What are they talking about? Some sort of French filly? No , about a submachine gun , invented in France patented and prototyped in the USA, codenamed Charlotte.

Many of us in the gun world have a dream that some invention of ours will become the weapon that the U.S. or some major nation adapts or which becomes a commercial success. We all know the names of famous inventors who succeeded at this in the past- Colt, Maxim, Gatling, Thompson, Johnson, Browning and others. We also know that it can still be done from the careers of Gene Stoner, Bill Ruger, Reed Knight and other contemporaries. Well, every one of them would tell you, “It’s not easy!” The Charlotte story is an instructive and interesting tale about a good gun invention, well financed, which is still only battering at the gates of success after 12 long years. This story is not over and it won’t stop any of us from trying but it is a sobering tale of many disappointing close calls. It tells us once again that timing and who you know are everything.

In 1985 a very skilled gunmaker in Paris, Fredrick Tessier, despaired of making significant money by means of the high priced but very time and labor intensive hand-made shotguns that he was justly famous for. He decided to follow the advice once given the American inventor, Hiram Maxim, that the way to make money was to “invent some way for the Europeans to kill each other faster.” In other words invent a machine gun. Tessier quite deliberately and thoughtfully set out to design a submachine gun which would be particularly easy to manufacture and which could even be produced in a simple, low tech shop such as his in Paris. He developed a subgun that at first glance looks like the Beretta model 12.

Tessier built a prototype in France and then talked to his father who was a French Army officer, about patenting it there. His father informed him that if he tried to patent any weapon of interest to the French military, the government would immediately take control of the invention. This was prophetic as far as Charlotte was concerned but not just about the French government.

On the basis of his father’s advice, Fredrick Tessier submitted a patent on the Charlotte design now known as the T-2 on May 24, 1985 and assigned the patent to a company his family had done business with for many years, Shepherd Industries. He was granted U.S. patent 4649800 on March 17, 1987.

The connection with Shepherd Industries is that its owner, Frank Parisette, is a fine wood importer and the Tessier family has been well known in the high grade gun trade as a source for fine French walnut for over a hundred years. Pictures of the French prototype show an absolutely gorgeous walnut pistol grip and fore end, perfectly checkered.

The key claim of the Tessier patent is for a “self contained blow-back type firing unit insertable in a gunbody as a discrete subassembly and including a barrel and bolt with a compression spring acting between them.”

This “subassembly” is held in the “gun body” (receiver) by a nut threaded on the front end of the barrel. The barrel has protuberances which cut through the wall of the barrel surrounding bolt and guide it. The lower of these protuberances is the feed ramp and the upper is just designed to be a guide. These both keep the bolt from twisting as it goes back and forth in and out of battery.

The parts are beautifully made out of solid billets. The amount of stainless steel removed to make this bolt by boring and milling would certainly make a corporate bean counter weep uncontrollably. The design utilizes very few parts, beautifully engineered and expensively manufactured. It is very much like pre WW II Brno designs. Substantial economies could easily be made in manufacturing parts in more pieces and welding or brazing them together into units.

The Shepherd Industries T-2 brochures claim that it is the firing unit’s design that keeps the T-2 from climbing in full auto mode. A test by Colt Firearms confirmed the little climb claim (read on) but as to whether this is the unit or good ergonomics was not clear to the authors until we test fired the T-2.. In any case what Tessier did was take a barrel surrounding bolt ( also known as a telescoping bolt) very much like the Beretta model 12 and put the main operating spring around the barrel to push the bolt forward thus making the unit self contained. The similarity with the model 12 bolt ends there because the Beretta bolt has the spring behind it in the receiver pushing on the rear end of the bolt.

Now before all you RKIs start jumping up and down shouting that this is a bad idea because the heat will effect the temper in the spring and citing the Soviet DP being improved to the DPM and the 1918 BAR being improved to the model D with the main operating springs being moved away from the barrel heat, let us point out a few things.

First this a large diameter spring. Second it only touches the barrel at the breech end and finally that this is a 9mm subgun and not a squad light machine gun firing rifle cartridges. Okay, okay, it is near the barrel, surrounded by the bolt and it is hot in there. However spring technology is probably a lot better than it was. All we can say is that the U.S prototype has been fired 20k plus rounds with the same spring and is still going strong.

