Swiss Prototype von Steiger Auto-Ejecting Revolvers

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In the 1870s, Switzerland was looking for a new military revolver, and they were particularly interested in finding a system which would allow faster reloading than the standard loading gate and manual ejection rod. A military veteran and gunsmith by the name of von Steiger in Thun submitted a design which automatically ejected an empty case each time the gun was fired. This did dramatically increase the rate of fire (one Swiss officer in the trials managed 10 rounds in 20 seconds), but at the price of complexity and durability.
The first series of von Steiger revolvers were in 9mm, followed a few years later by a redesign to the 10.4mm cartridge which would ultimately be adopted in 1878. We have six examples to look at today, form prototype #2 through one of the trials pistols in 10.4mm. Ultimately the Abadie system was chosen in favor of von Steiger's guns. Abadie's gun was not as fast as von Steiger's to reload, but it was still faster than the traditional system and did not sacrifice as much cost or durability. It would prove to be quite successful, and was adopted by many European militaries in the late 1800s.
Thanks to Kessler Auktionen AG for letting me film some of their guns!
If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! / inrangetvshow
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[@hunter35474]

"This requires a screwdriver..." "...but fortunately all of our Swiss soldiers are issued pocket knives that contain a screwdriver, among other things."

[@NineteenInFrench]

They probably would've slip a gun in the pocket knife if they could.

[@MCerJack]

If you think about it, a screwdriver is a knife with the blade at the tip and a knife is a screwdriver with the blade on the side

[@zello8722]

Never thought about how that's probably partly due to their complex field strip guns

[@Gihaal]

For a country that never goes to war, the Swiss make great guns. Bless them.

[@andybateman2478]

Never seak war out but always be prepared for one.

[@HerrFenchel]

The land of the banks surely is interested to stay neutral at all costs.

[@burlatsdemontaigne6147]

Gihaal and pen knives

[@mugwump58]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKmbqnaaadJ3eLs

[@trickshot646]

Break action is better!

[@Pcm979]

I'm a complicated man. I see 'Swiss Prototype', I design a magnificently machined and frighteningly expensive clockwork mechanism to click the like button.

[@joshuamarvin7400]

Of course someone would find a way to pump as much time, skill, and money into something that would literally explode.

[@redram5150]

Mr Rube Goldberg

[@elonquemattheson6151]

Gay meme fam

[@IIIVI]

Are you german?

[@Pcm979]

@@IIIVI Nein.

[@Pr3basauras]

I'm always excited to see if he will say "I'm Ian" or "I'm Ian McCullom"

[@thatotherguy9]

They're actually two different people.

[@ridanann]

depends how ethnic hes feeling iv seen a vid he drunk whiskey in lol he has a funny accent for a celt lol

[@martinmaier352]

Exactly! You made my day!

[@paulchedzey7276]

Literally what I thought when clicked on this video!! :)

[@victoracosta4796]

It's the little things like that which make life worth living.

[@JReed305]

Actually the safety on the third version is in keeping with military hand gun philosophy of use of the time. Hand guns were largely used by officers and cavalry at the time, The main weapon of officers was a saber which was used right handed for both signaling troops and combat. This means the only hand they had free was the left, hence they were trained to shoot pistols left handed.

[@generalkenobi4509]

As a lefty thats great for me

[@skullfracture2]

It was a police concept in the ‘50s to use the club in your right hand and the pistol was to be used in an emergency in your left hand.

[@abdulqaderhaddad3815]

Double action AND auto ejecting ?? One of coolest I've seen. Great video.

[@trickshot646]

Break action is better!

[@Doctor.R_LP]

Why not all 3? When all the cartridges are gone, you top break it and load them back in

[@kuuryotwo5153]

@@Doctor.R_LP that's what I was thinking, why wasn't this pursued further? An auto-ejecting revolver would be sweet, especially if either it breaks open or the cylinder swings out for reloading.

[@trickshot646]

@@jacqirius and is more expensive or complicated than an auto ejecter?

