{"id":215647,"date":"2025-08-10T14:23:30","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T19:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=215647"},"modified":"2025-09-26T06:52:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:52:19","slug":"semi-autos-a-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/semi-autos-a-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Semi-Autos: A History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">7<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re all generally familiar with the various firearms platforms, but it\u2019s the semi-automatic that seems to get the most attention. That\u2019s both because it\u2019s understandably popular and because a lot of gun control bills revolve around its existence. The idea seems to be that semi-autos are a modern marvel and not a platform with decades\u2014or centuries\u2014of use behind it. Here\u2019s the thing, though: semi-autos have been around for quite some time. We\u2019re going to tell you all about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Semi-auto-guns-assortment-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"semi-automatic firearms\" class=\"wp-image-215655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Semi-auto-guns-assortment-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Semi-auto-guns-assortment-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Semi-auto-guns-assortment-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Semi-auto-guns-assortment-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Semi-auto-guns-assortment.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-semi-automatic-guns\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\" data-level=\"2\">Semi-Automatic Guns<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-first-semi-auto-gun\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\" data-level=\"2\">The First Semi-Auto Gun<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#h-the-puckle-gun\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\" data-level=\"3\">The Puckle Gun<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-mannlicher-model-85\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\" data-level=\"3\">Mannlicher Model 85<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-first-semi-auto-handgun\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\" data-level=\"2\">The First Semi-Auto Handgun<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-john-browning\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\" data-level=\"2\">John Browning<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-semi-auto-timeframe\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\" data-level=\"2\">Semi-Auto Timeframe<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/semi-auto-pistol-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"striker-fired handgun\" class=\"wp-image-215656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/semi-auto-pistol-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/semi-auto-pistol-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/semi-auto-pistol-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/semi-auto-pistol-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/semi-auto-pistol.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Semi-autos fire a single shot for each trigger pull and are designed to automatically load the next round into the chamber. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-semi-automatic-guns\">Semi-Automatic Guns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Semi-automatic firearms aren\u2019t full auto. Each trigger pull fires a single shot. These guns use self-loading actions, automatically feeding the next round into the chamber after firing. This allows continuous shooting without manually ejecting brass or loading a new round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first glance, a revolver might seem semi-automatic, but it\u2019s not. Revolvers rely on a cylinder with multiple chambers that must be manually loaded and unloaded. They don\u2019t eject spent brass like a semi-auto, and their operation is fundamentally different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A revolver requires manual force to function, whereas a semi-auto operates on its own mechanism, keeping rounds ready until the magazine runs empty. That\u2019s a concise overview, but it captures the key differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/puckle-gun-ad-history-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"advertisement for puckle gun\" class=\"wp-image-215648\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/puckle-gun-ad-history-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/puckle-gun-ad-history-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/puckle-gun-ad-history-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/puckle-gun-ad-history-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/puckle-gun-ad-history.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Puckle Gun had some interesting religious roots, and it is the first repeating firearm to be documented as a machine gun. (Photo credit: Historic UK)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-first-semi-auto-gun\">The First Semi-Auto Gun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-puckle-gun\">The Puckle Gun<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Odds are good that most people\u2019s brains jump to Glock or the <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/search?keyword=ar-15\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\">AR-15<\/a> when considering what the first semi-automatic gun to hit the market was. However, the semi-auto\u2019s history reaches back significantly farther in history than the mid-to-late 20<sup>th<\/sup> century. An inventor named James Puckle created a repeating gun\u2014one he named after himself, of course\u2014in 1718. The Puckle gun wasn\u2019t a semi-auto like we know it today because it required rotating the chambers manually using a hand crank. Even so, the Puckle gun laid the foundation for today\u2019s semi-autos. The Puckle gun is also a stellar example of how our Founding Fathers did indeed know about repeating firearms, not just muskets, when they wrote the Constitution in 1787.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mannlicher-model-85\">Mannlicher Model 85<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Over time, the repeating platform saw significant improvements. A major breakthrough came in 1884 when Paul Marie Eugene Vieille invented smokeless powder, revolutionizing ammunition and expanding firearms technology. However, in 1885, Ferdinand von Mannlicher introduced the Mannlicher Model 85, which set semi-autos in motion but was ultimately doomed. Mannlicher relied on black powder, and given the limited global connectivity of the 19th century, expecting him to have access to smokeless powder would be a stretch\u2014he was Austrian, while Vieille was in France. Despite its failure, the Mannlicher 85 sparked a wave of more successful designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could say the Puckle gun was the first semi-auto of sorts because it\u2019s the first repeating firearm to be labeled as a machine gun, but you wouldn\u2019t be wrong if you gave that honor to the Mannlicher 85 rifle. The way technology advances causes some blurring of lines when it comes to who did what first. There are the failures and the successes. As a general rule, a success wouldn&#8217;t ever happen if the failures didn&#8217;t pave the way first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-first-semi-auto-handgun\">The First Semi-Auto Handgun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If we\u2019re measuring by level of success, the first truly successful semi-auto handgun was the <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/search?keyword=mauser%20c96\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\">Mauser C96<\/a>, a gun commonly referred to as the Broomhandle. It was a trio of brothers that came up with the Broomhandle\u2014Friedrich, Fidel, and Josef Feederle\u2014while they were working for Mauser. The Mauser C96 went into production in 1896 and enjoyed incredible popularity. If you\u2019re noticing a trend with labeling models with the last two digits of their production year, you\u2019d be right. Of course, the Mauser C96 wasn\u2019t the only semi-auto handgun of that decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Mauser-c96-broomhandle-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"broomhandle pistol\" class=\"wp-image-215649\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Mauser-c96-broomhandle-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Mauser-c96-broomhandle-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Mauser-c96-broomhandle-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Mauser-c96-broomhandle-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Mauser-c96-broomhandle.