Another design point important to Tessier is that there is a shotgun like fore-end which he, as a serious bird shooter, believes leads to instinctive pointing and target acquistion. This is not mentioned in the patent but the other shotgun-like attribute of the center of gravity being ahead of the trigger is. Let us put in here a brief accolade for the CZ 23 which we believe is one of the greatest subgun designs ever. The model 23 is mainly remembered as the gun which had the barrel surrounding bolt and the hand finds hand magazine well years before the UZI.

The CZ 23 solved this spring-bolt problem by putting the spring on the outside of the barrel surrounding bolt. While it still pushes the bolt from behind, about half of the spring length is on the bolt itself. With a little engineering the whole spring could be. The Ruger standard .22 pistol bolt comes to mind as a direction to take. A very neat and compact solution indeed.

In any case the main attraction of the T-2 design is that this self contained firing unit hung from the barrel nut does not have to touch the walls of the receiver at all. And therefore the receiver could be made of anything such as plastic, carbon fiber, aluminum, titanium- i.e. anything. There is no need for there to be friction between the bolt and the receiver and there can be plenty of clearance for dirt . Shepherd Industries has plans for prototypes using alternative materials for the receiver. The current T-2s, while elegant, are all steel tool room prototypes. The magazine is a shortened and slightly modified 40 round Beretta. The shortening is necessary for clearance for the folding stock to swing underneath.

While Shepherd Industries owner, Frank Parisette was waiting for the patent to be issued he showed a prototype to some old Army buddies at Fort Meade. They were favorably impressed and that may have had caused the following consequences.

All of a sudden progress on the patent slowed to a crawl and upon inquiry, Parisette was told that the U.S. Department of Defense has put a hold on it. It took the threat of a law suit and $100k to get the patent out of DOD’s clutches.

Other strange things happened during this period as well. For instance, Colt Firearms approached Shepherd Industries and said that they had heard about the design and wanted to test the prototype. Now this made Frank Parisette wonder who had told them about the design and how did they get enough knowledge about the design to decide that it was of interest to them. Colt did test the prototype later and there was some interest on their part in buying the design. However remember what we said about timing- well Colt was in serious financial difficulties at that time leading up to one of their several bankruptcies and nothing came of their interest. A letter from a Colt Vice President, Arthur Holben, dated Dec 23, 1985 states, “Unfortunately, it being impossible for Colt Firearms to commit the resources necessary to further develop, tool and manufacture Mr. Tessier’s concepts at this time or in the near future etc.”- in other words -”goodbye” This was just one of the unfortunate timings for the T-2. On the plus side however the letter also says that, “the firing demonstration on Nov. 13 confirmed your claim of greatly reduced climb in automatic fire mode. We were impressed.”

Once the patent was issued Shepherd Industries gave the T-2 to the US Army for testing twice at Fort Meade, once at Picatinney Arsenal, once to the Secret Service and once to the FBI. While each of these organizations have verbally complimented the gun not one has given S.I. a written evaluation. Is this a who you know problem?

The Picatinny Arsenal test was for the purpose of finding a new gun to rack up in armored vehicles. This test which was in 1996 compared the Colt M4 carbine, the H&K MP5 and the T-2. The main interest according to Frank Parisette was the ability to get the chosen weapon out of the hatches and into action ASAP. The T-2 was rated best at this although it is clear to us that the MP5 in the test was handicapped by being the SD (silenced) version which is longer and bulkier than a plain MP5. The presence of the SD makes it sound as if the test was rather ad hoc.

While S.I. got very little documentation from all of this testing it did get the attention from insiders in the firearms game. S.I. was and still is interested in selling the design rather than continuing to try to get a large enough contract to support subcontracting mass production themselves. Beretta, for one, was very interested in the idea of purchasing the design.

One would think that having a very similar gun in the Model 12 would make the T-2 of little interest to Beretta. However the Beretta engineers had recognized that the Tessier design could be modified to produce a much shorter weapon than the model 12. Beretta therefore offered to buy the design for the sole purpose of producing as short a version as possible. A contract was drawn up to be signed in 1987. The jinxed timing that has plagued the whole project reappeared right on schedule. Model 92 slides on the new U.S Army M9 pistols started cracking. This put $21 million contract Beretta had in jeopardy and the very controversial adoption of a foreign weapon was back in the news. Beretta was completely distracted by this crisis and the last thing hey wanted to do was start something new. The contract was never signed and the negotiations were never resumed.

The contract makes very interesting reading. Beretta was willing to pay $200,000 for the right to produce the short version they envisioned and the pages which cover their right to sell it through the DOD make it clear that they had a market in mind.