[@waltlars3687]

The screwdriver/sideplate/widge/ lanyard ring is what I espect from the Swiss

[@kaneto88]

I'm only wondering where are the toothpick and the corkscrew.

[@waltlars3687]

The cleaning rod could be made into a cork screw

[@phuzz00]

I was thinking that of course a Swiss officer would be carrying a screwdriver because they'd also have a Swiss Army knife, but it turns out that they were first introduced in the 1890s, so too late for this gun.

[@waltlars3687]

I am sure there was something like that before Victorianox got the contract

[@caringancoystopitum4224]

+vsGoliath Of course. We like to overthing everything. It makes us so great in... well... making chocolate, cheese and watches? ;)

[@fastmongrel]

Dirty Harry "I know what you're thinking: Did he fire five shots or only four?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being this is a 10.4mm Steiger, the most complicated handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?...Punk "You shot five I can see all the empty brass" Dirty Harry "sh*t"

[@Smugly_Watching_Society_Burn]

fastmongrel Wouldn’t you have to dryfire after the last shot to eject them all?

[@TheKamiBunny]

Good point

[@FolgoreCZ]

It would work. If he fired 4, there would be 3 empty cases on the ground, one empty still in the cylinder and one live ready to shoot. If he fired 5, there would be 4 empty cases on the ground and one empty in the cylinder.

[@ronaldh2886]

fastmongrel , just gonna beat ya with it now

[@KapiteinKrentebol]

😂

[@mackenzieross1837]

I wish someone would make a modern take of this design. I'd buy one for sure

[@ElijahDecker]

You say that, but when someone brings one to market for $1,500+ will you still buy one for sure?

[@simonferrer]

I'm not so sure that this wouldn't be successful in a quality reproduction, even at a $1500 price point. Manufacture it in a more conventional revolver caliber, and it might get some headway in cowboy action shooting. A lot of those guys drop similar money into custom tuned single actions anyway. Considering how popular European things were in the U.S. in the 19th century, I can't see why this wouldn't be allowed for match play.

[@jonkeil564]

$1,500 for a gun is not that bad of a price I probably have 20 guns that are a thousand or more. My carry gun was 1600

[@trickshot646]

Break action is better!

[@OGbrundle]

$1500 wouldn't be an unjust price and yes, alot of us enthusiasts have no problem saving for unique or historic firearms.

[@k_enn]

I love the designs from the 1870s to the 1920s. The mechanical innovations, while not always perfect, are ingenious attempts to solve various problems. Many people saw the same problem, but went about solving it in different ways.

[@platosnephew1105]

My mind is now filled with dreams of auto ejecting Fosbery revolvers, thx

[@platosnephew1105]

Laird Cummings thinking about it you could add a barrel setup like on the Mateba autorevolver and yes, my nose is starting to bleed

[@Pcm979]

That's interesting, a Mateba-LeMat would have to have an unusual hammer design, since the shotgun barrel would be above the normal barrel. The shotgun firing pin would have to extend upwards instead of folding down.

[@peppermillers8361]

I don't know, top breaks are pretty awesome already.

[@masterofmundus1304]

Have you seen the new video on the Silver and Fletcher revolvers

[@richardtibbetts5020]

Genius! What craftsmanship for the time!

[@angryyogbuscus1578]

But if you load it fully, the first shot will eject a live round.

[@richardtibbetts5020]

Angry Yogbuscus Yup! Load one..skip..maybe..

[@suikakujun]

Actually, the "finger" enters on the cartridge that has been just fired when it rotates towards it.

[@frankl5963]

The Stoned Videogame Nerd Say I've loaded all five Chambers and prepare to fire: either single or double action, the cylinder rotates as the hammer cocks, the extractor slips under the rim of what used to be my 12-o-clock chambered round, and firing pops it out. Live round ejected, and no demonstrated means to avoid it besides loading only four rounds.

[@heugabel990]

We are even better then the germans.....and we are swiss and not germans. Keep that in your minds. The americans are all europeaniens?

