Filipino Slam Fire Rifle

kino · 5th November 2009, 08:42 PM

My first encounter with a Filipino slam fire rifle. Acquired it with other Philippine stuff including a sword cane.
Village made, it' heavy and has a smooth bore barrel, wooden foregrip has some carvings, the butt stock is plain. Brass / copper (?), bands secures the rifle together. Check out the shell ejector, spring steel

It amuses me that it has a front post sight..
Could be a Moro piece, okir adornment on the bottom brass strap of the stock.

Comments on it's age and possible area of origin?

KuKulzA28 · 6th November 2009, 01:14 AM

Were slam-fire rifles common in the Philippines?
How exactly does the slam-fire mechanism work?

...if safe enough, I might attempt a homemade version...

migueldiaz · 6th November 2009, 01:46 AM

Cool find, Kino

First time I've seen that design ...

There's a similar piece, though much more rough -- it's a Filipino Phil.-Am. War rifle-cannon from the Smithsonian (pic below), which was probably made in haste during the war period itself.

The museum's description:

Dimensions: 5" (12.7 cm) height x 49" (124.5 cm) width x 1.75" (4.4 cm) depth

Physical Description: Handmade Filipino gun

General History: Filipinos fighting the United State Army resorted to making their own firearms. This handmade gun harkens back to the earliest of firearms, the hand cannon. The gun was muzzle-loaded and the charge was set off by applying fire to a touch hole in the side of the barrel.

The one I've personally seen is another Filipino hand cannon, used during the same period, and it's in this thread.

What's the caliber of your piece, approximately?

fearn · 6th November 2009, 02:34 AM

Searching on terms Paliuntod or paltik will provide more information. As it is, I'm wondering how you aim one of these beasts.

Best,

F

Vaarok · 6th November 2009, 02:39 AM

Slam fire means that the firing pin is fixed and the cartridge is held clear of it, to discharge it's jerked back so the pin strikes the primer, and ignites the powder charge and fires it, the recoil keeps things together. Works kinda like a power-head or some kinds of captive-bolt gun.

They're typically called paliuntods, and can vary from rough pipe-bombs with an uncapped end, to decent-if-crude firearms.

kino · 6th November 2009, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KuKulzA28

How exactly does the slam-fire mechanism work?

...if safe enough, I might attempt a homemade version...

How it works:

Place one hand on the foregrip, pull slightly forward (photo #2), this gives the user access to the breech (photo #3), load ordinance, aim , pull the front end of the rifle back with some force, so the firing pin makes hard
contact with the primer....oops misfire, try again.

If you're ever in Seattle, give me a call and you can test fire mine, but first you must sign a waiver and leave a deposit.

Quote:

What's the caliber of your piece, approximately?

I have no idea, I'll have to get some spent brass casings (30-40 Krag, 30-06, .308. 7.7 Jap....410 shot shell possibly), and try it out.
This rifle doesn't have the appearance of being made in haste, it has a lot of detail work.

Dimasalang · 6th November 2009, 09:01 AM

Dam, what a cool toy to have in your collection.
Supposedly some of the Filipinos did not believe in the "rear sight". Some accounts mention the Filipinos taking off the rear sight, believing they only needed the front. Gen MacArthur was asked about this, and he believed many of the Filipinos were typically ignorant farmers who were handed rifles with no training and had no clue how they worked.
This is not the norm though...there are plenty of pics of Filipinos touting rifles with rear sights.

Spunjer · 6th November 2009, 02:13 PM

w

w!!! nice paltik, kino! i wonder how many of these are still in existence...

Battara · 6th November 2009, 06:39 PM

thanks for sharing - not seen these before and good to see the okir on the bottom.

Gavin Nugent · 11th March 2010, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kino

My first encounter with a Filipino slam fire rifle. Acquired it with other Philippine stuff including a sword cane.
Village made, it' heavy and has a smooth bore barrel, wooden foregrip has some carvings, the butt stock is plain. Brass / copper (?), bands secures the rifle together. Check out the shell ejector, spring steel

It amuses me that it has a front post sight..
Could be a Moro piece, okir adornment on the bottom brass strap of the stock.

Comments on it's age and possible area of origin?

A great find, congrats!! I'd love to see the sword cane too, one of my first loves in the edged weapons world.
There are a number of modern pump action shotguns that can be used as slam fire too, an Ithica model is one from memory, after the first shot you don't have to pull the trigger, only keep pumping the action to keep shooting....

Again, a nice rare and unusual find.

Gav

5th November 2009, 08:42 PM	#1
kino Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,002	Filipino Slam Fire Rifle My first encounter with a Filipino slam fire rifle. Acquired it with other Philippine stuff including a sword cane. Village made, it' heavy and has a smooth bore barrel, wooden foregrip has some carvings, the butt stock is plain. Brass / copper (?), bands secures the rifle together. Check out the shell ejector, spring steel It amuses me that it has a front post sight.. Could be a Moro piece, okir adornment on the bottom brass strap of the stock. Comments on it's age and possible area of origin? Attached Images

6th November 2009, 01:14 AM	#2
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	Were slam-fire rifles common in the Philippines? How exactly does the slam-fire mechanism work? ...if safe enough, I might attempt a homemade version...

6th November 2009, 01:46 AM	#3
migueldiaz Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Manila, Phils. Posts: 1,042	Cool find, Kino First time I've seen that design ... There's a similar piece, though much more rough -- it's a Filipino Phil.-Am. War rifle-cannon from the Smithsonian (pic below), which was probably made in haste during the war period itself. The museum's description: Dimensions: 5" (12.7 cm) height x 49" (124.5 cm) width x 1.75" (4.4 cm) depth Physical Description: Handmade Filipino gun General History: Filipinos fighting the United State Army resorted to making their own firearms. This handmade gun harkens back to the earliest of firearms, the hand cannon. The gun was muzzle-loaded and the charge was set off by applying fire to a touch hole in the side of the barrel. The one I've personally seen is another Filipino hand cannon, used during the same period, and it's in this thread. What's the caliber of your piece, approximately? Attached Images

6th November 2009, 02:34 AM	#4
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Searching on terms Paliuntod or paltik will provide more information. As it is, I'm wondering how you aim one of these beasts. Best, F

6th November 2009, 02:39 AM	#5
Vaarok Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 28	Slam fire means that the firing pin is fixed and the cartridge is held clear of it, to discharge it's jerked back so the pin strikes the primer, and ignites the powder charge and fires it, the recoil keeps things together. Works kinda like a power-head or some kinds of captive-bolt gun. They're typically called paliuntods, and can vary from rough pipe-bombs with an uncapped end, to decent-if-crude firearms.

6th November 2009, 09:01 AM	#7
Dimasalang Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 264	Dam, what a cool toy to have in your collection. Supposedly some of the Filipinos did not believe in the "rear sight". Some accounts mention the Filipinos taking off the rear sight, believing they only needed the front. Gen MacArthur was asked about this, and he believed many of the Filipinos were typically ignorant farmers who were handed rifles with no training and had no clue how they worked. This is not the norm though...there are plenty of pics of Filipinos touting rifles with rear sights.

6th November 2009, 02:13 PM	#8
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	w w!!! nice paltik, kino! i wonder how many of these are still in existence...

6th November 2009, 06:39 PM	#9
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,225	thanks for sharing - not seen these before and good to see the okir on the bottom.