The Wilkinson Arms’ Linda pistol and Terry carbine were an excellent example of early 1980s engineering genius. I first read about the Linda pistol at a public library in 1990, when I was 16. Looking at a recent Gun Digest and comparing various weapons, I was fascinated by Linda. Having no firearms of my own at the time and a minimal familiarity with them in general, I was drawn to it by the clean forms and high-magazine capacity. Holding 31 rounds, the Linda pistol was one of the clear winners in my mind. That, along with its distinctive appearance and memorable model designation, implanted the name of that gun in my memory. Discovering that Linda was back in production as a carbine was like having a chance to meet a once-famous musician.

Some History

Designed during the 1960s by Ray Wilkinson of J&R Engineering, the guns were originally designated M68 and M80. They were produced with law enforcement use in mind. Later, once J&R was closed and re-incorporated as Wilkinson Arms, the family of 9mm and rimfire pistols and carbines also became a family in model designations, named after Ray’s wife and daughters. The design then passed to Northwest Arms, and production ran through 2005. For a while, the Linda pistol and Terry carbine were relegated to “A-Team” re-runs on late night TV. Fortunately, in 2015, Wilkinson Arms was bought and revived by a shooting enthusiast named Patrick McFarland, who acquired the remainder of the unused Linda parts and went about setting up renewed production.

Linda as a Carbine

As soon as possible, I got my hands on the carbine version of the Linda pistol. Fitted with a simple tubular buttsock and a 1/2×28 threaded 16-inch barrel, it was an improvement over the one of my teenage dreams. Several details also improved upon the original configuration, including the addition of a Weaver rail on top of the receiver. The new Linda’s overall length with fixed stock is 31.5 inches (underfolding AKMS or collapsible M4 stocks also available) with an unloaded weight of 6.1 pounds. The tubular receiver houses the enveloping bolt concept originated with the Czech Sa. 23 and the Israeli Uzi. Even more efficient than those already compact designs, Linda uses a bolt almost entirely encircling the barrel, with just enough behind the chamber to load the next cartridge. Unlike the submachine guns which use small diameter recoil springs on guides behind the bolt, Linda uses a larger single spring wrapped around the bolt in front of the chamber. At rest when in battery, this spring stretches on firing and returns the bolt into its original position by compression, making the mechanism even shorter. Like the Sa. 23 and the Uzi, Linda uses a barrel nut; unlike them, Linda has a second nut behind the first to retain the bolt. Although, like those two submachine guns, Linda feeds through the grip—Wilkinson improved the grip angle considerably. Using a double-stack, single-feed magazine, it provides a very natural forward-leaning grip instead of the straight (Uzi) or backward-raked (Sa. 23). 

Because of U.S. government regulations, Linda shoots semiautomatically from the closed bolt, requiring a slightly heavier bolt than its automatic competitors. The closed-bolt mechanism reduces ventilation between bursts of rapid fire but yields superior accuracy and improved dust sealing of the chamber. Firing is by hammer and firing pin, with the trigger feeling lighter than its 6.5 pounds of pull thanks to the smooth wide face. Cross-bolt safety stands out by feel, so its state can be ascertained without looking. The overhanging receiver sides fence it from accidental interference in both ON (right) and OFF (left) positions. Since the extra-wide ejection port exposes the back of the receiver behind the bolt to outside dust, Linda uses an M16-like hinged cover.

Take-down is simple but requires tools. Use a 5/32-inch Allen key to remove two screws holding the grip to the receiver and also the set screw locking the shroud to the barrel. A 3/16-inch Allen key is needed to unscrew the charging handle. Unscrewing the barrel nut releases it along with the attached ventilated shroud. Using any flat object for a wrench helps unscrew the second nut retaining the bolt, which comes forward with the attached spring. That’s the full extent of field-stripping the carbine for cleaning. Reassembly is pretty straightforward, but care must be taken to align the locating pin at the base of the barrel with the corresponding open

The signature 31-shot magazine looks like most pistol mags, with the addition of over-insertion tabs. Loading is surprisingly easy for the capacity, with no mechanical loader required. The magazine doesn’t drop free, full or empty. This helps retention but harms reloading speed. The magazine is compatible with 59 and 5900 series Smith & Wesson pistols, so 15-, 17- and 20-round options are also available. Linda lacks any kind of bolt hold-open device, manual or automatic, so an empty magazine or a misfire feels alike.

The iron sights are a throwback to the 1980s. Both front post and rear aperture are fixed for elevation and windage, so matching the point of impact is a matter of luck. They can be bent into regulation, but that’s a pretty crude method. Fortunately, the updated Linda comes with a Weaver rail. Some Picatinny mount optics fit, like the Primary Arms red dot the author mounted; others, like Magpul sling eyelet, do not. The crude iron sights are removable, but finding Weaver-compatible iron sights can be a challenge, and the sight radius is quite limited for a carbine anyway. The problem is less the separation of the sights and more the placement of the front sight way too close for most people to focus. The left-side charging handle reciprocates safely away from the hands, but its knob position has to be considered when mounting optics to avoid hitting knuckles against the sight. With many optic mounts, the optional extended charging handle available from Wilkinson Arms is essential.

Ergonomics are good for action shooting, awkward for prone. The carbine is well-balanced, especially with a full magazine and an optic attached. The balance is very slightly to the front of the pistol grip but is placed behind the support hand on the re-designed wooden forend. The forend is made of nicely finished wood, but the stylishly pointed edges not present in the old Linda pistol reduce handling comfort. It is similarly nice looking, but hard-polished wood is used for the stock buttpad. A layer of soft rubber would have been a welcome addition. The metal tube which is the buttstock could use neoprene insulation for comfort. The angle of drop is considerable, yet the carbine comes to the shoulder naturally, and the eye lines up well with the sights in standing, kneeling and squatting positions. For people who crowd the rear sight and so end up with a higher head position, a slightly raised red dot works better. Prone shooting is nearly impossible because the angle of the stock drop puts the sights well above eye level for a natural shooter pose, especially if optics are used.

Test Firing

Typical for blowback designs in tubular receivers, Linda has some blowback from the ejection post. Use of a linear compensator or muzzle brake increases it slightly; the use of a sound suppressor increases it a lot. The reduction in muzzle blast is partially offset by the ejection port pop, but the overall noise level is still milder.

The most important feature of any weapon is reliability, and Linda carbine shines there; only one malfunction out of about 750 rounds of ammunition ranging from 50-grain Liberty hypervelocity alloy bullets to Seismic 185-grain subsonics. Accuracy was also respectable, amply adequate to keep all hits on the A zone of a silhouette target at 100 yards. With 9mm Luger being, at most, a 150-yard cartridge, this seems sufficient. The author did the first round of testing with a Hi-Lux 4MOA Tac-Dot, a very excellent little optic with a front-facing auto exposure cell that adjusts the reticle brightness to match target illumination. Rather than mount a magnified scope to wring the smallest groups out of the carbine, I wanted to see what realistic results can be expected in a typical fighting configuration. Due to strong wind on the day of the range trip, all of my groups were wider than they were tall, with the vertical component being more an accurate representation of the actual bullet dispersion.

For varmint use, the frangible lightweights would be superior, but for everyday plinking and target shooting the least expensive, most common 115-grain load proved the most accurate. Felt recoil is fairly low, to the point where drop stock didn’t affect follow-up shots. Lighter weight bullets produced noticeably less push, which is a further argument in their favor for rapid fire. 

With both red dots, I have an impression that I was wasting some of the accuracy potential. So the red dot came off, and the illuminated 1-4x Trijicon AccuPoint went up on the Weaver rail. Low rings kept the height over the bore to a minimum, while 4x top magnification enabled more precise aiming. Unmagnified, the scope worked like an improved red dot, with vertical and horizontal references to guard against accidental cant and with MRAD hash marks to enable accurate rangefinding.The best ammunition this time was Remington 124-grain Golden Sabre, at ¾-inch at 60 yards, or 1.25MOA. Groups fired with Fiocchi 115 grain did not change, which suggests the red dot was not the limiting factor. What did improve with the magnified optic was the ability to center the group on the desired point of impact. The speed of target acquisitions at 1x magnification did not change from the red dot.