[@wolfman4lph4]

The machining on the back of the cylinder is just gorgious!

[@steveburns6454]

Absolutely. I was immediately thinking about the rotary table work. In 1872!

[@HillbillyHades]

I would drop a lot of money on a modern version of this in .38 special.

[@neilhightower2270]

Anthony I'd like so think like 8+ shot .22

[@KJRUSS0]

.38 special is too long of cartridge for that cylinder. Either, the cylinder and frame would have to be lengthened, or, if you want to keep the original proportions, it would have to be chambered in a smaller revolver cartridge like .38 S&W. But with modern steal, you could probably work up some good smokeless hand loads for .38 S&W on par with a .38spl +P or 9mm. It would definitely be a fun project!

[@KJRUSS0]

.455 Webly maybe. I know .45acp would be cheaper and more available, but I'm weird about automatic cartridges in revolvers...feels like sacrilege.

[@1jimmarch]

Mine is chambered in 9mm + p +. Google Maurice the frankenruger.

[@TheNetsrac]

Very fascinating revolver and very Swiss. Thank you for this Ian

[@CThyran]

Auto ejecting revolver? How Swiss of an idea.

[@gregoryfilin8040]

The REALLY Swiss thing is that UNGODLY amalgamation of a trigger group.

[@Zorglub1966]

@DOUG HEINS designed by Furrer, (toggle lock nut)

[@thebotrchap]

The 1878 revolver didn’t have an Abadie system, that came only with the 1882. The 1878 incorporated the Warnant rebounding hammer and has extra notches cut the cylinder to align the chambers with a loading/unloading furrow in the frame.

[@pommel47]

Patreon money well spent Ian. I am so glad you are travelling to bring us this knowledge from Auction houses and museums. I can't do it anymore, so you are doing it for me. Great job.

[@HPBrowningBoy]

At 11:41 I kind of expected you to say "This is definitely a Swiss revolver"

[@BillB23]

Too many fragile parts for a military weapon, but beautiful execution. Switzerland must be a treasure trove of military weapons! Keep these excellent videos coming.

[@TheRogueWolf]

Yeah, it was kind of doomed by the very role it was designed to fill. More's the pity.

[@christopher5723]

Would love to see a side by side comparison and ideally side by side shoot with the various Auto-Ejector revolvers like the Silver and Fletcher, colt Gas-Eject etc.

[@edgarjimenez8486]

This is the greatest prototype revolver collection of all time.

[@GunsGuy1990]

You think? Let's see Dardick Model 1500 revolver ;)

[@H2ORaccoon]

Laird Cummings it's the ugly duckling we love for it's personality

[@GunsGuy1990]

Maybe , but I personaly like the clever idea behind this gun :)

[@panchox747]

it's the first time I see a revolver with automatic cartridge removal. Awesome!

[@ronaldjohnson1474]

I'm happy to hear these are going to a museum instead of becoming "safe queens".

[@privatepicklock8738]

I am an absolute freak when it comes to revolvers. Powerful handguns that don't jam. Can blow off body parts in the right caliber and creates a boom that makes them almost terrifying to hold.

[@Ratrazor]

You can really tell that was a Swiss gun when you opened it up, by all the precise machining and everything it reminds me of Swiss watches.and that was especially cool that they included the screwdriver in the cleaning rod jag in the handle. Definitely a well thought out gun.

[@Drrolfski]

@10:57: This is how the development of the Swiss army knife started

[@andrewince8824]

Love auto-ejecting/quick reload revolvers. Always ridiculously overbuilt when one remembers the Webley guns.

[@NeptuneBluez]

It’s nice to see that Ian has acknowledged Kessler, which is one of the premier gun auction house in Switzerland. I purchased three firearms from them, and they are fine individuals who truly love firearm history.

[@NeptuneBluez]

Laird Cummings Yes, this is his first time at Kessler Auktion AG.

