From the Vault: The Pedersen Device

Is that a stick magazine protruding from the top of that Springfield M1903 rifle? Why yes, it is, say Steve and Caleb, who are back at Rock Island Auction Co. to show us a rare example of the what the U.S. Army officially designated the "U.S. Automatic Pistol, Caliber .30, Model of 1918," more commonly called the Pedersen Device. It was developed in secret by John Pedersen, a designer at Remington, during World War I for the 1919 Spring Offensive, which of course didn't happen. Of the 65,000 Pedersen Devices manufactured, 64,873 were eventually destroyed, making it an extremely scarce item. (Also destroyed: 60 million rounds of .30 Pedersen ammunition.)

The Pedersen Device turns the bolt action M1903 Springfield rifle into a semi-automatic, pistol-caliber weapon, with a 40-round magazine and a performance profile more like a submachine gun - excellent for close combat in trenches. The host M1903 rifle could still operate as a bolt action with standard .30-06 Springfield ammo. The Pedersen device could be installed in about 15 seconds, basically replacing the bolt assembly. You'll notice a strong resemblance to the CMMG .22 LR AR-15 conversion kit. But blowback-operated Pedersen could not just drop into ANY M1903. Caleb explains the modifications that had to be made to the host rifle so it could accept the device.

The .30 Pedersen cartridge was basically a lengthened .32 ACP. It's not very powerful, but then the purpose was to enable each soldier to lay down a hailstorm of fire at close-range targets. The .30 Pedersen did not die with the device it was designed for. The French military picked it up, and as the 7.65x20mm Longue (Long), it was the service round for their Model 1935 pistol and MAS 38 submachine gun. Federal's .30 Super Carry round, introduced in 2022, is almost identical.