Despite its distinctly dated look, Linda carbine turned out to be comfortable and ergonomic for everything but the prone position. Compared to straight stock modern PCCs, it rises a little more on recoil, but not enough to make a strong difference. A muzzle brake would reduce that difference. The less hunched-over position afforded by the drop stock design permits better awareness of the environment. 

50-YARD TEST FIRING

Speer Lawman: 147gr FMJ 1.4in -1060fps

Inceptor RNP: 65gr polymer 1.3in – 1715fps

Liberty alloy: 50gr HP 2.15in – 2550fps

Fiocchi: 115gr FMJ 1.15in – 1320fps

Seismic: 185gr 5.5in – 1010fps

As urbanization progresses, fewer informal ranges are available for practice. Of indoor ranges, not all have rifle-rated backstops. Of shooters, not all care to deal with the overwhelming noise and concussion of centerfire rifles indoors. Those two constraints, along with the relatively effective sound suppression of subsonic pistol caliber cartridges, have popularized the 9mm AR-style carbine. About 3 years ago, CMMG improved on the concept originated with Colt submachine guns of the 1980s with their Guard, Banshee and now Resolute lines of 9mm carbines. 

CMMG carbines utilizing a radial-delayed blowback mechanism have been continuously evolving since 2017. Retarding the opening by friction of angled surfaces dates back to the original Thompson and Blish lock, but the CMMG design works much better. This approach permits the bolt carrier to be much lighter than plain blowback breechblocks. The backs of the rotating bolt lugs are angled to match similarly angled cuts in the barrel extension, allowing the bolt to slide out of battery once the pressure has dropped. Compared to the gas operation, this design is simpler and less dependent on the load; although additional bolt weights and stronger buffer spring are required for suppressed operation. For unsuppressed operation, a standard carbine weight buffer rather than the heavier 9mm buffer is sufficient, which makes racking the gun easier. Another plus of delayed blowback is lower residual pressure by the time the breech face clears the ejection port opening, which outputs less smoke by the shooter’s face. 

Three Grades 

The manual of arms resembled the full-size AR-15, which is the main point of the pistol caliber carbine (PCC). Three grades, 100, 200 and 300 series are offered. The high-end 300 series has all the enhancements: ambidextrous charging handle, ambidextrous sling plate and ambidextrous safety lever. A crisp two-stage Geissele trigger helps practical accuracy. For the three-gun shooter, especially the Trooper class who carry all guns with them through all stages, an all-aluminum RipStock™ is included. This CMMG exclusive opens to full length with no unlocking motions necessary, saving a second or so. The textured aluminum buttplate provides a non-slip connection for the shoulder. The underside of the buffer tube specific to RipStock has spaces for a set screw, limiting the length of pull if desired. For use in a cold or hot climate, I would recommend gluing a Neo prene pad to the top of the stock for a more comfortable cheekweld. 

Resolute 300 also comes with an aggressive and fairly effective muzzle brake. The plainer 100 series has a standard AR trigger, an A2 flash hider and a simple M4 buttstock on a standard buffer tube, along with a MIL-standard grip instead of a Magpul. Both feature lightweight 15-inch M-Lok handguards. The simpler rifle is a couple of ounces lighter and about $500 cheaper, but competition shooters would probably prefer the more fully featured variant. The mag drops free in both, and the mag well is nicely beveled for rapid reloads. I would have preferred a slightly heavier, more prominently fenced magazine release. The reduction of recoil impulse by the patented CMMG mechanism even makes the narrow aluminum buttplate comfortable enough for extensive range sessions. 

The rest of CMMG’s standard features, like a beveled mag well and properly radiused and chamfered forms, are present in all models. Thanks to the delayed blowback design, the recoil is traditionally minimal even for a PCC. The guns come standard with one 33-round GLOCK magazine, a welcome improvement on the aftermarket 17-rounders included by most other makers. Given the velocity increase of light bullets from the pistol barrel length to the carbine length is 100fps to 250fps, the 9mm becomes a more potent defensive tool. With subsonic ammunition, the gain is small, less than 50fps, but the reduction of the muzzle blast and the elimination of flash make PCC a much easier weapon to handle under come defense conditions. 

I’ve used CMMG carbines and AR-style pistols in the past, they have invariably ran reliably and delivered excellent accuracy. Both 9mm and .45ACP Guard carbines shot 2MOA, which is very respectable for pistol rounds. My experience with the Resolute 300 made me wonder if the gun was damaged by a prior reviewer. After about 200 rounds, the rifle started failing to eject. The culprit was predictably a kinked ejector spring, easily replaced. However, in looking at very asymmetric soot on ejected casings, this author had to wonder if damage was done to the chamber as well, as obturation seemed very inconsistent. Good accuracy and high reliability have long been my baseline expectations with CMMG. Anything other than that gets handled very quickly by their tech support. 

The best group I got from the Resolute was 4MOA, with Winchester 147-grain subsonic JHP, American Eagle 147-grain subsonic TMJ and Seismic 185-grain HP, while Winchester White Box 124-grain FMJ was all over the place with 6MOA. The results from the 100 series were more in line with the expectations, despite the basic MIL-SPEC trigger. 

185-grain Seismic and 147-grain Winchester Suppressed both came in at 3MOA. That’s unusual, as most PPCs shoot smaller groups with bullets under 115 grain. Resolute, on the contrary, does better with heavier bullets. 124-grain Federal Syntech Match and 100-grain G2 Research Civic Duty HP shot around 4MOA. The White Box ball was all over the place again. Centers of groups for various loads differed considerably, up to 5 inches diagonally. For serious use, it would be best to pick one load and stick to it. This accuracy level is plenty good for PCC matches that seldom go beyond 70 yards. At 25-yard indoor ranges, 3MOA translates into a maximum of ¾ inch from the point of aim. 

Putting considerable amount of ammunition through these carbines made me greatly appreciate the two magazine loaders employed for filling GLOCK mags. The great “coffee mill” MagPump loader took a little time to set up masterfully but made filling 30-rounders quick and easy. It also works for several other brands of magazines. The tiny, single-purpose hand-loader from American Speedloaders, LLC, only works with GLOCK-type mags but requires no set-up time at all. Drop-in a single round, press the mag against the base and done! Resolute proved very accepting of a wide variety of ammunition, from steel-cased ball to lightweight frangibles to the heaviest of subsonics to exotics with jagged machined leading edges all fed reliably. 

Great Speed 

In sum, both variants of Resolute would be a good fit for any sport where speed counts. While my friend Bill Treanor, a highly ranked competitive shooter, was firing the 100 series carbine, another friend walked up asking: “Who brought the submachine gun?” That’s just a quick trigger finger and a CMMG carbine, pal! 

In 2019, Global Ordnance introduced its CanMunition™ line of 9mm Luger and 5.56mm Remington ammo packed in what looks like a soft drink can. Holding approximately 90 pistol cartridges or 40 rifle rounds, these nitrogen-filled cans have a wide pull-tab covering the entire top of the container. A snap-on, black plastic lid guards against accidental opening. The 5.56mm selected is 55-grain Fiocchi boat tail ball, a very consistent and reliable load. The 9mm is also by Fiocchi, a 115-grain ball cartridge. 

Ammunition in sealed “spam” cans has been around at least since before WWII. American shooters are mostly familiar with the thick Soviet cans holding 440 or 880 rifle rounds, but other sizes have been popular as well. Bulgaria packed them in lots of 250; Serbia in lots of 800 or 1,000, but all of these long storage containers were meant for regimental use. The tins were bulky and usually required a tool to open, but they did fill the purpose of keeping the contents dry and clean. The countries that failed to figure out how to store ammunition properly, like Turkey and India, got the reputation for very questionable surplus. More recently, lighter plastic packaging has been developed to the same purpose, proving adequate for keeping humidity out but not for mechanical protection of the contents. CanMunition aimed to provide long-term storage without sacrificing the expediency of access, and in lots small enough to be portable. 