[@matejmatej3554]

I was so waiting to see demonstration of injecting empty cartridge thank you very much!! This is why I love your channel you always provide the answers that I have in my mind both thumbs up for the video and greetings from sLOVEnia

[@enisylo]

I have an odd question, Matej. Is saying "sLOVEnia" a very common thing/trope, or is it simply something several people have come up with on their own? I've seen it once or twice from other Slovenian people I've met online. Just piqued my curiosity, is all.

[@matejmatej3554]

eni I don't know if it's that common but we use it because we have it in our name so to show the love we have. I LOVE to use it , I'm very patriotic about my country I love my country there is no place I would rather live so in that case I'm very blessed to be sLOVEnian

[@enisylo]

Matej Pecnik Cool! I like it. I've always had a soft spot for Slovenia, and I've been intending to visit Ljubljana for a while, I just haven't found the time. Thanks for the reply, mate. Have a good week.

[@matejmatej3554]

eni I hope you do visit us in the future it's a beautiful country there's a lot to see in a very small place you can go from swimming in Adriatic Sea to skiing in Alps in just 2 hours or less. Thank you for your wishes and right back at you enjoy your life

[@DualDesertEagle]

As Stealth the unknown once put it when he explained the mechanism of the SIG 552, this is one swiss watch of a gun!

[@Solarship_Radical]

That revolver system is seriously badass

[@aaronmillersoutdooradventures]

That was so fulfilling to watch that. Awesome video Ian! That's a neat system!

[@Stew357]

What beautiful revolvers and an interesting choice of caliber. Ty Ian!

[@JackMaus]

I love Swiss small arms they always put so much time and effort into them same with Ian's Videos

[@TheLakestream]

This was by far the most interesting video you made. Thanks Ian, keep the good work up! Also greetings from sweden.

[@byronbunny8488]

Thanks for showing us these beautiful pieces of art 👍

[@tomalexander4327]

Love the use of brass

[@sapper12b68]

Reminded again why I support this on patrion such a interesting firearm. I also used you as a source for a project I did on the sturmgewehr. Worth every penny.

[@agingerbeard]

Never ceases to amaze me the ingenuity in the designs, borderline art, just lovely!

[@randywatson8347]

They are gorgeous! The finish and machining.

[@MrEvan312]

This is the video that would get me started with Ian's videos, I love his format, I love the weapons he shows off, I love Gun Jesus himself for probably being the most chill, dryly funny, and informative nerd on the internet. Never change, Ian!

[@ducomaritiem7160]

Nice system, thanks 4 showing it Ian.

[@cocotoni1977]

I believe that the doctrine at the time was to carry the handgun in the left hand, with the sabre in the right

[@Pcm979]

In that case, I wonder why they didn't design the gun to eject to the right, away from the shooter...

[@jontheballer]

Probably a compromise so that cavalry could also use it, pistol in the right hand, reigns in the left. On the ground, a officer would probably only draw the pistol if his saber were damaged/lost.

[@Pcm979]

@Laird Cummings - If it simply doesn't matter which side the ejector is on, I wonder why he moved the loading gate to the left side? The only reason would be if he specifically wanted the ejector on the right, surely.

[@cecilbennett5403]

Outstanding video. Ian, l would have never known about these pistols but for your video, great job!

[@mootpointjones8488]

What a beautiful revolver.Thanks for the video.

[@Nerfornothin111]

I became a patron because of this video! I love Ian's work!

[@guntotingnerd8830]

Swiss engineering you gotta love it. and I wouldn't mind a modern reproduction in .38 or maybe .22

[@dchevron77]

Gun Toting Nerd the manufacturing would be super expensive

[@kuuryotwo5153]

@@dchevron77 I doubt it. Overall the guts didn't look too much more complicated than a 1911. I think it would be surprising how little it would cost by today's standards.

[@alphagt62]

Another awesome video! The whole time, I’m thinking, “I’d wish he would show the ammunition to these odd calibers,”, and then you produce the ammo and demonstrate the ejector! With the tools in the handle, it truly is the Swiss Army Knife of revolvers!

[@Meldonator]

That video just shows how cool this channel is. 👍 Really impressive engineering in those revolvers indeed. ☺

[@Coyotebrownish]

Thanks for another great video, Karl!