Next to show interest was SIG. They had been attracted by the possibilities the T-2 design offers for quick caliber changes. They were interested in developing a 40 S&W version and more particularly one for the 357 SIG with a titanium bullet which they had developed for the Saudi Arabian government. Naturally to keep Charlotte’s luck consistent, during the negotiations the SIG official whose idea this was, G. Broadbeck, retired.

To test the claim that the T-2’s tendency to climb is unusually low, we fired it in conjunction with both a MP5 and an UZI. All three guns were loaded with the same hot GECO subgun ammo. We fired them one immediately after the other in various combinations. To our surprise it was true that the T-2 seemed to recoil less than both the MP5 and the UZI.

While the cyclic rate of fire for the T-2 was clearly less than either of the other guns, we do not think that this was the reason for the reduced climb and recoil. Rather we think the reason is that the T-2 bolt never recoiled to the point of metal to metal contact. With the hot ammo in the UZI we could feel the bolt hit the plastic buffer and thus the back of the receiver and the MP5 had the hard straight back recoil of a locked gun. If correct this is more proof that the fully sprung internals of the last Stoner designs are the path to follow for lowering recoil.

Take Down of the Tessier T-2

As usual make sure the gun is not loaded. Then remove the magazine. This is key step in the take down of the T-2 because the ejector is a separate piece which is held up in its functioning position by the magazine. By removing the magazine one allows the ejector to turn forward and fall into the mag well thus getting it out of the way for the bolt and barrel assembly removal.

Tessier’s design has cleverly reduced the number of parts to a minimum but he felt that making the ejector a separate movable part was still sensible as it allows easy replacement by driving out the single pivot pin. Not a bad idea really as we have all seen riveted or welded ejectors which have been repaired by pounding, bending, welding, brazing etc. Not by a simple automatically aligned replacement part as in the T-2. Next the knurled nut on the front of the receiver which is holding the barrel-bolt “separate firing unit” suspended in the receiver tube is turned off. Incidentally this nut will be the rear bushing of the silencer version when S.I gets around to that. The latch on the left side of the rear receiver cap is pressed in and turned counter clockwise a quarter turn which will allow the cap to be pulled off to the rear. Holding both the trigger and grip safety down gets the sear out of the way and a yank back on the operating handle which is not attached to the bolt but is captured in a slot in the receiver, will bring the whole self contained firing unit out of the gun. The front of the firing unit is then turned a third of a turn counter clockwise and pressed down to free the spring. This will allow the barrel to be loose enough to be taken out of the feed port on the bottom of the bolt. This completes field stripping. The mag housing , trigger and grip safety housings are welded to the receiver on this prototype. There is a hex key on the back of the receiver cap for removing the pistol grip which exposes the internal parts for depot level repair.

Assembly with a bolt, barrel and magazine for other calibers such as 40 S&W or 357 SIG will adapt the T-2 to fire those cartridges. S.I. has barrels and bolts made up for these but suitable mags are still in the works. In the case of the .357 Sig there is a heavier spring as well. How the .357 SIG is suited to a blowback mechanism is not clear to us yet. We have been told by others who have tried it that the cases come out blown straight sided and look like 40s on the ground. So where does the T-2 stand today. Well, the 12 year struggle to sell the design or get a marketable customer has not daunted Shepherd Industries’ Frank Parisette. He has plans for new prototypes which will incorporate many new design features and manufacturing simplifications. He believes that this will cause a major manufacturer to beat a path to his door any day now.

T-2 Description

Weight 5.6 lbs.
Cyclic rate 550
Barrel Length 9.0 inches
Length folded 16 inches
Length with stock Extended 26 inches

Head Space is the distance from the rear of the cartridge to the face of the bolt when the cartridge is fully seated in the chamber and the bolt is in the locked position.

Check the firearm to ensure it is not loaded. No live ammo or empty casings are needed to set the head space or timing.

With the bolt face is the surface on the bolt that has the firing pin hole in it, not the very front surface of the bolt. The rail lugs are the very front surface and normally make contact with the barrel face when the gun is firing.

The .125 thick portion of the head space, all recoiling parts must go fully forward without being forced. The tension from the recoil spring should be sufficient. In this position, the barrel extension is in contact and flush with the face of the trunion (no gap). You will not be able to see the adjustment notches on the barrel. They will be completely inside the trunion.

