I thought it was something new in semi-automatic handgun technology, but Queen Tam has pointed out that other people have used this same technique in other designs. So it's just business as usual, because most everything that people have been doing with guns for the last umpteen years are just refinements or variations of already well-understood techniques. Still, the technique is new to me, and I've already posted this, so we'll just go on.
When a gun is fired, the explosion of force pushes the bullet down the barrel, but it also produces an equal pressure rewards on the shell. In order to get most of the force to work on pushing the bullet, you need to keep the shell in the chamber at least until the bullet has left the barrel. This isn't very long, you might be able to measure this time in microseconds, but it's kind of important.
In automatics there have been two main mechanisms for keeping the shell in the chamber after it has been fired. One is by making the breech block (the chunk of metal that holds the shell in the chamber) big and heavy and putting a hefty spring behind it. This is only practical for smaller, less powerful rounds. 22's and I think most 380 caliber automatics, use this principle.
The other is to make a complicated latching mechanism the keeps the block locked to the barrel until some very tiny time consuming action has taken place. The German Luger, the American 45 and the Browning Hi-Power all use their own particular way of doing this. It makes the guns complicated and expensive.
Walther CCP Mechanism
Walther's method uses the high pressure gas produced by the explosion to push against a piston that retards the motion of the breech block. In effect, the gas is pushing on two things in one direction: the bullet and the piston, and only one thing in the rearward direction: the breech. It's also pushing on the frame in the rearward direction, but you are holding onto that piece with your iron grip so it's not going anywhere. It's also the piece in which all other action is compared.
Inspired by View From The Porch.
FWIW, gas-delayed blowback was also used in HK P7, Steyr GB, Vektor CP1, Heritage Stealth, some German WWII volksrifles, and others.
ReplyDeleteI knew I was taking a risk by calling it "new", but I had never heard of it, therefor it didn't exist, at least not in my universe. Should have know better.
ReplyDeletePowerfull rounds with bullets heavier
ReplyDeletethan 7Grams, use two main systems to
manage the breechbolt opening after
the projectile to go out the barrel;
one construction called "Locked Breech" and another known as "Delayed
Blowback". Several actions are present on second group and "Gas Delayed is one of them with a well known member of HK P7. Though seeming rather simple as compared to locked
breech samples, this working system
needs precise workmanship and some
additional measures for positive extraction for charged empty shell since very high pressure is still existing at initial stage of breechbolt rearward travel starts causing case separation.
Walther CCP is a new member of this
kind, but seemingly having no remedy for possible mentioned case separation. Besides, This pistol's
main spring that is giving force for striker, does is not compressed
against to the recoil spring similar of
new trend striker guns like Glock,
but gets compressed against to a hook shaped post provided at rear of frame on which the key part of field
stripping process weared. The pistol, therefore,
is cocked during the last stage of
breechbolt backward travel and, since this construction precludes the necessity of using costy frame
and slide counterfitting rails, it
is a cheap manufacturing method of
inexpensive striker guns like HiPoint.