The most recent run on ammunition culminated in distributors being out of the most common calibers less than a week after it began. Compared to the early 2000s, the availability of military surplus ammunition declined sharply because of the EU directive to destroy surplus instead of selling it. Anticipating this kind of problem, many prudent people stocked up on gun-food well in advance. Some have discovered that humidity, temperature fluctuations and other eventualities of storage resulted in the deterioration of the cache much sooner than expected. Cardboard packaging absorbing atmospheric humidity is one noted offender. Do CanMunition containers work better?

In most ways, yes. Nitrogen keeps rust and verdigris at bay quite effectively. The 40-round rifle ammo can weighs 18 ounces; the 90-round 9mm can is much heftier at 38 ounces. Either can be handled with ease. The tightly packed contents keep the thin aluminum of the container from deforming easily. The cans themselves have little thermal mass, and they provide minimal insulation from temperature fluctuations. One way to keep them at a relatively constant temperature in a hot car is to place them in a plastic cooler, arranged in a checkerboard pattern with water bottles acting both as a thermal sink and as an emergency liquid supply. If freezing temperatures can be reasonably expected, non-liquid heat sinks are preferred. The cartridges can be cold without ill effect, but avoiding sharp temperature rise is key. When shipped, the cans arrive wrapped in thick paper and enclosed in sealed cardboard boxes, providing some measure of thermal insulation.

Besides the obvious storage utility, these cans make great gifts. Everything, from the humorously ominous graphics on the can to the suitability for long-term retention, makes the cans not just a cute idea but also a very good one. The shelf life can be several decades, though it’s best if the oldest ammunition in the stash is rotated into use as newer stores are acquired. Needless to say, I’ve had zero problems with the contents when several hundred rounds of each caliber were put to use. 

Wolf Performance Arms has a history of finding or commissioning high-performing rifle uppers, like the Taiwanese T91 covered by SAR in 2017 (Volk, O., “Wolf Arms A1 Piston Upper,” Vol. 21, No. 5). Last year, they introduced an AR upper with 16-inch and 10.5-inch barrels chambered in 9x39mm Russian. The cartridge has been around since the 1980s, used in numerous sound-suppressed guns, mainly in the VSS Vintorez short-range sniper rifle and AS Val automatic rifle. The development of the ammo goes back decades, having begun as an alternative to subsonic 7.62x39mm, which was determined to be less effective than required. 9x39mm took the obvious expedient of increasing bullet mass and keeping penetration high with a subcaliber steel penetrator. Firearms in this caliber are in use by several former USSR republics and a few of Russia’s Middle Eastern allies, but the propagation is limited to bodyguards and Special Forces. 

With none of the guns for which 9x39mm was intended being importable, and most of the ammunition being armor-piercing by design and composition, that cartridge was more legendary than known in the West. The main reason for VSS was to engage targets without being detected, and the low velocity of the ammunition was compensated by the hardened steel penetrator designed to defeat body armor and lightly protected vehicles. With neither guns nor ammunition available in the U.S. until recently, most of us could judge the utility of the cartridge only from video games. (Small Arms Review and Small Arms Defense Journal have done extensive testing and presentations on 9x39mm since the mid-2000s; search our websites.) 

The 9x39mm Wolf Performance Arms upper is a very well-made conventional design with a long M-LOK forend and medium-weight barrel profile. It has the usual forward assist and ejection port cover, along with the less usual Picatinny rail segment for mounting an iron sight or a laser at the top front of the forend. The muzzle is threaded 5/8×24, a pattern more common in .308 than in 9mm suppressors. Fortunately, a 5/8×24 configuration was available for my Gemtech Multimount, a 9mm pistol and carbine suppressor that is plenty strong for the low-pressure, exclusively subsonic 9x39mm cartridge. 

Since none of the specialty rounds are eligible for import, Wolf developed a 278-grain lead core cullet with a copper-washed steel jacket, loaded into a copper-washed steel case. It is available at about 70 cents per round. While this solution reduced armor penetration, it improved the BC (ballistic coefficient) of the bullet slightly compared to the 250- to 260-grain Russian specialty designs. Compared to the military guns using roughly 8-inch barrels and very primitive, if voluminous, sound suppressors, the 16-inch AR with a modern suppressor should perform pretty well. The original military SP-6 armor-piercing ammunition velocity from VSS is in the 925 fps range, and the slightly heavier SP-5 ball ammunition is around 900 fps. The full-length AR barrel yielded an average of 1,045 fps using an even heavier bullet, with a standard deviation of 25.8 fps and extreme spread around 70 fps. Because of that spread in velocity, most groups showed vertical dispersion more than horizontal. Overall, unsuppressed accuracy was consistently better than expected at around 2MOA. The initial testing was done at 60 yards, and then confirmed at 110 yards against a 3-inch target: the 100% hit ratio on it was guaranteed with a 1-6x scope.

The rifle cycled fine, both suppressed and unsuppressed. I had one dud primer in 60—that cartridge wouldn’t fire even on a re-strike. Ejection was very consistent, with all empties found about 3 feet from the rifle. Even suppressed, the rifle had no gas blowback at all, making it very comfortable to shoot. Felt recoil was on par with .22 rimfire, and the noise level resembled unsuppressed subsonic .22LR from a long barrel and was mainly caused by the ejection port pop.

Magazine Selection

Magazine selection for 9x39mm is a difficult task. None of the magazines intended for other calibers works well; at best 3 to 5 rounds can be fed at a time. D&H Industries recently introduced a dedicated 10-round 9x39mm magazine for the AR platform, with pre-production samples having gone out to testers in the first half of February 2020. They plan to bring out 20-round magazines later in the year. Fortunately, I had a sample of the UNIMAG, one of several inventions from the genius of mechanical engineer Jing Zheng. Produced by Ross Defense Systems, this multi-caliber magazine with an articulated follower supports every cartridge available in AR-15, including 9x39mm. I was able to load and cycle the full 25 rounds, though Steve Dittner of Wolf Performance Arms cautioned me that the springs may be insufficient for pushing up that much weight under field conditions. Twenty rounds weigh about the same as a full mag of subsonic .300 Blackout ammunition and can be expected to feed under all circumstances. Ross Defense Systems is currently liquidating their entire stock of these magazines, so it’s a good time to buy them at a good price.

Compared to .300 Blackout, 9x39mm is more specialized, appearing only in the subsonic configuration. Comparing 220-grain .300 Blackout to 278-grain 9x39mm with both fired from 16-inch rifles, the trajectories are almost identical for drop and windage out to 500 yards. With a 100-yard zero, mid-trajectory, height is only 3 inches at 60 yards, with the same drop at 125 yards. Point blank range on a torso-sized target is about 150 yards, with trajectory compensation required beyond that. Russian military optics have BDC reticles calibrated to their barrel length and SP-5 armor-piercing ammunition, while we get to make our own dope charts. At this time, .300 Blackout has the advantage of having a vastly greater variety of ammunition types available, as well as the compatibility with 5.56 magazines and with .30-caliber sound suppressors. 9x39mm has the advantage of being a slightly heavier bullet—278 grain versus 220 grain—for improved terminal performance with ball. Ammunition with expanding bullets is in development by several companies, but none are on the market yet.

Accuracy

Unsuppressed, the rifle is accurate enough for consistent headshots past 200 yards. Suppressor compatibility was not universal. I am not sure why, as a similar .338 Spectre caliber showed no variation in accuracy with either bare muzzle or various cans. The first 9mm pistol suppressor I tried, the Gemtech Multimount, did not work well with this caliber, turning a sub-2MOA rifle into something that threw bullets fairly randomly. While the holes on paper were round and indicated no keyholing, the “group” size was around 4 feet at 60 yards! Next, I tried a Bowers Group Vers 9S, a larger tube optimized for submachine guns. Accuracy improved but only to about 8MOA. On a lark, I also tried a SilencerCo Omega 45K: despite slightly greater exit aperture and modest size, it was as quiet as the other two while delivering 3MOA groups. Once the availability of defensive ammunition increases, this cartridge will have a viable future for self-defense and short-range hunting. 

