Data released by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reveal a very active year so far for background checks leading to the sale of firearms.

From January through June, NICS reported 5,221,633 background checks, a 19% increase from 4,384,156 in the same period in 2006. May and June showed the largest increase year-over-year, with 28% and 29% increases respectively. The increase coincides with an increase in excise tax collections paid by firearms and ammunition manufacturers, another key economic indicator for the firearms industry.

New TASER Unit Contains Unique ID Device

TASER International, Inc., the producer of electronic control devices, has made the first shipment of the TASER C2, an affordable, futuristic palm-sized device designed for consumer self protection and incorporating a revolutionary new public safety background check technology called CheckLok, that could have implications for firearms manufacturers.

“We designed the TASER C2 with the consumer in mind from the ground up by listening to our customers,” said Kathy Hanrahan, president and chief operating officer of TASER International. “Although we have sold over 136,000 TASER systems to consumers since 1994, our focus since 1998 has primarily been in the law enforcement arena. However, over the past year our engineers were able to make tremendous technological advances to reduce the size, modernize the look and provide our TASER cutting edge technology for consumer self-defense at an affordable price.”

“With CheckLok, TASER C2 units are shipped in an inactive state. They cannot be used until the purchaser successfully completes a background check from the privacy of their own home or office using a secure web site or a toll-free number. After passing the background check, the purchaser is issued an activation code unique to their serial number. The TASER C2 will work only after entering the activation code,” Hanrahan continued.

The TASER C2 unit features the following capabilities:

• Up to a 15-foot range from the device conducting energy that temporarily incapacitates an attacker by overriding sensory and motor functions.
• CheckLok public safety background check technology guaranteeing that the device cannot be used until the purchaser successfully completes a comprehensive background check.
• A unique anti-felon identification (AFID) technology, which disperses 20-30 serialized pieces of confetti whenever a TASER Cartridge is deployed to help prevent and track potential misuse.
• A light, sleek, hand-held design that can fit in a pocket or purse.
• Available in four designer colors that are evidently designed to appeal to women: Black Pearl, Titanium Silver, Electric Blue, and Metallic Pink.
• A safety cover and trigger design that users can easily operate with their thumb. In addition to the TASER C2 device, the package includes a disposable TASER cartridge, owner’s manual and training DVD video. More information is available at: www.TASER.com.

The TASER C2 retails for a base price of $299.99. It is available now at several retailers including Academy Sports + Outdoors (www.academy.com); Cabelas, Inc. (www.cabelas.com); and Gander Mountain (www.gandermountain.com).

Sturm, Ruger Reports Significant 2nd Qtr. Sales Increase

Second calendar quarter 2007 net firearms sales of $39,567,000, as compared to firearms sales of $29,222,000 in the same quarter last year, are reported by Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

For the six months ended June 30, 2007, net firearms sales totaled $83,237,000, versus $70,047,000 for the first half of 2006.

Castings sales did not fare as well as net castings sales for the three months ended June 30, 2007 were $2,540,000, compared to $6,054,000 in the corresponding quarter of 2006. For 2007’s first six months, castings sales were $7,327,000, as compared to $12,656,000 in the first half of last year.

Total net sales for 2007’s second quarter were $42,107,000 versus $35,276,000 in 2006. Total net sales for the first six months this year were $90,564,000 and $82,703,000 in the first six months of 2006.

Gross profit was $13,128,000 in 2007’s second quarter (after deducting cost of products sold) versus $8,385,000 in the second quarter of 2006. For the first six months this year, gross profit was $28,692,000 versus $18,528,000 last year.

After deducting selling, general and administrative expenses, operating profit was reported at $6,048,000 for 2007’s second quarter versus $1,779,000 in the corresponding quarter of 2006. For the first six months, operating profit made a significant gain to $13,963,000 compared to $4,075,000 for the first six months of 2006.

A gain on the sale of non-manufacturing assets during the first half of 2007 (not present in the 2006 results) and significantly higher other income, resulted in a net income (after income taxes) of $5,131,000 in the first quarter of 2007 compared to $1,448,000 in the same quarter in 2006.

Net income for 2007’s first six months was $13,192,000 versus $2,868,000 during the first six months of 2006.

The company’s effort to reduce inventories has been working. Net inventories stood at $11,570,000 at June 30, 2007 as compared to $24,406,000 on December 31, 2006.

Research Report on American Gun Ownership

Nearly 60 percent of adults in West Virginia have a gun at home, according to a new survey by the West Virginia Health Statistics Center.

West Virginia ranks sixth in the nation in the percentage of people who keep a firearm in their house. Meanwhile, a little more than 10% of state residents have a loaded gun at home – the 18th highest rate in the nation. And about 6% of West Virginia adults have loaded and unlocked guns in their homes. Nineteen other states had higher rates, according to the survey.

Wyoming had the highest percentage of adults – nearly 66% – with firearms in their homes, followed by Montana, South Dakota, Alaska, Arkansas and West Virginia.

Nationally, firearms can be found in nearly one-third of U.S. households.

Washington, D.C., had the lowest percentage of people with guns in their homes at 4.3%. The lowest ranked state was New Jersey with 10% of residents admitting having guns, according to the survey.

Alabama had the highest percentage of residents with loaded firearms at 17%, followed by Arkansas, Mississippi and Alaska.

Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., had the lowest percentage of people with loaded guns in their homes (in both places it is illegal to keep a stored, loaded firearm at home).

According to the survey, Alaska had the highest proportion of people with loaded and unlocked firearms. Arkansas was next, followed by Mississippi, Alabama and Wyoming.

NSSF Touts Black Rifles at Writer’s Event

After relegating makers of tactical or “black” rifles to back aisles at the SHOT Show for a number of years, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is now actually campaigning for them.

At the 2007 Professional Outdoor Media Association conference in Minneapolis North, Minnesota August 2-4, NSSF “rolled out a new campaign to help traditional hunting and gun writers learn more about the surging popularity of tactical rifles and gear. The campaign included range time with several AR-15 platform rifles, a luncheon presentation, information packet, interviews and photo ops with industry representatives,” according to a NSSF press release.

The move apparently stems from the emergence of such products in the catalogs of such traditional “old line” firearms makers as Smith & Wesson and the acquisition of Remington Arms Company by Cerberus Capital, which also owns Bushmaster Firearms.

Proposed Gun Law Prompts Gunmaker’s Move

An Illinois gun maker plans to move to Iowa after the LeClaire, Iowa City Council agreed to sell city-owned land to the company.

The council voted recently to approve the sale of the land to Les Baer Custom for $10,000. The company is currently based in Hillsdale, Ill., but its owner, Les Baer, decided to move after Illinois lawmakers proposed a ban (which the state’s governor actively supported) on the distribution, sales and manufacturing of semiautomatic firearms.

Baer hopes to move into a one-story steel building in LeClaire by November. The building will be used to make custom 1911 handguns and AR-style rifles. The move initially will create 14 jobs with a total of at least 18 jobs by 2010, Baer said.

Initial opposition to the plan by com munity activists who objected to the move of a firearms manufacturer in their community quieted and no one spoke in opposition of the project during the final city council meeting.

Rick Reed, president of the LeClaire Chamber of Commerce said the custom firearms company will help strengthen the city’s manufacturing base.

“We’re thrilled to see Les Baer will be coming to our community, and we welcome new businesses and manufacturing to LeClaire,” Reed said. The council also voted to give Les Baer $150,000 in tax increment financing.

Savage Range Systems Wins Contract

Savage Arms’ sister company, Savage Range Systems, was recently awarded a contract to build a 25.8-meter range for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at their Regina facility. The range will be designed with 16 lanes and is expected to provide training for over 2,700 cadets over the next year.

Gun Writer Bill Passes California Assembly

Firearms regulations are so bad in California that the law prohibits a journalist (read ‘gun writer’) to receive a handgun not listed on the state Dept. of Justice’s “not unsafe” roster list for the purpose of evaluation.

With National Rifle Association backing, the state Assembly, July 19th, passed AB854, which is intended to create a system that will allow a loan to take place through a dealer and to be returned to the manufacturer through a dealer for the sake of evaluation for publication. The bill was sent to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) for consideration. The bill is evidently intended to benefit the firearms publishing firms situated in California, which have had to hire personnel in other states to do shooting tests and photograph certain guns banned in California.

FBI Has Half-Million Names on Watch List

Civil liberty advocates are highly critical of the FBI for having an estimated halfmillion names on its “terrorist watch list.” One critic accused the Bureau of being “out of control.”

“It (the list) grows seemingly without control or limitation,” American Civil Liberties Union senior legislative counsel Tim Sparapani told ABC News. “If we have 509,000 names on that list, the watch list is virtually useless. You’ll be capturing innocent individuals with no connection to crime or terror.”

Bushmaster Sponsoring Match

Bushmaster Firearms International has become sponsor of the Mountain Man Aggregate of the inaugural Bushmaster Cup presented at last July’s National High Power Rifle matches at Camp Perry.

The Bushmaster Cup is a specially commissioned and engraved red crystal vase by Krystof. One Bushmaster Cup will be awarded to the Overall Champion, and one to the Top Junior, with the highest overall shooting scores using a factory Bushmaster rifle. Both vases will be presented to the winners and will become their property to take home.

Kalashnikov Vodka on U.S. Market

Vodka Kalashnikov, now available in the U.S., is based on a select recipe approved by Mikhail T. Kalashnikov, designer of the AK-47 rifle. It was the first vodka ever to be created by combining salt, sugar, vanillin and glycerin.

Created in the time-honored, classical tradition, this elite vodka is a supreme class of spirit, called “LUX”, distilled from a high-quality grain and specially prepared with softened, thoroughly filtered water. The four food additives greatly enhance the quality of the vodka. The product’s unique mellow character and extremely high quality have been recognized through international awards.

In 1999, Vodka Kalashnikov was awarded finalist of the All-Russia program of competition of “100 best goods of Russia.” It also earned medals and honorable mentions for quality and original registration at the international and All-Russia competitions of 1995-2000 years including bronze at the international fair Evrika in 1999 and 2000 as well as the seal of approval of London’s international trade fair of wines Olympia – 99.

Ingredients: Spirit “LUX”, ultra-purified water, glycerin, vanillin, salt and sugar syrup. 40% Alc./Vol. (80 Proof) Volume1L Produced by LVZ Glazov.

Each bottle has a private clock number stamped on an individual locket shaped with the appearance of a military ID plate, commonly called a “dog tag”.

The U.S. contact for Vodka Kalashnikov is VRG International, Inc. (www.vodkakalashnikov.com)

Nevada Carry Permit Holders May Need Background Check

The Nevada state legislature’s failure to pass a bill may mean that the 25,000 Nevadans with concealed weapons permits may have to undergo a federal background check every time they buy a gun.

For years the Bureau of ATF has exempted Nevada permit holders from undergoing a check with each gun purchase. Now that exemption may be scrapped. Firearms buyers in Nevada who do not hold a concealed carry permit must pay $25 for a background investigation when they buy a firearm. But those with permits have been exempted because they undergo background checks when they get their carry license.

Frank Adams, executive director of the Nevada Sheriffs’ and Chiefs’ Association, said the ATF in the past was dissatisfied with the checks made by local sheriffs and so the local law enforcement agencies beefed up the process. But the ATF also wanted state law to conform to the local sheriffs’ practices. Bill AB21, backed by the sheriffs and chiefs, was aimed at satisfying the federal agency’s wishes, but it recently died in the state Assembly Judiciary Committee.

Adams said his association plans to ask the federal government for an extension based on the fact that local sheriffs still conduct the checks, even though state law has not yet been changed.

ATF Celebrates 35-Years as an Independent Bureau

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, which traces its roots back to the 1789 congressional imposition of a tax on imported liquor, is celebrating 35 years as an independent federal law enforcement bureau.

It was July 1, 1972 when the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Division of the International Revenue Service became the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms within the Department of the Treasury. When the Bureau moved to the Department of Justice in 2003, it added “Explosives” to its name.

ATF’s history includes actions against organized crime figures during Alcohol Prohibition popularized in the “Untouchables” television series. The Bureau’s agents, in tracking down producers of untaxed alcohol or “moonshine” from rural stills were those referred to as “revenooers” by the hillbilly still operators.

