The United Nations recently held the third of a series of four meetings on the subject of controlling the worldwide trade in small arms. Called the UN Regional Workshop on Firearm Regulation for the Purposes of Crime Prevention and Public Safety, the gathering was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil December 8-12.

The workshop series being held around the world are a component of a broader UN International Study on Firearm Regulation, the origin of which dates back to Resolution 9 of the Ninth UN Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders held in Cairo, Egypt in 1995.

Wendy Cukier, Canadian representative of the Friends World Committee on Consultation and the World Society of Victimology, summed up the main theme of the latest gathering when she stressed the need for “international standards and cooperation for controlling the gun trade and trafficking in firearms.”

The UN secretary-general was requested (by the UN’s Economic and Social Council) to include in the workshop’s agenda, the possible development of a UN Declaration of Principles including the following common elements: regulations relating to firearm safety and storage; penalties and/or administrative sanctions for offenses involving the misuse or unlawful possession of firearms; mitigation of, or exemption from, criminal responsibility, amnesty or similar programs individual member states determine to be appropriate to encourage citizens to surrender illegal, unsafe or unwanted firearms.

The Declaration also calls for the: implementation of national licensing systems, inter alia, including the licensing of firearms businesses, to ensure firearms are not distributed to persons convicted of serious crimes or other persons who are prohibited under the laws of the respective member states from owning or possessing firearms; a record-keeping system for firearms, inter alia, including a system for the commercial distribution of firearms and a requirement for appropriate marking of firearms at manufacture and at import, to assist criminal investigations, discourage theft and ensure firearms are distributed only to persons who may lawfully own or possess firearms under the laws of the respective member countries.

Participants at the workshop included upper level government and law enforcement officials holding a policy and/or decision-making position with regard to firearm regulation. as well as representatives from intergovernmental and non-governmental agencies.

Workshops’ Objectives

Among the objectives hoped to be accomplished at the workshops were: the establishment of cooperative agreements between member states to share information on tracing firearms; participants familiarization with relevant initiatives for firearm regulation at the regional and inter-regional levels; and, member states’ efforts on regulations regarding storage of firearms, sanctions for misuse of firearms, and gun record-keeping systems.

Non-governmental representatives (such as those from the American Shooting Sports Council and National Rifle Association) were excluded from certain workshop meetings where “sensitive law enforcement issues” were discussed. Topics covered in these sessions reportedly involved, “detection, investigation control, and prevention strategies employed by governments, to combat firearm related problems,” according to the UN.

One workshop focused on developing national and international arrangements in the control of legitimate movement of firearms, gun parts and ammunition. A regularly updated directory listing all manufacturers of firearms and firearm components was proposed. In addition, the development of international customs practices relating to the movement of firearms for civilian purposes, including the creation of a common import and export certificate, was proposed. An advance notification system, with a view to advising on the effectiveness of controls concerning the international movement of firearms, was considered.

Another workshop group discussed the possibility of housing a centralized data base for ballistics training to assist member states in obtaining timely information on the origin of seized firearms and firearm tracing capabilities.

British Anti’s

“The proliferation of light weapons, both in conflicts and civil society, is a pervasive and continuing problem,” stated Geraldine O’Callaghan, an analyst for the British American Security Council, an anti-gun research organization that analyses international security issues. “Firearms control is an integral part of international arms control. The US government’s laissez faire approach to the gun trade both within and beyond US borders has led to the influx of thousands of cheap Brazilian handguns and Chinese assault rifles and the export of US firearms to drug traffickers in regions of conflict. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to control the illicit international market in light weapons without also monitoring and controlling domestic access to weapons,” O’Callaghan said.

Author Hausman’s note: BASIC’s definition of “light weapons includes pistols, revolvers, and rifles, as well as heavier military weapons such as portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, machine guns, mortars up to 100mm, associated ammunition, and anti-personnel land mines.

O’Callaghan went on to call for controls not only on illicit transfers but also on licit transactions. Light weapon exports are not as stringently monitored as heavy weapon system exports she said, and stated that between 1989 and 1993, the Office of Defense Trade Controls at the US Department of State verified end-user certificates for only 21 out of 1,632 applications for small arms transfers to eight Latin American states.

Taking a cue from anti-gun politicians in the US as well as prior questionable actions of the US State Department, O’Callaghan recommended the promotion of international agreements to ban the manufacture, import, export, and possession of so-called “junk guns” (which she defined as handguns lacking essential safety features) and other “dangerous weapons” such as so-called “Saturday Night Specials” (which were defined as “non-sporting, low quality handguns”) and weapons deemed to be a particular public health risk such as armor piercing ammunition.

O’Callaghan encouraged consistency between domestic controls and export policies by saying, “A weapon deemed dangerous for import/manufacture/sale in one country should then, by definition, be banned for export.”

The US State Department, soon after passage of the 1994 Clinton domestic sales ban on so-called “assault weapons,” was contacting governments of foreign countries to which US manufacturers had applied for export licenses to ship the affected gun models to and tried to dissuade such foreign governments from allowing the importation of such firearms.

Ammo Bans

O’Callaghan also gave endorsement to a proposal first advanced at the UN by the government of Canada about a year ago, to limit ammunition supplies as a way of rendering firearms useless.

“Even if all transfers of light weapons were stopped today, the world would still be awash in them decades from now, because light weapons can last that long. Ammunition is unattractive for smuggling, since it has relatively high weight and relatively low dollar value. Reliable and safe ammunition is also difficult to produce and has a significantly shorter shelf-life then the weapons in which it is used. Limitations on ammunition supplies may be more feasible than limitations on the weapons themselves,” O’Callaghan said. She went on to call for a UN study on ammunition.

In addressing measures to improve the traceability of firearms, O’Callaghan mentioned Organization of American States (OAS) member countries have discussed the random insertion of microchips the size of a pinhead into arms at the point of manufacture to allow customs officials to scan weapons to ensure their numbers tallied with the import license. She also called for investigation into the tagging of ammunition to allow investigators to better trace it back to its source of manufacture.

Pro-Gun Groups

Representing the American firearms industry, Richard J. Feldman, (Executive Director of the American Shooting Sports Council ASSC) said the firearms industry would “embrace, support and contribute to legitimate efforts at disrupting the illegal trafficking and criminal misuse of firearms,” but that, “In its deliberations on this issue, the UN must be mindful of the uniqueness of the various individual states which would be affected by the policies being proposed. Matters of domestic concern in a particular member state should not be usurped by foreign dictates.

“Nowhere is this more apparent or applicable than in the US of A. where the overwhelming majority of its citizens hold firmly to the belief in their constitutional right to keep and bear arms. US citizens will not take kindly to international efforts to strip them of this symbol of freedom,” Feldman warned.

NRA statement

Concerns over the intent of the UN effort as well as the attempts to exclude opposing points of view from the proceedings were addressed by Thomas L. Mason, the representative of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action. NRA-ILA has obtained NGO status at the UN largely through the efforts of its chief lobbyist, Tanya Metaksa, “The clear intent of the chief promoters of this UN effort,” Mason declared, “is not to eradicate illicit conduct, but civilian gun ownership. Additionally, the manner by which contrary viewpoints have been systematically excluded from these proceedings is simply wrong.”

Mason also proposed a set of guidelines to be used in governing discussion of a declaration of principles: rejection of a “world” or “international” standard in firearms regulations; no establishment of a central registry of firearms or their owners; no surrendering of sovereign rights to enact laws related to illicit traffic in firearms; no evaluation of one nation by another on compliance with agreements; no establishment of a permanent entity to police compliance with agreements; and, no involvement with any international organization in policing or enforcing any possible agreement.

As part of a series of suggestions on how the UN can address relevant issues, such as firearms safety, Mason called on the workshop to endorse NRA’s Eddie eagle safety program and join in its promotion.

Background

Driven by the efforts of such countries as Japan and Canada, the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and criminal Justice increasingly is focusing on international gun control proposals including those to ban the manufacture, international trade, and private civilian ownership of firearms.

The UN’s Economic and Social Council recently adopted resolution 1995/27, In section IV of that resolution, the Council requested the secretary-general to establish and maintain close cooperation with member states by exchanging data on the following topics related to firearms regulation:

– Criminal cases, accidents and suicides in which firearms are involved, including the number of such cases and the number of victims involved and the status of firearm regulation by law enforcement authorities.
– Updates on transnational illicit trafficking in firearms.
– National legislation and regulations relevant to firearm regulation.
– Initiatives for firearm regulation at the regional and inter-regional levels.

UN Study

Adding impetus to the UN’s global gun banning efforts are the result of a UN study released last spring which found the US is a leading source of firearms for international gun smugglers. The UN secretary-general’s report, “Measures to Regulate Firearms,” found the US is one of only three other countries which report frequent illegal exportation of firearms. The UN report also states, “Transnational illicit trafficking in firearms is a serious concern of (UN) member states, contributing to unacceptable levels of homicide, other violent crime, suicide and accidents involving the use of firearms, resulting in tragic harm to victims within the member states.”

In a telling revelation of its true purpose as an advocate of global gun control, the UN report stated bluntly, “The absence of effective firearms regulations in one member state can undermine not only the regulatory efforts but also the effective governance of other member states.” The government of Japan first advanced this view at the UN in 1994.

HCI View

Quick to seize upon opportunity, Sarah Brady, chair of Handgun Control, Inc. (HCI), issued a statement endorsing the UN global firearms ban agenda by calling for a national one-handgun-per-month law as well as national firearms owner licensing in the US.

“Step one is to pass national anti-gun-trafficking legislation which would limit handgun purchases to one-per-month-per-person. Gun traffickers rely on bulk purchases to ensure the cost-efficiency of their lethal trade,” Brady said.

“Secondly, we should follow the lead of the overwhelming majority of states responding to the UN study, which have licensing and registration requirements for gun purchases and laws regulating safe-storage of firearms. Licensing of handgun purchasers allows more thorough background checks to be conducted on gun buyers and would help expose gun traffickers by allowing for more accurate tracing of guns found at crime scenes.

“The American plague of gun violence is spreading to other countries, and the only way to contain it is to strengthen our gun laws immediately,” Brady declared while revealing she is in lockstep (or is it goose step?) with the governmental regimes of Canada, Japan, Columbia and Cuba, which have blamed private firearms ownership in the US, for their own countries crime problems.

No formal policy decisions were reached at the Brazilian meet. The fourth and final UN workshop on small arms issues will be held in New Delhi, India in early 1998

“Yup, shot one of those, got one of those, bagged TWO of those with a fifty cal machine gun once, Hey! I never nailed one of these here critters… where can I find these fellas at- say, are these two for sale?” – Raffica in the endangered species section of the zoo.

Of course I hadn’t shot these animals, I am just another politically incorrect gun owner of today. Like many others, we are feeling burned out by all the ridiculous rules and regulations. The new Nazi’s are all over the place, and they have a different cause every day. One day it’s the “Endangered species” (Many times for a good reason, usually not) and the next it’s “Child-proofing” firearms. “How can you not be FOR the children?” They never seem to get to the root of the problems they are worried about, just glance at the surface and make some compromise that “Feels good”. Rush said it the best- “Symbolism over Substance”. I must confess to having reached a point of no return. I have to “Tweak” them. Bumper sticker recently seen at a show: “If they take away our guns, how can we shoot the liberals?”

I know that it’s not conducive to good Public Relations, but some of our opponents are not only lacking in common sense, they have no visible sense of humor. Our media leaders used to parody the “Holier than thou” set. One could count on Groucho Marx and others to invent the country of Freedonia. Where the hell are Moe, Larry, and Curly when you need them? I’d like to see Saturday Night Live skewer Sarah Brady and Josh Sugarman, slapping their sanctimonious attitudes around like a bad dog. Fat Chance.