When KelTec came out last year with the CP33, the exceptionally accurate and ergonomic target pistol, the last thing I expected from the company was another rimfire pistol following on its heels. The P17, the newest firearm from the innovative Florida company, fills a completely different niche. It is far more compact, shaped more conventionally and holds 16 rounds in the magazine. P17 has no provision for mounting an optic of any kind, but it does have a threaded muzzle. In keeping with the KelTec tradition, the design is the usual steel frame contained inside a plastic clamshell. A conventional blowback hammer-fired design, it still squeezes in a couple of innovations. 

Features 

The slide of the pistol is a bent “L”-shaped piece of steel that covers the top of the grip-frame opening and turns into the retainer for the barrel bushing in the front. It is attached to the steel breechblock and the textured plastic cocking piece in the rear. On the sides of the barrel, where the vertical portions of the slide usually are, the grip frame continues all the way to the top of the pistol. That lightens the slide and permits very high placement for the support hand, allowing better than usual control of the weapon. The 1980s tactical grip with the support hand’s index finger wrapped around the trigger guard actually works very well with this pistol. 

The magazine is the other unusual element: made entirely of plastic, it is nearly weightless but strong, thanks to extensive structural ribbing. Holding 16 cartridges, the magazine is very easy to load without a tool and proved 100% reliable during use. With the exception of two narrow slots for the bolt stop, the magazine is sealed against dust. Not burdened with a loading button attached to the follower, it fits perfectly into magazine carriers designed for centerfire mags, such as the excellent universal carrier made by Pitbull Tactical. The same carrier also accommodates GLOCK, PF9, P11, PMR30 and CP33 magazines. The magazine release is an ambidextrous paddle set into the base of the trigger guard and well-fenced against accidental activation. Three 16-round magazines are included with each pistol, extras cost under $20. The pistol does not have the unnecessary and unsafe mag disconnector which plagues so many otherwise good designs. 

These technical enhancements result in a pistol weighing just over 11 ounces. In proportions, it nearly matches GLOCK 19X, a pistol which is wildly popular with consumers. Being about 1/10 inch smaller in every dimension than G19X, the P17 sits equally solidly in the hand. The ergonomics prove important, as it weighs half as much as the other gun, so every imperfection of hold would translate into greater deflection off-target. Fortunately, the ergonomics are excellent with the 3-pound trigger and without perceptible staging as a big part of it. The light trigger, with an unusually strong return spring, makes controllable rapid fire with the P17 a breeze.

Originally meant for earlier release, the P17 was delayed long enough to ensure that it is absolutely reliable with all cartridges from subsonic to hyper-velocity, with and without a sound suppressor. An extended barrel bushing threaded 1/2×28 and a wrench for it are included with the pistol. In short, running a wide variety of ammunition through the P17 had exactly zero malfunctions of any kind. Interestingly, even though the barrel is relatively thin, it does not heat up much, possibly due to forced ventilation afforded by the slide design.

The ambidextrous safety blocks the sear, so the trigger just flops with it engaged. It’s a very obvious form of feedback, immediately and obviously different from the springy feel of the live trigger. The trigger isn’t meant for target shooting, but it isn’t the limiting factor for accuracy. Neither is the barrel, but rather the sight radius. Pretty much all kinds of loads resulted in a 1.5-inch group at 10 yards, all of them showing clusters of two and three holes that resulted from inconsistent sight alignment with my eyesight. The good news is that the groups stayed almost that small on rapid fire—shooting as fast as I could come out of recoil, I ended up with about a 2-inch spread. When firing from 100 yards standing, I was able to keep about 75% of the magazine on a full-size steel silhouette. For a compact rimfire pistol, that strikes me as respectable. The key to consistency is remembering to align the top of the front sight and not the fiber optic pipe with the rear notch. The plain black rear sight is adjustable for elevation and windage with the included hex wrench.

Disassembly

Disassembly is simple in the extreme. Lock the slide back. If the threaded muzzle nut is installed, unscrew it and replace with the stock nut. Depress release latches on both sides 

of the railed dust cover, pull the slide further back and lift its rear end up. Pull the front of the slide off the barrel, and that’s it! All parts of the pistol are very accessible for cleaning. Assembly and re-assembly take only seconds.

Considerations

Streamlined, lightweight and inexpensive, P17 is an ideal kit gun. The 3.8-inch barrel produces sufficient velocity to make .22LR credible for small game hunting and, in case of dire need, self-defense. 16+1 rounds of something like CCI Mini-mag dumped accurately in the span of 4 seconds or less, with a couple more magazines to back it up amounts to a credible, if not ideal deterrent, with an MSRP of $199 at time of writing. Compared to its direct competitor, the Taurus TX22, the P17 is one-third lighter and 40% less expensive.

If you want optics, KelTec’s CP33 is the way to go. If you want the iron sight radius and the balance for guaranteed 100-yard head shots rather than just highly probable torso hits, CP33 wins again. When fired suppressed, I found some unburned powder hitting my face from the open left side of the breech even with subsonic ammunition. The feeling was similar to fine sand, not painful but distracting. For silenced use, the CP33 wins, as does the TX22 with its more enclosed slide. The Taurus, however, has a different problem with suppressed use: on every sample I’ve used, the rear sight runs out of windage adjustments to zero the pistol once a can is attached. If suppressed use is important, the CP33 is the way to go. For daily carry, the P17, at less than half the weight and the price, will probably win over.

The P17 strikes me as an eminently fun pistol to shoot. It fills the hand without feeling bulky, behaves well on rapid fire and just invites burning up ammunition like there’s more at every store. It also gets the job done reliably, even with bulk ammunition. The stout firing pin imprint and well-designed feed geometry make it work well even with cheap fodder, as a proper kit gun should. 

While 9mm AR-15-based carbines have been around since the early 1980s, they’ve only hit peak popularity in the last several years. At this point, direct blowback models have been joined by various forms of delayed blowback and locked breech, and the double-stack, double-row-feeding Colt magazines have been eclipsed in popularity by GLOCK-compatible, single-feed magazines. With this vast variety of styles, actions and looks, what sets the Windham Weaponry R16FTT-9mm apart? The answer is in the history of the company that makes it.

Windham Weaponry of Maine originated as Bushmaster around 1976. Famous for its MIL-SPEC AR-15 rifles, this brand was sold and became a part of Freedom Group conglomerate in 2006. The factory was moved out of Maine in 2010 and, eventually, the brand was phased out in 2020. However, when the non-compete agreement expired in 2011, the original owner and employees restarted the company under the new name reflecting its traditional location. Being a high-quality gun maker, Windham Weaponry soon gained the same reputation as its previous name had once possessed. They are now known for making mainstream AR-15 variants of very high quality at reasonable prices. The four decades of institutional experience at design and production are very evident in the 9mm carbine I tested.

On the surface, this carbine seems quite conventional: it has a 16-inch Melonite finish, threaded medium weight barrel, a MIL-SPEC trigger group and plain M4 grip and telestock. A 13-inch, free-floated M-LOK handguard gives the option of an aggressive overhand grip for rapid fire up close, a long iron sight radius and stand-alone night vision or thermal optics in tandem with a scope or a red dot sight. A small rail segment comes pre-installed forward left with a QD socket filled with a sling loop. With all that, it comes in at 6.7 pounds empty. The receiver is extensively relieved for saving weight. Windham Weaponry’s aforementioned institutional experience comes in the form of such refinements as radiused insets in the receiver for placing the trigger finger between shot strings instead of resting it on the magazine release button and in the relief in the bolt that can be used as a streamlined forward assist in the manner of the WWII “grease gun.” The magazine well and the ejection port are extensively flared; all receiver edges are chamfered for comfortable handling.

This rifle isn’t fancy. The barrel profile steps up and down, suggesting that it came from the same lot as the barrels for gas-operated rifles. The trigger has a 7.5 to 8-pound pull—on the heavy side even for MIL-SPEC. The bolt is simple and solid, with a cutout for a very sturdy fixed blade ejector. The rifle ships with a 17-round Magpul magazine and is compatible with anything from a flush-fitting 10-rounder to a 100-round BETA double drum. The carbine’s heat endurance for uninterrupted fire appears to be in the 200-round range for the receiver and about 120 rounds for the forend before a vertical grip or an insulating wrap is required.