“The world has changed dramatically in the intervening years since 1972 and ATF has adapted and evolved,” Acting Director Michael J. Sullivan said in a message to employees. “On this anniversary, ATF experts are arresting career criminals and dismantling violent gangs, investigating the origin and cause of catastrophic fires, and sharing explosives expertise by training our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

The author publishes two of the small arms industry’s most widely read trade newsletters. The International Firearms Trade covers the world firearms scene, and The New Firearms Business covers the domestic market. He also offers FFL-mailing lists to firms interested in direct marketing efforts to the industry. He may be reached at: FirearmsB@aol.com.

Japanese T96 and T99 Magazines from J&G Machine Service

J&G Machine Service has announced new Japanese T96 and T99 light machine gun magazines. They are intended for the shooter, not as a reproduction for the original Japanese magazine. Each magazine is individually cut from steel plate, hand formed and fitted, welded, hand finished and blued. Every magazine has been test fired for fit and function. J&G Machine Service guarantees each magazine: “Satisfaction Guaranteed.” Both magazine models weigh a little more than their original Japanese magazine counterpart due tothe use of plate steel. In tests, the 30-round magazines functioned flawlessly. The Type 99 magazine is for the 7.7x58mm cartridge, while the Type 96 is for the 6.5x50mm round. Why risk damaging an original $1,000 magazine when you can now use J&G Machine Service’s $180 (postage paid) shooter’s magazine instead. For information or to place an order, please contact J&G Machine Service, Dept. SAR, PO Box 10, Congress, AZ 85332. Reach them by phone: (928) 427-3180. Email: AZGUNSO@yahoo.com.

New Amphibian “S” From AWC Systems Technology

AWC Systems Technology, a worldleader in commercially available silencer technology, introduces the newly redesigned Amphibian S, the last silenced .22 pistol you will ever own. The AWC Amphibian S is the Ruger KMK 512 with an integral AWC Systems Technology suppressed barrel. This pistol is constructed of stainless steel and will never be worn out, damaged beyond repair or become obsolete. AWC Systems Technology can also modify any existing suppressed Ruger pistol to this standard of excellence. The Amphibian S is offered in stainless matte navy grey or polished stainless finish. An optional upgraded finish of matte black, charcoal black or NATO green is also available. The integrally suppressed barrel has an overall length of 7 inches and complete pistol system weight of 41 ounces. Shooting 40gr high velocity, the Amphibian S is dead accurate and is much less noisy than a CO pellet pistol.

AWC Systems Technology has provided suppressed weapons systems to the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, major law enforcement agencies nationwide, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Energy, federal and state correctional facilities and Special Forces units in Central America and the Middle East. For more information contact AWC Systems Technology, Dept. SAR, 1515 West Deer Valley Road, Suite 105A, Phoenix, AZ 85027. Phone: (623) 780-1050. Fax: (623) 780-2967. On the web at www.awcsystech.com.

GG&G Introduces New Back Up Iron Sight

The New GG&G A2 Spring Actuated Back Up Iron Sight (BUIS) represents the latest innovation in BUIS products. Many operators requested a BUIS that would deploy with just the push of a button and GG&G delivered. The unique and proprietary design of the spring actuated mechanism captivates the actuator spring and mechanical components, preventing adverse environmental contact. The revolutionary design ensures reliability and long life of a critical component. The superior new design of the A2 Spring Actuated BUIS provides the operator the ability to activate the push button with the non fire control hand ensuring the user a tactical advantage under any condition. The locking mechanism functions for both the raised and lowered position, completely eliminating the potential of accidentally raising or lowering the sight and providing a low profile stance when lowered to allow the use of most optics. When properly mounted, the A2 Spring Actuated BUIS can be used to co-witness with most red dot and holographic sighting systems. In the unfortunate event of a electro-optic failure, the A2 Spring Actuated BUIS will deploy rapidly and securely. Standard A2 double peep aperture and windage knob allows for known point of impact by the end user. Optional XS same plane aperture or Trijicon Tritium Apertures are available by request. The mount body and sight stem are manufactured from solid billet 6061 T6 Aluminum, Type III hard anodized matte black. Steel components are Matte Black Manganese Phosphated and all finishes are per Mil-Spec. For more information, or to order the A2 Spring Actuated BUIS or any other of their fine products, please contact them at GG&G, Dept. SAR, 3602 East 42nd Strave, Tucson, AZ 85713. Phone: (800) 380- 2540. Fax: (520) 748-7583. Their website is www.gggaz.com.

Buffer Technologies Introduces New AR-10 Buffer

Buffer Technologies is expanding its line of high-quality tactical components with the addition of a hydraulic AR-10 buffer from Enidine, Inc. The new hydraulic AR- 10 buffer is an improvement over the weapon’s standard metal tube buffer. It dramatically reduces felt recoil and helps shooters maintain accuracy by suppressing bolt bounce and muzzle flip. It also helps protect optics by reducing shock to the delicate instruments. The Enidine buffer replaces the standard buffer assembly in the AR-10, but shooters retain their stock and buffer spring. The buffer has been engineered for an easy installation that doesn’t require any special tools or gunsmithing. The new AR-10 buffer is made from anodized steel with a corrosionprotection finish. Buffer Technologies also offers the AR-Restor, Enidine’s hydraulic buffer for both carbine and full stock AR- 15s. Enidine is a market leader in hydraulic energy absorbers for the industrial, aerospace and defense industries. Its hydraulic recoil buffers are used by the U.S. military and NATO forces for automatic weapons. For more information on this as well as their outstanding line of accessories and firearms buffers, please contact them at Buffer Technologies, Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 105047, Jefferson City, MO 65110. Phone: (877) 628-3337. Fax: (573) 634-8522. They can be found on the web at www.buffertech.com.

Sabre Defense Introduces New M2 and MK19 Tools

Sabre Defense Industries, a prime contractor to the United States military as a supplier of ordnance systems and components, is proud to introduce a simple solution for reducing breakdown time on M2s and MK19s while preventing potential personal injury; the M2 Tool and MK19 Tool. Simple disassembly and reassembly of an M2 or MK19 can be time consuming especially when in the field where every minute of response time is precious to the safety of the operator and his team. Throw in cold weather and wearing gloves and loosening a bolt with a standard wrench becomes near impossible. The Sabre M2 Tool is the perfect size for loosening and removing bolts and adjusts the timing without having to remove gloves. The M2 Tool makes removal of the drive rod spring easy and a special end sets the headspace gap and buffer body release pin. The Sabre MK19 Took allows the operator to hold down the sear to remove the bolt while preventing injury to the operator’s thumb. A pry end removes charging handles, aligns the slide and pin for the back plate. A builtin hammer can be used to remove the secondary drive lever. Both Sabre tools have been developed and tested with combat troops in mind. Soldiers in the field using the M2 or MK19 tools are already experiencing a time saving difference from a standard minimum operating time of 8 minutes to 3 minutes or less. Priced at $90 SRP per tool, Sabre’s M2 and MK19 Tools are the most efficient breakdown tools on the market. For more information or to place an order, please contact Sabre Defense Industries, LLC, Dept. SAR, 450 Allied Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. Phone: (615) 333-0077. Fax: (615) 333- 6229. Their website address is www.sabredefense.com.

SafeBox Portable Security Unit

Response Technologies Incorporated (RTI) has just announced their new SafeBox, a portable security unit. The SafeBox is small enough to mount almostanywhere and large enough to protect some of your most valuable possessions. The most innovative and unique feature is that the SafeBox is portable. Mount the SafeBox’s steel sleeve in your car, boat, RV, home, office, almost anywhere. Just unlock and slide the safe out of the sleeve and now the SafeBox is a portable lock box. It can be open or unlocked until secured back into its steel sleeve again. By purchasing additional sleeves your valuables can be secured in multiple locations. The places sleeves can be mounted are almost endless. The SafeBox is ideal for jewelry, guns, medications, or just about anything you need to keep safe. The SafeBox features barrel style keys and hardened steel construction. Safes can be keyed alike for multiple location security. For more information, please contact Response Technologies Incorporated, Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 222, Flanders, NJ 07836. Phone: (973) 252-7755. Fax: (973) 252- 7771. Website: www.response-tech.com.

On June 12, version 1.0 of the NFA Handbook was made available on the ATF website. We encourage you to log onto the ATF website http://www.atf.gov/firearms/ nfa/nfa_handbook/ and download the file. It is important to read Ken Houchens explanation on the availability of the Handbook. As Ken says on the webpage, “Please be aware that the NFA Handbook is not available in a printed version. Our goal is to ensure the regular update and availability of this document without going through the time intensive and costly process of printing. This will result in the continuous availability of a more current and accurate guidebook.”

However, hard copies are available as an option and a printed version may be picked up at many of the events where the NFATCA has a presence. The hard copies will be available at a nominal fee to simply cover the cost of reproduction.

When the handbook first became available, the blogs and NFA sites were alive with chatter criticizing the effort as another attempt by the NFATCA of cavorting with ATF on regulations. The initial release generated a lot of negative chatter with no meat. A couple of NFATCA board members, and other industry personnel, delivered responses that almost instantly quelled the fury. In one particular case one of the harshest critiques was offered a free one year membership in the NFATCA to come forward and to assist in clarifying or suggesting revisions to the Handbook. Interestingly enough, our offer went unanswered and the criticism went quiet.

We all knew that no matter how much time or how many experts we called upon for the production of the Handbook, updates and or revisions were inevitable. We knew then and still know now that this effort is ongoing and that to assume that further revisions and clarifications would not be necessary would be ludicrous. We knew from the start that some mistakes would be inevitable and that there would be many clarifications necessary to continue to produce such a valuable resource.

We encourage the entire community, not just the NFATCA and its membership, to read the Handbook and to challenge any and all information that you read or interpret. Not only are we planning on making changes and clarifications to the Handbook but we plan on continuing to add new information as new issues and questions arise. Our readers and our community are the best resources for that information and we challenge everyone to support the effort and make whatever contribution you desire.

We have reached an agreement with ATF that we will deliver at least one update a year on the Handbook to keep our industry up to date with changes and new information. I will make certain that we address those updates in this article to keep everyone apprised of the efforts with the NFA Handbook. If you personally have read the Handbook and want to support or challenge the effort, I would suggest that you send suggestions on changes directly to the NFATCA via our website. We have arranged for a public forum on the website for all to use. You don’t need to be a member, but once you register you can actively work with the NFATCA via our website, to keep the Handbook up to date with comments or suggestions.

The NFATCA challenges each and every NFA owner to read and address their concerns openly allowing the entire community to keep this information up to date. Simply log onto http://nfatca.org/, register and provide as much feedback as you want. We welcome your input and your efforts to keep our community informed and up to date.

Better yet why not join the NFATCA today!

Emergency distress signaling gear has been a standard item of issue since prior to World War II. The large, heavy projectors and shells of that era gave way to the smaller, lighter and more efficient pen-gun types by the time of the Vietnam War. These were characterized by a knurled aluminum pen-shaped launcher with a thumb knob that retracted a spring loaded firing pin. One end of the launcher was threaded to accept the flare cartridge, which was percussion fired upon impact by the firing pin.

The flares would reach an altitude of 200 to 250 feet using this system. Used by the Air Force, Navy and even Army Aviation, the performance of these flares was considered adequate for the expected situations in which they might be used. For some, that all changed with their experiences in bailing out over the jungles of Vietnam. Having to bail out generally meant landing in jungle with a high, dense canopy – often higher than the flares maximum altitude.

At this same time a totally unrelated project was under development: the Gyrojet family of rocket pistols. Though eventually it was deemed inappropriate for its intended use, someone in the right place at the right time, someone who knew of the Gyrojet and understood the problems of jungle search and rescue put the two together, and the Gyrojet Flare Launcher was born. Unfortunately, research was unable to uncover whether it was a military individual or someone from MB Associates who suggested the idea of using a rocket propelled projectile to get the distress signal through and above the canopy of tree tops. Regardless of this, by adapting the miniature rocket technology of the Gyrojet projectile to a flare, this level of performance was accomplished without a needless increase in size and weight of the whole system.