I guess we are just going to have to keep fighting them every day, but I, for one, am going to keep a sense of humor about it.

Raffica has received numerous requests over the years touching on some obscure ammunition. Recent conversations have touched on two items that seem of importance today. I would like to get to these two questions first.

Q1- I have been looking at a Japanese Type 100 submachine gun that was a wartime trophy of a friend’s father. He registered it as a dewat during the 1968 Amnesty, and had filled the chamber with what appears to be bronze. I would like to buy this gun, but I wonder about making it operational. What about ammunition? Any advice?

Dave S.

A1- Advice? If the price is reasonable, then by all means purchase this gun. It’s a wonderful piece of history. It’s proper name is the 100 Shiki Kikantanju, generally referred to as a “Type 100” or a “Jap 100”. There were three basic variants- the 1940 model that was either a full stock or folding stock, and the ones made after 1944. The primary differences will be in the care of manufacturing that you observe. The later guns have fixed sights, and the welding is crude. The 1944 manufactured models also have a replaceable firing pin. It should transfer on a Form 5, no tax, even though the barrel plug might be questionable. “Dewatting” was supposed to be done with steel weld- although at the time, brazing was frequently done. I would say that the chamber was brazed shut, and a qualified gunsmith should be able to clear this out. The $200 tax on a Form 1 would then be required, and if the firearm does not meet the criteria of a “Dewat”, then transfer it on a Form 4 tax paid, and you won’t have to do the Form 1 to re-activate it.

The problems are going to be in the chamber reaming, as well as obtaining ammunition. The caliber on this firearm is 8mm Nambu Auto Pistol, which is very rare, and has never been manufactured outside of Japan that I am aware of- other than by Dangerous Dave at the Old Western Scrounger who lists them at $49.95 per box of 50 (The Old Western Scrounger- 530-459-5445). The 8mm Nambu round was designed for the Type 14 Japanese Automatic Pistol, usually referred to as a “Nambu”. It was also used in the Type 2 and Type 94 pistols, as well as an unusual single shot bolt action rifle the Japanese had at the end of WWII. Externally, the cartridge resembles the .30 Luger in that it is a necked case, and both cases are about .850” inches in length- this is an approximate. I am not suggesting making your own cases out of .30 Luger. If you want to try making cases yourself, choose something less expensive that has a similar case rim diameter.

I am unaware if anyone has ever made a chamber reamer for this caliber, but you might try Kent Lomont or Bob Landies. Both of them have experience with the Type 100 submachine guns, and might have had reamers made at some point. It would be a shame to change the caliber on this firearm, just to make it a shooter, but you could probably re-barrel it to something more common if you needed to.

On a side note, the “Baby Nambu” pistols that were supposed to be issued to Japanese officers had their own unique ammunition; 7mm Nambu Auto Pistol. This ammunition had no other firearm it was made for, and was only manufactured in Japan. If you are fortunate enough to have a Baby Nambu, shooting will be a rare pleasure. The Baby version is a scaled down version of the Nambu Type 14, and was made in small quantities- estimates are around 3000 were made. The Nambu pistols had an interesting “Floating Locking Block” design that SAR plans to go into in future issues.

Q2- I recently transferred in a French MAS-38 submachine gun. Where do I get the ammo?

A2- Anywhere you can. .32 French Long is another rare cartridge. This odd looking gun, with its barrel and bolt track at angles to each other, and the large saddle ring on the side, was only made in the one caliber. Technically called 7.65 Long Auto Pistol, it will usually be identified as .32 French Long in the United States. The French M. 1935 A automatic pistol uses the same round of ammunition.

I went to HP White’s revised book on ammunition dated 1968; Pistol and Revolver Cartridges; Volume I & Volume II because there has been some controversy as to the history of this ammunition- many think that the 7.65 Long Auto Pistol cartridge is an exact copy of the .30 caliber Pedersen Device ammunition. Can’t think of a better authority on the subject, so the following is a quote of their data charts.

“All other measurements, such as bullet diameter and the various case dimensions, are identical. The similarity is so consistent that one naturally arrives at the conclusion that this French round is a direct copy of the earlier American ammunition. It is interesting to note that firing tests conducted with the short type Pedersen cartridge in the French Model 1935 A Automatic Pistol gave an average velocity reading of 1114 feet per second, which is only 61 feet per second slower than the results obtained with the regular French ammunition. Pedersen cases bear the initials “R.A.” and “F.A.” for Remington Arms Company and Frankford Arsenal, respectively. They can be distinguished from the French ammunition which carries typical French base mark initials such as, “V.E.”, “E.C.P.”, “S.F.M.”, “A.T.S.” and others.”

The Pedersen ammunition is even harder to find than the original .32 French Long, but if you should run into a similar round with the US markings on the base, you know NOT to shoot it- it would be of great interest to the collectors.

The two most common things to do with an MAS-38 submachine gun, other than to just show it as a historical piece, are both caliber changes. The first is a basic one to .32 Auto, which requires magazine blocking as well as barrel changes and spring tension adjustment; the bolt face may need some widening as well. Second is either 9mm Kurtz or 9mm Parabellum, each with it’s own problems. The 9mm Kurtz (.380 ACP) is perhaps the easiest on the firearm because of the pressure. The magazine requires blocking, and a new barrel must be made. Both the .380 and the 9mm Parabellum have a larger cartridge rim diameter, which will require the bolt face opening being widened and some extractor adjustment. The 9mm Parabellum should function in the magazine quite well. On the 9mm Parabellum conversion, care should be taken to insure that the recoil spring has been strengthened to accommodate the additional recoil force of the Parabellum round.

The Old Western Scrounger offers a 93 gr. newly manufactured version of this .32 French Long ammunition, retail priced at $49.95 per box of 50. (SAR note: Dave has good products and a long standing reputation in the industry. If you need any weird obsolete ammunition, the Old Western Scrounger is a good place to start. You can get anything from 4mm to large bore- and I do mean LARGE, and the reloading equipment for your 20mm and .50 cal guns including the Boyes and Lahti!)

If you do talk to the guys at Old Western Scrounger, mention you read this in SAR, they should be on the bus with us.

The Old Western Scrounger
12924 Hwy A-12
Montague, CA 96064
Orders: 1-800-877-2666
Customer service: 530-459-5445
fax: 530-459-3944

Questions to: Dan Shea, C/O SAR, 223 Sugar Hill Rd, Harmony, ME 04942 fax to: 207-683-2172 email at: sareview@aol.com

CHOATE ULTIMATE SNIPER STOCK

Choate Machine & Tool has introduced a new sniper stock for both the Savage 110 and Remington 700 series of rifles. The new stock is loaded with design features intended for the serious precision shooter. The stock is made from DuPont(tm) Rynite SST-35, a very dense, very durable polymer. It is molded in O.D. green but takes paint very well and can be painted with any good automotive spray can paint. The new stock’s features include a rubber recoil pad with 5 height adjustments as well as length of pull adjustments, two included cheek pieces (standard & tall) which are 3 position adjustable, recessed sling swivels on both sides and heavy, molded-in stippling in the grip and forearm area. The stock also has a Anschutz type “T” rail built into the inclined forearm for different accessories. A matching rail bar comes with the stock with a sling stud that accepts a Harris bipod. Slots on both sides accept fabric strips to add camouflage to the stock. Aluminum bedding blocks and a 1 1/4 inch barrel channel allow the barreled receiver to be completely free-floating. The stock is also equipped with a fine adjusting knob built into the bottom of the butt to allow the back of the stock to be raised and lowered without changing shooting positions. Numerous other features are also incorporated into the new stock. This is definitely a serious stock for the serious user. For more information contact Choate Machine & Tool Company, Inc., Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 218, Bald Knob, AR 72010. Phone: 1-800-972-6390.

M-16 CYCLIC RATE REDUCER

Advanced Armament Corporation has just unveiled a line of rate reducers for the M-16 series of rifles. Five models of the reducers are available for .223 standard, collapsible stock and 9mm variants. All rate reducers are shipped with a buffer assembly, buffer assembly spring, an insertion/extraction tool and a very well done, extremely comprehensive instruction manual. Typical reduction rates are in the 30 to 35% range with the “SS” (Super Slow) Model reducing the firing rate of a standard 20 inch rifle to about 450 to 475 rounds per minute. These rate reducers are very well made and come with a 30-day money back guarantee as well as a Lifetime Warranty, and they are made right here in the USA. Watch for a full review of these reducers in an upcoming issue of SAR. For more information or to place an order contact Kevin Brittingham at Advanced Armament Corporation, Dept. SAR, 221 West Crogan Street, Lawrenceville, GA 30045. Phone: 1-770-277-4946. Fax: 1-770-963-6556.

40MM RECEIVERS AND AMMO

Randy Shivak, also known as “Mr. 40MM”, has lots of goodies for the 40mm grendadier. Randy builds both M-203 and M79 stripped receivers as well as a wide variety of 40mm rounds. The receivers are made to G.I. specs and he guarantees the fit of your G.I. parts. Provided with the stripped receivers are Form 1’s, a parts list (with diagrams) and a list of several suppliers of parts to complete your weapon. The receivers are sold as Title One weapons and can be barreled with a sleeved 40mm to 37mm barrel to remain as such. The M-203 receivers are machined from solid billets of 2024 T-3 aircraft aluminum which are then hardcoat anodized and the M-79 receivers are machined from a solid billet of 4130 alloy steel and then parkerized. In the ammo department he manufactures a full line of 40mm ammo that is reloadable. These include the XM-26 ball bearing round, the XM140 and XM107 which are both flechette rounds and the new XM1822 round. This round is basically a sub-caliber adapter round which can be loaded with 18 rounds of .22 caliber long rifle shells. When this round is fired all 18 .22 shells are fired at once! Randy tells me this thing is a blast when loaded with .22 tracers. One other item that Randy is now working on is Mini Gun receivers. Made from stainless steel, the raw casting receivers can be ordered with or without the cam path. He also supplies a set of blueprints to finish the castings. For more info contact Randy Shivak, Dept. SAR, 9635 Patricia Court, Elyria, OH 44035. Phone: 1-440-322-1051. You can also check out his website at www.40mm.simplenet.com.

SADW is a monthly electronic publication from Nick Steadman Features. Nick, intrepid world traveling reporter for much of the arms industry, files this 40,000 to 50,000 word report once a month to his loyal subscribers. Those lucky ones pay a mere $50 (US) £32.50 (UK) per year for the privilege of getting the hot tips and insights from one of the industry’s insiders. Nick’s unique perspective is globally based, as is his wit. Each issue is full of insight and information for those with an interest in Small Arms, as well as his observations on world travel.

1. NEW WEAPONS & EQUIPMENT

RUGER .40 POLICE CARBINE: In the USA

We took the opportunity to fire a few rounds through one of Ruger’s new semi-automatic carbines, which were originally envisaged as police guns, but are now available to all comers. Both 9x19mm and .40S&W calibre versions are offered. These weapons, based on the Ruger 10/22 design, are very solidly built, with durable black synthetic stocks and fed from Ruger P-series pistol magazines. However, the factory trigger pull on the .40 calibre version we fired was way too heavy, and we found the recoil unexpectedly sharp.

NEW VERSION OF HUNGARIAN ‘GEPARD’

According to Jane’s Defence Weekly, a new M4SA1 version of the 12.7mm Gepard rifle is being finalized by Landimex in Hungary. It will also be offered in .50 Browning. This is a recoil-operated semi-automatic weapon, 145cm long and weighing 17kg, with optional 5-shot box or 10-round cylindrical magazines. Jane’s says Landimex is now waiting for a first production order.