If the gun will not completely close to this position, the head space is already too tight. The notches on the barrel will be visible at this point. You must unscrew the barrel one or two notches at a time with the blade of a screw driver, combination tool, or a cartridge point, until the barrel extension closes fully against the trunion face.

Using the Gauge

Pull the charging handle approximately 3/4” to the rear from the closed position. Insert the .125 end of the head space gauge between the bolt face and the barrel face. Turn the barrel in, one click at a time, until the gauge is tight between them. Back the barrel off one click. If the barrel is between clicks, back off to the nearest click, then one whole click. (Head space is set)

When these adjustments are completed with good, serviceable parts and a proper chamber depth in the barrel, the head space will be correct.

One or two clicks in or out may be required for a better performance with used and worn parts or for the use of substandard non-GI ammo.

Common Problems of Head Space Set too Tight

1) The gun operates sluggishly or erratic because the parts are binding.
2) Extraction trouble may occur because of improper locking and unlocking.
3) If the adjustment is very tight and the barrel notches can be seen, the bolt handle will not go fully forward and the firing pin will not drop when the trigger is pulled.

Common Problems of Head Space too Loose

1) A ruptured cartridge
2) Split cases (with good ammo). Bad ammo may have split cases before you fire it.
3) The bolt can be moved slightly from the front to the rear independently of the barrel and the barrel extension.

If problems from a too tight or too loose head space are present after setting per these instructions, turn the barrel one click at a time but not more than two clicks total in either direction from the original setting. If there is no improvement in performance, there is some other mechanical problem with the gun, or there is a problem with the ammo being used.

The only exception to this is the .308 conversion (with an original Israeli .308 barrel). The chamber depth in these barrels is .010 more shallow than a GI type barrel. It would be safe to turn the Israeli .308 barrel two more clicks out beyond these recommended adjustments if the gun shows signs of a too tight head space problem.

All the head space adjustments are done with a charged bolt and cocked firing pin. Do not pull the trigger and drop the firing pin on the head space gauge. It may break your firing pin!

Timing Adjustments

Charge the gun to cock the firing pin and let the bolt drop fully forward. The firing pin should be cocked and inside the bolt face. If the firing pin can be seen sticking out of the bolt face before the trigger is pulled, do not attempt to fire the gun with live ammo. The timing is way too fast. An entire belt of ammo can be fired without the trigger ever being pulled.

With the gun charged and the firing pin cocked, pull the charging handle back just far enough to put the .120 thick portion of the timing gauge between the barrel extension and the trunion. Let go of the charging handle. The gauge is held in position from the recoil spring pressure. Pull the trigger to see if the gun will fire. It should not fire. This is the ‘no fire” portion of the gauge. If the gun does fire, the timing is too fast and will need adjustment.

If the gun does not fire, then pull the charging handle back far enough to remove the gauge and let the barrel extension close so the .030 portion of the gauge is between the trunion and the barrel extension. Pull the trigger. The gun should fire at this setting. This is the ‘fire’ portion of the gauge. If the gun does not fire, your timing is too slow and will need adjustment.

Adjust Timing as Follows

The trigger bar must be removed from the gun for adjustments to be made. The dovetail end of the trigger bare that engages the sear in the rear of the bolt must be bent upward or downward to speed up or slow down the timing. Do not try to bend too much in either direction at one time; small mounts are best. It may take a few tries. This aera of the trigger is thin and semi-soft. It is made that way jut for this type of adjustment.

If the timing of the gun is too fast and needs an adjustment, the dovetail end on the trigger bar will need to be bent upward. In order to know what is upward, you need to look at the trigger bar as if it is in the trigger assembly.

Bending this end downward will correct a slow timing problem and get the trigger bar to trip the bolt sear that much sooner, thus speeding up the timing.

Changing parts or a combination of parts on any gun can adversely affect your timing and head space adjustments. Always re-check these adjustments when the parts are changed in the gun.

At one point, Ohio Ordnance Works, Inc., made the gauge shown in this article. If you’re looking for one, hit them up and maybe they have one kicking around

The floor of the aircraft rocks violently as the big Army helicopter screams up the dark, frozen Alaskan riverbed, rolling viciously to follow the contours of the landscape at fifty feet above the snow-covered ground and one hundred forty miles per hour. Attempting to compensate for the motion, you cling tightly to the spade grips of your D-model M-60 and keep your knees bent as you scan the green image flashing by through your ANVIS-6 (Aviator’s Night Vision Imaging System) night vision goggles. Abruptly the aircraft rolls into a steep bank and rounds a bend in the river, bursting into a wide flood plain. As you’d anticipated, a formation of two dozen NATO-standard silhouette targets stands clustered some three hundred meters off your route of flight. The stark shadows they cast in the electronically-intensified moonlight of your goggles make them easy targets.