Testing Analysis 

The proof is in the performance. In the entire testing process, there were no malfunctions with any type of ammunition. Accuracy testing was done with two optical sight models. Bushnell’s Lil P, a jewel of a tiny, lightweight illuminated 1x prism scope, was used for short-range rapid fire and deliberate supported shots from 60 yards. Lil P is focused at 50 yards, so it is optimized for short-range use. I was able to get 100% on head shots at 60 and about 75% at 100, as well as very fast shot-to-shot times up close. With no magnification, the difference between loads was obscured by the variations in my aim, so I mounted a Leupold VX-Freedom 1.5-4x30mm FireDot scope. While the MIL-Ring in the scope name refers to 5.56mm BDC markings on the dial, the reticle provides concentric circles and Mil hash marks. The entire reticle from the top of the inside circle to the bottom of the hash mark tree measures 15 Mils, or about the height of a person’s legs and torso at 100m.

With 100m (110-yard) zero also being the longest distance available at my home range, I dialed in for 115-grain FMJ. The longer barrel added almost 200fps to the Remington UMC® load compared to a 4-inch pistol. This particular bullet goes transonic slightly past 60 yards, so the most accurate results would be inside that range. A 150-yard drop amounts to one head height: aiming at the middle of the head gets an upper chest hit. By 225 yards, the entire height of a person fits inside the inner circle of the reticle, while the bullet drops 5 Mils to the bottom of the inner circle. With ranging being quite simple, can we count on sufficient accuracy? My dispersion with 115-grain ball, the handicap of the heavy trigger and all, was about 2 MOA. Assuming accurate ranging and no wind, this works out to a 4.5-inch group at 200m, the distance being commonly declared an effective range for all sorts of 9mm submachine guns. With the bullet barely reaching 900fps by then, and various environmental factors considered, we can confidently say that the Windham Weaponry 9mm carbine confidently does what buzz guns only reach in their nominal specifications. At least I could confidently do headshots on a 100-yard “hostage taker” target and send a 3-inch plastic ball at 110 yards spinning 100% of the time. If shooting further than that, I would swap out the MIL-SPEC trigger for something lighter by LaRue Tactical or Geissele.

I tested the R16FTT-9mm with 124-grain Federal® American Eagle® ball and 147-grain SIG SAUER V-Crown® JHP loads as well. Out to 100 yards, their trajectory and retained velocity are similar enough, with only about an inch vertical shift in impact and no horizontal shift at all. However, dispersion increased to about 2.5 MOA with the 124-grain and 3 MOA with the 147-grain. Also, in the span of a single 15-round string, the top of the magazine got perceptibly dirtier due to an earlier bolt opening. It’s safe to say that this firearm is optimized for lighter bullets. With that in mind, I also ran 90-grain, hand-loaded cartridges loaded with SIG SAUER JHP projectiles intended for use in .380Auto. The gun’s accuracy was around the same 2 MOA and initial velocity was near 1500fps. The lighter bullet starts out with much flatter trajectory and keeps that advantage out to 175 yards, though at the cost of greater susceptibility to cross-wind and reduced penetration.

Since most uses of a 9mm defensive carbine would be close in, I tried various drills on 20- to 25-yard silhouettes. With the scope at 1.5x and the center dot illumination on, I could tap the steel almost as fast with the 1x Lil P and slightly more accurately. The downside of the scope is the greater bulk; the advantage is the more detailed sight picture. For home defense use, I’d go with the 1x, but for outdoor use the 1.5-4x wins. The greatest delay was from wrestling the barrel back into the point of aim, which is easy to solve with a TANDEMKROSS, or similar, compensator. We wouldn’t want a muzzle brake because the recoil is already mild and the additional back-pressure would dirty the receiver that much faster, but a dedicated compensator optimized for venting gas away from the sight picture would keep the rifle steady during the reloading cycle. A vertical- or reverse-angled AMD65-style foregrip would accomplish the same effect. All of this assumes an effort to overlap the hit at that distance. If center low, center high and head hits are all that are needed, then the bare muzzle would do just fine.

Take-down for cleaning is even simpler than with a gas-operated AR-15, since the bolt and carrier are one part. The lack of an ejection port cover and imperfect sealing of the opening by the bolt body are compensated to an extent by the ability of this carbine to run with minimal lubrication.

Final Assessment

In sum, Windham Weaponry put together a carbine that is an excellent trainer for the 5.56mm counterpart, duplicating most of the handling and the felt recoil but with cheaper ammunition, less noise and backstop wear. It’s also a very reasonable defensive weapon that can match sidearm magazines and ammunition, simplifying logistics. For my use, it’s a fun and accurate gun that shoots well with inexpensive ball. 

KelTec’s CP33 is an impressive pistol. It is currently the highest capacity, conventional rimfire handgun in production with 33-round flush and 50-round extended quad-stack magazines. Optics-ready, it’s a genuine 100-yard weapon even with the stock fiber optic sights: The long sight radius and the 8-inch barrel give it more reach than most .22s. It is suppressor-ready from the box, lightweight and easy to maintain. With all these complements to the uniquely competent design, why would KelTec follow-up almost immediately with another .22 pistol? I asked myself that question right up to the moment I had the opportunity to test fire the P17, a very pedestrian-looking stablemate to the futuristic CP33. 

The two pistols have something in common: the trademark clamshell construction with steel receiver blocks inside. Beyond that, they are as different as can be, both in construction and in handling. Having both on hand, I found them impressive in completely different ways.

The CP33 is a large pistol at 10.6 inches long and pound and a half empty; it is more of a saddle gun for horseback, an ATV or a car than it is a dedicated carry solution. The voluminous magazines make it a fun plinker, but the real strengths are the mechanical accuracy and the neutral balance contributing to practical accuracy. Even moderately competent shooters can hit an 8-inch steel plate at 100 yards with the pistol unsupported. The barrel length gives up little velocity compared to rifles, simultaneously reducing the muzzle flash to a minimum. The 150fps advantage over 4-inch barrels gained with 40-grain CCI Mini Mags equals a 50-yard difference in performance. The uninterrupted expanse of the Picatinny rail on top lends itself to magnified optics to take full advantage of the potential reach. Sound-suppressed, the CP33 doesn’t have much gas blowback. It’s about as mild a semi-auto pistol as can be experienced. M-LOK slots in the forend provide options for lights and lasers and provide air circulation for the barrel. The CP33 does have a couple of minor downsides: The magazine loading is a process requiring care to avoid rimlock, and the grip matched the .22WMR PMR30 length—that’s too much for small hands.

Fortunately, both of these issues are easy to solve. Magazine loading becomes a breeze with an American Speedloaders device that enables placing all 33 cartridges in perfect alignment in about 20 seconds. The grip length would have been a factor in a pistol with heavy recoil, but with .22LR it merely means that the usual two-handed hold is more comfortable than a single-handed dueling stance.

Having a CP33 introduces a high ammunition consumption habit. The barrel is well shrouded inside a ventilated forend, so the pistol can be run continuously for a long time with no loss of accuracy or functionality. A typical range session with a new shooter running the pistol and the instructor keeping magazines topped off ends with an empty 550-round box inside of 15 minutes, and that is with aimed fire rather than mindless blasting.

Most rimfire competitions assume 10-round magazines, but with the proliferation of new higher capacity pistols on the market, we are likely to see more Open Class stages in the immediate future. Judging by the interest that the Tandemkross-modified CP33 received at the World Championship Rimfire Challenge in October 2019, it will be a common firearm on the firing line before long.

CP33 vs. P17

With all that awesomeness contained in the CP33, why did KelTec introduce a P17? At less than half the weight (0.7 pound) and less than half the price (MSRP: $199 vs. $475), this smaller pistol is more of a kit gun that goes anywhere effortlessly. While holding “only” 16 rounds in the magazine, the P17 ships with three of them! From the start, the P17 was designed as the lighter weight and more budget-friendly alternative to the Taurus TX22 which ships with two magazines for about twice the money. Unlike either the TX22 or the CP33, the P17 magazine requires no tools for quick and easy loading.