The new model looks radically different from the earlier Gepard range, which includes both bolt-action and self-loading rifles in 12.7 and 14.5mm Russian calibres. These were essentially all of tubular design (we called them ‘gas pipes’), but the M4SA1 has a more conventional ‘boxy’ receiver. Presumably the .50 Browning option for the M4SA1 is a move to try to exploit Western requirements. From the modern appearance of this rifle it should have much better prospects in this market than its predecessors.

CLOAKING ENGAGED!

Several sources carried reports culled from the New Scientist about a new ‘Magic Vision’ multispectral screening smoke being developed by DARPA in the US. The aim is to screen against enemy visual and infra-red observation, while allowing friendlies to nevertheless see through the smoke, wearing special goggles.

No-one is cracking on exactly how it’s done (a clue – it’s a wavelength thing), presumably so the bad guys (pick a country) don’t find out; however one report described a big smoke generator that troops would presumably have to hump around with them, which didn’t sound very practical. They need to put the stuff up in artillery shells, mortar bombs, vehicle smoke grenade dischargers & hand grenades. If you require a special system for it, you can guarantee it’ll never be there when you most need it.

2. INDUSTRY & FOREIGN NEWS

TRAINING SOFTIES

A Los Angeles Times item said that in the US army you can now train wearing running shoes; combat boots are not required. Nor do you need to climb over the walls on the assault course – just run round ‘em. The story also said that ‘Heartbreak Hill’ on the 20km march at Fort Knox is now off the route, since it was judged ‘too difficult’.

Lets hope all our future wars are in a guaranteed 100% obstruction-free, flat-as-a-pancake desert, otherwise we’re in real trouble.

EXPLODING FEDAYEEN

The Guardian ran a photo from Baghdad of Saddam Hussein’s ‘Suicide Fedayeen’, a squad of characters in white balaclavas apparently established to defend the country against all those nasty Americans, Brits & suchlike. However, they seem unnervingly eager to join their maker, since one of them – while brandishing an AK – also had a brick of explosives strapped to his chest, with a mass of wiring also in evidence. Another appeared to have more explosives stuck in his belt. We’re not quite sure how they plan to do much ‘defending’ once those detonators let go. And the white outfits and cartoon strip ‘bombs’ are gonna make ‘em pretty conspicuous – now we know what to look out for. Pure Hollywood!

SA HOPES FOR UK WEAPON SALES

Jane’s Defence Contracts supplement said that Denel in South Africa was hoping to be a player in meeting new UK MOD support weapon requirements which could also span 40mm automatic grenade launchers, 60mm mortars, extended-range 81mm mortars and helicopter guns. It said Denel’s Vektor cannon, GPMGs and 40mm launchers had recently been demonstrated in the UK to this end.

CTA CONCEPTS JUST KEEP ON COMING

A new Remote Weapon Station Concept centred on a 40mm Cased Telescoped Ammunition (CTA) cannon was highlighted in Jane’s Defence Weekly. The remotely-fired system, from the GIAT Industries/Royal Ordnance joint venture company CTA International (CTAI), is to incorporate a co-axial 7.62mm Chain Gun, a firing platform, dual-nature linkless feed and a new family of ammunition, including tracer-equipped APFSDS for anti-armour roles and a ‘general-purpose’ (presumably HE/Frag) round.

CTA International can already configure the weapon station to fit the space requirements of the US army Bradley AIFV. As with CTAI’s earlier projects, the group is aiming to compete for the equipping of US, British and other future infantry fighting vehicles. However, as we have pointed up before, CTA – rather like caseless ammunition – has been around for decades with no actual adoptions anywhere, and we would have to say that, by any standards, CTAI is still taking a serious gamble. Though CTA theoretically offers considerably enhanced performance from guns which will fit the space envelope of existing weapons half their calibre, there is no pressing battlefield threat that demands this sort of upgrade – at least not with anything this unconventional.

A very well-known US designer with experience in the CTA field also claims that the concept is flawed; he says that – in small calibre CTA at least – the additional propellant surrounding the telescoped projectile merely increases operating pressures and does not add to velocity. He tells us that when this additional powder space is eliminated by redesigning the case, pressures drop.

It’s certainly true that there is more chance of securing the adoption of unconventional systems such as CTA guns when a generation-change in their likely host vehicles is on the cards. But whether the concept will prove successful and there will ever be sufficient export business outside existing target countries to keep the unit price reasonable remains to be seen.

KLM WON’T ACCEPT FIREARMS

An international arms dealer tells us that, having recently increased its charges from the normal IATA rate of £1.26 per kilo to something around £15.78, the Dutch airline KLM will no longer accept firearms for air freight at all from 1 Mar 98. However, Aer Lingus will, and at £1.01 a kilo.

We’re told that other air carriers who will not accept firearms include Swissair, Federal Express and some other US airlines. It is our understanding that ‘firearms’ – in KLM’s case at least – includes both commercial and private consignments. But British Airways still carries firearms, also at around £1.01.

GIAT PROPPED UP AGAIN

A Financial Times report in early Feb 98 said that GIAT Industries in France had announced it is due to receive another Ffrs 4.3Bn from the government, subject to official approval. The report said the capital injection had been brought forward due to accelerated reductions in GIAT income stemming from French defence economies. GIAT has already been propped up to the tune of FFrs 7.4Bn in the preceding two years, and it’s not over yet.

One really has to ask whether GIAT is viable in today’s defence & financial environment, and if it would not be much more sensible simply to privatise it and let the market decide which elements of the group – if any – are worth saving, otherwise GIAT will continue to be a major drain on the French exchequer.

THEFTS FROM US ARMY BASES

USA Today summarised a Dayton Daily News item on the theft of weapons & explosives from US army bases. During 1995-96 there were reportedly 111 investigations, of which 13 involved M16 rifles, one complete with an M203, and 20+ more related to explosives, including PE, TNT & dynamite. Nine involved grenades & launchers, but 33% of all cases related to non-lethal items.

ROYAL ORDNANCE/RHEINMETALL LINK-UP?

The Sunday Times reported that British Aerospace (BAe) is discussing what appears to be ammunition & artillery joint venture proposals for Royal Ordnance (RO) & Rheinmetall in Germany. Bonn is thought to be supportive of the idea.

This is consistent with our own understanding of the direction in which RO has recently been looking, since its earlier plans for merging its arms & ammunition activities with those of GIAT Industries in France foundered due to GIAT’s ongoing financial insecurity.

The press reports also suggest the RO/SNPE merger of propellant & explosives production is also still a live proposal, despite it’s unpopularity with the RO workforce.

US MARINES HAPPY WITH SIMULATOR SYSTEMS

Windsock, the newspaper of the Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point (NC) featured the Station Operations & Engineering Squadron’s ISMT (Indoor Simulator Marksmanship Training) equipment, a laser-based system (from FATS, we assume) which is being used to train on the whole spectrum of infantry equipment, including rifle, heavy machine gun, the 40mm Mk19 grenade launcher and even anti-tank launchers.

The Marines say the umbilically-assisted recoil simulation provides 100% of the recoil of ‘the real thing’, and that scores on the ISMT mirror those achieved with live firing on the open range. With the rising price of ammunition, and more stringent financial controls, we can expect to see an exponential increase in demand for simulation systems. Yet we hope it is fully understood by all those controlling the purse strings that they can never be a total substitute for training with operational equipment, as we recall a senior American officer once suggested.

MINI-14 WITH COLOMBIAN GUERILLAS

A photo run by The Sunday Telegraph showed a patrolling guerilla SW of Bogota armed with what appears to be a Ruger Mini-14 rifle, though from appearances alone we could not vouch it wasn’t a Mini-30.

THUMBHOLE AKs WITH COLOMBIAN PARAMILITARIES

US civilian shooters are clearly not the only users of the distinctive thumbhole-stocked Kalashnikovs which former east-bloc producers developed for the American market, recently cut off.

A photo run by the Observer in early Dec 97 showed a good number of these weapons with the Colombian Peasant Self-Defence Force (aka The Headcutters, for obvious reasons), one of various paramilitary groups, all linked to the Colombian military, which are reported to be taking on left-wing guerillas with considerable savagery.

Other weapons shown included a 5.56mm Colt M16 Carbine with long flash-hider, a belt-fed Heckler & Koch LMG (presumably an HK21 from the ammunition shown) and possibly another M16 of unknown model designation. All the AKs shown (evidently all 7.62x39mm) had the US-style thumbhole stocks.

Maybe these AKs are overruns, sold direct? Otherwise they must presumably be weapons which have somehow found their way from consignments originally sent to the USA, since – as far as we know – no-one other than the the US has ever specified this distinctive design. Is this another CIA ‘turn a blind eye’ job?

USMC MARKSMAN’S RIFLE

After several years’ deliberation, we’re told that the USMC will now be fielding one 5.56mm M16A2 HBAR ‘flat-top’ rifle, complete with a Trijicon ACOG optical sight, in each infantry section (US = squad). The idea is to give designated marksmen a higher-precision 5.56mm weapon in order to take full advantage of their shooting skills.

In recent years the DMR (or Designated Marksman’s Rifle) requirement appears to have become entangled in the project to select a 7.62mm NATO semi-automatic Sniper Support Weapon for Number 2 men in USMC Scout/Sniper Teams. We’re relieved to see it finally disentangled!

TURKEY TO MAKE 5.56mm HK3

Under the headline ‘Turkey selects Israel, UK for F-5, rifle contracts’, Jane’s Defence Weekly (JDW) said that Turkey had decided to adopt the 5.56mm Heckler & Koch 33 rifle over the next decade to replace its elderly 7.62mm NATO G3s.

MKE in Turkey would set up an $18m* production line to make 200,000+ HK33s (nb: technically the HK33E or Export model) rifles and would also continue G3 production, primarily for export, though we are not sure there will be a huge market for these old weapons. In addition, in a separate deal yet to be finalised, MKE would build a $30m 5.56mm ammunition plant with a 50m rounds pa capacity, and would also establish a propellant capability.

However, we are not entirely clear as to the Turks’ logic. JDW suggests that Turkey feels stung by German opposition to its joining the EU, and theoretically now has a ‘don’t buy German’ policy. The Turkish MOD apparently justifies the choice of the HK33 partly because Heckler & Koch is now a ‘British’ company.

Well, that may technically be true, but it’s a fine distinction: we would prefer to say (and so – we’re sure – would H&K) that Oberndorf is merely a German subsidiary of a British firm. However, we guess realpolitik is the actual reason. Despite the current blip in relations, Germany & Turkey have enjoyed close defense links over the years, and in addition to the 7.62mm G3 rifle, MKE has also produced the equally ubiquitous MP5 SMG series. All they need to do to make the HK33 is simply buy an additional licence from H&K, as EBO in Greece also did a few years ago.

Things may well have moved on a bit since Royal Ordnance appeared on the scene – we were very surprised some years ago when visiting H&K, just after it was acquired by RO, to be told that the usual basis of the deals H&K had struck around the world was simply to build a plant, get it going and leave it at that. Hence Oberndorf’s chagrin at the plethora of competing foreign companies now offering H&K-pattern guns on the world market.

However, we doubt this deal, whatever its paper value, will have any impact, other than possibly marginal, on the survival potential of the Royal Ordnance Nottingham (H&K UK) small arms facility. The trend for most foreign buyers from industrialised or developing countries to seek licences for local manufacture, as opposed to off-the-shelf purchase, sees to that. And there’s nothing Nottingham can provide to Turkey that Oberndorf can’t, unless for political reasons supplies have to go from the UK.