You punch off the safety on your -60 and lean back against the grips, allowing the weapon and mount to take your weight. Taking a rough bead slightly below and behind the cluster of targets, you tighten around the gun’s twin triggers and chug out a ten-round burst. The pair of tracers that light out of the burst arc brilliantly out of the muzzle and impact a bit short, leaving glowing green trails in the phosphor of your goggles. You note to yourself with a grin that the muzzle flash off of your -60 looks really cool through your NVGs. A minor adjustment and the next burst chews into the center of the formation, tossing snow and dirt liberally among the plastic soldiers.

Your next target is a Conex-a big metal shipping container. It rests five hundred meters or so out in the riverbed and is as large as a small house. You fire another sounding burst and then walk your tracers toward the dark metal box. Once you are on target you hold the triggers an extra second or two; there’s no being too careful when dealing with hostile shipping containers.

In the minutes that follow you ventilate assorted junked cars, trucks, vans, and construction equipment at a variety of ranges out to about a kilometer. You are having so much fun that you almost don’t notice the one hundred twenty-knot slipstream tearing across your face. The wind itself wouldn’t be so bad were it not for the ambient negative twenty five degree temperatures typical of the Alaskan wintertime. These two elements combine to yield a wind chill you conservatively estimate at one hundred thousand degrees below zero. No matter, that which does not kill us makes us stronger and you’re having too much fun to notice the pain.

Sooner than you would like, the plain starts to tighten back around the river and the range nears its close. There is nothing quite like firing belt-fed automatic weapons out of a moving aircraft. For the recreational machinegunner it is very nearly nirvana. To do so at night under night vision goggles is cool beyond my capacity to describe.

The M-60D, the Army’s standard defensive helicopter armament, is at its heart a slightly modified version of the M-60 General Purpose Machine Gun. The barrel and receiver group of the D-model are essentially those of a ground -60 but the pistol grip/trigger assembly is replaced by a set of spade grips and a mechanical linkage connecting the gun’s sear to the trigger rings on the grip. The sight is a fold-up spider web type device comprised of a pair of concentric aiming circles. In practical application the weapon can be finicky. Some pieces, dependent upon age, wear, and, I suppose, the phase of the moon, are notoriously unreliable.

A canvas ejection control bag mounts on the right side of the gun to catch brass and links, preventing potential damage to delicate aircraft systems by these discarded items. The weapon employs a rather cumbersome crossbolt safety that is difficult to manipulate with a link bag installed and foregoes the familiar rubber-covered forearm of the ground version. The ejection control bag itself is effective but was obviously designed as an afterthought. The operator must reach his hand through a zippered opening in the rear of the bag to access the weapon’s charging handle and it can be quite frustrating reducing multiple stoppages on a crotchety gun with the link bag installed.

The physics of aerial gunnery differ significantly from that which governs the more orthodox employment of ground-mounted automatic weapons. While the M-60D comes equipped with the aforementioned small fold-up ring sight, I have found that most effective aerial engagements result from simply tracking one’s tracers and walking long bursts into a target. As helicopter door guns are by their nature suppressive weapons, this technique projects maximum fire into the target area, hopefully keeping an enemy’s head down long enough to allow the aircraft to egress the area. The most striking aspect of helicopter door gunnery, however, is the behavior of bursts fired on opposite sides of a moving aircraft.

WARNING: Physics-intensive discussion follows. Skip this part if you don’t care about the details.

A bullet launched from an M-60 leaves the muzzle at roughly 2800 feet per second imparted with a clockwise spin of one turn every 12 inches. This results in a rotational velocity of roughly 228,000 rpm. When fired from a stationary platform the projectiles arc toward their targets based solely upon Newtonian physics. The bullets accelerate toward the center of the earth at 32.17 feet per second squared, their range being therefore governed by their initial velocity and the distance above the ground at which they were fired. When the firing platform is moving through the air, however, each individual projectile becomes its own little flying machine, interacting with the lateral airflow to generate specific characteristics based upon the direction of spin and wind speed.