As near as can be determined, the Personnel Distress Kit, Red, A/P25S-5A (also called the M-201 in early editions) was first issued to Air Force and Army aircrew personnel around 1970. Some documents also refer to it as “Foliage Penetrating Signal Kit,” an interesting admission of its purpose. As issued, it was part of the Air Force SRU-21/P Survival Vest, which was also used by Army helicopter crews. It was also part of the unique Army OV-1 Aircraft Survival Vest used by of the OV-1 Mohawk, one of the few fixed wing aircraft in the Army inventory. For some reason, the Navy did not issue the rocket flares, choosing instead to continue using the traditional screw-in percussion fired pen type flares and launchers, though some rocket types have appeared in Navy survival kits. Since Naval aircraft flew missions from carriers, maybe it was determined that it was less likely for pilots to “punch out” over land, thus lessening the need for the performance provided by the rocket flares.

An August, 2004 “Sources Sought/Market Survey” Solicitation from the U.S. Army Field Support Command of Rock Island, IL provides an excellent description of the A/P25S-5A:

“The Personnel Distress Kit, Red, A/ P25S-5A is used by downed airmen or others exposed to emergency escape and evasion situations. The kit includes a hand fired launcher and a bandoleer assembly. The bandoleer assembly contains a plastic molded bandoleer holding seven red signals. The signals consist of small solid propellant rocket motors actuated by a percussion primer, a delay element, and a pyrotechnic candle in a metal case. The surface of the metal case is dyed red to match the color of the candle. The launcher is black anodized aluminum; it has a retaining device and a firing mechanism. The retaining device precludes the signal from falling out of the launcher when the loaded launcher is aimed vertically at the ground. The firing mechanismconsists of a free traveling firing pin with an actuation knob and spring. The launcher is connected to the bandoleer by a lanyard. Physical dimensions for the launcher are Length 5.5 in.; Diameter 0.8 in. Signals are loaded individually into the launcher with nozzle down into the launcher until the signal bottoms out. The firing pin inside the launcher upon firing, strikes the primer in the signal which ignites the propellant. Exhaust gases are expelled through nozzle holes in the signal and propel the flare out of the launcher in a spin stabilized flight. The signal should be able to completely penetrate moderately dense jungle or forest foliage. After traveling approximately 600 feet, the payload ignites causing separation from the rocket motor. Burning time is approximately 9 seconds and provides an average candle power value of 2,500 lumens for the first 7 seconds. Physical dimensions for the signal are Length 2 in.; Diameter 0.5 in.”

References list the maximum height attained by the signal itself as being either 1,100 or 1,500 feet which makes sense with presumed rocket motor burnout (at separation from the payload) occurring at 600 feet. Total burn time of the signal is said to be 9 seconds. The visibility distance is listed as up to 3 miles in the daytime and 10 miles in the dark of night. The retaining device in the launcher mentioned above for keeping the flare in place until the moment of launch is a simple, springy fourfingered collet in which the flare sits fairly deeply. When fired, the only sound is the minor crack of the primer that ignites the solid rocket fuel which overwhelms the subdued “whoosh” of the rocket venturis as the flare speeds on its way while the user also feels a brief wash of warm air from the rocket exhaust.

MB Associates was the supplier to the military for about ten years following the adoption of the Gyrojet Flare Kit. Drawing No. 11-1-1783 from the U.S. Army Natick Laboratories titled Survival Kit Individual; Vest Assembly (the SRU-21/ P), dated 3 May 1972 shows an Item List just above the title block. In that list is Item 4, Signal Kit, Foliage Penetrating. The material (source) column says: MB Associates Model MBA-2016 FSN 1370- 490-7362. “MBA” is engraved on the gripof the launchers made by them along with other information. Flares will have ink stamps on them indicating lot number beginning with “MBA” as well, sometimes with a manufacture date, matching the cardboard instruction sheet packaged with the kits. Lot numbers from subsequent manufacturers use a different code. The latest MBA marked kit observed is dated 11-81. According to samples inspected for this article, another company had taken over by December 1990. The actual date suppliers changed could not be found but it was obviously sometime in the 1980s.

Originally conceived as a more efficient means to kill enemy combatants, the Gyrojet technology found its real home as an aid to saving lives and finding downed airmen. Additionally, the Gyrojet Rocket Flare Kits were not just issued in survival equipment, but used as consumables in SERE schools for familiarity training. It is easy to see that many hundreds, if not thousands, have been manufactured over the years. And the date on the quoted “Sources Sought/Market Survey” makes it clear that the Gyrojet rocket flare system is still an issue item to this day. Not bad for a 40 year old failure.

By Chuck Madurski

Chronically short of small arms to issue to troops for a variety of reasons, the German Army often reissued captured weapons when available in quantity. Due to their early battlefield successes on the Eastern Front, they captured fairly large quantities of Soviet arms, among these the PPSh41 submachine gun. These were highly favored by German troops for its large magazine capacity when equipped with a 71-round drum magazine as well as its powerful ammo and rugged construction.

As is typical in warfare, when weapons are captured, ammunition is too. Captured PPSh41 submachine guns were issued to German troops and their allies as the MP717(r) in its original chambering of 7.62×25 (7.62 Tokarev). A bit later, if not simultaneously, a 9mm conversion was developed for the PPSh by the Germans. The nomenclature for this version was MP41(r). One obvious reason is the logistical nightmare of trying to supply several different calibers and loads to the troops in the field. Double that effort when one considers that German industry was not going to load the 7.62×25, so all ammunition for issue would likely have come from captured stocks. In one scenario the ammo is captured, brought to the rear areas for accounting and redistribution, and then shipped back to the soldiers actually using the arm, all the while consuming precious fuel and space on trucks, etc. If the captured ammo is simply kept at the front and re-issued, one hoped the ammo was captured near the users of the foreign made weapons. This would not work very well either.

Additionally, war being the chaotic, split-second decision making activity that it is, sometimes something as simple as an outline or profile is all one needs to open fire at a moment’s notice. The PPSh has a unique profile; its outstanding feature to an observer being the shape of the magazine protruding from the bottom of the weapon. This is so whether a drum or, especially, the curved stick magazine is in place. It is entirely plausible that German soldiers could open fire on other forces fighting on their side at a distance simply because of the profile of their magazines. Since the German-developed 9mm conversion for the PPSh uses the MP38/MP40 9mm magazine, it makes the submachine gun look quite unlike the Soviet PPSh. From afar, it may even look somewhat like the Hugo Schmeisser designed MP41, considering the wood stock and straight magazine.

The Conversion Kit

Long time SAR readers may recall an article about a very rare original 9mm converted PPSh41 back in the March, 1998 issue (Vol. 1, No. 6). In that article, author Frank Iannamico detailed that the German conversion consisted of a 9mm barrel and a removable magazine well that used MP38/MP40 magazines. Available from InterOrdnance, as well as various vendors at the larger machine gun oriented gun shows, the reproduction kit under review here is made in the same manner as the originals, which makes it a very simple and reversible conversion. Further, this is not meant to be solely an expedient way to convert a PPSh to fire the ubiquitous 9mm Parabellum cartridge, but it is an historical item as well. The magazine adapter is made to accept MP38/MP40 magazines, just like the originals, instead of something more common such as the Sten mag or some other single feed submachine gun magazine. Also, the adapter has several markings on it attempting to make it look like original Nazi issue. On the right side is stamped the weapon nomenclature MP41(r), and on the left side there is a manufacturer code and a date (44) along with an ersatz Waffenampt that, while stamped deeply, is nearly impossible to decipher. Probably for the best, but it does add a little to make it appear more authentic.

Fitting the Parts to Your Gun

The barrel provided is unmarked as to origin or chambering, though a box of conversion barrels were seen at Knob Creek and little bits of paper in the box said “Made in Bulgaria.” The barrel is fully chambered and blued and only needs to be fitted to the gun. This is a relatively simple task. First the diameter of the barrel near the chamber must be reduced from its (thankfully) slightly oversize condition to fit into the trunnion of the gun. This is quickly accomplished by spinning the barrel by hand lightly against a one inch belt sander and test fitting until it slid in with only a little force. Due to the construction and method of operation of the PPSh, true precision is not required here – but you don’t want the barrel loose enough to the point it has any discernable movement when in place.

The final step in fitting the barrel is cutting the notch for the hinge pin, which not only couples the receiver with the stock assembly but also retains the barrel in the gun. Pay attention here. The original 7.62×25 ammunition for the PPSh is a bottleneck round and feeds quite easily, therefore the barrel only has a rounded edge leading to the chamber instead of a feed ramp of any kind. This has several advantages, chief of which is that, when originally manufactured, no mind needed to be paid to the orientation of the barrel when the notch for the hinge pin was cut. It also allows a barrel to be reused and fitted to different guns too since the barrel can simply be rotated when fitted to a new gun, and a new notch cut. Not so with the 9mm barrel. Being a straight walled cartridge, the system requires a feed ramp to ensure reliable feeding. When the notch for the hinge pin is cut, attention should be paid to the rotational orientation of the barrel, making sure the feed ramp is positioned properly at the bottom.

The makers of this kit manufactured their parts to require fitting, which is preferable to having parts oversize and unable to function correctly. Considering the various countries that made PPSh submachine guns and their sometimes casual regard to tolerances, this was a wise decision. Not only will the magazine well adapter need fitting to the lower receiver and stock assembly, but in this case, the well itself needed several minutes of filing to allow the MP38/MP40 magazines to fit in the fore-aft direction. Side to side fit was fine. Due to the tightness of the mag well, the much more plentiful and cheaper Belgian Verignon magazines are not able to be used in this example. However, if one wants to open the mag well up even more, they can probably be made to work, though at the possible loss of functionality with the original German magazines.

In fitting the mag well to the lower receiver/ stock assembly, the only area that required attention was the ramped rib on the rear which is engaged by the original mag catch. Make sure to maintain the same slope to the surface while filing to fit. The rest of the mag well is a snug, but not too tight fit in the gun.

How Does it Shoot?

A blustery spring day at the Knob Creek Range was scene for trying out this historical recreation. After firing several 32- round magazines and passing it around to fellow shooters for a test drive, a few trends were noted. First, the cyclic rate is noticeably slower. Where the stock PPSh is known for a fairly high rate of fire at around 900 rpm, the 9mm converted gun seemed to be in the 700-750 range. It was also considerably easier to hold the gun still and keep the sights on target while firing long bursts. Though the 9mm typically fires a heavier projectile, it is launched at a much lower velocity with less pressure. In the heavy PPSh, this makes for a sweet, easy to shoot platform. It was definitely a crowd pleaser and led directly to several more sales of conversion kits in the pole barn that weekend.

Why Convert?

The question often posed is, why convert? Especially using these parts and expensive MP38/MP40 magazines. Many PPSh owners will say they only need a 9mm barrel and are then successful in using original 7.62×25 drums and sometimes even the curved stick magazines. That is great, and satisfies one of the answers as to why. The full answer being, though, at the moment 7.62×25 ammunition is readily available and in most cases more affordable than 9mm: the Parabellum round is easily the most common centerfire pistol and smg cartridge. Certainly, eventually, supplies of 9mm will far outstrip those of the old Tokarev round; it is only a matter of time. Further, the conversion turns the PPSh into a different, calmer shooting experience. Lastly, this is an historical copy of a unique adaptation and use of a captured weapon from a desperate time long ago.

Where to get it:
Inter Ordnance I.O. Inc,
3305 Westwood Industrial Drive Monroe, NC 28110(866) 882-1479
Cost: $150
Barrels may be available separately, call and ask

SAR profiled Vector Arms in the September 2000 issue, (Volume 3, Number 12) detailing the sale of fully transferable Uzi submachine guns. Small Arms Review recently took the opportunity to sit down with Rex Merrill, General Manager of Vector Arms at Vector’s production facilities in Salt Lake City, Utah to learn what new products are available and what products are being developed for the recreational shooter.

SAR: What’s the background of the Vector name?