The other odd (or maybe not so odd) thing is that Turkey has evidently not been seduced by the apparent charms of the much newer 5.56mm G36 rifle. The HK33E is now a pretty old design (though undeniably a good one), but what we may be seeing here is another instance of the – not uncommon – reluctance to take a hitherto untested weapon.

Our own sources also suggest that MKE is still suffering from the effects of a major explosion in its ammunition plant early in 1997, and the scheme to set up a 5.56mm cartridge line will presumably therefore become part of the overall recovery plan.

Note also that Turkey is opting for an Israeli-led team to modernise its F-5 warplanes, in preference to a Franco-Belgian consortium, again reportedly because France, like Germany, had not been enthusiastic about Turkish EU accession either. Presumably it is also an expression of Turkey’s new military cosiness with the Israelis.

*(Footnote: Defense News in the USA said the $18m figure is the value to Heckler & Koch of the technology transfer necessary to produce the HK33 in Turkey – and also that H&K (UK) in Nottingham is the beneficiary of the contract, rather than the Germans.

However, we believe it is more likely to represent the total potential royalty on around 200,000 weapons, plus an upfront cash element and maybe a sum for plant construction – but here we are merely guessing.

It can’t be a simple royalty – $12m over 200,000 guns equates to $60 per rifle or (at a typical rate of 5% of ex-works price) a per-unit price of $1,200, which no-one would pay for just another HK33).

BOSNIAN MUSLIM-CROAT FORCES STRONG ENOUGH TO GO ON THE OFFENSIVE

An AFP item run by the Financial Times quoted the vice-president of the Muslim-Croat federation who said that – while it had no plan to – the federation’s army was now well-enough equipped to recapture land from the Serbs.

These forces, you’ll recall, have been equipped & trained by the US government. Let’s hope it doesn’t all turn pear-shaped again, since – if so – both US & allied troops will be in the crossfire, and Washington’s re-equipping policy will cut little ice with the parents of any casualties.

.222 RIMMED CARTRIDGE

One of our Bisley colleagues the other month showed us his hand-made .222 rimmed ammunition produced from .357 Maximum cases necked down to .22. The round is used in a Simpson (German) double-barreled, break-action rifle from circa 1910.

BROLIN IS NEW MAUSER IMPORTER

At the end of Dec 97 Brolin Arms announced it was the new Mauser importer for the USA and will also provide Mauser parts, accessories & customer service. 1997 lines will include the Lightning Bolt rifle and the multi-calibre Model 2000 with quick-change barrels.

Mauser has had quite a few different US importers, most recently GSI for its straight-pull sporters and chassis-based, high-tech SR-93 sniper rifles, none of which were reportedly sold at the projected retail price of $21,500.

We suspect high pricing is still the main problem this brand name will continue to suffer from in the US market. European manufacturers have mostly yet to fully appreciate the intrinsic ‘pile ‘em high & sell ‘em cheap’ nature of the US gun business. Some no doubt still set quite unrealistic sales targets for their US distributors.

(nb: in a previous piece we suggested Brolin Arms had been renamed as Brolin Industries; however it now appears that both companies, which are run by the Brothers Lin (BRO LIN), still exist in their own right)

(Brolin Arms, 2755 Thompson Creek Road, Pomona, CA 91767, USA, Tel +1(909)392-7822, Fax +1(909) 392-7824)

WHAT FOR?

Newsweek summed up the Bosnian situation very neatly in a cartoon it ran in Jan 98. Three tanks were shown, respectively emblazoned IFOR, SFOR and WHAT FOR? Pity diplomats have no sense of humour.

DRENCH THE BIKERS!

A Guardian short from AP said that police in Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City planned to fire water cannon & teargas at drag-racing bikers, since everything else has so far failed to stop motorcyclists racing in the traffic. Exactly how they planned to avoid including the public in the drenchings was not explained, or maybe that’s not an issue?

The following are excerpts from the March, 1998 NRA GRASSFIRE!, The Official Newsletter of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. For more information call 1-800-392-8683.

The Next Link in the Chain

Late last year, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Director John Magaw sent a letter and survey to select groups and individuals seeking their input on whether certain modified semi-automatic rifles are “properly importable” based upon whether they “are particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to hunting or organized competitive target shooting.” This language is another link in the “sporting purpose” chain that was established by the Gun Control Act of 1968 — criteria which NRA has long rejected as arbitrary and unacceptable. For starters, the Second Amendment makes no mention of “sporting purpose” in its guarantee of our right to keep and bear arms, and this test totally ignores other important, legitimate reasons for owning firearms, e.g., self-defense and collecting. Moreover, under this description, BATF is narrowing the law’s “sporting purposes” test. Translation: the BATF considers practicing for a shooting event or “plinking” — two activities which dominate in the shooting community — as illegitimate for the purposes of whether a firearm should be legal for importation.

While the original BATF survey was mailed to only three pro- and three anti-gun groups, NRA-ILA learned that in an apparent effort to influence the outcome of this supposedly impartial study, the Clinton Administration had ordered BATF to send surveys to an additional 30 anti-gun organizations. That action made it that much more important for BATF to receive responses from a variety of pro-gun individuals and organizations, and prompted NRA to convene a working group of firearms experts that prepared our reply to the BATF survey and helped individuals and groups respond as well.

Anti-Gunners Talk; NRA Acts

Sarah Brady and the myriad anti-gun organizations she leads like to claim they’re “doing something” about firearms accidents. How else to explain Brady recently taking to a podium at a recent Washington Press conference to announce the release of yet another “study” on this subject. But while press conferences like these will almost always garner lavish attention from the ever-accommodating media, they do nothing to prevent gun accidents. And when the television cameras and bright lights disappear, so do the so-called gun safety efforts of these anti-gunners. Ironically, the organization that spends the most money promoting firearms safety and has worked to bring the number of fatal firearms accidents to an all-time low is NRA — the favorite target of Brady and her allies. NRA has trained and certified 50,000 instructors nationwide, developed the award-winning Eddie Eagle(r) Gun Safety Program, and spent some $100 million in the last eight years alone on gun safety. As NRA-ILA Executive Director Tanya Metasksa aptly noted, “While gun ban advocates conduct press conferences, NRA conducts tens of thousands of gun safety courses each year. Our members constitute a nation of volunteer educators who are saving lives daily.”

The United States was one of only two countries that entered WWII equipped with a modern service rifle. The U.S. Infantryman had the distinct advantage of the 8 shot semiautomatic 30’06 M1 Garand Rifle. In September 1941 the U.S. adopted another semiautomatic design, the 15 (later 30) round detachable magazine M1 Carbine. The carbine fires a small, less powerful .30 caliber round. The M1 carbine, however, was not intended to serve as a front line infantry battle rifle. Slightly over 6 million M1 and M2 Carbines, and about 4 million M1 Garand rifles were manufactured during WWII.(950,000 additional Garands were manufactured during the Korean War).

Even though the United States issued the semiautomatic M1 Garands and carbines in large numbers, the WWI U.S. bolt action rifle, the 1903 Springfield, was also issued. Production of the WWI era rifle resumed in late 1941 to keep up with an ever growing demand for weapons. The 1903 design was slightly modified for faster production. The new design was designated the model 1903A3. The 1903A3 was manufactured by Remington and Smith Corona. The 1903A3 rifle remained in production until February, 1944.

Large numbers of U.S. made rifles and carbines were supplied to the United State’s allies during the war under the Lend Lease Act of March 1941. U.S. semiautomatic rifles that were captured by the Axis powers proved to be very popular and highly regarded among their troops.

The British forces during the war were mainly equipped with the bolt action .303 caliber Enfield rifles. The latest version produced during WWII was the No. 4 MKI. Older versions were utilized as well. Australian troops also carried the Enfields. The German Wehrmacht’s main infantry rifle was a modified WWI Mauser design bolt action rifle, the 7.92x57mm Karabiner 98 kurz. Over 14 million Kar.98k’s were manufactured.

The Germans choice for arming the majority of its soldiers is somewhat surprising, because they had developed so many other revolutionary weapons for their forces. The MG34 and MG42 machine guns, the FG42, MP38/40 submachine guns, the MP44 midrange Strumgewehr, and a modern double action semiauto pistol, the P-38. Yet their main battle weapon was an 1898 designed bolt action rifle! The Germans would soon realize their blunder when they faced the firepower of the semiautomatic Russian SVT Tokarev, and U.S. M1 Garand rifles. Hitler was convinced that the K98 was a suitable infantry weapon based on his experience as a German corporal in WWI. The Germans developed a few semiautomatic rifles later in the war, the G41, K43, and G43. None of the German semiautomatic rifles were an outstanding success, or issued in large numbers.

The Japanese used the Mauser type action Arisaka rifle to equip its Imperial Army. It too, was an antiquated design dating from 1905. There were two major models the Type 38, that fires a intermediate 6.5mm round, and the Type 99 that fires a more powerful 7.7mm round. Over 10 million Arisaka rifles were produced in many rifle and carbine configurations. Although hampered by a small 5 round internal magazine, the Arisaka is an extremely accurate firearm.

The Russians, like every other nation involved in the war, issued an outdated bolt action firearm, the pre WWI designed, 7.62x54R caliber 1891 Mosin-Nagant bolt action rifle. There were several versions of the Mosin-Nagant issued during the war, including sniper variations. Slightly over 12 million of the bolt action Nagant rifles were produced. Despite the large amount of various weapons manufactured, the Mosin-Nagant endured as the main battle rifle of the Russians in WWII. The bolt action Mosin-Nagants were supplemented by the Soviet PPSh41 submachine guns. The Soviets highly favored the submachine gun. The subgun was easily and cheaply produced, and was well suited for their battle strategy.

Although the U.S. M1 Garand is often thought of as the most prolific semiauto battle rifle of WWII, the Russians used semiauto battle rifles in far greater numbers. The Soviets issued the semiautomatic SVT38 SVT40 and the AVT Tokarev rifles, designed by Fedor Tokarev in 1938. Tokarev was probably best known for his earlier weapon design, the semiautomatic TT33 Tokarev pistol.

The Tokarev SVT38 design was slow getting into production because of technical problems, but by late 1939 the rifles were being issued in quantity to the Red Army. The AVS 36 select fire rifle proceded the SVT Tokarev rifles in Soviet service, but reliability problems led to the adoption of the newer SVT design. The same breakage and reliability problems the AVS36 had would also be encountered in the SVT 38/40 rifles.

The Samozariadnya Vintovka Tokareva, (self loading Tokarev Rifle) or the SVT rifle, was first used by the Soviets in their brief 1939 winter war with Finland. The war only lasted from November 1939 until March 1940, but the Russians learned some very valuable lessons about tactics and weapons. It wasn’t long until reliability and breakage problems began to surface with the SVT38 rifle. Many problems were directly attributed to the 7.62x54R cartridge, it was simply too powerful for the rifles design, and secondly it used a rimmed cartridge case. Rimmed cases are less than ideal for feeding in a magazine feed semiautomatic weapon.

Modifications to the SVT38 design soon followed resulting in an improved version, the SVT40. The actual changes were somewhat minor. Looser tolerances were allowed in the manufacture of the parts to make the rifle less susceptible to dirt and jamming. A new one piece stock replaced the fragile two piece stock of the SVT38 that was subject to cracking. The weight of the SVT40 was also reduced. The new improved Tokarev SVT40 also proved to be a less than adequate design.

