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LOT 3391
Excellent Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd. Pedersen Self-
Loading Semi-Automatic Rifle - Serial no. 139, 276 cal., 24 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut
stock. Originally conceived by John Pedersen in 1924 and developed from 1924 into the 1930s, the Pedersen
self-loader was the strongest competitor to John Garand’s rifle for adoption by the U.S. Army as their first self-loading
infantry rifle. Both were originally developed around the Pedersen-designed .276 Pedersen cartridge to have a more
compact, lightweight and easy-shooting operation than a .30-06 gas or recoil driven rifle, with the Pedersen using a novel delayed blowback toggle lock system (often compared to the Luger Parabellum system). While a novel weapon, and somewhat prescient in light of later efforts to introduce small bore high velocity infantry arms, Pedersen’s cartridge was met with mixed response by the Army, which had concerns about lethality and the use of waxed cartridges to aid feeding and extraction, as well as the logistics burden of fielding infantry units with .276 caliber rifles and .30-06 caliber machine guns. The .276 failed to displace the .30-06 as the main infantry cartridge, and Garand scaled up his rifle to handle the larger round, in turn making history with what was officially adopted as the M1 Garand rifle in U.S. military service. While not closing the deal with the U.S. Army, the level of interest shown to Pedersen’s design intrigued other nations eyeballing a semi-auto upgrade, leading to talks with the Imperial Japanese Army and the United Kingdom, the latter leading to
a partnership with Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd., though in the end the British opted to stick with the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield bolt action rifle, shelving the semi-automatic question until after World War II. Pedersen rifles and carbines were made in limited quantities and earmarked for (often deliberately harsh or destructive) government testing, making surviving examples rare in any condition. Blade front and adjustable peep rear sights, with the deeply cut half-fluted barrel protected by a ventilated steel handguard. Bayonet lug located on bottom of the front barrel band. The top of the chamber is stamped “C/2”, with “PEDERSEN SELFLOADER PA/VICKERS-ARMSTRONGS LTD.” on the left side of the receiver and the serial number on the right. A set of small “Lion” proofs are present on the receiver and the bolt, the latter fitted with a “SAFE” and “REDY(sic)” marked crossbar safety. Import marked receiver rail. The smooth pistol grip stock is ventilated along the bottom and fitted with an enlarged magazine floorplate to accommodate an en-bloc style clip, with a pair of sling swivels and a checkered steel buttplate.
CONDITION: Excellent, retains 95% original blue finish with a few small patches of light pitting/brown patina concentrated on the bottom front area of the barrel, and sharp markings and edges in the metal overall. Stock is also excellent with rich oil finish, a few light handling marks and dents, and defined edges. Mechanically excellent.
Estimate: 9,500 - 16,000
228
Scarce U.S. Irwin-Pedersen M1 Semi-Automatic Carbine -
Serial no. 1769769, 30 M1 Carbine cal., 18 inch round bbl., parkerized finish, walnut
stock. Formed in the 1940s by the Irwin family, Michigan furniture makers, and arms designer John
Pedersen, Irwin-Pedersen produced approximately 150,000 M1 carbines before the Ordnance Department
canceled their contract, making the Irwin-Pedersen the most scarce of the M1 Carbines. “2-43” dated Underwood
barrel, type I barrel band with “UP” marked sling swivel, “IP” blue flat top milled bolt, “IP-W” magazine catch, “IP-
W” push button safety, “IP” milled trigger group, “IP” hammer, “SP” sear, “IP” operating rod, “PN” blade front sight, flip-up rear peep sight with “S” and “RP” marked base, and
standard markings on the receiver heel. High wood pistol grip stock, “IR-IP” two-rivet handguard with deep cut sighting channel, crossed cannons ahead of a boxed “S’G’” cartouche
on the right side of the buttstock, “IR-IP” and “flaming bomb” stamped in the sling recess, and stamped checkered buttplate.
CONDITION: Very fine as professionally restored back to World War II specification with the correct parts, with 90% of the arsenal parkerized finish on barrel and receiver, showing areas of brown patina, minor spotting and light handling marks. The re-oiled stock is also very fine, with a few light dings and dents. Mechanically excellent.
Estimate: 3,500 - 5,500
LOT 3392