Rex: My brother Ralph Merrill had a fixture manufacturing business and had an FFL as well. He decided to sell the business and pursue the firearms business full time. He chose the name Vector for the new company because a vector is a mathematical symbol denoting the magnitude and direction of a force, usually shown as an arrow.

Ralph attended the Group Industries bankruptcy auction in 1995 and was the successful bidder on all the remaining full auto Uzi receivers. After three years of work to find some new Uzi parts, production began. I was working in the construction industry when Ralph asked if I wanted to work for him in a less stressful job. I agreed, and was the first employee of Vector Arms. The promise of a “less stressful job” was accurate in the beginning, but it’s not that way any more!

At the time, it was just me and Ralph in the corner of our office warehouse. We wore insulated coveralls because there wasn’t any heat in the building yet. Ralph did the TIG-welding on the first guns, while I assembled and polished the guns. We built our own bullet trap so we could do test firing. From there, the company grew into the current business. I’m now the General Manager and oversee daily operations of 43 people.

SAR: Tell me what’s new at Vector.

Rex: The full auto Uzi project put us on the map and got our name into the consumer market. We sold out of transferable Uzi submachine guns in 2004. We have been producing the semiautomatics continuously since starting the company. Of all our available products, the semiautomatic Uzi is the one product that is backlogged. We currently have about 8,000 semi-auto Uzi receivers, but a shrinking inventory of parts to build them. This is mainly due to the general scarcity of Uzi parts. There are some Uzi parts still available overseas, but due to politics, they are becoming more difficult to import. If we have to make American- made Uzi parts, I don’t think we can continue to sell semiautomatic Uzi rifles at our current price.

In 2004, we started two new projects. Our first project was to start building American made AK47 rifles. We imported a number of AK47 parts kits and started building fixed stocked rifles just before the assault weapon ban expired. The timing of the decision to build AK 47 rifles was fortunate. Prior to the ban being lifted, sales of the AK rifles were ok, but as soon as the ban lifted, the rifles started flying out the door.

Once the assault weapon ban was lifted, we could start selling rifles with folding stocks. We continue to offer rifles in both configurations. Currently, about half of our AK rifles are sold with fixed stocks, with the other half being under-folding stocks. We build AK rifles with side-folding stocks, but the side-folding stock doesn’t seem to be too popular. We offer fixed stocks in wood or polycarbonate.

Recently, we added the “Yugo” or Yugoslavian style rifles to our AK line. The rifles are shorter than a standard AK, but a little longer than the carbine-sized Krinkov. It’s an intermediate size, but because the barrel is shorter than 16 inches, the rifle must be registered as a short barreled rifle. We’re planning on building the Yugoslavian kits into a pistol version so that the firearm does not have to be registered as an SBR.

SAR: Could the AK pistol be converted later to an SBR?

Rex: Not very easily. The trunnion we use on our AK receivers is intended for an under- folding stock. The back of the trunnion is flat and there is no external provision for attaching a stock. The rear trunnion is riveted into the receiver, and although there are holes in the trunnion for an under-folding stock, the mounting holes do not extend through the receiver to allow an under- folding stock to be attached. If you had experience building AK rifles, you might be able to drill the receiver and add an under- folding stock. Otherwise, the rear trunnion would have to be removed, and the receiver drilled in the appropriate location before reassembling everything back together. It would not be easy.

SAR: Do you build any exotic AK rifles?

Rex: We built rifles from Hungarian AMD- 65 parts kits for a while, but we sold out of those and can no longer get the parts kits. We also designed a semiautomatic version of the RPD belt-fed machine gun. The RPD rifle is chambered in 7.62×39. We have BATF approval on this design. We also make an RPK rifle chambered in 5.45×39.

SAR: Tell me about your other project.

Rex: The Heckler and Koch type rifles are the latest addition to our product line. We started building the Heckler and Koch style rifles in 2004, about the same time we started building AK47 type rifles. Again, this was before the assault weapons ban expired, and we were limited to the ban restrictions.

We found a number of HK 93 rifles overseas, and imported 6,000 parts kits. We developed an American made receiver and started assembling rifles. As far as we know, we are the only one making HK style rifles in .223 caliber.

We started by building the V-93, a fulllength copy like the HK 93, chambered in .223. We later introduced the V-53; a US made copy of the HK 53 carbine, which is an SBR. We currently build the .223 caliber rifles in three additional configurations. The V-53 carbine can be purchased as a Title 1 rifle with a 16-inch barrel called the V- 53L, or with an 8.75-inch barrel and a barrel extension which is called the V-53.

Shortly after the expiration of the assault weapons ban, we started building pistol versions of the V-53 carbine. The pistol version is nearly identical to the V-53 carbine except that there is no buttstock. Due to the large number of registered HK conversion sears, the V-53 pistols have become very popular. When the full auto sear is removed, the gun reverts back to a pistol for storage, saving an SBR tax.

SAR: How is Vector responding to the Federal ban on imported parts kits and rifle barrels?

Rex: We have had to make our own barrels chambered in .223, and .308. We make our barrels out of 4140 chrome-moly steel, the next best alternative to hammer forged steel. Let me also add that because we make our own barrels, we have flexibility in how to configure the 16-inch barrels. If a barrel extension is used to extend the barrel length, the extension is pressed over the threaded barrel. As a result, if a customer buys a V-53 carbine with a barrel extension, the customer can later remove the extension without replacing the entire barrel. The threads for a flash suppressor will still be there.

SAR: Tell me about your other products.

Rex: Based upon the success of the V-53 project, we expanded production to the V-51, a carbine version of the HK 91 rifle. Like the V-53 carbine, we sell the V-51 carbine in five configurations. The V-51L rifle has a 16-inch barrel. We had several customers request a long barrel, similar in appearance to an HK 94 rifle. I initially thought the long barrel would defeat the purpose of buying a V-51, but there has been a demand for this configuration. The customer usually intends to slide their own suppressor over the long barrel. We offer the V-51LS, with a 16-inch barrel with a dummy suppressor slipped over the barrel. We offer the V-51 which has an 8.75-inch barrel with a barrel extension that looks like a long ported compensator. The V-51L, V- 51LS, and the V-51 are Title 1 guns, and do not require any registration with ATF. We also offer the V-51 SBR with an 8.75-inch barrel, which requires registration as a short barreled rifle. Finally, we offer the V-51P which is the pistol configuration just as the V-53 above.

Heckler and Koch never made a carbine chambered in 308, but many aftermarket gunsmiths did. Bill Fleming, Fred Vollmer, Tim La France and Terry Dyer and others made versions of the HK 51 carbine. We based our V-51 carbines upon a model developed by Fred Vollmer.

The last configuration is the V-51P, or pistol. Of the V-51 product line, I’d say that 75% of our sales are of the V-51 pistol, while the other 25% being the other configurations.

SAR: How challenging was it to build the V-51 rifle?

Rex: It was very challenging to get the rifles to work reliably. We developed our own locking pieces for the V-51 and V-53. The HK rifle uses rollers to lock the bolt to the barrel during the firing sequence. Getting the rollers to unlock the bolt at the right time is a big part of getting the rifle to operate reliably. The locking piece is the part of the bolt that affects the timing and allows the bolt to unlock. Changing the geometry of the locking piece will allow the bolt to open earlier or later in the firing cycle. This can be good and bad, depending upon the situation.

Because of the shorter barrel length on the V-51 and V-53 carbine and pistol, we couldn’t use the standard locking piece used in the HK 91 or HK 93 bolt mechanisms. Due to the shorter barrels, we had to make the guns unlock earlier than the longer barreled rifles. On the V-53, we re-grind an HK 93 number 8 locking piece. The number 8 locking piece has a 58 degree angle. We regrind the locking piece to more closely mimic the locking piece used in an HK 53 carbine.

With regards to the V-51, Heckler and Koch never built a .308 carbine, so we had to create our own locking pieces. We experimented with various geometries to make the V-51 run reliably, and now grind our own locking pieces for the V-51 carbine.

SAR: You’ve spoken at length about the V-51 carbine. Do you produce a full sized .308 rifle?

Rex: We do not build full sized .308 rifles. PTR-91 Enterprises supplies us with receivers to build the V-51 carbines. PTR-91 Enterprises builds an excellent version of the HK 91 rifle, and we have no desire to compete with them. As a result, we refer customers who desire a full sized .308 rifle to PTR-91 Enterprises.

SAR: Do you have any plans to build a .22LR caliber conversion or a belt fed?

Rex: We are interested in building a belt fed rifle, but have no plans to do so at this time. We know that it would be a great product to offer, but we have many pending projects at this time. We have two recent additions to our product line, the V-11 and V-13 rifles, versions of the HK 21 and HK 23, respectively. Both rifles are built with quick change heavy barrels and very closely resemble the HK version. Although not belt fed, the V-13 rifle is chambered in .223, and is compatible with 100 round C-Mag drums made by the Beta Company. The V-11 rifle is chambered in .308 and is built using the updated HK “E” series design. We plan on the V-11 rifle to be compatible with the .308 C-Mag drum being recently offered by the Beta Company.

SAR: Tell me about your MP5 clones.

Rex: We’ve sold a number of HK MP5 type firearms in six configurations and four calibers. In terms of configurations, we offer an SP-89 type pistol, a full sized MP5 type pistol (with no butt stock,) a full sized HK 94 type rifle with an 8.75-inch barrel and extension, an MP5 type carbine that is registered as a short barreled rifle, a PDW SBR with a 5-inch barrel and a PDW rifle that has the 5-inch barrel and extension. During production, we found that customers preferred a permanently attached dummy suppressor to mimic the look of a suppressed weapon. As a result, we use a barrel that measures 8.75 inches in length that is combined with a permanently attached barrel extension to achieve the 16 inch barrel length requirement.

In terms of calibers, we offered firearms in 10mm, .40 S&W, .357 SIG, and the traditional 9mm. We no longer offer guns in .357 SIG, 10mm, or 9mm. We learned that the .357 SIG cartridge does not work well with the unsupported chamber typically used in HK barrels. Certain ammo in .357 SIG might rupture when fired. Although we test all weapons before releasing them into the market, we did not discover this issue until after a number of the guns were released on the market. We no longer produce guns in .357 SIG.

We also sold guns chambered in 10mm, but we are phasing them out. We learned that there is a huge variation in 10mm ammunition available on the market. As a result, the guns chambered in 10mm did not always function reliably. In an effort to make the guns more reliable, five different locking pieces were made in an attempt to match the gun’s performance to different pressures of 10mm ammunition. The locking pieces had to be changed as different brands of 10mm ammunition were used. Most consumers were unwilling to go through the trouble of disassembling their bolt assembly every time a new brand of 10mm ammunition was used.

Our 9mm project sold well and sold out and we can’t get more parts. We are looking for a source but at this point have not been successful.

We continue to sell MP5 variants chambered in .40 S&W. We’ve recently produced integrally suppressed carbines, similar to the MP5SD model. In all outward appearances, the gun looks like an HK MP5SD. The suppressor is our own design, with looks similar to the original Heckler and Koch suppressor design used in the suppressed HK guns. We just completed production of the guns chambered in .40S&W, and by the time this goes to press, we hope to have produced the suppressed 9mm guns. The difficulty in building MP5SD clones is sourcing the SD hand guards. There are domestically made hand guards, but they are very expensive and not readily available to us. If we are unable to find a reliable source of SD hand guards, we’ll use tactical rails with rubber coated hand guards instead of the traditional SD hand guard.

SAR: What are some of the challenges Vector has experienced?

Rex: All the original manufacturers of our guns have ceased making the guns we now build, so getting good parts is an increasing problem. Import laws are also becoming more restrictive requiring us to source more and more parts from the domestic U.S. market. Also because of scarcity, parts are becoming more expensive, so it is difficult to continue to produce these guns at reasonable prices. We face a shrinking labor pool making it ever more difficult to find qualified people who are willing to work for wages we can afford. Inflation is also an issue driving the price of all raw materials ever upward. Vector is doing its best to meet these challenges and still offer excellent quality at a reasonable price.

SAR: Where do you see the firearms industry headed in the future?

