opposed to a semi auto. I'm sure there are many military actions that get converted for hunting purposes as well. Any BAR would fit the description amongst others if it weren't for the knob descriptor in the original post. I just reread the original post and he doesn't define if it auto ejects after firing. I would love to see what he is talking about regardless. Cheers
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Autoloader is typically used as a synonym for semi-auto firearm, hence my assumption.

OP I hope you figure it out, sounds like a unique piece.
 
AB3006 said:
Although I've never seen one live, your description of how the action works sounds remarkably similar to the description of how the Browning Maral works. That too has a spring loaded slide that snaps shut like a semiauto, but is manualy cycled like a straight pull bolt. Available only in Eurostan, AFAIK. However, the part that doesn't fit is that the action knob is on a side- mounted handle that's angled backwards.

View attachment 837037
Click to expand...

That's the on;y action I've heard of that fits the bill. Epps has some for sale.
 
1729537456918.png

I emailed Mike from the USOG channel, he's very knowledgeable about all kinds of hunting rifles and he sent me this. It's a semi-auto but he said he had seen a couple of them with no gas system and a knob at the back which operated like my mystery rifle. If it was a custom rifle or a one-off conversion there may not be any info online for me to find.
 
yidava25 said:
So my Dad described a rifle to me that I cannot verify exists and would love to find a picture and more info.
He was guiding a German client for moose in the early 2000s and the guy brought a rifle that he says had an action which you operated by pulling back a knob at the rear that was under spring tension (inline with the bore, not hanging down the side of the action as I understand it) and letting it go, at which point it slammed forward, picking up a cartridge and locking the action. Similar to how you would rack a semi-auto handgun but with a knob.
I've googled quite a bit, and cannot find anything matching his description. Even questioned whether it could have been a semi-auto and the guy was just chambering the first round, but he says that was not the case, it basically operated like a bolt action repeater. I know there's all kinds of straight-pull bolt actions like a K31 or a Blaser but this sounds different. Anyone know if something like that is out there and what it might be called?
Click to expand...
This thread has been stuck in my head since I first read it. I think I found it. It may be a common type in Europe. Cheers
I kinda want one.
 
270WSMXBolt said:
This thread has been stuck in my head since I first read it. I think I found it. It may be a common type in Europe. Cheers
I kinda want one.
Click to expand...
I'm not a Browning guy but I want one of these too.
Showed my Dad the Maral but he said the cocking knob was different and anyway it hadn't been invented at the time of his story. So my search continues. Starting to think it may have been a one-off modification of some kind.
 
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