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Description
The Jacobson
Automatic Carbine is not a true carbine at all, but
rather a pistol-caliber submachinegun. It was
designed by Dr. Emmanuel Jacobson for use by agents
of the U.S. Secret Service in combating some of its
more notorious foes. The U.S. Army adopted the
weapon on a limited basis in 1899 (as the M98) to
fight Philippine rebels and a number were used in
defending New York from the Kaiser's forces in 1901.
The action is based on that designed by Hiram
Maxim. The rounds are actually contained in a cloth belt fed from a
box attached to the left-hand side of the weapon. As the weapon has
a tendency to climb up and to the right, this placement helps
compensate for the recoil. Reloading requires the firer to place
another belt into the box, lift the feed cover and seat the first
cartridge, close the feed cover and pull the charging handle --
steps requiring two actions on the part of the firer.
By the turn of the century the more-efficient
box magazine had become popular and the JACM1 was phased out in U.S.
service. The weapon was not popular on the civilian market. Nowadays
the weapon is considered a collector's item and is extremely rare. |