There were also sniper variants of the SVT produced. The rifles that were chosen for this task had barrels that were carefully manufactured to closer tolerances than the average service rifles. The sniper versions were equipped with either the PU or PE Russian scopes. The rifles that were slated for use as sniper weapons can be identified by grooves cut into the receiver for a scope mount. These rifles supplemented the older, but more accurate, bolt action Mosin-Nagant sniper rifles.

Another variant of the Tokarev rifle was also produced out of desperation during the war. This model was the select fire Avtomaticheskaya Vintovka Tokareva or simply the AVT. The AVT rifle is basically an SVT40 with a modified trigger group that allows both full and semi automatic fire. The stock was strengthened at the wrist area and has an additional cut for the fire selector. The selector is the safety lever behind the trigger. The left position is semi auto, the middle safe, and the right position full auto. The AVT’s cyclic rate is an extremely fast 750 to 850 rounds per minute, that will empty the 10 round magazine in less than a second. Full auto controllability is slightly more challenging than the 7.62 NATO U.S. M14 rifle. Production of the AVT version was halted in 1943.

The AVT select fire rifles were only issued to carefully selected soldiers, and were to be used when there was inadequate heavy machine gun support. Standard operating procedures and the 10 round magazine strictly limited use to short bursts. It may seem odd that the Russians would use a rifle design that was somewhat delicate to begin with, and make a fully automatic version. Partial reasoning behind the full auto AVT rifle was the acute shortage of belt fed machine guns. One has to realize just how desperate the Russian situation was when the Germans were overrunning their country.

Interestingly enough, 8 fully transferable AVT trigger packs were registered in the early 1980’s by DLO manufacturing. They were comprised of all Russian parts and are on the Curio and Relics list.

The Germans captured many of the Russian SVT rifles from the Eastern Front and effectively used them against their former owners. The German designation for the Tokarev rifle was the 259r or the 258r Selbstladegewehr. The Germans tried during the entire war to develop a successful semiautomatic battle rifle. The most successful German semi-autos were the G43 and the K43. Oddly enough, these German rifles had many features directly copied from the Russian SVT.

The SVT38/40 Tokarev Rifle was manufactured at Tula and Izhevsk arsenals in Russia. The rifle has a very long 48.1” overall length. Weight varies between models. The SVT38 weights 10.8 lbs., the SVT40 9.48lbs. and the full auto AVT 9.24 lbs. The magazine is detachable and holds 10 rounds of the 7.62x54R ammo. There are slots machined into the receiver cover for loading with stripper clips. The weapon is gas operated and has a variable gas port. The Tokarev rifles uses a cammed/tilting bolt that locks into a bolt carrier. This bolt design was later used in the Belgian FN49 rifle. The manual safety feature on the Tokarev rifles is marginal at best, and consists of a lever that does nothing but physically block the trigger when applied. Caution should be used when handling a loaded Tokarev rifle even when the safety is on.

The barrel has an extension made of thick sheet metal. This extension provides a platform to mount the flash hider, front sight and bayonet lug. The chamber of the weapon is fluted to make extraction easier, especially in situations were the weapon was not maintained regularly. The rear sight is a small shallow U notch tangent design, graduated to 1500 meters. The front sight is a hooded post. Accuracy is an unspectacular but Soviet combat acceptable 4.0” group at 100 yards.

The Russian standard battle rifle cartridge in WWII was the 7.62x54R. This round was equivalent to the U.S. 30’06. The 7.62x54R uses a 149 grain full metal jacket projectile, that averages 2850 feet per second. This round dates from 1891 and has a rimmed cartridge case. Muzzle energy is 2687 foot pounds.

The SVT38, SVT40 and the AVT rifles proved to be complicated and somewhat unreliable. The long length made it awkward and clumsy. Additionally, it was difficult to field strip and maintain, especially in the winter when wearing gloves. The root problem was the Russian Army wanted a modern lightweight automatic rifle, but wanted to retain the WWI full power cartridge. Russia, like the United States, simply did not want to abandon the full power battle cartridge. Eventually, the Russians would concede, and adopt the 7.62×39 midrange cartridge and the SKS45 rifle by the end of the war. It would take the United States another 20 years and the M14 rifle to realize that a full power cartridge in a light, shoulder fired, automatic weapon was simply not feasible.

Production of the SVT rifles was reduced more each year as the war dragged on, and finally ceased in late 1944. Even so, close to 6 million of the SVT38, SVT40 and AVT rifles were produced. This figure is almost 2 million more than the number of the U.S. M1 Garands produced during WWII.

The Russians, realizing the advantages of the semiautomatic battle rifle, continued trying to develop a suitable design to replace the troublesome SVT. In 1945 near the end of the war in Europe, the Russians began field testing a new semiautomatic design, the aforementioned SKS45. The war in Europe ended before the SKS would get into full production. The SKS rifle would later become famous during the Vietnam War. The Tokarev SVTs would remain in service for many years after WWII. Many were eventually issued to Soviet satellite nations as military aid.

Today, many SVT rifles have been imported by Century Arms from Russia, where they had been refurbished and stored for many years. Most of these weapons are in very good to excellent condition. Those rifles bearing “Sa” markings were captured and used by the Finns. The Finns had allied with the Nazis to regain territory they lost to the Russians during the earlier Winter War in 1939. Although there were a large number of SVT38 rifles produced, the SVT40 is the most common version available in the United States. The Tokarev Rifles are on the BATF Curio and Relics list.

The Soviet SVT rifles are a very interesting piece of important WWII history. Although the rifle is described as fragile, this was partially because of the hard use and neglect the rifles endured during the war. The Russian Tokarev SVT rifle was the most prolific semiautomatic battle rifle used in WWII. Still, it will always live in the shadow of the highly successful U.S. M1 Garand rifle.

Special Thanks to: Mark Manovich, Bob Bowman Trident, East European Collectibles and Military Surplus

FIELD STRIPPING PROCEDURES. Stripping the SVT 38/40 rifles is somewhat difficult. Be advised there are several springs under tension in this weapon. Always wear safety glasses!

On December 13th the Albany, Oregon, Rifle and Pistol Club held it’s annual Full Auto Winter Fun Shoot. This was the last non-competitive full auto get-together of the year in the northwest. The monthly subgun match took place the following day on Albany’s north range.

Considering the demands upon enthusiasts’ time from Christmas shopping, necessary winter chores, and indoor activities, a larger than expected turnout made the shoot a fine success. Exact figures are unavailable, but an unofficial count found approximately 120 people in attendance around noon, and they continued to arrive until almost 4 PM, when it was over. According to a gatekeeper, approximately 90% opted for the $9 “shooter/firing line access” rather than the $5 “spectator” status.

What they found was a wide variety of machine guns. As is the case at any such shoot relatively modern guns predominated. There were all kinds of MACs, several with wooden stocks, and apparently all members of the Browning family, including FN Model “D”’s. The H&K logo appeared often. Another large genre was M16s and other 5.56s of various configurations. A fifth major grouping was that of 9mm subguns; examples included Carl Gustafs, Port Saids, M76s, PPShs, Yugos, and Uzis. I watched a shooter happily picking off bobbing 8” balloons away down range with a Maxim 08/15 twice his age, and as I left a recent arrival was unlimbering a Vickers.

Because a chilling fog limited valley visibility and kept temperatures close to freezing, it was a far from ideal shooting day, but that didn’t seem to bother people. Numerous heavy jackets and a few propane heaters showed participants, forethought, and the clubhouse fireplace (right by the food) was understandably popular. The attendees were young, and they came to shoot. Rental business by several entrepreneurs was brisk. One attractive fiftyish lady got her first taste of class 3 by emptying a 9mm buzzgun and promptly pronounced the experience “as good as sex”, thereby giving her husband considerable food for thought. He was last seen trying to convince her that at least sex lasts longer.

This considerable firepower was unleashed at numerous plastic jugs, drum lids, and balloons set up at various distances down range. A crew behind the line kept busy filling the multi-hued balloons, tying them to strings, and then tying the strings to cords that could be secured across the range, so that the balloons were buffeted by the breeze.

Safety, the number one priority, had been well planned. Painted stripes on gravel marked the firing area where the guns were set up. Just behind that was the regular paved firing line, which became a staging area and ready line. Access to either area required a “shooter” ribbon, to be worn somewhere on the back of the shooter’s jacket. Non-shooters stayed behind both areas. While not restricting the number of shooters to an absolute figure, as is the case on Knob Creek’s main firing line, this arrangement makes it possible for the owners of rental machine guns to be up on the line with the renters, coaching them, clearing misfeeds, etc. This procedure seems to work especially well where the renters are on the main firing line; at Knob Creek, of course, the bulk of the firing of rental guns occurs on a distant range, where the guns’ owners can provide instruction under less stressful circumstances. Moreover, Albany’s procedure encourages renters to shoot more, without long waits or trips to the “rental” range or exchange of shooter badges.

Another ARPC practice may also serve the needs of other clubs. Since it’s sometimes not always apparent if a machine gun is ready to fire, the standard practice at ARPC is to insert a fired 12 gauge shotshell in the breech of any uncased machine gun between usages or when moving it. The shotshell may hold up the top cover or it may hold the bolt part of the way back, but in either case, the presence of the empty shotshell, along with the absence of a belt or magazine, means that the gun is safe. A number of these shotshells can be seen in the accompanying photos.

It was obvious that the shooters appreciate the hospitality of the ARPC. The club serves a farming area of small towns and draws its membership from an extensive area. The club members are people of wide interests, and the club welcomes them all. In contradistinction to some other clubs, the response to a request for a different kind of shooting is “Why don’t we try this and see how we like it?” As a result there are programs for indoor rifle and pistol, bigbore and smallbore pistol metallic silhouette, DCM shoots to 200 yards, black power, IPSC, cowboy action, defensive shotgun, and defensive handgun. The club additionally sponsors two gun shows a year.

There is no question that machine gun shoots are the largest contributor to the club’s income. The monthly subgun shoots are fired in a series of seven bays that are deeply bermed and dug into the north side of Saddle Butte. These bays are graded and graveled, and two boast spacious covers similar to that which is being extended over most of the main range. Since these same bays are used for scenarios by IPSC and cowboy action participants-plus a number of local police organizations-a mover wire is left connected, and some barricades, doors, etc., are kept in place or stored nearby. There are, of course, stands, knock-downs of all kinds, pepper poppers, and several kinds of target holders. Scenarios are limited mainly by the imagination of the scenarists.

The high point of the machine gun program occurs with the spring shoot, a full weekend affair at both the main and north ranges. The format is for informal, open shooting most of the time on the main range, with competitions for crew-served machine guns and assault rifles held there, also. The subgun match stages are run concurrently on the north range. This shoot is surprisingly large when one considers that both Washington and California are non-class 3 states, and Idaho is almost 400 miles away. Attendance is increasing and is coming to resemble a downsized Knob Creek, minus the target cars, flame throwers, dynamite, and drums of paint reducer. There are even souvenir tee shirts available.

For those who don’t shoot the monthly subgun matches, this December get-together will provide happy memories until the spring shoot. The latter will probably be the third weekend of May, but be sure to confirm this date before coming. For more information on any shooting program or to get shoot dates, contact ARPC at Box 727, Albany, OR 97321. Voice mail is 541-924-5914. E-mail is arpc@proaxis,com, or see website at: http://www.proaxis.com/ arpc

While the club’s property is just off I-5, there are no exits there. If approaching from the north, leave I-5 at Exit 228, go left (east) 1/2 mile on Oregon 34, and turn right (south) onto Seven Mile Lane. After approximately 6 miles, turn right (west) onto Boston Mill Road and follow it to the club’s entrance, near the freeway overpass. If approaching from the south, leave I-5 at Exit 216 and turn left (west). Follow this road (Oregon 228) 2 1/2 miles to Halsey. Turn right (north) onto U.S. 99 and follow it to Shedd. At Boston Mill Road turn right (east) and go approximately 4 miles, crossing the freeway, and turn right (south) onto club property.