Rex: A lot of customers have asked what the Democrat success in the 2006 elections means to gun rights. I don’t think it meansa lot so far. We see an introduction of a new assault weapons ban and some other gun legislation, but we still have President Bush in office to veto it. And, just because the Congress is run by the Democrats, I don’t think we’re going to get a bunch of new gun laws passed right away. We have Democrats that believe in gun rights. I don’t think we’re going to see big pieces of legislation passed; I think we’ll see little additions to existing bills, and we’ll die by a thousand cuts. I think we’ll see small restrictions get passed one by one. As a result,

I don’t think we’ll see a lot of legislation passed before the next Presidential election. If a Democrat wins the Presidential election in 2008, then we need to watch out! We will see an acceleration of anti-gun legislation. Since we (at Vector) are confident of additional restriction in the future, we’re gearing up to get sufficient amounts of product made for sale in the event that another assault weapons ban is passed.

SAR: Thank you for your time speaking to me today.

Rex: You’re welcome.

By Julio A.Montes

On a South American TV station, there was a preview of “El Golpe,” a Spanish documentary from the History Channel on the Argentinean Coup of the 70s. A wheeled gun truck was shown supporting troops storming an installation. Although the footage suggested that the vehicle was part of the Argentinean Army, the shot wasactually a self-propelled M55A2 system of the Salvadoran National Guard during the conflict in that country, and certainly not a participant of the Argentinean coup.

There have been few tracked vehicles in service with the armed forces of El Salvador. The first tracked armored vehicles acquired by the Salvadoran military consisted of a handful of CV-33 Ansaldos acquired in Italy around 1937, which oddly enough ended up in the hands of the National Police after a failed coup against General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez. These were followed by eight M3A1s supplied as part of Lend-Lease by the US in 1944, which continued to operate well into the 1970s. In 1978, the Salvadoran Army purchased 27 Woodmaster tractors in Augusta, Georgia, using funds from the Agricultural Ministry. These were no other than discontinued M114 vehicles stripped of plates. Upon arrival to the Santo Tomas Port in Guatemala they were immediately escorted to the Armed Forces Workshop (Maestranza) in El Salvador, where 23 were later rebuilt into armored personnel transports. Although the new armored body provided much needed protection, the mechanical defects of the M114 “tractors” remained. These included an unreliable and breaking-down prone Chevrolet V8 gasoline engine of 160hp, and poor traction. Within a year, Maestranza had adapted the LDT-465IC diesel V6 of 140hp engines from the M35 trucks. This improved range but reduced maximum speed to some 50km/h. Nevertheless, the vehicles easily overheated, and this confined them to be used as reaction tools rather than their intended field supportive role.

When Maestranza started to rebuild the M114 tractors it concentrated in three basictypes. The initial tracked transport variant presented a simple box-like structure; even American advisers often confused this variant for modified M113. The gun carrier variant appeared more like a WWI tank, sporting several machine gun turrets or pedestals. Finally, the utility/ cargo variants sported an open bed and were used for diverse roles, including one modified as an amphibious assault/patrol vehicle.

Yugoslavian M55A2 Systems

In the early 1970s, the Army acquired some 32 M55A2 anti-aircraft gun systems, and distributed them between units around the country. Ilopango AFB received 12 M55A2 systems, but only one battery (with six pieces) was ever operational under the local control of the base Security Battalion. The M55A2 is basically the former Hispano-Suiza (HS) 630 mount, consisting of three 20mm HS-804 cannons mounted on a two wheeled undercarriage built under license from Switzerland by the Federal Supply Bureau Yugoslavia. The weapon weighs 970 kg when in firing position (without ammunition), and 1,110kg in traveling mode (with ammunition), and each gun is fed by a drum type magazine with 60-rounds. Rate of fire is claimed to be 700 rpm per gun, with an effective range of 1,200 meters in the anti-aircraft role. The maximum horizontal range is 5,500m, and the maximum vertical range is 4,000m. Although the system can fire from the traveling position, the usual method of employment is with the wheels raised from the ground and the system resting on a tripod. Elevation is accomplished by rotating a small disk located in front of the gunner’s seat; maximum elevation is +83 degrees with a minimum depression of -5 degrees. This capacity proved vital during the civil war since the system was employed against guerrilla attacks, and not against the intended air threat. A fireselector (single-automatic) is conveniently located under the gunner’s seat. The guns can traverse 360 degrees, but it would be difficult to keep track of a high velocity, low-level target. Traverse is accomplished by rotating a crank on the left side of the gunner’s seat.

The Self Propelled Gun Carrier is Born

By 1978, Captain Oswaldo Marenco had developed a gun truck based on an International Harvester dump truck for the National Guard. This was later used to field the first M55A2 self-propelled system, and this was the system featured in the History Channel piece on Argentina over 28 years later. Marenco designed a simple box-like turret where a cage with two side plates welded and linked at the top by an overhead plate replaced the wheels from the undercarriage, and access to the turret was made possible through two small doors immediately behind of the gunner’s seat. The manual operations of the system remained unchanged, and the turret could rotate 360 degrees, but no provisions were made for optical sights or any other electronic or electrical assistance.

As the turret developed by Marenco allowed the standard M55A2 tripod to remain intact, when the time came to accommodate the weapon into the M114 utility/cargo this was accomplished simply by depressing the tripod legs to accommodate them into “hooks” inside the vehicle’s main body. Four tracked selfpropelled M114/M55A2s are known to have been built: Model-10012 was delivered to the Treasury Police, and later to Ilopango AFB, and Model-10016 to the National Guard.

In the late 1970s, officers of the 3rd Infantry Brigade requested the conversion of one of their MAN 630 trucks to a M55A2 self-propelled armored system. A larger turret was developed providing more protection than the previous designsand, in theory, the guns could be loaded from inside the cramped space of the turret. A pair of 90mm M67 RCLs were placed on top of the turret and were synchronized to the HS-804 cannons. The 20mm were actually used as spotting “rifles” for the RCLs. The HS-804 cannons could not be elevated more than +25 degrees. The system was later reported with the 5th Infantry Brigade.

Modernization is the Key

The M55A2 is a manually operated system. Although powerful, it cannot deal properly against even older generation fighters at low level. Nevertheless, there are advanced, computer and powered assisted variants of the M55 developed in Yugoslavia that could be used as a model to improve and modernize the Salvadoran pieces.

Such is the case of the M55A3B1, which uses the PANS-20/3 sight, good to engage air and ground targets. The sight helps to engage targets at a maximum range of 1,500m, moving at speeds up to 1,000 km/h. The M55A3 model has powered elevation and traverse provided by a 6kW petrol Wankel engine. This engine is mounted on the traversing mass alongside the gunner gunlayer. The M55A4B1 variant is even more advanced, with the Wankel engine moved beneath the gunner’s seat. The sight is a hydraulic servomechanism computing J171, which is basically an Italian-designed P- 56 model, allowing engagement of ground and air targets at a horizontal range of 2,500m. It is also feasible that the M55A2 system can be upgraded using Swiss GAIDO1 components.

Another alternative for the Salvadorans could consist in converting the triple mounts to lighter, single gun models, using components of the Yugoslavian M75/ 1, or the equivalent Oerlikon-Contraves GAI-BO1 model. An M-75/1 model equipped with a M73 reflex sight is a costeffective air defense and fire support weapon that can be easily accommodated on flat bed pickups such as the Humvee M1097.

French HS-404 Cannons

At the end of the war, the Salvadoran Armed Forces had at least 30 HS-404 20mm guns in storage. The cannons come from retired Ouragan planes since each fighter was equipped with four weapons. Although the fighters are no longer in service, the cannons can still be very useful. Lt. Col. Vicente Bolaños from the Cavalry Regiment indicated in early 1998 that a Cashuat had been modified as suggested, and in 1999, the Cavalry Regiment presented an upgraded Cashuat light armored vehicle equipped with a pintle-mounted HS- 404 cannon.

Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the Salvadoran technicians posses the knowhow to develop a simple powered turret that could accommodate the gunner and firing mechanism for the gun. In the fighter-model, the cannon was belt fed, and linked to an ammunition box with 125 rounds. This same installation can be modified for mounting on a small turret, similar – at least in concept – to that opentopped model found in the German Wiesel AFV. Another example could be the older Swedish Hägglund and Söner HS-20 turret that mounted a HS-404 cannon in a cylindrical lightly armored encasement. Right: “New” AAA piece completed with HS404 cannons recycled from obsolete Ouragan fighter. (CCP via von Santos) The one-man turret was equipped with several periscopes, and a monocular sight of 8x magnification, along with an M18 external open sight for aerial engagements. A machine gun pod was provided later. The turrets could be mounted on the surviving UR-416 armored vehicles.

The HS-404 can be used to replace or complement the M29 cannons used by the Salvadoran Navy as well. For now, the sailors have developed a mount – based on the Mk-68 models – to adapt two MGs. The same pedestal could accommodate the HS-404 on patrol boats or on flatbed vehicles (Cashuat AFV or similar).

Around 2002, Maestranza developed a manually operated air defense piece with two of the HS-404 cannons, and an undercarriage inspired on the M55A2 model. However, a major technical problem remained with the high rate of fire of the HS404. Finally, in 2005, a technical officer from Maestranza was able to overcomethe drawback, and the cycle of fire was reduced to a more appropriate rate for use against ground targets, and a battery of 6 double-gun pieces was finally fielded. In 2006, the successful development of the Salvadoran twin 20mm gun system inspired a newer, power operated, AAA piece housed in an armored tub. The powered assisted turret is lightly armored and open-topped. The system was then mounted on an elderly 6×6 M809 fiveton truck, modified with an armored body and a redesigned forward armored cabin (much similar to the M977). This new Mad-Max style self propelled system then was successfully field-tested, and is now ready for service. It was later verified that four machines have been assembled and ready…If only the US could supply the M977 with armored kit…

It is not clear whether the new AAA systems are able to properly track air targets since the joystick has to be perfectly synchronized to follow it rather than depending on high-speed of traverse and elevation for shooting. I believe that a better mounting to take inspiration from was the TCM-20 mount, which also uses the HS- 404 guns. Even today, the US could supply M41/M55 Quad .50 caliber multiple machine gun mount systems from Vietnam stocks (if there are still some leftover somewhere) to accommodate the HS-404 in place of the machine guns. These can be easily be accommodated on the Cashuat armored vehicle for something similar to the M16 half-track ADA system of WWII or more recent M3/ TCM20, and able to be used against ground targets and air targets while providing limited protection for the crew, gunner and ammunition. A Cashuat equipped with this weapon could be deployed for convoy escort, perimeter defense, airport defense, mobile air defense, and infantry support vehicle.

The self-propelled systems allowed the gunner to fire the weapon without exposing himself and under the protection of the turret. The main drawback was that once the 180 rounds of ready ammunition were used-up, the crew had to load the guns in the open. They were used mainly for perimeter and convoy security since the awesome firepower of the HS- 804 cannons could easily overwhelm any guerrilla attack. However, the Army failed to take advantage of this firepower and failed to develop an appropriate doctrine and tactics to use them. Today, the Salvadoran Army lacks any ADA self-propelled system since the International Harvester gun truck was dismantled in 1988, and the modified M114 and MAN truck were retired from service in 1992.

During the battle of Najaf in mid 2004, a Salvadoran patrol was trapped until it ran out of ammunition; after much pleading to their Spanish HQ, four BMR/VECs were dispatched to help, arriving just on time to find the trapped Salvadoran unit engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle for their lives. The incident highlighted the need for counting on its own armored support. It is important to remember that out of all our allies in Latin America, the Salvadorans are the only ones that have retained soldiers in Iraq, fighting side-byside with our US forces. Salvadoran troops in Iraq have finally been equipped with several M1114 up-armored vehicles for in-theater operations. Salvadoran Cuscatlán Battalion soldiers in Iraq have been recipients of US medals for valor when defending US officials, and they have sustained casualties in the process. However, the promised 24 M1114 by the US to be delivered to the Cavalry Regiment back home have not materialized in 2007.