When fired out of the right door of a moving helicopter the left-to-right airflow across the projectile interacts with the clockwise spinning projectile to produce a low pressure area on the top of the bullet. The practical result of this phenomenon, technically a derivative of Bernoulli’s effect, is to create lift and cause the bullet to fly upward, following a trajectory completely opposite that which one would expect in stationary gunnery. As such, an aerial gunner firing out the right side of a moving aircraft must actually aim below a target and allow his projectiles to fly up into the target. (see Fig I)

When firing out the left side of an aircraft the opposite is true. The lateral airflow creates a low-pressure area underneath the spinning bullet and exacerbates the plunging effect of a burst caused by gravity. The result is a decrease in effective range of the weapon. (see Fig II) The climb or descent of the projectiles is a function of the square of the airflow velocity so the effect is much more pronounced at high aircraft speeds.

CONGRATULATIONS! You made it through the physics part. Now back to the fun stuff.

The 100-plus-knot slipstream outside a helicopter in flight does an excellent job of cooling an air-cooled machinegun. I have seen air-60s digest truly phenomenal quantities of ammunition in long, sustained bursts without suffering the debilitating effects of excessive barrel heat to which ground guns are susceptible.

Mounts for the guns are unique to the airframe and employ cams and blocks that limit the field of fire of the weapon so as to preclude shooting up one’s own fuselage or rotor system. The UH-60 and UH-1 aircraft have provision for two guns each, one per side, while the twin-rotor CH-47 can sport a third gun in a tail stinger mount.

Most special operations aviation units employ either the General Electric M-134 minigun or Browning M-3 aircraft fifty-caliber machinegun as on-board suppressive armament. The M-134 is an electrically-powered, six-barrelled gatling gun which fires 7.62 mm rounds at rates of up to 6000 rounds per minute. The weapon is powered by the aircraft’s integral 24-volt DC electrical system and, unlike the -60, is rendered inoperative if separated from the aircraft and its power source.

The Browning M-3 aircraft gun is the same weapon our grandfathers employed in flexible mountings on B-17s and B-24s. The gun is a lightweight version of the M-2 heavy barrel machinegun, weighing in at 68 pounds and firing at an accelerated cyclic rate of 1200 rounds per minute. The recoil impulse of this fast-firing fifty restricts its use to relatively large aerial platforms such as the MH-47E Chinook and MH-53E Pave Low aircraft.

Most western European rotary-wing aircraft employ the FN MAG GPMG for on-board suppressive fire. Soviet-bloc aircraft such as the Mi-8 and Mi-17 have mountings in each passenger window for either the PK general purpose machinegun or the Kalashnikov series of assault rifles. Like most of the military materiel designed in the former Soviet Union, these mounts are simple, robust, and effective. Each mount clamps around the forend of the weapon and allows a limited traverse while preventing the weapon from falling out of the aircraft, a significant concern with enthusiastic young soldiers under stressful conditions.

Tracers fired under night vision goggles are absolutely spectacular. The ANVIS system mounts to a modified SPH-series aviator helmet visor and sports a separate battery pack that secures with velcro on the back of the helmet. While the entire setup is a bit heavy and cumbersome, generating some truly world-class neck strain in the uninitiated, it is remarkably sensitive and allows the contemporary Army aviator to fly any mission he might fly in daylight in practically pitch darkness. The goggles themselves are analogous to a pair of miniature television cameras with their associated screens suspended just in front of the aviator’s eyes. The faint image of the terrain ahead of the aircraft generated by the reflection of ambient moonlight or starlight is electronically amplified and presented in various shades of green monochrome on the eyepiece end of the goggles. For functionally lightless evenings Army aircraft are equipped with an infrared searchlight which can be independently gimbled by the pilot in flight via a coolie hat control switch on the collective pitch control. These searchlights are nearly all-illuminating under night vision systems but invisible to the naked eye. This might be something to think about the next time you plan on necking with your girlfriend out on a deserted road near an Army base.

Effective aerial gunnery is ammunition-intensive and an acquired skill and is therefore a rather challenging task on which to train in a military environment. The range space required to train on aerial gunnery tasks safely is obviously prodigious and it is a daunting task to configure targets is such a way as to be a challenging and realistic simulation of reality. The fire hazard of firing tracer ammunition into flammable woodland and grassland areas provides yet another impediment to aerial gunnery training. While stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma I found that the Oklahoma grasslands were much more susceptible to incineration via helicopter-fired tracer ammunition than to even white phosphorous artillery rounds.