The construction of the P17 is quite unique, with an L-shaped steel slide enveloping only the top and the front of the barrel. The non-reciprocating sides of the clamshell grip frame go up to the top of the slide, permitting a very high two-hand grip with no moving parts to interfere. The CP33 accomplishes the came by enclosing the barrel and the bolt entirely, also allowing a high grip to control aim and what minimal recoil there is.

The P17 and CP33 both have 3-pound triggers, but the P17 has a longer travel and a more vigorous reset spring. The P17 trigger is optimized for rapid fire, while the CP33 is optimized for accuracy. Both can be shot fast, but with a very different feel. Both guns have fiber optic front sights and adjustable rear sights. The P17’s rear sight is not illuminated, so care must be taken to align the top of the notch with the top of the front sight rather than with the dot. For reactive fire, placing the dot at the top of the rear notch and aiming center mass produces a chest hit. Unlike the CP33, the P17 has no provision for mounting an optic. Considering the kit gun niche, it’s a reasonable compromise. The pistol does come with a Picatinny rail under the grip frame for mounting lights or lasers. 

The P17 is an omnivore by design. Its release was delayed to ensure that it can digest subsonic ammunition reliably while not beating itself apart with high and hyper velocity loads. The CP33 was designed for supersonic loads, though it runs standard velocity and subsonics well when suppressed or when used with a brake, producing some back-pressure. Both rimfire brakes made by Tandemkross work well and eliminate what little muzzle rise there was. A Kaw Valley Precision Linear Compensator does nothing for the muzzle rise but reduces the report at the shooter’s ear by channeling it downrange, along with adding enough back-pressure to cycle standard velocity match loads which are already subsonic from the 8-inch barrel. 

What does the P17 give up to the CP33? It has roughly half of the effective range of the bigger pistol, being accurate no further than 50 yards. I can hit an 8-inch plate no further than that, and even a full-size silhouette is a challenge at 100 yards. Pop cans, roughly approximating the size of a squirrel, are at risk no further than 35 yards. While the full-size grip and the good trigger help with accuracy, the limitations of the short sight radius are hard to overcome. Even so, being similar in weight and barrel length to the Smith & Wesson 317 kit gun, the P17 is more accurate, holds double the ammunition and boasts nearly twice the effective aimed range. 

The P17 comes with an extended threaded bushing to permit suppressed use, but the open left side of the slide during the ejection cycle causes annoying blowback a the shooter. Given the very light weight and the visual incongruity of the short slide and the full-size grip, an A2 flash hider from an AR-15 would fit the P17 better than anything else—it would reduce visible flash and the muzzle rise both by altering the balance toward the front and by acting as a compensator. The P17’s takedown involves the slide coming off the barrel to the front, so any muzzle device would have to be removed with the bushing, but it would not have to be re-timed after fieldstripping. 

The same open slide design and a strong return spring make the P17 very resistant to powder residue. While the CP33 should be cleaned every 500 rounds, and every 250 to 300 when suppressed, the P17 has powered through nearly 1,000 rounds so far with no sign of slowing down. In an emergency, a P17 slide can be forced closed, while the internal CP33 bolt relies only on the return spring.

Both pistols are excellent guns. For traipsing around the woods for a week, the lighter, smaller and less expensive P17 fits the need. For riding on horseback or an SUV around a mountain range, the quieter, longer-ranged CP33 is the way to go. Both would work for competition, with the P17 having an edge for steel challenges and the CP33 excelling in bull’s-eye or silhouette shooting. 

The Ruger PC 9mm Carbine in its multiple iterations has gained a well-deserved popularity almost instantly. Reliable, accurate, ergonomic, compatible with Ruger or GLOCK magazines, and a take-down design on top of all that, it is a massive improvement on the old 1996 PC 9mm in every regard. With this positive introduction, we might wonder what’s left for the aftermarket producers to offer. The answer lies in the special-purpose use in which the new PC has been employed: competition shooting. 

TANDEMKROSS (TK), a New Hampshire company specializing in parts for sport shooting, came out with several improvements for the Ruger PC, all focused on improving speed and precision. These changes aren’t intended for defensive use, though some would benefit a “Roof Korean” as much as it would a sporting competitor.

In its basic form, the carbine is a plain blowback 9mm weapon that takes Ruger pistol magazines. It’s offered with a variety of stocks and forends. Being a take-down, it permits mixing and matching front and back ends to create a wide variety of configurations. In its basic form with a synthetic forend and fixed plastic stock, it weighs 6.7 pounds but feels lighter thanks to the good balance. A PPSh-like, free-floated M-LOK aluminum forend brings the weight up to 7 pounds, with the subjective feel of much greater heft. Another third of a pound provides the option of a folding telestock. Everything about this gun and its variations is robust and solid. The rear sight comes with an open notch and ghost ring options; the front sight is a post heavily protected by steel wings. The charging handle and the magazine release are reversible. The standard forend has a short rail at the bottom for a light, the free-float rail has M-LOK slots all over. What can be improved for speed shooting?

The front sight is the first part: replacing the busy three-blade sight picture with one clear post topped with a thin fiber optic pipe speeds up the sight acquisition and adds precision. Even though the peep rear sight is placed too far forward to be a true ghost ring, adding the fiber optic makes it work better than the rear V notch. The glowing red or green dot is quicker to center than the flat top of the post just above it. This sight upgrade works great for sports, but it’s completely unprotected and so not ideal for the potential rough and tumble of fighting. Using a T10 Torx wrench and a couple of minutes suffice for the installation. Since the time I tested this sight, TK has come out with a fiber optic rear sight for the PC. By putting rear light pipes at the same offset from the metal sight as in the front, TK made the notch and post sight picture as quick to acquire as the ghost ring. 

The “Victory” trigger is next up: the Ruger original is adequate, but the textured TANDEMKROSS part improved tactile feedback, also permitting a lower fingertip placement for greater leverage. As a result, the weight of the pull stays constant, but it feels lighter to the user. A built-in over-travel adjustment helps with maintaining shorter splits between shots. This enhancement belongs on sporting and combat guns alike. The replacement process requires a 5/32-inch Allen wrench and a pinch for removing pins, along with a few minutes for the swap. 

The original magazine release is excellent for a fighting rifle: it’s textured for non-slip contact and fenced again. For a rapid magazine change, a free-standing wide mag release that can be just slapped instead of pressed is quicker. The textured red or white anodized, oversized Titan button from TK does the job well. A 5/64-inch Allen wrench and a couple of minutes get it installed. Again, it’s not for field use, rather for the gun games in which every second counts but slung carry doesn’t happen.

With the fixed Ruger stock having considerable drop, the shooter gets the benefit of the minimal sight offset from the bore, an advantage for accuracy up close. The same drop stock provides additional torque on the rifle during firing, causing greater muzzle rise than an AR-15 of the same caliber would have. While the aluminum forend helps with that a little by shifting the overall balance forward, the cleverly designed TK “Game Changer PRO” compensator does the same job dynamically. Adding only 2 ounces over the standard thread protector, this brake is very effective at negating muzzle rise without much added concussion. The muzzle flash is minimal, and the powder fumes are re-directed to the sides and away from the sight picture. Installing it is simple, but this does require timing the ports. A similar design made for rimfire guns is quite effective, so it’s no surprise that the 9mm variant that has more gas to work with does an excellent job. The key to its success is concentrating on the rise compensation and not trying for the unnecessary braking effect. 

With all of these parts, TANDEMKROSS provides detailed pictorial and video installation instructions. Since the time my carbine was configured, they also added two variants of upgraded charging handles, the conical “Challenger” and the skeletonized hooked “Spartan” as alternatives to the less grippy cylindrical original part. For the lowest possible sight height over bore, TK is also offering a “Shadow” direct mount plate for micro red dot sights, to bypass the Picatinny rail on top. This plate replaces the rear sight. Finally, they have a complete, extensively adjustable “UPRISER” PC stock: it goes beyond the scope of my review, but it’s worth investigating on their website.