The Salvadoran Army deploys two gun trucks built at local workshops that are basically useless for anything other than parades. The upcoming platoon of four gun trucks being built now on the M809 trucks chassis and HS-404 guns will provide considerable firepower in a low-level conflict as long as the proper tactics and doctrines are developed for their use. Until the formal introduction of the “new” self-propelled systems, the four tracked and two wheeled M55A2 ADA systems deployed between 1979 and 1992, remain as the most powerful support vehicles ever assembled in El Salvador.

“The purpose of an under barrel shotgun is to reduce transition time from your primary weapon to your under barrel shotgun and vice versa. That’s what it’s doing now and we’re refining it to make it an even better product. The fact that it can also be used as a stand-alone, two or so pounds lighter than a Mossberg or a Remington, more advantageous to the soldier than carrying (those) around. Also the fact that … the XM26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System …is more portable and enables the soldier to move through tighter areas than carrying (a standard pump shotgun) along with an M4.” Thomas Vass, XM26 Product Director, US Army Program Manager Small Arms

SAR has been following development of the XM26 MASS (Modular Accessory Shotgun System) for several years, dating back to when it was still called LSS (Lightweight Shotgun System) in military documentation.

The first working prototype was created early in 1999 by C-More Competition’s Ira Kay based on his proposal that had been submitted in response to an Advanced Concept and Technology (ACT II) Program solicitation issued by the US Army. It has remained essentially the same in form and function through the years as small quantities have been acquired by cutting-edge military organizations for purposes ranging from formal testing to urgent combat fielding.

Now, a bit shy of a decade later, Kay’s compact, light, magazine fed, manual straight-pull 12 gauge is slated to be the US Army’s first really new standard-issue shotgun in more than 100 years since John Moses Browning’s iconic pump-action Winchester Model 1897 entered the inventory during the Philippine Insurrection.

Key words here are “really new + standard- issue.” Yes, SAR knows that plenty of other pump shotguns, bearing familiar names like Savage, Stevens and Ithaca, have been in widespread Army issue with the most current notables being Remington 870s and Mossberg 500s. Not “really new” because they’re all based on Browning’s slide action.

Various scatterguns in semi and even full auto have been acquired by the Army for testing and sometimes limited issue during the 20th century. The selective-fire HK/Olin Close Assault Weapon System and its radical flechette ammo almost made it to the finish line back in the 1980s. More recently, the semiauto HK/Benelli M1014 Joint Service Combat Shotgun, developed by the Marine Corps with the goal of standardization throughout Department of Defense, is in Army use only with 75th Ranger Regiment.

But, if things stay on track for type classification and full rate production, Remingtons and Mossbergs will give way to the M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System beginning in 2008. Readily convertible at individual soldier level as under barrel or stand alone weapons for a full range of shotgun applications, the basis for issue is currently set at two per squad, for a total currently set at 22,000 guns.

So, what’s the gun like now in its pre-production configuration?

SAR asked for it and the Army delivered big time.

Public Affairs Officer Debi Dawson of Program Executive Officer Soldier has laid on an extraordinary opportunity for our readers to be the first outsiders to get a close look at the latest version of a weapon that is on track to be the Army’s first really new standard issue shotgun in over a century.

It’s a frosty but sunny winter morning at the historic home of the Ordnance Corps, where the energetic and personable Ms. Dawson has more than a dozen military and contractor personnel standing by, including the weapon’s stalwart inventor and the director of the Army’s program to perfect and field it.

That is pretty impressive VIP treatment for such a relatively small magazine and definitely not taken for granted.

It might be because SAR is closely tuned to the “muddy boots military;” the grunts doing the tough, dangerous and grinding combat missions 24-7 in the Global War on Terror. Infantry weapons are our specialty and we take pride in recognizing the good people who are responsible for developing and fielding the world’s best and most effective battlefield hardware.

Behind The Fence

So one lone reporter, personally escorted by Dan Terek, Aberdeen Test Center’s (ATC) earnest young Test Director, joined a convoy of government vehicles cleared to pass through a high-security gatehouse and venture into the secret land “Behind The Fence.” This deceptively bland phrase describes miles of forbidding, barbed-wire topped barrier separating main post from ATC’s vast domain of ranges, impact areas and hushhush facilities.

The trip to Soldier Systems Test Facility Outdoor Range covers several miles, revealing an amazing variety of activities that, of course, Terek is not at liberty to comment on. But we’re allowed to look and over on a manmade mountain they’re doing rough terrain testing of an unusual armored gun platform. Then, there appear to be preparations for some live fire engineering measurements of a large caliber gun system not recognized from current inventory. And who knows what’s going on inside the many cavernous buildings set in neat rows or others conspicuously apart and surrounded by multiple rolls of razor tape…

Range Control

Arriving at our destination, we climbed stairs to the second floor of what appears to be a new blockhouse, efficiently configured as Range Control. Enormous windows of thick double glass provide the Rangemaster and visitors a commanding view of a wide and seemingly limitless distance for extreme small arms shooting. The spacious and blessedly warm observation area easily accommodates this relatively large group with plenty of room to spare.

Tables and comfortable chairs, used in numerous on-site meetings of program and contractor personnel during year-round testingoperations, complete the arrangements for a near perfect venue to conduct the planned demonstration and related activities.

As the range would not be cleared to go hot for about an hour or so, the first order of business was to get some detailed photos of the weapon itself, normally a no-sweat task. However, security requirements prohibit visitors from bringing their own cameras so Susan Hagen, APG’s friendly and efficient Public Affairs Specialist, arranged for an official staff photographer.

Luckily for SAR, Jim Aguiar drew the assignment. This former Navy lensman proved to be interested, enthusiastic, proficient, and proactive, quickly picking up on what needed to be done despite this correspondent’s very poor attempts at direction.

How It Works

Army Sergeant First Class Donald Moore, NCOIC (Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge) of ATC’s Small Arms Systems Division, was the day’s designated XM26 shooter. He graciously agreed to assist with the routine photos as well by assuming the role of an instructor, teaching us the basics of the weapon’s mechanical characteristics and operation. By mutual agreement this was conducted inside, much to the relief of those participants who had neglected to wear long johns.

About this time we were joined by Ira Kay, the weapon’s outspoken, iconoclastic inventor and head of C-More Competition/C-More Systems. As Moore went through field stripping, Kay provided essential details on the design of various components in a rapid-fire delivery that commanded close attention. A case in point is the rotating elevation adjustment assembly on the shotgun’s forward mounting bracket, allowing precise zero to the host weapon’s sights.

As may be seen in the accompanying photos, this collaboration worked very well with Aguiar snapping away as Moore went step by step through field stripping, reassembly, then safe handling and firing preparations. Kay’s insights cued the all-important closeups that provide SAR’s technically minded readers with engineering details that words inadequately convey.

Ballistic Breaching

But there was precious little time for photographic niceties. With the range scheduled to go hot in just a few minutes we were invited outside to the concrete surfaced firing line where an elaborate doorway mockup had been positioned. There we met Nathan Beavers, one of ATC’s contract “shooters,” who was formidably armed with the stand-alone version of the XM26 and soon to be clad in ballistic protective gear from head to toe.

Beavers showed us how he was going to extend the cage-like standoff muzzle device and insert the barrel of the stubby, stocked shotgun through saucer sized holes in clear Plexiglas (protects against splash back of lead and debris) to blow the door’s locks and hinges. Safety rules required all others – photographer included – to be inside, so we were shepherded upstairs to view this dramatic demonstration through the observation room’s picture windows.

Special M1030 Breaching Rounds weren’t needed. The door fell on cue after single rounds of OO Buckshot were unleashed in each of the designated spots. We dutifully filed outside once again for a close look at the damage that nine pellets per cartridge at point blank range are capable of inflicting on wood and steel.

By this time in late morning the sun was flooding the firing line with thin but welcome warmth and the cutting wind had died down. Who could ask for more in February?

25 Meter Demo

We all gathered around on the hardstand at a safe distance as SFC Moore prepared an M4A1 Carbine with under barrel XM26 for the second demonstration. This, he explained, would be multiple rapid shots from standing position at a pair of standard E type silhouettes, a representation in size and shape of an adult male torso and head. As with the breaching demo, ammunition would be standard OO Buckshot, 2-3/4 inch loads, followed by a few finned non-lethal rounds.

The targets were placed 25 meters downrange on servo-motored carriers that automatically react to hits by sensing vibration and dropping the target backward. Depending on the scenario programmed into the Rangemaster’s control console, these will stay down until the exercise is completed, or quickly return the target to standing for multiple engagements in variable sequences. Such immediate feedback is very satisfying to competent shooters and a computer counts hits and misses for accurate scorekeeping.

XM26 accuracy test standards for this load at this distance call for a minimum of two of the nine pellets from each round to hit the target when “shoulder fired, using a bench rest….” Moore was shooting offhand but neither of the pair stood a chance against his rapid but methodical marksmanship.

After the last of several five-round magazines had been emptied and the weapon was confirmed clear, a few of us slopped downrange through the mud from recently melted snow. We were gratified to note multiple perforations, comfortably totaling in excess of the two per shot standard. Good shooting!

Hands-On Reporting

Philosophers caution us to “be careful of what we wish for because it might come true.” Well, this correspondent’s insistence on having the opportunity to shoot the XM26 had been officially blessed and now it was showtime – in front of the whole crowd.

The stand-alone version was selected, based on reasoning that its tubular buttstock and pistol grip make it closer in configuration and handling characteristics to semi-familiar riot guns of recent experience. Its MIL-STD 1913 accessory top rail sported a prominent front sight post to go with the large rear sight, cleverly consisting of a white dot inset on each wing of the rear attachment collar, somewhat more user-friendly than much smaller ones on the M4 carbine/shotgun combo.

Having paid some attention during the photo-session “lesson” and then observing several iterations of Moore’s loading and aiming drills, these essential make-ready functions had smoothed the way to a semblance of preparedness.

First, poke a finger into the action lock plunger under the receiver so the charging handle can be pulled rearward and the crossbolt safety engaged. SAFE comes with thumb pressure pushing through left to right so that the red ring is hidden. Next, insert the magazine AK style by locking in the forward lip and rocking the mag back and up until it snaps securely in place. Then, firmly push the charging handle forward to chamber a round and lock the action. The shotgun’s beefy mag serves perfectly as a foregrip with finger grooves molded in, and is properly spaced from the rear pistol grip for comfort and control.

Settling into a semi-crouch the index finger easily finds and pushes the safety through to FIRE (red warning ring now visible) and a passably good sight picture was attained on the left of the two silhouettes. Uh oh, it looked oddly smaller from an across the top of the weapon perspective. No fault of the sights, just the stressed shooter.

Breathe, sight, squeeze, boom, ouch! A sweatshirt and thin photo vest are no substitute for a flak vest or padded shooting jacket. Also, lacking the 7.5 pounds of recoil-absorbing mass that comes with an attached M4 carbine, the stubby little four pound standalone kicks like a mule. Yes, even with the relatively wimpy 2-3/4 inch Buck loads. Slugs? 3-inch Magnums? Uh, no thanks.

Fortunately, the first silhouette dropped immediately, drawing attention away from the grimacing shooter. Tighten up and drive on.

Resisting the natural tendency to grasp the charging handle to cycle the action, it’s time to try the demonstrated technique calling for knocking it back with the top edge of a flat palm and a fast flip of the wrist. This works as advertised, allowing immediate repositioning of the forward hand in grasping the magazine.

OK, we settle in again, this time on the right side target. Pulling the gun tighter into the shoulder proved useful, of course, and the second shot did less damage to the shoulder while managing to drop the target. Or maybe the Rangemaster did it manually from the control console….

Thankful that the weapon’s five round magazine had been loaded one short, there remained only two shots to endure. Get it over with quickly. Let’s see how fast two shots can be fired and hope that nine pellets per round will spread out enough over 25 meters to get a hit.

First target down, a flat palm bolt cycle done with clumsy inexperience, and a hasty final shot. As the smoke wafts away the second one is arrogantly standing there, testifying mutely but eloquently to the consequences of faulty aiming and trigger-jerk flinching.

