ravengunsmith wrote:I still have to wonder if it was intentional
And *I* still can't understand how adding extra parts - that could do nothing except release the hammer when the slide locked up - could be *un*intentional. On the other hand, it could be that "trench-clearing mode" *is* a side effect of what I think the aim really was.
impala59 wrote:A shot in the dark, so to speak, perhaps to achieve, with a manual action, (known reliability) parity in respect of rates of fire with the emerging self- loaders.....?
I don't think so.
I've used my M37 for several years now, nearly always for PSG. I *did* have a "serious" go at trying to engage steels in "slam-fire" mode and, with a bit of practice, I reckon that it *could* be done. However, it's not as easy as one would expect.
No, I reckon that the *real* justification was *much* more important...
Even shootin' nothing more serious than PSG, I know that a little pressure (nothing but a running timer, in this case) can make one "go to pot". You end up making mistakes. I can think of few things that'd apply more pressure than being in a gunfight. In a gunfight, there's not much more important than your gun going "bang!" when you expect it to. And *that's* what I think the extra sear is for.
So, let's set a scenario: you want to cycle the action - maybe after a shot has been fired or to take the gun from "cruiser ready" - in order to fire a shot. What happens if you squeeze the trigger *slightly* too early, before the bolt is in battery?
On a "normal" gun, as I understand it, for whatever reason you will *not* get a round fired. I do *have* pumpers that are *not* Ithacas, but I rarely use them, so I'm not that familiar with what actually happens. I don't know whether the action will be free (for you to rack in a new round) or whether you just have to let go of the trigger and pull it again. Either way, any sort of problem is *not* going to help matters.
However, if you're using an Ithaca with two sears, it doesn't matter; if the hammer is cocked, when you push the forend forwards, no matter *what* order you do things in, you'll get the expected "bang!". Now, to me, that seems a *much* better system in a gun intended for military use.
So, waddya fink of m'theory? Does it make sense to y'all?
Regards,
Mark.
P.S. Sorry, guys - I seem to have been a bit tardy with my reply...