[@grendelgrendelsson5493]

What works of art these pistols are! The engineering is wonderful.

[@kenhelmers2603]

That is a very slick revolver! Thanks for sharing it with us :)

[@garyedwards5955]

What a clever system. Fascinating as alway thanks Ian

[@waltlars3687]

While not exactly a Forgotten Weapon the Swiss Army bike is cool and might be worthy of a video

[@chapiit08]

The men behind the design of these firearms were real geniuses, armed with an extraordinary intelligence and patience. Imagine making complicated parts by hand only to find out that they don't work as desired so that they had to be made over and over again until the optimal functioning of the whole assembly was achieved. Nowadays CAD does most of the design work and CNC machinery does the rest.

[@jimh6763]

Thats is pretty cool!! Love how the empty cases fly out!!

[@chadpatrick7307]

that is really impressive. Thank you so much for sharing

[@derekdziobek5998]

I wish I was a machinist, so I could recreate some of these neat firearms in my free time for fun.

[@mensb1936]

amazing series of revolvers

[@remigusker6024]

It's a bummer they never made any civilian versions of these things. Sure it's a bit of a novelty, but it's very nice and I'd love to have one.

[@ToastyMozart]

Seems like if they sloped the loading gate spring a little more it'd let you push the cartridge straight in without having to depress the spring.

[@martinmaier352]

In a gunfight with two fast shots, before you have time to reload a chamber, you have an empty chamber in between. You always have to have your left hand full with some cartridges and reload after each shot to make this auto-eject mechanism a good idea.

[@generalkenobi4509]

Man those tools in the grip are super cool alongside the mechanics of course

[@johnasbury7511]

I must say watching your videos is like a college-level course on the mechanics of of gunsmithing you could package this and then sell it to universities you could say I'm impressed your knowledge is amazing thank you for increasing mine

[@johnleckieWATP]

I thought it was weird to hear you say "for better or worse" that they were going into a museum over a private collection.

[@nicholaseng1346]

One plausible answer: as has been pointed out already, the user would store hammer down on an empty chamber. This is likely why the chambers are numbered. My guess is that the user would load the cylinder after removing it from the gun, leaving the first chamber empty. Since the revolver is double action, the first trigger pull would index empty chamber "1" to the unloading mechanism, bringing loaded chamber "2" into position for firing. From there, each shot is fired until the user notices the empty chambers rotating towards the loading port, where they would then start manually loading individual shots to keep up firing. Interestingly, it's similar to the individual shell loading techniques on pump shotguns. I moved this answer from a lower reply so more people can see it. I hope it helps.

[@Sarrienne]

This is exactly the sort of coolness for which I subscribed to ForgottenWeapons.com!!

[@AlexNaanou]

A question that comes to mind is: can you load the full 5 shots without ejecting the first live round the first time you pull the trigger? =) ...if not then this is effectively a 4 round revolver.

[@cornkobmansanto17]

Alex Naanou I was wondering the same thing. The first shot would eject a live round right? @forgottenweapons

[@mykolatkachuk7770]

maybe you need to fire the first shot in single action in order to keep the live round in the chamber

[@rogerwhite9484]

this is vvhat I thought as vvell,, seems that you'd have to remove the cylider to fully load it & after load a round each time it vvas fired ( vvhile vvaiting forit to advance another 2 places ) ...apologies 4 broken"double you" key

[@KRIMZONMEKANISM]

I distinctly remember that one of the most important things back then was to NEVER carry a fully loaded revolver. They supposedly always loaded every round but one, and the empty chamber was always the one that was lined with the barrel, so there wouldn't be any misfires. PS: When at the half-cock position of the hammer, most revolvers will allow you to fully rotate the drum in one direction to allow quicker loading, this revolver likely isn't an exception, since it was always a common feature amongst revolvers.