Everyone was polite enough to pretend not to notice and, as most of the participants gathered at the splintered door frame for the obligatory group shot, there was time for a bit of reflection on some of the morning’s lessons:

• Any new weapon requires a lot of practice to attain proficiency.
• Shotguns are not magic blasters. Principles of marksmanship must be employed.
• Mass dampens recoil. Light weapons deliver more kick. Body armor negates the problem, but the planned addition of a highly effective new recoil buffer is welcome.
• Ira Kay’s invention will be a handy new addition to the US Army’s arsenal, particularly appreciated by breachers when attached as intended to their M16/M4 family of weapons.

New and Improved

The weapons shown and shot at the ATC press preview are close to, but not quite, what will be standardized/type classified and go into full rate production. Both Kay and Thomas Vass, the Army’s XM26 Product Manager, were careful to note a number of planned improvements based on soldier input and formal testing.

Seems this correspondent has a bit of company in being recoil-averse to the stand alone configuration, which, Vass said, garnered negative comment from one GI in formal review following testing. This was apparently enough and Kay told us that he has contracted with Enidine to include a version of their new ShotShock buffer in a redesigned telescoping buttstock that will also be fitted with a soft recoil pad.

Kay explained that, while liking the quick and easily manipulated crossbolt safety, some soldiers were inadvertently jamming the mechanism by putting the weapon on SAFE when uncocked, then retracting the bolt. Now, same as the M16/M4, the safety can only be engaged when the shotgun is cocked.

Similarly, the somewhat clunky add-on iron sights for the stand alone gun will be replaced with clever pop-ups positioned on the MIL-STD 1913 rail. Folded down and stowed out of the way when attached to a host weapon, they will be immediately available for use when reconfiguring for stand alone applications.

Vass told us that environmental testing – particularly in simulations of arctic cold and desert heat – revealed some problems with the polymer components. Production shotguns will feature tougher and more temperature- stable magazines, pistol grips and other nonmetallic parts.

So, the Army says to all you breachers, CQB specialists, sentries, MPs, and other practitioners of pump shotgunning – hang on a little while longer. A smaller, lighter, simpler, faster firing, faster reloading, more versatile tool is on the way.

Find Out More

C-More Competition and C-More Systems are best known for competition gun sights – www.cmore.com

Program Executive Soldier oversees an extraordinary range of weapons, ammunition and equipment in support of America’s Armed Forces. Visit their website at www.peosoldier.army.mil with a link to Program Manager Small Arms, directly responsible for the XM26 MASS and other exciting weaponry.

By Jean Huon

In Spain, the factory of STAR weapons is well known for its manufacture of hunting weapons and semiautomatic pistols. Perhaps less well known is that the firm also produced several models of submachine guns.

The first generation of STAR submachine guns was developed by two technicians, Valentine Suaniga and Isaac Irusta. Their realization was preceded by the development of a semiautomatic carbine; the S.I. 34. This weapon did not go beyond the prototype stage but it had the basic mechanism of the following models.

STAR I.S. 35

The STAR I.S. 35 began production just before the Spanish Civil War. The Central School of Shooting where it had been presented recommended its adoption for the armament of assault infantry and mortars crews. Nevertheless, it was used only on one small scale during the conflict.

The weapon presents a very conventional silhouette for the time with a wood stock and a tubular frame length-ened by a barrel jacket with oval perforations. A bayonet attachment permits the use of the Mauser 93 rifle bayonet.

The weapon functions with a breech with delayed opening and the mobile unit is composed of four elements. A selector with four positions allowed single shots, reduced automatic fire, full auto and safety. The barrel has six lands and groves with a right hand twist and a compensator at the muzzle. The tangent rear sight is graduated from 50 to 500 meters by fractions of 50 meters, and from 500 to 1,000 meters by fractions of 100 meters. The front sight is protected by curved ears. The magazine was not made of sheet metal, but constructed of milled steel.

Two STAR S.I .35 machine pistols were presented in France in January 1940: one in .38 Auto (or 9mm Bayard or 9mm Largo), and one in 7.65 mm Long.

Another model was tested in March 1940 chambered for the 9mm Parabellum cartridge. Dispersion was too great following a too fast rate of fire. Another test took place in May 1940, again with a weapon in 9mm Parabellum. The test commission considered its operation dubious and dangerous!

STAR R.U. 35

This model is practically identical to the other, but the selector associated with a speed reducer was preserved (300 rpm). Just like the I.S. 35, this weapon was used very little during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

In 1940, the Atlantic Importing Company, an American subsidiary of the STAR company, presented the R.U. 35 at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. The conclusions were negative as the weapon was considered to be too complex, too expensive to produce and it did not fire the .45 ACP cartridge.

STAR T.N. 35

The STAR T.N. 35 was the same model as the I.S. 35 but this model had the normal rate of fire (700 rpm), which was preserved.

This model was proposed for testing to the main belligerents in 1941 without success. This included Germany, the United States, with a version T.N. 35 Atlantic chambered in .38 Super Auto and fitted with a new trigger mechanism, and Great Britain.

Z-45 STAR

Due to the failure of the Series 35 submachine guns to find acceptance among the world’s armies, production ceased in 1942. STAR then began a new series of designs and tests from this date, and with the assistance of German technicians, a new model was born in 1944.

Initially adopted by the Civil Guardia in June, 1945, it takes the official designation of Z 45. In October 1946, it became officially recognized in the police force, the Air Force in April 1947, and then in the Army in June 1948.

The Z-45 appears as an improved MP 40 of which it preserves the silhouette and the proportions; as well as the system of breech and the collapsible stock though a certain number of points were modified or improved.

The tubular receiver has machined grooves for weight reduction and is elongated by a barrel jacket perforated with oval holes. The cocking handle is located on the right side, and is fitted with a safety device that locks the lever (and the bolt) at the forward position. (This device was patented inthe U.S. in 1952.) The bolt is cylindrical with a separated firing pin. The recoil spring is located in a telescopic tubular guide. The gun operates on the blowback principle and when it is closed, a cam initiates the firing pin to ignite the primer. The frame and trigger guard is made of milled steel and receives the wooden grips, the trigger, the sear and the disconnector. The tubular upper receiver is made of sheet metal.

The double half-moon trigger permits either single shots or full auto only by the position of the finger. Single shots are controlled by the lower position and full auto in the high position.

The frame uses a wooden forearm instead of a plastic one, which is usedon the MP 40.

The barrel has a 9mm diameter with six lands and grooves with a right hand twist with a muzzle compensator attached to the muzzle. This barrel is removable, which made conversion to 9mm Largo, 9mm Parabellum, .38 Super Auto and .45 ACP possible.

The magazine is inserted in a magazine well that is a part of the receiver. It looks like the MP 40 magazine, but is not the same. Ten and thirty rounds magazines do exist.

As with the MP 40, the rear sight is made of two open V notches on “L” flip for 100 and 200 meters. The front sight is a blade with two ears.

The stock is organized as the MP 40 with two folding branches that swing down under the gun. The buttplate is articulated to accommodate either the open or closed position.

An alternative wooden stock was proposed instead of the collapsible stock, but it seems not be used.

The Z-45 was used for a long time in Spain and was also used by Angola, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Cuba, Egypt, Mauritania, Peru, Portugal, Uruguay and Zimbabwe.

Disassembling

• Remove the magazine and clear the weapon.
• Pull out and turn 90 degrees left or right, the milled knob located at the lower side at front of the wooden forearm.
• Hold the magazine housing in one hand, press the trigger with the other and turn the receiver a quarter turn to the left.
• Press the cocking handle safety and withdraw the telescopic recoil spring housing and the bolt.
• Turn the tube 120 degrees counterclockwise and withdraw the recoil spring housing from the bolt.
• To remove the barrel, press the barrel lock and turn it in the direction of the arrow and withdraw it from the receiver.
• To assemble reverse the above procedure.

The Z-45 was followed by Z-55, where the folding stock was replaced by a telescopic stock and the frame was made of light alloy. These transformations did not hold the attention of the Spanish Army and the Z 55 quickly disappeared.

In 1962, STAR proposed a new weapon made entirely of sheet metal; designated the Z-62. It too works with a blowback bolt and the double halfmoons trigger device was kept.

The Z-62 was chambered for the 9mm Largo cartridge, and was followed by the Z-70 chambered for 9mm Parabellum ammunition.

The last submachine gun produced by STAR is the Z- 84, whose designtakes as a starting point the Czech Vz 23 and 25; as well as Uzi. The magazine is located in the handle at the center of gravity of the weapon and the hollow mobile breech moves partially around the barrel. In addition to its compact form, the Z-84 is characterized by its capability to function under water, which makes it the ideal machinegun for amphibious troops.

The Z-84 is currently employed in Spain by the army, the navy and the police force. It was also exported in Angola and in Peru.

By J.m. Ramos

For military weapons enthusiasts, rimfire full auto guns are considered a rarity. They exist either in prototype form or as a limited production class. Most notable among the limited production model is the famed American 180 submachine gun. Prototype and experimental firearms are a more fascinating study as the inventor or designers themselves put a lot of effort in creating them from scratch to a workable stage. Particularly of interest are those rimfire guns that are capable of selective fire operation. They are more complex and sensitive in their working mechanism than their big bore counterparts. This is due primarily to the type of ammunition used and the size of components being utilized in order to function with the diminutive rounds. For modern weapon inventors and designers, creating a trouble-free full auto .22 rimfire is quite a challenge. They get dirty quite easily and the shell is so thin that rim ruptures often result with the gun discharging during bolt-bounce. Bolt bounce is best described as a very slight gap between the chamber mouth and breech face. This occurs immediately after the bolt face hits the chamber mouthduring forward recoil. With submachine guns utilizing center fire pistol cartridges and operating on blow-back principle, bolt bounce normally does not occur since the bolt is much heavier and the recoil spring is stronger. Submachine guns utilizing a built-in fixed firing pin on the breech face like the Sten, UZI, Ingram and M1 Thompson, fires before the breech hits the chamber mouth. This is normally termed as advance primer ignition and works quite well because of the much thicker wall of the center fire shell and rim.

Barely any .22 self-loader will pass the 500 round mark without malfunctioning. The main culprit is normally the chamber getting excessively clogged and dirty with built-up powder and lead residue after several hundred rounds fired. Malfunctions will soon occur as the breech face and feed ramp also becomes excessively caked. The cycle of the bolt will soon become erratic and will no longer work in harmony with the feed timing of the top round from the magazine. Despite the advancement in weapons manufacturing technology today, many .22 self-loaders in the market still jam from the first time a fully loaded magazine is fired until the so-called break-in period has passed. The weapon described in this article is so designed that the above noted problems relating to rimfire automatics has been virtually overcome.

Back in the late 1960s, the late John Minnery acquired an experimental selective fire .22 rifle from a former Gevelot Canada employee who brought the weapon to a military gun show at Ancaster Fairground in Ancaster, Canada. Gevelot was the primary importer of the French made Gevarm .22 semi-automatic rifles in North America back in the 1960s. This particular weapon was the first full-auto gun in Minnery’s collection of rare and prototype exotic weaponry.

Historical Background

The 1960s saw the resurgence of sporting arms import in the North American market from many well known European manufacturers like Mauser, Walther, FN, SIG, Beretta, Luigi Franchi and Heckler &Koch. Along with the big names came the little known company Gevelot, a French ammunition manufacturer. Sometime in the late 1940s, numerous French arms companies undertook weapons development programs with the hopes of gaining a military contract from the French government to replace their obsolete underpowered submachine guns produced during the German occupation in WWII. The MAS Model 1938 was chambered for the French 7.65mm long. A 9mm version was introduced in 1947. This model wastested by the French army but was not adopted despite the many unusual features and more powerful 9mm Parabellum chambering. In that same time period, other French arsenals like Manufacture Nationale d’Armes de Saint-Etiene (M.A.S.), Manufacture Nationale d’Armes de Tulle (M.A.T.) and the Paris based private firm of Hotchkiss introduced several interesting submachine guns of original design for the same purpose. Gevelot introduced the Gevarm Type D-3 (fixed wooden stock) and D-4 (telescoping metal stock) submachine guns. Both weapons were chambered in 9mm and fired on the conventional “open bolt” fixed firing pin system. The Gevelot D-4 is externally similar to the MAT 49 except for the tubular receiver and non folding magazine chute. The MAT 49 has no separate fire selector and fired full auto only, while the Gevelot features a separate three-position safety selector mechanism on the left side of the trigger housing just above the pistol grip. When the safety lever is rotated forward it locks the bolt either in open or closed position. The Gevarm 9mm submachine guns are well made and claimed to be impervious to sand and mud. Both guns utilized an “anti fouling” device located in the breech face. The Model D-3 with the fixed wooden stock has a unique device located at the rear of the butt stock that may be adjusted for elevation to suit an individual operator. Both weapons utilized 32-round magazines and delivers 600 rpm in full automatic. Despite the numerous unique and interesting features of the Gevarm submachine gun, it was unable to compete with the overall simplicity, reliability and ruggedness of the MAT 49, which was eventually chosen and adopted by the French armed forces in 1949. That weapon saw extensive use in Indo-China, Algeria and, in the 1960s, in Vietnam with great success.