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Mauser C96, also known as the Broomhandle, was the earliest truly successful semi-auto handgun. (Photo credit: Edelweiss Arms)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1893 Borchardt preceded the Mauser C96 and helped spur that manufacturer into taking on the idea presented by the Feederle brothers. Hugo Borchardt created the gun in 1893, and by 189,4 it was being tested by the United States military. The 1893 Borchardt\u2014also known as the Borchardt C93\u2014failed to gain traction. Its design was bulky and awkward, making it unwieldy in use. To make matters worse, it reportedly produced significant felt recoil, likely due to its chambering in 7.65x25mm Borchardt. The story of this semi-automatic pistol is important, though, largely due to this next part. After the 1893 Borchardt failed, DWM\u2014the manufacturer behind its production\u2014enlisted Georg Luger to fix it. Luger did some work on the design, and the Luger Parabellum was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1911-2011-handguns-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"1911 platform handguns\" class=\"wp-image-215657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1911-2011-handguns-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1911-2011-handguns-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1911-2011-handguns-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1911-2011-handguns-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1911-2011-handguns.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The 1911 has withstood the test of time with more than a century of popularity behind it. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-john-browning\">John Browning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, we\u2019re all familiar with the fame of John Browning and his ties to quite a few firearms designs that remain beloved to this day. It was the late 1800s when John Moses Browning turned his sights to improving the semi-auto platform. That led to the release of the FN Browning M1900, a semi-automatic pistol chambered in 32 ACP. The M1900 was preceded by a handful of prototypes that Browning patented and fine-tuned, so it wasn\u2019t his first semi-auto design. It was the one, however, that sold like wildfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Time passed, designs came and went, and the 1911 hit the gun world in the year of its name. Considering <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/pint-sized-1911-brownings-black-label-pro-1911-380-full-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"202\">Browning\u2019s 1911<\/a> remains in production today, you could say the rest is semi-auto history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/handguns-semi-auto-guns-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"semi-automatic firearms\" class=\"wp-image-215658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/handguns-semi-auto-guns-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/handguns-semi-auto-guns-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/handguns-semi-auto-guns-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/handguns-semi-auto-guns-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/handguns-semi-auto-guns.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Polymer pistols could easily be called the latest evolution of semi-automatic handguns, meaning we&#8217;re about due for further advances. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>READ MORE HERE: <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/choosing-between-semi-automatic-and-revolvers\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Choosing Between Semi-Automatic and Revolvers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-semi-auto-timeframe\">Semi-Auto Timeframe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If we take the history of firearms in its entirety and include the steps it took to get to the current place in time, semi-autos have been around for centuries. One could easily state they\u2019re 300 years old and not be technically incorrect. There are so many steps in inventing anything that there\u2019s really no one moment in history you can point to as the first (not if you\u2019re being realistic). Even the men whose names grace the history books for this or that moment could have been preceded by others whose names we\u2019ll never know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What we do know is that semi-autos aren\u2019t new and aren\u2019t a 20<sup>th<\/sup>-century invention. Repeating firearms came into being decades before the U.S. Constitution was even written. And that in itself is pretty cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn more about the Puckle gun from Forgotten Weapons <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GPC7KiYDshw\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><em>*** <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"semi-autos-a-history\" title=\"Semi-Autos: A History\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a> ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re all generally familiar with the various firearms platforms, but it\u2019s the semi-automatic that seems to get the most attention<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":215655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[257,1134],"tags":[102,1082,752,1849],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-215647","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-historical-guns","8":"category-kat-ainsworth","9":"tag-feature-articles","10":"tag-historical","11":"tag-historical-guns","12":"tag-semi-auto"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Semi-Autos: A History<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Curious or confused about the history of Semi-Automatic firearms? Read this article to learn about some of the first Semi-Autos ever.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/semi-autos-a-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Semi-Autos: A History\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We\u2019re all generally familiar with the various firearms platforms, but it\u2019s the semi-automatic that seems to get the most attention\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/semi-autos-a-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\/Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KatAinsworthBOOM\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-10T19:23:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-26T11:52:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Semi-auto-guns-assortment.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kat Ainsworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kat Ainsworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/semi-autos-a-history\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/semi-autos-a-history\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kat Ainsworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/26cb3e61bc04531aaa781a4ed61f369b\"},\"headline\":\"Semi-Autos: A History\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-10T19:23:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-26T11:52:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/semi-autos-a-history\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1149,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/semi-autos-a-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Semi-auto-guns-assortment.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Feature Articles\",\"Historical\",\"Historical Guns\",\"semi-auto\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Historical Guns\",\"Kat Ainsworth\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/semi-autos-a-history\\\/#respond\"]}],\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/semi-autos-a-history\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/semi-autos-a-history\\\/\",\"name\":\"Semi-Autos: A History\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/semi-autos-a-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/semi-autos-a-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Semi-auto-guns-assortment.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-10T19:23:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-26T11:52:19+00:00\",\"description\":\"Curious or confused about the history of Semi-Automatic firearms? 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