In the meantime, there’s lots of brass to be reloaded!

No matter what you think about police tactical teams, or whether you share the anxiety of some about the militarization of the police, I want to try to give you some perspective in the coming months of what it is like to walk in our shoes, and to tell you about what it is like to be on a tactical team, and to carry a SMG for a living. Though the below account was stylized for interest and readability, it was not a work of fiction.

Small Arms Review is a serious publication about serious guns. Those of us who read it are way beyond the magazine rack pap that is rehashed every year. This gun vs. that, this caliber vs. that, what is the best home defense load, what is the best shooting stance, it is all the same. I could never be a full-time gun writer because I have found that in the course of 13 years in police work, and a lifetime of interest in shooting, that not much of that matters. It probably doesn’t matter to those gun writers either, but it pays the bills. I, as others who write for this magazine, won’t try to give you more of that, a whole lot of nothing.

I do want to try to get you, the law abiding gun owner, into the head of the modern tactical police officer, and to perhaps convince you that you have nothing to fear from us. Though we gain a lot of valuable operational experience from the service of search warrants, we are preparing for a Super Bowl, which may come on a date that we cannot know. A date when all of our training, and equipment, and ability, both as individuals and as a team, will be tested to the maximum. It may be a struggle where the winners will live, and the losers may die. And where lives will be changed forever. My commitment as a team leader and training coordinator on the Columbia, Missouri Police Department STAR Team, is to make our team as ready as possible for that Super Bowl. Because it can happen anywhere, and I want more than anything, for the good, and the innocent to win.

There is very little that we do on an American SWAT team that is or should be secret. I hope to show you over the coming issues, some of what makes us tick, and why we do what we do. I hope you will join me.

The officers looked more like soldiers than civilian keepers of the peace. Kevlar PASGT helmets with navy blue fabric covers, load bearing vests with pockets for extra MP5 magazines, flash bangs, leg holsters, kneepads and combat boots under bloused BDUs. They silently sat across from each other in the back of the raid van, looking at each other, and occasionally to the slung MP5s pointed at the ground between their legs, with their Nomex gloved hands on the forends keeping the guns steady, and the muzzles under control. No laser violations here. Cops for the late 20th century. I wonder what Wyatt Earp would think to gaze upon us now. Except for the pistol strapped to the leg like those in his day, he would surely think we were from outer space.

“Goggles down,” I say as the driver counts down the street addresses out loud until about three away from the target location. An officer pops the back door in preparation for the exit. The driver stops the truck and yells, “Go!” We depart from the safety and anonymity of the unmarked van, toward the house the judge told us to invade, not knowing really what or who is on the other side of the door, and what they will do when we confront them. It always makes me wonder. We are there for crack, and if it goes well, there will be a little blurb in the paper about where we went, what we found, and who went to jail. But what if this time, it doesn’t go well? What if we have to shoot? What if we get shot? I just want to go home in one piece. This warrant will only be a success if everyone comes out unhurt. It may not mean much in this “war on drugs.” Just another battle. One that I participate in willingly.

We approach the house trotting silently together as we pass the houses of the neighbors who will undoubtedly be glad to see us. The MP5s are coming up to the shoulders now, at low ready. Before, in the pre-raid briefing, when the guns were removed from their Eagle discreet cases we each went through our well practiced ritual: Check the rear aperture—large—for close up, and low light, the conditions for this warrant at 9:30 p.m. Retract the bolt and lock it open, check the chamber—empty. Check the magazine, third hole from the top, see a round. Look at the top of the magazine—top round on the left. 30 rounds exactly. Insert the magazine, slap the cocking handle and pull out the magazine. Top round on the right. Good. Properly chambered. Insert magazine to stay. Hit the pad on the forearm mounted Laser Products Model 628. Light up the wall. Nice, bright white. Batteries still good.

As we get closer, I can hear the other selectors click twice—safe to full—on our Navy groups. I do the same with mine. Thirty-124 grain +P Gold Dots wait in the post-ban, Bill Clinton “large capacity feeding devices.” If we do it right, they will all be there when we are finished too.

Approach to the front porch. I look at the numbers on the house one more time, for final reassurance that this is the right place. Just like in the pre-raid video. We’ve never gotten it wrong, and to do so would be the worst thing in the world, not only for those in the wrong house, but for us as well. We must hold ourselves to a higher standard. We should get it right. We MUST get it right.

Officer number two has the NFDD, the “Noise-Flash Diversion Device” out. He is bending the pin almost straight, the spoon of the flash bang firmly against the web of his Nomex gloved hand. Officer number six gains on the line as he brings the ram to the opposite side of the door, where he will do what the judge told him to do, on my command. The intel said that there were no children, but that there were guns, and lengthy rap sheets with convictions for violent felonies for the residents. As we get to the front porch, we are seen, the ram officer hears the deadbolt fly home. I order, “Knock!” Number one instantly responds. “POLICE DEPARTMENT—SEARCH WARRANT!” I hear the pitter patter of big feet—away from the door. I throw my weak hand down in my best Kansas City Chiefs Tomahawk Chop that the ram man sees, and reacts to. Then the door is open, by our “master key”, and number two quick peeks to make sure no one is dangerously close to where he will place the flash bang. In it goes, and we all tighten a bit, waiting for the huge blast. But those inside don’t know it’s coming. About 1.5 seconds later it does, and we are in. Through the door as quickly as possible, guns up, forearm lights on, fingers off trigger, finding the occupants, looking at their hands, telling them not to move, then ordering them to lay down with hands behind their heads. They do as they are told, silently. Totally frightened by the flash bang, they do not offer any resistance. Our throats hurt from breathing the flash powder smoke. Wish I had brought some gum.

After they are all handcuffed, guns back to safe, evidence techs in, Miranda read, we relax a little, until the tech pulls out the MAK-90 with a 30-round magazine from under the bed. A reminder of what we are up against sometimes. Kind of ironic, me with my “For Law Enforcement or Government Use Only” MP5 magazine, and he with his thumbhole stock. We are both playing by our President’s rules. We are going to take away his non-assault rifle, and he can’t have my hi-cap magazine. For him to possess it would be some unspeakably horrible federal crime. Yeah right. Somehow it doesn’t seem fair. We find drugs as expected, and make three arrests.

The team loads back up in the truck, and we head for the station. Another one is in the history books. Back at the station, the team puts their equipment away, usually saving the MP5s for last. They are the only things that we have in our hands at the moment we breach the door, that may save our lives. We trust them completely.

If you are reading this, then you have a serious interest in automatic small arms. I do too, almost completely with HK. I also have a submachine gun for work, issued to me. Civilians now must pay almost $5000 for one. Mine was free, but cost the PD about $1000 at the time. I have to give it back when I retire from the tactical team. A day I do not look forward to.

For several years the Russian firm TsNIITochmash has advertised several innovative rifles and pistols for sale on the international arms market, all designed to Russian military and police requirements. The weapons’ innovations generated a great deal of interest in the West, but there were no opportunities to actually fire them until mid-1997, when an agreement was reached between an American firearms importer, TsNIITochmash and the U.S. government for the firearms to be evaluated by representatives of both government and industry. This writer was among those invited to attend the demonstration and was afforded the opportunity to fire and disassemble most of the weapons. As a result, virtually all of the questions regarding these mysterious Russian firearms have now been resolved. The weapons have in several instances been in service with the Russian military and police for some time. All of them are chambered for new cartridges which break with the traditional Soviet/Russian calibers. The weapons include a new high-capacity high-powered pistol, a pistol that fires silent ammunition, a compact assault rifle, two suppressed rifles and two underwater firearms – a pistol and an assault rifle. There is also what must be the most unusual military knife in history.

The first weapon we will consider is the Gurza pistol, which created quite a stir when it first appeared in 1993. It has a magazine capacity of 18 rounds of a new 9x21mm (Russian nomenclature RG-054) cartridge that delivers terminal ballistic performance in the .357 magnum spectrum. This new cartridge is not the same as the western 9x21mm, which is based on the 9x19mm Parabellum round with performance levels to match. The 9x21mm Russian, as we have designated it to differentiate between it and the Western round, is based on the 9x18mm Makarov case. Case head dimensions are identical to those of the 9x18mm in those 9x21mm examples that have been examined by the author. Moreover, the 9x21mm Russian round was designed from the outset to defeat both soft body armor and car bodies. This reflects the increasing crime problem in post-Soviet Russia, where criminals generally wear body armor and drive high – powered automobiles. The nose of the 9x21mm Russian bullet has a steel penetrator protruding from the guiding metal jacket. According to Russian literature, this provides a penetration of 30 layers of Kevlarr and two 1.2mm thick titanium plates at a range of 50 meters. There is no reason to doubt this, as the Gurza bullets we fired into National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Level IIIA (.44 Magnum protection level) body armor at 50 meters during the tests were cleanly penetrated with the bullet passing deep into a heavy rubber mannequin over which the protective vest was placed.

The Gurza pistol itself is a curious design. Unlike other modern pistols whose frame is made entirely of polymer, the Gurza uses polymer only for the grip and trigger guard. The upper portion of the frame is constructed of steel. The boundary between the polymer lower and steel upper portion of the frame can clearly be seen in the photographs taken at the test range. Another unusual feature of the Gurza is it’s trigger action. The pistol uses a conventional hammer, but it is not double/ single action as appearances would indicate. When the hammer of the Gurza is fully down, the trigger is completely disengaged from the sear mechanism. Pulling it does nothing. Placing the hammer in a half cock position actuates the trigger into a “double action” mode. Pulling the trigger brings the hammer to full cock and then drops it, firing the weapon. The firing mechanism then goes to single action after each subsequent shot. The single action of the Gurza would be unacceptable to a Western military or police activity. Trigger pull on single action is no more than 1.5 to two pounds with no take-up whatsoever! I was the first American to fire the Gurza and was caught totally by surprise by the light weight and sensitivity of the Gurza’s single-action trigger, resulting in my first shot being fired as my finger touched the trigger, causing the shot to miss the target. Subsequent shots were all hits, but the trigger of this pistol is entirely too light for operational use by Western military or police. When asked about this, the Russian representatives stated that the light trigger pull was a requirement from the unspecified agency which originally requested the pistol.

The Gurza has no external safety mechanisms other than a grip safety, visible at the upper portion of the pistol’s backstrap and the trigger disconnector when the hammer is fully down. It is not known if there is a firing pin block. Locking is based on the “dropping block” principle originated by Walther, and currently in the Beretta Model 92 series. The magazine release is ambidextrous and releases by pressing forward with the thumb. When the release is pressed, the magazine drops free. There were no stoppages whatsoever while the Gurza was fired hundreds of times by numerous attendees. In fact, reliability characterized all the weapons brought by TsNIITochmash. None had a single stoppage. The polymer grip of the Gurza is at a comfortable angle which appears to be close to that of the Colt M1911, considered by many to be nearly ideal. This writer found the pistol to be easy to control and muzzle rise to be quite manageable, despite the high – velocity cartridges. The only serious complaint about the Gurza is its single action trigger mechanism, which is so unusual as to be considered bizarre by virtually all present and categorically unsafe in single action mode.