Regardless of the training challenges, true aerial gunnery is just too cool for school. A computer game manufacturer who could accurately replicate the sights, sounds, and feelings of firing a machinegun out of an aircraft in flight would be a wealthy man. It is a shame that helicopter costs, range space, and draconian legislation stand between most civilian machinegunners and this unique shooting experience.

We American machinegunners are an innovative lot, however, and have developed countless ways to enjoy our sport while remaining within the confines of U.S. firearms law. Who knows, perhaps some enterprising recreational machinegunner with access to a Cessna may someday put a new slant on the Knob Creek shoot.

The year is 2,005. Concern over new threats by Saddam Hussein to use weapons of mass destruction on his neighbors continues to plague the world alliance. U.S. lead ground forces once again are placed in harms way in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to protect the region, but this time things are different. The coalition forces are now committed to ending this threat in the world and eliminating Iraq’s military once and for all. As in operation “Desert Shield” in 1991, the Rapid Reaction forces of the U.S. military are first deployed to the region by the National Command Authority, starting with the Americas Guard of Honor, the famed 82nd Airborne Division.

In the early morning hours, the message is received at Fort Bragg to deploy the DRC (Division Ready Company) to Kuwait once again as the “trip wire in the sand”. The 82nd’s Company B, 2nd Battalion of the 325th Parachute Infantry Regiment is on one hour recall and will be the first unit on the ground to provide an immediate presence until reinforcements from the division, the Marines and heavy armored forces can arrive some days or even weeks later.

However, unbeknownst to Saddam and most Americans, the one hundred or so troopers of B Company are not armed with standard issue M4 carbines and 40mm M203 grenade launchers like all other units in the Division. As the First Unit Equipped (FUE) for the past four months they have been training hard with the brand new Objective Individual Compact Weapon (OICW), a weapon the troops call “thumper”, a name signifying the weapons hard hitting capabilities on the target.

Only into their second full day deployed in fighting positions along the Iraq/Saudi Arabian border, the Iraqis stage a bold and foolish attack on this unique reinforced airborne infantry company, which has now grown to battalion strength. The motorized Iraqi brigade advances on the American forces that they easily outnumber by more than five to one. However, the bad luck of the day has been issued to the Iraqi commander and will cost the aggressors dearly as they have picked B company’s lines to attempt their breach.

The OICW, with its maximum effective range of 1,000 meters and thermal weapon sight, provides the American troops the ability to see, identify and engage with deadly effect the attacking force at more than twice the range of conventional small arms like the M4’s they recently traded for the new “Star Wars” gun. At 950 meters B company’s commander issues the command to open fire and now the carnage begins.

With a flip of a selector switch on the weapon the troopers select the high explosive (HE) module (i.e. grenade launcher) and the PDD (Point Detonating Delay) mode offered by the Target Acquisition/Fire Control System (TA/FCS) of their OICW’s. The 20mm semi-automatic grenade launcher is loaded with six rounds of the newly developed high explosive, dual purpose (HEDP) ammunition, the latest addition to the OICW family of ammunition. Below the 20mm is the small KE (kinetic energy) module (i.e. rifle) for close in use loaded with 30 rounds of 5.56mm M855 “penetrator” rifle ammunition.

The gunners, fully confident in this new weapon system and it’s immense capabilities, place the simple red aiming dot within the TA/FCS on the lead lightly armored Iraqi vehicle in their sector of fire and depress the “lase” button situated along the curved portion of the trigger guard. The night’s sky is of no use in masking the Iraqi force as they had foolishly hoped. The selectable thermal or passive night vision modes of the TA/FCS pierce the darkness turning night into day for the defenders. The erbium glass laser, with pinpoint accuracy of 1 meter at 1,000 meters, flashes against the vehicle and 1/10 of a second later informs the TA/FCS that the target is now at 900 meters, well within the gunners effective range.

The effects of the first OICW HEDP round fired in combat are astounding. The shaped charge of the dual purpose warhead burns it’s way through the thin armor of the Russian-built BTR-90 drivers compartment and explodes within scattering it’s deadly steel and tungsten shrapnel throughout the vehicle. Six of the nine occupants are severely wounded two are killed outright.

The other airborne gunners along the defensive line have similar results against the Iraqi vehicles. The Iraqi commander issues the command to dismount wrongly assuming the vehicles are being attacked with anti-tank weapons and that his infantry would fair better dismounted. The second mistake of the Iraqi force, besides attacking the American paratroopers armed with this new “wonder weapon”, has just been made. The Iraqi infantry, now protected by only their steel helmets and Russian-made body armor, comprised of Kevlar material and titanium plates, become the first order of business for the American defenders.