After failing to achieve its goal for a military contract with its development of the D-3 and D-4 9mm submachine guns, Gevelot decided to enter the commercial market in 1960 with the introduction of two interesting .22 semiautomatic rifles. The entry models were designated as the Gevarm E-1 and A-3 models. The E-1 is a take-down type carbine utilizing a 17.5 inch barrel and an 8-shot magazine. The more expensive deluxe Model A-3 rifle features a 21.5 inch barrel and Schnabel type fore end. Both guns have the top of their receiver grooved for a tip-off scope mount. The Gevarm self-loading .22s inherit many of the original features of the 9mm submachine gun version. Both the E-1 and A-3 utilized the fixed firing pin and trigger lock work arrangement of their early 9mm SMG counterpart. In the original design, the 9mm SMG utilized a separate safety/selector mechanism while the .22 caliber self-loaders incorporated a simple push-in locking safety system using the cocking handle to lock the bolt in the open position. This is accomplished by simply pulling the cocking handle until the notch on the bolt passes the sear nose approximately 1/8 inch. The left side of the cocking handle aligns with the corresponding hole in the receiver. Once the pin is aligned to the hole, simply push it in and it will hold the bolt in this position in “safe” mode. To fire the gun, simply pull back the cocking handle towards the right to disengage its connection with the receiver and let the bolt move slightly forward to re-engage the sear on its normal “cocked” open-bolt position. The E-1 model features a reversible recoil spring guide and bolt forward catch. The catch mechanism prevents the bolt from coming off the receiver once the two halves are separated in take-down mode. This model will only take the standard 8-shot magazine while the A-3 takes both the standard and the optional 20-shot magazine. The Gevarm .22 self-loaders were imported into the USA in the 1960s by the Blumfeld Company of Memphis, Tennessee and in Canada by Gevelot Canada and Resvi Ltd., both based in Montreal, Quebec. All three companies have long since gone out of business. In 1969, the E-1 retailed for $73.70 while the more expensive A-3 cost $92.40, as compared to $54.50 for the Ruger 10/22 carbine. The Gevarm .22 rifle’s last year of importation in North America is about 1970.

The experimental Gevarm .22 Automatique Carbine (AC) is identical to the Model A-3 except for the longer 24- inch heavy barrel and the front sight being of a simple blade pattern. Although the receiver of this gun is stamped Automatique Carbine, its long barrel denotes otherwise. The regular A-3 model incorporated a competition type tunnel front sight and comes with five interchangeable inserts. The AC prototype has a built-in buffer housed inside the rear mounted recoil spring guide (not found in either E-1 or A-3 models). The buffer system was incorporated to protect the rear end cap of the receiver from battering during recoil with the gun’s 1,500 + rpm when fired full auto using hot, high velocity ammunition. The bolt design, trigger and safety arrangement on the experimental gun and the commercial models are virtually identical except for the sear and additional fire selector mechanism for the full auto gun. The trigger mechanism of the Gevarm is of extreme simplicity. These components consist of the trigger and the sear, both of which are sturdy steel casting and finely machine finished to specs. These components are heat treated very hard that even a new file will only glide on them like glass. Both the trigger and sear are powered by individual coil springs. The few rugged components and utmost simplicity of the trigger lockwork owes much to the overall reliability of the gun. When the selector is set at semi-auto (selector lever rotated to the rear), the selector pin notch faces the lower front of the sear allowing it to accomplish its normal disconnection process. On fired position (bolt fully closed), the front hook of the trigger and matching rear hook of the sear are not engaged. When the bolt is pulled to the rear and engages the sear bent on “cocked” position, the lower half of the sear will pivot rearward and its hook will automatically rest below the trigger front hook ready to fire the weapon. When the trigger is pulled, the trigger hook will force the sear down and releases the bolt forward to load and fire the gun. As soon as the connection between the bolt and the sear is disengaged, the lower half of the sear will automatically pivot forward and upward by the action of its spring, separating the connection between the trigger and the sear. After firing the shot, the bolt recoils to the rear to eject the empty shell. The sear which has now bounced back to its normal upward position will re-engage the bolt on its forward recoil and will hold it in “open” cocked position. As the bolt engages the sear, the lower half of the sear will swing rearward to its normal stop. To fire the next shot, the trigger pull must be released allowing the trigger front hook to re-engage the sear in the usual manner. In the full auto mode (selector rotated forward), the solid portion of the selector pin blocks the pivoting action of the sear’s lower half during operation thus precluding the disconnection between the trigger and the sear when the trigger is pulled resulting in full auto fire. The sear in thismode merely bounces up and down as the trigger is held down or released during firing. The usual pivoting action of the sear’s lower half is restricted, preventing the usual disconnection between the trigger and the sear.

The system not only proved itself very reliable but outright simple. The original 9mm submachine gun had the fire selector positioned on the left side of the trigger housing above the front stem of the trigger guard. In the .22 caliber version, the fire selector is mounted at the right side of the trigger housing in almost identical location as its 9mm sibling, clearly indicating the similarity in arrangement for trigger lockwork except for the safety function. The selector lever head on the .22 SMG is positioned downward below the stock and vice versa for the 9mm sub guns. The 9mm SMG utilized a stamped trigger housing frame, while the prototype .22 AR had a beautiful machine finish cast alloy material. The one piece wooden stock encloses the housing with the fire selector head visible just forward and above the trigger guard where it can be manipulated conveniently by the trigger finger (for right handed shooters).

The Gevarm .22 AC is a pure performer and its design merits of simplicity is quite advanced for its time. Utilizing a fixed firing pin in the form of a fine vertical ridge on the breech face, assures positive detonation of the primer at all times and twice the ignition power since both the top and bottom of the rim are hit by the firing pin at the same time. No more misfires. The gun has no extractor, yet during testing, the gun never had a single malfunction with over 1,000 rounds fired through it. During the test, the barrel was only cleaned once after 700 rounds were fired to remove lead built-up on the rifling but not to other components. The gun fed and fired every type of ammo used ranging from standard velocity (Remington sub-sonic), hot truncated bullet, Remington Yellow Jacket and ultra-hot CCI Stinger. From solid to hollow point, the gun ate them all without a hitch. Even ammo that had a slightly bent and deformed bullet nose that jammed on other guns, performed flawlessly with the Gevarm.

The secret to the gun’s outstanding feeding reliability relies primarily on the feed ramp. Very few weapons in its class have this unique feature which assures trouble free operation. The rear end of the barrel has a built-in extension approximately 3/ 4-inch that encloses both sides of the magazine lips. Just below the chamber mouth of the extension is a well designed and perfectly machined and polished feed ramp. When a loaded magazine is inserted, the magazine lips seats slightly lower than the “U” shape barrel extension positioning the top round almost directly in line with the chamber mouth. As the bolt moves forward, its sides rides over the barrel extension, striping the top round from the magazine and assisting the cartridge towards the chamber and fires it as the breech comes to a full stop. The superb bolt to barrel extension arrangement virtually eliminated any side play or misalignment of the cartridge towards the chamber as it is being stripped from the magazine. The barrel extension prevented the cartridge from misaligning itself while, and after, it was being stripped from the magazine lips, it simply directs the cartridge to move straight towards the chamber with virtually no hesitation or snag. In addition, the magazine itself is positioned higher than in a normal self loader, preventing the usual tendency of the cartridge nose to glide upward as it hits the feed ramp prior to entering the chamber mouth, which in some cases contributes to jams as caused by lead being shaved off the bullet by a sharp unpolished chamber mouth or ramp.

Another amazing feature of the Gevarm .22 is it’s somewhat smaller than normal ejection port. The overall length of the cartridge is barely the same length of the port. The engineers at Gevarm must have had full confidence to conclude that only the empties come out of the port. Making it any larger will not make it any better. In a sense, they were right as every shell that came out of the ejection port is positively ignited by a very deep vertical firing pin mark. If it failed to detonate, the ammo is definitely dud. In the event this happens, the operator simply cocks the bolt with muzzle pointing upward and the dud cartridge falls easily out of the port. To add more credit to its design simplicity, the Gevarm .22 rifles has no ejector installed to the gun itself. However, the left side lip of the magazine has been formed in such a way that it may function as an ejector. This system worked well. If the operator lost the magazine, the gun can still be loaded singularly since it fires from the open bolt. However, it can not be fired in vertical position or any steep upward angle that may caused the loaded round to fall out of the chamber. This is the only major drawback of the design, something shared by any weapon of this class firing from the open bolt position unless the gun itself has a separate cartridge retainer that will hold the ammo in place while the bolt is held open in single shot operation, in the event that a magazine is lost or becomes unserviceable.

The estimated rate of fire in full auto is between 1,500-1,700 rpm depending on the brand of ammo used. At 25 meters in full auto, the gun delivered an accuracy of a 20-shot group at about inch and a half. Bench rested at 50 meters, it delivers just over 2 inches out of a 20-shot burst. At 75 meters in full auto mode, the group is an impressive 3.25 inches on a bench rest. At 100 meters on a bench rest, the group spread to over five inches, still more potent than a 12 gauge semi-auto shotgun inthis range using 00 buck shot. Shooting off hand, the long barreled AR .22 has no problem placing a full 20-shot magazine to a vital zone of a man size target as long as the operator has a clear vision of his target with the weapon’s iron sight. Ideally, as an all purpose close quarter combat gun, a holo sight would be a perfect combination for this long barreled rimfire burp gun. With a silencer, it’s an effective sentry removal tool for ranges beyond 50 meters. Recoil and muzzle climb is virtually non existence. The gun is truly pleasant to shoot and very accurate. During the test, the fire selector shifted to semi-auto position on numerous occasions while being fired full auto with CCI Stinger. This was eventually traced to a weak selector spring which was immediately replaced and appeared to have corrected the problem.

In summation, the Gevarm .22 Automatique Carbine can be employed as an effective close-quarter defensive arm that is easy to control, maintain and economical to shoot. The only thing that needs Right: . Beautifully machined onepiece aluminum trigger housing with fully assembled trigger lockwork. The massive sear is visible on the top of the housing. A single large hex screw mates the housing to the bottom of the steel receiver shown between the gun’s top and bottom assembly. improvement is the safety system employed. The cocking handle should also have the provision to lock the bolt in a closed position to prevent an accidental discharge in the event that the cocking handle is jarred so that the bolt is pulled to the rear just enough to clear the magazine to pick up a round and fire the gun. The importer of the arm indicated that Gevelot may have the intention of developing and marketing a specialized .22 submachine gun complete with suppressors for SOG in the French military and possibly for the international market back in the 1960s. The experimental gun proved quite successful in this brief testing. There is no doubt that the Gevarm .22 carbine can outperform any other weapons in its class even when subjected to a more elaborate testing due to its simplicity of design and unique chamber feeding system. With the addition of a 200-round drum magazine, a true compact SMG configuration utilizing a simple but rigid folding stock and an effective suppressor, Gevelot would have created the finest rimfire SMG in its class that can easily match or even surpass the formidable AM-180. While these French made “open bolt” rimfire automatics have long been out of production, they represented a special breed of firearms unique by today’s standards. The Gevarm .22s are indeed the simplest and perhaps the most reliable autoloaders in their class.