Other than its ammunition, the PSS pistol brought for test by TsNIITochmash is a conventional blowback operated semiautomatic pistol. The PSS was designed to a special operations requirement and is unique in that it fires a silent (not suppressed) cartridge. The only sound to be heard when the PSS is fired is the movement of the slide back and forth. It is odd in a pistol of this type that there is no means of locking the slide in place so that the sound of its movement is eliminated. Other than the movement of the slide, the sound level of the PSS approximates that of an air gun.

The PSS fires the SP-4 silent cartridge developed especially for it and the NRS-2 “Special Scout Knife” described below. The captive piston technology involved in this unusual cartridge is not new; it was used during the Vietnam War for silent revolvers employed by American “tunnel rats.” The silent cartridge eliminates both the weapon’s muzzle blast and the bulky silencer “can” usually associated with suppressed weapons and allows the PSS to be a very compact pistol.

The SP-4 cartridge piston propels a simple steel cylindrical bullet with a copper rotating band down the rifled barrel of the PSS. The piston’s forward motion is stopped against the internal shoulder of the thick cartridge case, sealing the propelling gases inside. They are slowly and silently bled off. SP-4 casings examined by the author have no headstamp to identify their origin, although given the publicity attained by the weapons that fire the SP-4 cartridge, there can be little doubt as to the origins of such unusual cartridges.

The compact size of the PSS and its ability to fire in silence without requiring an external suppressor make it ideal for assassinations, kidnappings and similar special missions. The pistol is also well – suited for police SWAT work where minimum noise levels are required. The PSS is easily concealable in a jacket pocket or in the issued shoulder holster that accompanies each pistol in its factory box. The PSS utilizes a steel frame, with polymer grips which also constitutes the lower frame. There is no conventional gripstock as in most Western designs. Operation of the PSS is straight blowback. There is a Makarov-style safety on the slide and functioning is similar to that of the Makarov. There are no unusual trigger mechanisms as with the Gurza. The PSS is pleasant to shoot, with little felt recoil and although the Russians claim an effective range of 50 meters, that is questionable given the relatively low velocity of the SP-4 cartridge which is subsonic with a fairly lightweight bullet of abysmal aerodynamics. This, coupled with a very short barrel length, does not indicate an effective range much greater than the distance which the PSS was fired during our evaluation – some 25 meters. Nonetheless, the PSS is a very effective pistol for its intended purpose of close range shooting in military special operations or police SWAT missions. Its lack of muzzle blast would also make it ideal for use in confined spaces.

The MA “Vikhr” Compact Assault Rifle is occasionally referred to in the Western press as a submachine gun, but this is not the case; a submachine gun by definition fires pistol cartridges, while the MA fires a “intermediate” caliber cartridge, the 9x39mm SP-5 and SP-6. Both of these “special” cartridges are derived from the venerable 7.62x39mm and fire a massive 250 grain bullet of great sectional density at subsonic velocity. The lead cored SP-5 is a full metal jacket (FMJ) “ball” round, while the SP-6, with its steel penetrator, is armor-piercing. The MA is one of several recent Russian weapons that fire this new and apparently very effective round. Two of these, the AS suppressed assault rifle and the VSS suppressed sniper rifle were also tested during the TsNIITochmash visit and are discussed below. We will discuss effectiveness of the SP-6 round in more detail under the section on the AS and VSS.

The MA is a gas – operated compact assault rifle derived from the basic Kalashnikov, but with significant differences. The selector lever, for example, is ambidextrous and has been moved to a position at the rear of and above the trigger guard where it can be manipulated by the operator without removing his hand from the grip. The receiver cover is not readily detachable; when released, it pivots up at the front just behind the foresight for access to the operating components. A major difference between the MA and similar weapons is that the MA is striker fired, rather than using a hammer. The design is otherwise conventional and follows the Kalashnikov AK-100 pattern, using primarily stamped metal and polymer components. The compensator at the front of the barrel enables control to be maintained while firing on full automatic. The MA has no burst feature.

The ammunition is a critical component of the MA system. A conventional compact assault rifle firing 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition would have an unacceptable muzzle blast because that cartridge’s powder charge is designed to be consumed in a much longer barrel. The 5.56x45mm is also supersonic, which adds a sharp “crack” to the muzzle blast. The heavy subsonic bullet fired by the MA and other weapons in 9x39mm caliber eliminates this problem. Muzzle blast is reduced by lowering the powder charge to a level where it is consumed in the short barrel of not only the MA, but the two suppressed assault weapons discussed below. Terminal effects are maintained by a heavy (250 grain) bullet with a high sectional density. The MA is not intended for long range work; its maximum effective range is only 200 meters, but this is significantly higher than pistol -caliber submachine guns, and is well within the range of most battlefield encounters. Magazines are of translucent polymer construction and are available in either 10 or 20 round versions, although efficacy of a 10 round magazine in a weapon such as this is questionable. Like the other weapons demonstrated, the MA functioned flawlessly.

Because of their similarities, we will treat the VSS “Vintorez” (Thread Cutter) suppressed sniper rifle and AS “Val” (Rampart) suppressed assault rifle as one. The primary difference between the two is the furniture; the mechanism and functioning of both rifles are identical. Both rifles fire the 9x39mm round. The primary round for the VSS is the SP-5 FMJ due to its increased accuracy over the SP-6 AP. Conversely, the SP-6 is favored for use in the AS assault rifle, because of it’s better terminal ballistics. On the range, however, we fired SP-6 rounds from the VSS and were able to penetrate both sides of a U.S. Kevlarr helmet at 150 meters, although the first shot missed. Using a magazine loaded with SP-5 FMJ rounds in the VSS, however, the author was able to hit several eight inch (203mm) steel targets at 150 and 200 meters with every shot. The claimed effective range of the VSS is 400 meters, and there is no reason to doubt this, given its accuracy at 200 meters, the limit of the range we used.

Like many similar Russian weapons, the AS and VSS were derived from the Kalashnikov, but with differences. The basic mechanism of both rifles is essentially that of the MA “Vikhr” described above. The only difference of note is the Kalashnikov-style selector switch on both the VSS and AS. Both are select fire, and both are designed to be fired only with the suppressor installed, as seen in photo at the bottom of page 25, which shows the VSS disassembled for transport in its aluminum carrying case. The trigger of these rifles has extremely long take-up, a fairly crisp “break,” but with significant backlash. The AS is similar.

The suppressor is of the “dry” type, and although we were not allowed to disassemble it, certain inferences may be derived from our experiences with the rifles and from Russian publications on the subject. During our tests, several hundred rounds were fired through both the AS and VSS, both semi and full automatic, with no degradation in suppressor effectiveness. The oil on the surface of the suppressors was literally burning off, but the suppressors remained effective. Illustrations of these suppressors in Russian small arms publications have shown them disassembled with angled baffles, but no “wipes” or other material to enhance sound suppression. The baffles are removed as a unit and are held in proper alignment by metal strips running the length of the baffle unit. A full analysis of the suppressors used by these rifles will have to wait until we have full and unlimited access to them.

Two weapons that have attracted a great deal of attention in the West are the SPP-1 underwater pistol and the APS underwater assault rifle. Save for the Heckler and Koch P11 underwater pistol, the Russian weapons are unique. Although comparisons are invidious, when one is dealing with weapons such as these, they are unavoidable, so we feel obliged to briefly compare the H&K P11 and its Russian SPP-1 counterpart. Space does not allow a full comparison, but suffice it to say that based on available data, the capabilities of the two weapons are virtually identical, although the SPP-1 can be reloaded by the user with clips of four rounds while the P11 barrel unit must be returned to the factory for reloading. The P11 is fired electronically, while the SPP-1 uses a simple rotating firing pin similar to that of the 1874 Sharps four-barreled derringer. The H&K pistol has five shots rather than four, but given its cost and complexity, the Russian pistol appears to be a more cost effective and reliable design and should find wide acceptance in the Western special operations community once barriers to importation are overcome.

The APS underwater assault rifle, like the other weapons discussed herein, was derived from the Kalashnikov, but in its final form is significantly different from the original. The APS entered Soviet service in the early 1980’s, but did not become known in the West until some ten years later and then only because the Russians began advertising it for sale. The APS rifle and PSS pistol both fire “darts” which are stabilized by the cavitation of water as they pass through it, rather than by spinning. Both weapons, therefore, are smoothbore. The APS rifle is gas operated, select fire and fires from the open bolt. The latter is due to that fact that the barrel must be filled with water when the weapon is fired and firing from the open bolt is the only way to accomplish this. The fit and finish of the APS we examined was crude, although the weapon functioned flawlessly when fired. The SPP-1 pistol is less crude, but still not up to Western standards, although it should be noted that Russian firearms manufacturers do not generally finish their weapons to as high a standard as their western counterparts.

We were not afforded the opportunity to fire the SPP-1 underwater pistol or APS underwater rifle because to do so would have involved putting several dozen persons of varying firearms handling ability underwater with loaded weapons. Live firing was thus limited to two military divers who fired both weapons at underwater targets. Both weapons performed flawlessly. It would appear that both of these weapons merit a complete evaluation by police and military forces who have a requirement for such items, as they fulfill unique requirements.

The final item we were allowed to observe, but not test fire, was the NRS-2 Special Scout Knife,” which seems to be the answer to a question that nobody asked! The reason that none of the attendees was allowed to fire the NRS-2, was that the user must be very careful when firing it not to shoot off his fingertips! The NRS-2 fires one SP-4 silent cartridge, but the position that must be used to fire the knife is such that it cannot be accurate at anything other than pointblank range, and it takes so long to get the NRS-2 properly positioned in one’s hand to preclude losing one’s fingers that it would appear to be far better to simply carry a PSS silent pistol and use the sharp end of the knife if one were to encounter close-in threats. A close examination of the hands of the Marine firing the NRS-2 in the accompanying illustration will give the reader an idea of the contorted position that is necessary to fire this bizarre weapon. Space precludes loading and reloading procedures for the NRS-2, but suffice it to say that they are not conducive to rapid fire.

TsNIITochmash has developed a family of small arms which should be of great interest to military and police special operations users. With the exception of the bizarre NRS-2 “Special Scout Knife” and the excessively light trigger pull of the Gurza pistol, which could easily be corrected, all of the weapons are well-designed, robust and reliable. The weapons are unfortunately not currently available in the West, but it is possible that export may begin in 1998 with firearms and ammunition available to qualified military and police users.

The Use of Sound Suppressors on High-Powered Rifles: Semester 1

It should be stated at the outset that the phrase high-powered will cover those fairly efficient, non-magnum cartridges bracketed between the .223 and the .308 – the workhorses of the law-enforcement and military community. If one is going to suppress a sniper rifle, that rifle should be totally dedicated to suppressed fire. Using a rifle which is only occasionally silenced is an invitation to either a lawsuit or to poor field shooting, as any rifle will carry a different zero without a suppressor, as opposed to its zero with one.

A suppressed rifle should be stored and carried in its assembled, ready-to-go configuration. Many of us have seen movies in which a fitted case full of components (stock, action, barrel, forearm, scope, mount and silencer) was assembled in the field, and then used to complete an important assassination. Pure Hollywood. No enforcement officer in his right mind would ever assemble a rifle on the spot on a callout at a crime scene and expect the weapon to hold its zero. It might, but such an occurrence would be an abnormality. And what would be the moral and legal consequences of a botched shot in a hostage rescue attempt? By the same token, some suppressors cause shots to stray with various degrees of tightness or looseness on a rifle’s barrel.