With all these changes and adjustments made to the two test carbines, how much did it change handling and efficiency? The same 35-round course of fire with one magazine change, consisting of three full-size silhouettes and two small plates at distances between 12 and 30 yards, could be shot in about 30 seconds compared to 40 seconds with the original configuration. The hits also were more centered. The advantage in speed was retained once red dot sights were added, with the course of fire approximating 25 and 35 seconds, respectively. Between two competitive shooters of similar skill level, the one with the upgrades would win by a wide margin. The difference in handling was especially pronounced with gloves on, as the larger, more fault-tolerant mag release button guaranteed a reliable magazine swap. 

Subcaliber conversion kits predate self-contained cartridges. From the 1830s, some old muskets were converted with barrel inserts to project a small pellet with the energy of a percussion cap. Small bore inserts for pellets driven by blanks were also used with centerfire rifles from the 1870s on and dedicated rimfire clones of Army rifles from the early 1900s. The famous .455 Webley Mk V revolver of 1913 has an optional rimfire kit consisting of a rifled barrel insert and a cylinder with smaller .22 chambers. That was probably the first mass-produced conversion kit for training. During WWII, Colt Ace conversion kits permitted cheaper and less noisy practice with the Army M1911A1, a conversion that proved useful despite the originally spotty reliability. 

Rimfire conversions, for a time, became popular in Europe as parts of multicaliber sets. The HK4 pistol, for example, came with barrels, springs and magazines supporting .22LR, .25ACP, .32ACP and .380ACP. The Beretta 8X series, on the other hand, featured standalone pistols of the same general design to cover the same range of calibers. The difference in the approach likely stemmed from the variations in national legal restrictions. In the U.S., Smith & Wesson (S&W) and Ruger offered rimfire counterparts to their popular service and concealed carry models. The stronger mainspring required for rimfire was one reason for making whole new guns instead of conversion kits, convenience is another. Finally, sights set for centerfire shooting seldom matched the point of impact with rimfire. 

The story of modern subcaliber training in the U.S. can be recounted from the Ciener and Advantage Arms conversion kits for GLOCK pistols. Especially in times of ammunition shortages, the ability to stretch the training budget and the centerfire ammunition reserves on hand has been popular—as important, is the option to teach the basics of handling firearms and marksmanship without putting off new shooters with heavy recoil and loud blasts. Similar conversion kits have since become available for the M1911, Beretta M9 and several SIG SAUER models. At the same time, Walther, Chiappa and Umarex introduced visual clones of several common service pistols. Less true to the original manual of arms or feel, they nonetheless provided a reasonably familiar form factor for training and recreation. Finally, companies like Grand Power put out an entire XTRIM line of rimfire handguns designed with the form factor common to their defense line. Some of them are optimized for target shooting—the model with a 10-inch barrel comes to mind—while others mirror the defense or sports models in all but caliber.

Training Points

How good are these guns for actual training? They offer identical forms, so all practice with drawing to a rapid first shot, aimed or pointed, is authentic. The trigger pull is likewise the same, making trigger control practice consistent with the real thing. Reloading is quite similar; malfunction clearing is similar in some guns, dissimilar in others. Marksmanship depends on the degree of precision required. Obviously, the rimfire bullet trajectory differs from 9mm or .45ACP, but the differences are minute inside of 10m to 15m. 

As practice guns for silhouette practice on small targets at 25m, .22s are not all that useful past the initial platform familiarization. In speed shooting for defense, the minor trajectory variations are insignificant compared to the minor sight alignment errors consciously committed in pursuit of speed. Gross errors like botched trigger control remain obvious. That’s especially vital for users of lightweight carry guns with heavy triggers, such as micro .380s and various Airweight snubbie revolvers. A training session of a hundred .357 Mag shots would cause hand damage, while a hundred .22s would just help master the long, heavy trigger pull without any pain.

Obviously, one doesn’t learn recoil control from shooting the low-powered rounds; that is a skill facet requiring centerfire ammunition. The reduction in felt recoil and muzzle rise leave room for full caliber training, but the more comfortable shooting experience makes it easier to identify training issues. The actions of the novice shooter aren’t masked by the violent misalignment of a firearm immediately after each shot.

When introducing new people to handgun shooting, I typically start them with a sound-suppressed M1911 clone, a GSG 1911-22 heavily improved with CW Accessories (CWA) parts for accuracy and reliability. The light weight of the aluminum suppressor doesn’t affect the balance much, while the minimal sound signature and recoil permit a more comfortable learning experience. For revolvers, a S&W Model 617 loaded with Aguila® Colibri CB caps provides an ear-safe experience comparable with very low-power air pistols while matching the S&W Model 686 carry gun handling. At longer distances, subsonic .22LR works well. Unlike air guns, rimfire handguns have the same exact manual of arms as the centerfire weapons. 

My experience has been with the following: an M1911 with an Iver Johnson Arms kit; a GSG1911-22 standalone; a Grand Power X-CALIBUR with an XTRIM standalone; a S&W M&P 9 with an M&P 22 standalone; a KelTec PF9 with a Twisted Industries kit; a GLOCK 17 with an Advantage Arms kit; a S&W Model 686 with a S&W Model 617; and a SIG SAUER P938 with 938-22 conversion slide. All of these have serious applications, and everyone has something to recommend over the others.

The revolvers are not ideal rimfire platforms for new shooters due to the heavy trigger pull required for the reliable detonation of .22LR primed rims. The S&W Model 617 (the large-frame rimfire) and the S&W Model 17 (the medium-frame rimfire) are also fractionally heavier than the .357 Mag and .38 Special counterparts thanks to the smaller bores and chambers inside the same-size barrels. For the same reason, these are very good for training advanced shooters: A person who learns to use the extra-heavy triggers will be able to run better centerfire triggers with ease. For new shooters, single-action mode works well—it also greatly reduces the required reach to the front of the trigger, an important consideration for learners with small hands.

Grand Power XTRIM

The XTRIM rimfire pistol from Grand Power mimics the carry guns exactly, down the shape of the magazines. The magazines are all polymer, hold 10 rounds and load with ease, thanks to the assist tab on the follower. The accuracy is excellent, the sights and all of the controls match X-CALIBUR exactly. The sole differences are the reduced blast and recoil. The XTRIM fits the same holsters, though it uses a slightly shorter slide. The extended safety lever makes a good thumb rest, habituating new shooters to the right-hand position. As with all rimfire pistols using a conventional enveloping slide, it’s possible to retard the relatively weak slide motion too much with the thumbs, a concern that doesn’t exist with the more energetic centerfire ammo. Designed for supersonic ammunition, the XTRIM also works with subsonic ammo using additional backpressure from suppressors or brakes. I prefer to use a linear compensator to channel the blast noise downrange.

GLOCK 17

The Advantage Arms GLOCK 17 kit dates back to around 2000, with successively improved versions introduced since. Like most conversion kits, it uses a lightweight aluminum slide that’s dimensionally identical to the centerfire part. One caveat with safe-action handguns: Lightened triggers can cause light strikes with rimfire ammunition. On stock GLOCK frames, it’s extremely reliable and very accurate.

KelTec PF9

The same is true of the KelTec PF9™ conversions by Twisted Industries (TI). Instead of molded plastic, TI uses milled aluminum blocks to make extremely robust magazines for the kit. Accuracy is better than with the 9mm, and the relatively light weight—3/4 pound loaded with 10+1 instead of 1.1 pound with 7+1—makes it a viable kit gun for nature hikes. With the PF9 being a relatively difficult pistol to master due to the long 7-pound trigger, rimfire practice can aid in gaining competency without breaking the bank. Recoil that limits comfortable range time with lightweight pistols is also a non-issue with the conversion kit.

Smith & Wesson

The M&P 22 is a clone of the M&P 9 in look, feel and controls but not in the internals. Designed similarly to the Walther P22, the M&P 22 is a more durable implementation of the concept. Feeding from 12-shot magazines, it’s a competent target pistol in itself. While the M&P 9’s recoil is mild, the lower cost of ammunition pays for the rimfire kit quickly. The pistol suppresses well and runs reliably with a wide range of loads.

SIG SAUER

The SIG SAUER P938-22 slide is 1 inch longer than the 9mm version. The magazine comes with an extended plastic floorplate to extend capacity to 10 rounds instead of the six or seven in the centerfire variant. With these changes, it isn’t an exact clone of the main weapon, but it is a very comfortable and accurate trainer. Its longer sight radius makes it a little easier to aim but limits holster compatibility. Everything else on the 938-22 matches the regular P938.

