Carbine Williams

Just saw that movie today, the first time I ever watched the whole thing. Great story, but I know some details of it are in dispute. Still, he did invent the short-stroke gas piston system and he was employed by Winchester during the development of the M1 Carbine. He also had 68 patents to his credit. The carbine he developed while in prison was chambered in '.35' according to the movie, and I surmised it was .35 Remington. If he had been a fellow of calmer temperament, he may have been remembered as another Browning or Garand, but such was not to be. He hated the 'corporate mentality' at Winchester, as any similar personality naturally would, which was his ultimate undoing as far as becoming an American icon of gun design.

Great movie! Check this out!
David Marshall Williams - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Amazing what a convicted killer was allowed to do back then.

I would have thought Williams used the 35 caliber Winchester self-loading cartridge, which was introduced in 1905 for the Winchester Model 1905. The US 30M1 cartridge was developed from the 32 Winchester self-[loading cartridge also from 1905

photo shows the 35 WSL 30M1 Carbine and 32 WSL cartridgesAttachment 54572

I've read that Williams was a bit of a self promoter and not totally honest. Movies tend to overlook this stuff. As far as being a convicted killer, things were very different in those days. My late mother who was born in 1922, told me a story about her father, a Spanish American war vet who was a butcher by trade and a drinker and gambler by choice. She saw a man peeking into her window one evening and told her Dad. He immediately grabbed his pistol and took off after the guy. She didn't know what happened, but the guy never came back nor did she ever see him again. While it was illegal to kill people, shooting someone for good reason wasn't frowned upon as badly. People were free to solve a lot of these problems with their fists or guns and the prison time often reflected circumstances.

There wasn't a lawyer hiding behind every tree in those days, and cops were responding to trouble not out looking for it.

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Originally Posted by RCS

I would have thought Williams used the 35 caliber Winchester self-loading cartridge, which was introduced in 1905 for the Winchester Model 1905. The US 30M1 cartridge was developed from the 32 Winchester self-[loading cartridge also from 1905

photo shows the 35 WSL 30M1 Carbine and 32 WSL cartridgesAttachment 54572

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Probably so. I didn't know about that cartridge.

I do enjoy shooting my early (three digit) Model 1905 which is chambered for the 35 WSL cartridge. Easy to make the cartridges from 38 Special brass, just turn-off the rim and cut an extractor groove (like the old 38 AMU cartridge). The Model 1905 wasAttachment 54636Attachment 54635Attachment 54637 the only factory rifle chambered for this 35 WSL and the 32 WSL.

It is fun to shoot a semi auto center fire rifle that was manufactured in 1905 and I like the 35 WSL better than the 30M1 cartridge

Remember , the first use of Williams gas piston was by Winchester on a 30-06 , as far as I'm aware of . The carbine came later.
Chris