The Single-Point Mount

The muzzle and a massive outpouring of high-pressure propellant gas are the last things a bullet feels before it leaves the control of the shooter. The joint between suppressor and barrel should be as rigid as that between barrel and action. Often, the suppressor/barrel interface is conceived as an afterthought. The muzzles of most military barrels are fitted with small, steel flash hiders, weighing but 2 or 3 ounces. Many manufacturers try to use the same kind of short, 1/2 inch diameter, threaded muzzle sections to mount suppressors that might weigh up to 4 pounds. It may be convenient to use flash hider threads, but such a tiny joint is very fragile, and lacks the strength and stability expected of a military or enforcement weapon. A small error in machined accuracy on a single-point mount can result in a disastrous misalignment problem near the muzzle of a suppressor.

A suppressor that is held at the rear by a single collet, or by a single section of threads, is said to be held by a single-point mount. If the threaded section is only 1/2-inch in diameter the strength factor is very low. If a heavy target barrel is used, the threads can be as large as 3/4 or 7/8 inch in diameter. In this case, the strength and stability factor is much improved. Unfortunately, many suppressed rifles with single-point mounts suffer from a wandering zero. There is, however, a better way.

The Two-Point Mount

The two-point mount usually attaches a barrel to its suppressor with threads at the muzzle, and with a collet, O-ring, or conical joint about 8 or 10 inches behind the muzzle. It is a vastly superior way to mount a muzzle can to a rifle barrel. The resulting joint is many times stronger than any single-point mount could ever be. Because of the geometry of a two-point mount, a small error in alignment will not progress into a much larger error at the suppressor’s muzzle.

The common configuration has threads at the barrel’s muzzle, and the step for the rear of the can near the middle of the barrel. Tightening puts the suppressor in compression, and the barrel in tension – which we feel is the most conducive to accuracy. Another configuration has a threaded section in the center of the barrel, while the unthreaded muzzle stubs or jams into a socket in the middle of the suppressor. We feel that this configuration (with the barrel in compression) is not as conducive to accuracy, although it may ease manufacture of the suppressor. However, to our great surprise, we have seen suppressed .308 systems (with compressed barrels) that appeared to be fairly accurate.

Yet another benefit exists with the two-point mount. Space behind the muzzle exists inside the rear chamber of the suppressor. That extra volume can be used for more effective suppression, without adding greatly to the overall length of the weapon in front of the muzzle.

Barrel Torque

Most rifles have barrels that impart a right-hand spin to their projectiles. Since most calibers accelerate their bullets to between 2,500 and 3,400 fps, and since most of this acceleration takes place within the first few inches, there is a sudden and violent twisting of the barrel in an opposite (left-hand) direction. This torque tends to cause a barrel held into its action with RH threads to screw itself ever more tightly into its action with each shot. One can screw a barrel lightly into an action by hand. After several shots are fired the barrel will have driven itself tightly into its action, and it will take quite a bit of force to remove that barrel with a wrench.

That same torque tends to cause a suppressor to loosen if the suppressor is held in place with RH threads, which seem to be the norm. One must be constantly vigilant to make sure that a rifle’s suppressor remains tightly screwed in place. Especially before a critical shot. All Russian and German flash hiders (and some suppressors) are attached with LH threads. Those made in the U.S. are usually held on with RH threads.

Our testing has indicated that a rifle with a suppressor held in place with a properly executed, two-point, conical, tensioned barrel mount will remain in zero. This zero remains even after the suppressor has been removed for cleaning and replaced. As long as the replacement torque is about the same, the zero will be unaffected. We are talking about no discernable, cold shot shift after a day, week or year, at 200 yards.

Suppressor manufacturer Don Wagenknecht, of Grandview, MO (DAW-Phone-816-765-2539) uses a threaded muzzle and an unusual rear collet to hold his high-powered rifle suppressors in place. Don is a skilled and extremely precise machinist. His work is so accurate that he allows a mere .007 (7/1,000ths) of an inch of clearance on each side of his bullets as they pass through a stack of symmetrical baffles. Clearances on baffle stacks of other manufacturers are often significantly greater.

Bullet contact with any one baffle in a suppressor usually results in tumbling, with severe consequences for those baffles that remain downrange of the event. Since the smallest possible passage hole results in the greatest level of suppression, the pressure is on to keep internal baffle clearances to a minimum. More than one suppressor (held with a single-point mount) has been ripped free of its threads, and then violently launched downrange when baffle contact has caused internal bullet tumbling. Damage to the suppressor in such an instance is usually substantial. If this happens in the field the rifle may be undamaged, but it will have to be rezeroed before it can be used effectively.

Moisture Accumulation and Weapon Storage

Water is a major byproduct of gunpowder combustion. A good suppressor will capture and retain a considerable amount of the liquid. Twenty shots from a .308 will cause about a teaspoonful of water to be captured. Whenever possible, the weapon should be carried and stored with the muzzle pointing straight down. The bolt or action should remain open to allow accumulated water to evaporate and vent. If the suppressor is removed as soon as the shooting stops, heat in the suppressor will rapidly dry most of the internal components.

Unfortunately, most rifles are traditionally stored muzzle-up. This causes water and trapped particulates to slowly release, where they will fall and lodge in the chamber area and bolt face. Burned gunpowder is quite dirty, and the inside of a suppressor is usually filthy. Cleaning is best accomplished by flushing the can in solvent, draining, and blowing the unit out with compressed air. One should get in the habit of storing a suppressed rifle by hanging it, muzzle-down. Even stainless steel components will rust if trapped water is not allowed to vent. This may result in a suppressor rusted tightly to its barrel. A bore with rust near its muzzle may lose its accuracy. Corrosion can occur quickly in a warm, moist environment. This is not an aspect to be ignored.

The Blast Baffle and Its Effect on Accuracy

The most critical moment in a bullet’s flight path is just after it exits the barrel, where the highly elastic and more rapidly moving gasses overtake it and press upon its base. The first baffle in a suppressor is called, appropriately, the blast baffle. This is the most critical component in the entire baffle stack. The blast baffle is subject to a great deal of heat, stress and impact. Many baffles have asymmetrical surfaces, and these can bounce the blast of high-pressure gas around in a way that disturbs the stability of an exiting bullet. When we first started experimenting with asymmetrical S, Z and K style baffles this phenomenon became painfully obvious. Keyholing, tumbling and baffle contact were common because the bottle-shaped blast of muzzle gas overtook the exiting bullets, deflected off the asymmetrical surfaces, and then deflected the bullets. Accuracy was not good. Some manufacturers haven’t learned this lesson yet, and their suppressors are plagued with inherent instability and resultant accuracy problems.

The blast baffle must have a perfectly symmetrical, coaxially aligned surface and bore. It must be made of fairly tough steel, stainless steel or inconel. If it is made of a soft material like copper, brass, titanium or aluminum, the high-velocity impact from unburned grains of powder will peen the surfaces – eventually reducing the size of the bore orifice to the point where destabilizing bullet contact results.

A properly designed blast baffle will strip and deflect much of the bottle-shaped blast of high-pressure gas that envelops and pursues the departing bullet. For this reason, one can logically expect an increase in practical accuracy when a properly designed suppressor has been installed. Also, the weight of a heavy steel unit tied to both the center and end of a rifle barrel does beneficial things for harmonic barrel vibration – dampening out much of it. These two factors greatly increase the practical accuracy potential of a suppressed rifle. The properly suppressed rifle becomes very stable and reliable. Larger internal clearances reduce the likelihood of baffle contact in the event that the suppressor or barrel get slightly damaged or bent.

The Supersonic Crack

Any projectile moving through the air at a velocity greater than the speed of sound (1,089 to 1,114 fps in dry, 65 degree F air, depending on who one listens to) will create a supersonic crack. Temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure variations play a role in raising or lowering the speed of sound by a small percentage. In a firearm which lacks a substantial muzzle report (being fired over an open field) the sound resembles the loud tearing of a bed sheet. Two sounds are actually created, one from the front of the bullet, and one from the rear. Near trees and buildings the sound waves come back as a distinct crack or pop each time the speeding bullet passes some object with a vertical, reflective surface. Once the muzzle report has been diminished the supersonic boom becomes dominant. Curiously, the sound will now appear to come from the target area, rather than the rifleman’s position. Sound moves through our atmosphere at a relatively fixed rate. A sound wave will typically strike one ear a bit before the other. The human brain is capable of detecting the difference in time between sound impacting one ear and then the other — in an increment of as little as one/six-millionth of a second. With time and practice we soon learn to use this ability to pinpoint the source of a sound very accurately. Because a suppressed muzzle report is relatively quiet, the uninitiated will automatically home in on the loudest sound, which in this case is a sonic boom reflecting from the target area. The sound of the bullet’s passage will seem much louder than the muzzle report to someone close to the flight path. Indeed, a rapidly moving .308 bullet will sound louder than a .22 LR pistol, to someone who is positioned a few feet from its flight path.

Smaller diameter bullets make less noise than larger diameter bullets. Supersonic is supersonic. A bullet traveling 1,200 fps will make about the same noise as one traveling 4,000 fps. Projectiles that are .308 inch in diameter will be somewhat louder than .223 bullets. There is no technology which can remove the sound of a supersonic projectile, no matter what claims are made to the contrary.

Sound Level and Recoil

Even though the supersonic crack remains, the overall sound level is greatly diminished. The report sounds like a rapid hiss of compressed air as the slowed gasses issue from the muzzle of the suppressor. The suppressed .223 and .308 rifles become quite comfortable to shoot without hearing protection. Since propellant gas is responsible for about half of a rifle’s recoil, and since that gas is captured and released slowly, the recoil level will be about half that of an unsuppressed rifle. A .308 has a propellant charge weighing about 50 grains. This is of course converted to 50 grains of gas, and this gas only moves forward about 2 feet before the suppressor baffles intercept it. The fact that the gas doesn’t leave the muzzle of the suppressor at high speed is responsible for much of the reduction in recoil. The interception of forward momentum (which results when that gas is captured in the can) is responsible for much of the remainder of the reduction in felt recoil. In addition, the weight of the heavy can on the rifle’s muzzle acts as a pendulum, limiting muzzle rise and swing as the rifle recoils, and then pivots around the shooter’s body mass. We have said all of this about recoil only because many people have a hard time understanding how 50 grains of gas can be responsible for as much felt recoil as 168 grains of rapidly departing bullet. The answer of course is that the bullet, being heavy and inelastic, issues forth at a relatively slow speed when compared to the lighter and (we are told) perfectly elastic gas. Since energy is a product of mass times the square of velocity, it can be seen that the gas doesn’t have to exit many times faster than the bullet to equal its energy. Empirically, we know that recoil from a suppressed rifle carrying a high powder charge is much gentler with a suppressor than without. All theoretical argument stops after that point. If a rifle hurts you to shoot it before suppression, it becomes quite comfortable to shoot after it’s been suppressed.

It should be mentioned that (if a rifle was first sighted in, and then suppressed) the point of impact will be much lower and a bit to the left for a right-handed shooter. We need to say that again. The point of impact will not be the same if the previously zeroed rifle is used with (or without) its suppressor. A rifle simply cannot be zeroed in one mode and then used in the other. This is a serious liability issue for law enforcement snipers. Litigation specialists (lawyers) will hammer this point to exhaustion in a courtroom if a hostage rescue situation ever goes bad as a direct result of a botched shot, or if innocent bystanders are wrongfully injured. The rifle, scope and suppressor must be regarded as a unit, and they must remain as a unit. If a number of suppressed rifles exist in an armory, they must be numbered, and the respective pieces must remain married, so that suppressors stay with their assigned rifles. Identical suppressors on identical rifles may be interchangeable without affecting cold shot zero, but an officer of the law should not take that chance.