M1911

M1911 conversion kits have a mixed reputation. The Iver Johnson kit actually works well. Like the PF9 kit, it comes with machined aluminum magazines. Cheaper and lighter plastic magazines made by ProMag™ work equally well or better. The conversion delivers impressive accuracy, making the frame with a kit a target gun in itself. All functionality of the regular M1911 is preserved. Compared to that, the GSG standalone 1911-22 has a less refined trigger and a magazine disconnector—not quite the same manual of arms as the real thing. After the plastic recoil spring guide snapped in half, I replaced it and several other parts (extractor, ejector, barrel, bushing, springs and sights) with CWA parts. The upgraded pistol is significantly more accurate, permitting reliable hits on an 8-inch plate from 100 yards. Actual CWA 2011-22 pistols do not suffer from the magazine disconnector. Unlike STI 2011 rimfire adapters, CWA uses a single-stack GSG magazine, so they would not fit centerfire mag carriers. On the plus side, those magazines are much less expensive and easier to load.

Consider This

Pistol rimfire conversion kits fall short with red dot optics. The energy available from the .22LR recoil isn’t enough to move a red dot sight back and forth, so the conversion kits normally have no provision for anything other than iron sights. The CWA 2011-22 is the exception to that, having the option of a frame-mounted red dot for an exact match of the centerfire race-gun configuration. For training towards greater competency with iron-sighted handguns and for recreational shooting, rimfire conversion kits and standalone clones of fighting pistols are well worth having.

6.5 Creedmoor has a lot going for it: it’s an accurate round with modest wind drift, light recoil and adequate terminal performance. It has just one problem: the barrel length required for full powder burn. Barrels with sufficient stiffness for high accuracy get fairly heavy at 26 inches, which is the average optimal length for the caliber. By the time a brake and a sound suppressor are added to the end, we would end up with a bolt action that won’t fit inside vehicles and is only usable from support. Desert Tech out of West Valley City, UT, came up with a solution to all those issues in a single design—the SRS bullpup. 

I first tried the SRS rifle in the hills of Utah. With clear mountain air, we could see from hillside to hillside and, to my amazement, could hit almost anything we could see. Being able to hit a 12×12-inch steel at 500 yards, then 600, and most of the time at 700 as well, was something I had done before but never with such ease! My previous experience with conventional bolt actions had not prepared me for the compact, perfectly balanced form factor of the SRS-A2 Covert.

“SRS” stands for “Stealth Recon Scout.” Ten inches shorter than conventional bolt actions with the same barrel length, it can fit into even smaller spaces, thanks to the easily detachable return-to-zero barrel. The barrel is held in place with four small screws on the right and one larger screw on the left of the chassis. Unlike some of the robotic-looking chassis guns on the market, the SRS-A2 puts a clamshell stock over the supporting structure, creating a more ergonomic form. The gun is a part of an extensive system in the true sense of the word: the complete rifle options include five chamberings (.308 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor, .300 Win. Mag, .338 Lapua Mag and .300 RUM), short and long forends and short or long barrel options in .308, 6.5 and .300. Swapping barrels and, when necessary, corresponding bolts, is a quick and easy process requiring a few screw turns and popping off the buttpad. Replacing the forend is a more involved process, requiring 11 more screws to be removed. The process is uncomplicated but requires attention to detail. For even more reach and punch, the larger frame HTI chassis accommodates .416 Barrett, and .50 BMG conversion kits are available, as well as CheyTac .375 and .408. The kits for both rifles are comprised of barrels, bolts and magazines. Some bolts and magazines serve multiple calibers; for example .308 Win. and 6.5 Creedmoor. The extra-long magazine well of the rifle accommodates all those calibers, and magazines for smaller cartridges are compartmentalized internally.

Obviously, going from 6.5 to .338 requires re-sighting, but return-to-zero optic mounts such as Bobro or Desert Tech’s own designs make it a one-time process. Desert Tech (DT) offers a very complete lineup of accessories, including .30 and .338 Titanium sound suppressors and a variety of muzzle brakes each specific to barrel length. They also have a branded line of match ammunition which the author used for the accuracy testing.

Early in 2019, DT introduced the A2 revision of the original SRS. In the same configuration, SRS-A2 is about 2 pounds lighter. Part of the weight savings came from going to M-LOK forends, part came from the longer barrel flute and lightening cuts on the receiver. The flat-face trigger design has been simplified for greater ruggedness, with weight adjustable from the default 1.5 pounds to 7 pounds, if desired. The receiver now has an integral thread for a tripod head mount. Along with the lighter guns came redesigned, more effective muzzle brakes to keep the recoil the same. Conversion kits are compatible between the SRS-A1 and SRS-A2 rifles.

Configurations

My rifle came in two configurations: Covert with an 18-inch 6.5 barrel and regular with a 26-inch barrel of the same caliber. My home range tops out at 100 yards, so the accuracy testing was limited to that distance. On the 

plus side, it’s fairly protected from the wind, so that was an even lesser factor than usual with the fast and sleek Creedmoor bullet. The differences between the two barrels are moderate, with the short one being stiffer and thus potentially more mechanically accurate. The longer barrel adds 200-300fps to the muzzle velocity, depending on the load, yielding less wind drift. To me, the longer barrel is easier to shoot well, as it produces much less blast. While Kaw Valley Precision Magnum Linear Compensator does a great job of re-directing the blast away from the marksman, the famed Titanium suppressor from Thunderbeast Arms reduces both noise and felt recoil while adding only a pound of weight to the rig. The long barrel works great with the longer forend, preferred mainly because it places the bipod further out for greater stability. The long barrel can be used with the short forend if desired, but the weight saving is negligible. The short barrel can be used with the long forend, but the choice of muzzle devices becomes restricted. A built-in rear monopod, standard on the SRS-A1 and an option on the SRS-A2, aids in wringing maximum accuracy from the gun.

Desert Tech ammunition is a vital part of the overall accuracy package. They guarantee 0.5MOA, a conservative estimated compared to the actual performance observed. With muzzle velocity around 2,750fps and a high BC (ballistic coefficient) 140-grain bullet, this rifle/cartridge combination has a point-blank range of over 350 yards for a headshot and around 600 yards for a torso, counting the dispersion. Wind drift is likewise minor up to nearly 500 yards. While the terminal performance of the HPBT is no greater than that of ball ammunition, a number of major ammunition manufacturers loads soft-point expanding bullets. The accuracy with them is sufficient for most practical purposes.

Performance

The entire rig with long forend, 26-inch barrel, the 6-24x56i illuminated Kahles scope and the Thunderbeast Arms sound suppressor weigh around 13.8 pounds. As expected, the report and the recoil are negligible. The hypersonic bullet flight noise isn’t, so wear your hearing protection! The sight picture stays fairly constant as the buttpad rises above the bore line, keeping the scope image disturbance to a minimum. Both five- and 10-round single-stack metal magazines worked well, but the five-rounder is easier to load. The sliding safety levers and the magazine release are ambidextrous. The bolt handle is long and provides excellent leverage to make up for the short unlock angle of the three-lug bolt. The down side to that is the possibility of nudging the bolt just slightly out of battery. The cheek-piece has about an inch of rise, requiring a hex wrench for adjustment. Both the short and the long configurations proved hand-holdable, though Jeff Cooper’s advice about the advantages of supported positions for accuracy still applies. Since the 6-24x56i power optic doesn’t focus under 60 yards, you might want to add a 45-degree micro red dot mount or iron sights for close-in defense response.

Accuracy testing ran into the limitations of my skill level. All match ammunition used (Desert Tech, Hornady, Winchester and PRIME) varied from 0.4 to 0.6MOA depending on the concentration of the shooter. The Hornady hunting load did equally well. S&B ball ammunition produced 1MOA groups, which is still pretty respectable. Most helpfully, this wide variety of ammunition produced no more than 1MOA of variance in the centers of the groups. SRS-A2 has definitely met the stated performance goals while retaining portability. It is also much easier to shoot off-hand or from supported field positions than a conventional bolt action.