[@TheKamiBunny]

@@KRIMZONMEKANISM yeah that's called a cowboy load, where the chamber facing the pin is left empty so as to take the risk of a misfire from the pin accidentally hitting the primer while in the locked position. This was common during the times where revolvers had fixed pins.

[@williamprince1114]

This pegged my personal uber cool meter.

[@crabmansteve6844]

Those are very aesthetically pleasing revolvers.

[@rickyracestrickland8927]

It kicks the empty out. Well...ain't that neat?!!! And it carries tools in the grip frame as well.Only a Swiss arms maker would come up with that. And I'd be willing to wager that they're accurate to boot!!! This weapon is truly old world craftsmanship at its finest.🙂 I'd love to fire it. I'm sure I'm not alone on that one.

[@pipospipou5033]

Excellent video! !!

[@kimheaston7574]

Just too cool! If there were ever a reproduction made it would be in my collection.

[@Iriefame]

When I saw that ejecting system i was like - GENIUS - very thoughtful.

[@EricTheCleric93]

This is so cool and I'd love to see a modern version of it.

[@kengamble8595]

That would take some getting used to, when you fire a shot and have something come flying back at you ! Overall a very cool piece! Thanks for sharing and take care. 👍

[@tig3r_lily]

Yay more forgotten weapons!!!

[@jakesolver4359]

That is so damn cool, super complex but so mechanically cool.

[@andrewdejarnett6137]

Beautiful machine!

[@hugebartlett1884]

A Swiss gun which shoots both ways! Logical for the safety lever to be on the right hand side of the frame as officers used the sword in the right hand and the pistol with the left.

[@nitro105]

That is nifty thanks for sharing!

[@AgamemnonTWC]

These guns are beauties. Pity it was never further developed, I'd love to own a revolver with this system.

[@danielschnopp-wyatt3578]

Great video. It would be interesting to see something on the relationship between shooting style and grip angle.

[@christianroberts8134]

Amazing system!

[@fritzruttimann1517]

Indeed, very interesting as always Ian. Thank you. From my point of view, the biggest disadvantage of the Colt Peacemaker was the removal of each fired round one by one. So, the Schofield Revolver would have been my choice in those good old times.

[@betulaobscura]

Very nice mechanism!

[@darklorddylan1316]

That's really damn cool. I'd love to see it actually firing.

[@firebarondm5529]

Dude that is a cool design, I would've purchased one of those in a heartbeat.

[@ringding1000]

The probable reason for the "lefthanded" safeties on the early proto-types is because the officers or cavalryman that would issued a revolver would be expected to be carrying his sabre/sword in his right hand. Back in those days, you used your strong hand for your your sword and the pistol in your weak hand.

[@frankbrowning328]

Yes, it must have been very expensive to produce and would take substantionally longer to produce BUT.....We just saw a revolver auto eject empty cartridges while firing the next round (Simulated) like a semi auto pistol. How COOL is THAT! I had never seen anything like this before this video

[@robrosen7291]

Notice the absence of coil springs. The technology was close, but it wasn't quite ready for really small springs. Flat spring temper for firearms had been perfected long before the 1870's.

[@redram5150]

I like this gun. Very clever and exactly what I’d expect from the Swiss

[@Snapphat]

Pretty cool, not surprised about the internal complexity being a swiss gun and all :P

[@edwardchance2543]

Very cool thanks for sharing

[@Slim934]

That lockwork is super swiss looking.

[@SurajGrewal]

These days, a laser cnc and cnc mill can probably cut all that mechanical parts like butter.

[@avp5964]

And usually more durable/reliable

[@nightofthunder5509]

@@avp5964 but not as nice looking

[@user-vz5bu6js4p]

so much work put into making those just to get rejected and in fact have 4 bullets instead of 5, as 1 would eject on the 1st shot (unless you leave one chamber empty to begin with)

[@flyingninja1234]

This is a very Swiss gun. Fine & complex machining galore.

[@3isr3g3n]

Nice! I'm from Switzerland, and i've actually been to Kessler's gun shop. It's really, really nice. Now i'm kinda that i didn't know Ian was here in Switzerland. :/