Olesunn Rifle
| Olesunn Rifle | |
|---|---|
 Olesunn Rifle, Model 1891 | |
| Type | Service Rifle |
| Place of origin |  Ottonia North Ottonia/ South Ottonia |
| Service history | |
| In service | Ottonia/ North Ottonia 1891 - 1991 South Ottonia 1917 - 1960 |
| Used by | Ottonian Federal Army Ottonian Federal Defense Service, Ottonian Federal Guard Ottonian Royal Army |
| Wars | Bluwaald Revolts, Ottonian Civil War, Great Ottonian War, Ottonian Revolution |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1885 - 1930 (intermittant) |
| Manufacturer | Torsfeld Arsenal, Corvyk Arsenal, St. Theodur Armory, Svaartaron Gun Foundry |
| Produced | 1891 - Present |
| No. built | approx. 40,000,000 |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | Varies; ranges between 3.8 and 4.1 kg |
| Length | 940 mm (1912 Carbine) to 1220 mm (1900 Rifle) |
| Cartridge | 7x57 mm (1891 - 1905) 7.92x57 mm (1905 - 1953) 7.92x50 mm |
| Action | Bolt-Action, Rotating Bolt |
| Rate of fire | Repeating, approx. 15 rounds/minute |
| Muzzle velocity | Approx. 700 m/s |
| Effective firing range | 500m (with Iron Sights, 1912) |
| Maximum firing range | 1000m (with telescopic sights) |
| Feed system | 5-round internal box magazine, loaded with stripper clips |
| Sights | iron sights(standard) telescopic sights(marksmen models) |
The Olesunn rifle is a family of military bolt-action service rifles designed by Wendel Olesunn and produced in the Ottonian Federation, and later North Ottonia, starting in the late 19th century and continuing into the present day. While the rifle saw extensive use by the Ottonian Federation, the North Ottonian army, and the South Ottonian army in the first half of the 20th century, it has technically remained in service among (North) Ottonian paramilitary and civilian organizations into the present day. Additionally, from about 1917 through the late 1940's, South Ottonia made extensive use of inherited stocks of the rifles, although these were generally phased out after losing the production facilities for the rifles and foreign rifles were purchased. In the present, production is limited to a single assembly site in Bronnswyk, operated by Svaartaron, and it remains popular with hunters in North Belisaria, especially Ottonia, as well as civilian marksmanship programs.
The rifle was went through four major phases, with the first version of the rifle being produced between 1891 and 1900, chambered in the 7x57mm smokeless cartridge. The second pattern, beginning production in 1900, featured a more-robust action, refined magazine, and had been rechambered in what would become the standard, iconic 7.92x57mm Ottonian rifle cartridge. The third run, starting in 1912, was a shortened version that had been refined for quicker and more efficient production. The 1912 pattern is the version that remains in production, with two chamberings: the 7.92x57mm full rifle cartridge and the shortened 7.92x50mm cartridge used in the ALIR.
In North Ottonia the rifle was largely supplanted in military service by the ALIR battle rifle.
Design History
The Olesunn rifle was designed by Ottonian arms engineer Wendel Olesunn, an employee at the state arsenal at Torsfeld in the 1880's. Its design was heavily-influenced by the at-the-time Federal Army standard single-shot Storen 1870 Rifle, which it eventually replaced.
Features
Arguably the key feature of the Olesunn rifle that made it a significant improvement over the Storen rifle was its 5-round integral box magazine, with a groove enabling easy loading from stripper-clips. Combined with a strong action, this enabled fast reloading of the rifle and an increased rate of fire.
Production Runs
The Olesunn rifle has undergone four major production runs, each distinguished by design updates that constituted improvements over the previous run.
First Run (1891 - 1900)
The initial run of the rifle that entered production was the only one that was chambered in the same 7x57mm smokeless cartridge.
Second Run (1900 - 1912)
The second run of the rifle saw improvements to the action to ease feeding from the magazine, as well as a simiplification of the magazine to reduce jamming, and the updating of the rifle to the new 7.92x57mm Ottonian cartridge. In most regards, this is the modern version of the rifle, with only minor modifications distinguishing it from subsequent runs.
Third Run (1912 - Present)
The rifle was shortened for the third run, reducing the amount of wood and metal used to produce the rifle. Both the base rifle and carbine variant were shortened. Other changes included minor adjustments to the iron sights.
Fourth Pattern (1954 - Present)
This version was largely unchanged from the third run, but rifles produced from 1954 onward were available chambered in the newer, shorter 7.92x50mm cartridge which had been adopted by North Ottonia as the standard rifle cartridge the previous year.