So here is one what do you consider the worst design firearm of the 20th(and late 19th) century?Also what is a more obscure concept that never really took off you think is interesting?
I'll go first worst design firearm that is easy the Chauchat.All in all in was just a horrible design that simply did not work well at all.Worst feature magazines that had large exposed sections i assume to allow the shooter to quickly see how many rounds where left but all it really did was allow dirt and mud to mess everything up.
Now on to an obscure concept that never really took off the Schmidt-Rubin(Swiss) pull bolt concept.The Swiss militray was the largest user of this concept they used a rifle that used this concept from 1911 right up through to the late 1940's.The US Navy used a rifle for a brief period that had a pull bolt but not as fluid as the Schmidt-Rubin.All in all the turn bolt is a much better design which is why the straight pull never took off not so much that it was bad it just was not any improvement over a turn bolt.
Swiss K31 this is not a semi auto it is a pull bolt
US Navy M1895 .236 which had a more clunky pull bolt it went upwards while the Schmidt-Rubin truly pull directly backwards the .236 was around a few years before the Schmidt.