The Iraqis rush forward firing wildly at the American lines with their AKM’s. B Company’s gunners now switch from 3X to 6X magnification to pick out the choice targets amongst the Iraqi infantry. Inserting a fresh magazine of six high explosive fragmentation (HE frag) rounds, one gunner picks out a light machine gunner armed with a Russian RPK, selects the “AB” mode on the OICW Fire Control System and lases the unfortunate recipient. The digital readout within the TA/FCS, seen above the adjusted red aiming dot, reads 827 meters. Our hero places the red aiming dot on the target and depresses twice the “-” button near by the laser control switch. An instantaneous electronic signal is transmitted to the fuse in the grenade by the fire control system warhead through a coil in the 20mm barrel providing the necessary internal and external ballistic and atmospheric data the round will need to accurately attack the target downrange. When the digital read out within the sight reads 825 meters a simple squeeze of the OICW’s single trigger launches the 20mm grenade at the target. By reducing the range by two meters the gunner has accounted for the forward movement of the enemy squad to insure that the 6 meter air bursting radius of the grenade, twice what was specified in the OICW ORD (Operational Requirements Document), can take full effect on the advancing troops.

In the instance before launch the TA/FCS signaled the warhead that once it has traveled 825 meters it is to air burst three meters above the aiming point. After launch the 1,200-grain, 2.75-ounce grenade counts it’s own rotations as it “flys” to the target at nearly 800 feet per second. Some five seconds later it arrives like a lethal bird over the unsuspecting Iraqi machine gunner and detonates.

The results, like that against the BTR-90, are impressive and deadly for the unfortunate Iraqi troops within its lethal umbrella. The shrapnel from the bimodal (dual fragment) warhead of the OICW 20mm HE Frag round easily perforates the steel helmets and the Russian flak vests. Those not hit drop to the ground to reduce their exposure to the unknown incoming American fire only to provide a larger target for the lethal fragments from the air bursting grenades of the OICW. Within seconds a second round arrives and, for this squad at least, the fight is over.

Iraqi troops scurrying to hide behind their dead or the disabled vehicles are not even safe. For the first time in the history of combat the individual infantryman with the OICW can now engage and defeat targets behind cover, in the defilade. Gunners “add range” to the grenades and fly them around the side or over the vehicle hulks, what with direct fire rifles and grenade launchers used to be the cover, and engage the hidden enemy regardless. Incapacitated, dead or dying, during this battle the Iraqi forces never advanced to a range where their rifles could be used with any real effect on the American defenders.

With the entire enemy force either dead or dying and no sign of reinforcements, Company B is sent to collect the prisoners and help with the Iraqi wounded. With cover from the fourth platoon and their OICW’s in overwatch position, the remainder of the company separates the lower 5.56mm KE modules from the 20mm grenade launchers portion. They attach a simple lightweight buttstock stored in their rucksacks to the 4 pound 5.56mm weapon and advance to survey the carnage they have created against their opponent. All the while they are protected by the OICW’s to their rear and it’s capability to accurate and precisely place a 20mm HE grenade over their heads and in the lap of any enemy solider with bad intentions.

The U.S. force defeats the numerically superior Iraqi motorized infantry brigade after only one hour and without firing a single shot from a rifle. The enemy attack stalled at 700 meters and never advanced within the range of the Iraqi’s individual weapons. Because of this the members of B Company, 2/325 were never in any real danger from the Iraqi infantry. There are no American casualties. The Iraqi’s lose 500 men that lie dead or dying in the fine Arabian sand, not one killed by a bullet. The OICW gunners fired some two hundred 20 mm OICW rounds total for the 100 man parachute company against the attacking enemy infantry at a range twice that of the maximum effective range of their long gone M16A2 rifles and more recently replaced M4 carbines and 40mm M203 grenade launchers.

The future is just around the corner Obviously the above scenario is a hypothetical situation, but one that could be realized as soon as the year 2005 if the current OICW program remains on schedule. In it’s fourth of five phases of development, a small quantity of complete OICW “systems” are currently being fabricated for the conduct of safety and field testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort Benning starting in mid to late 1999.

The OICW program is a Joint Service Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) begun in 1994 and managed by the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) located on the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. The OICW is expected to replace some or all of the M16/M203’s and M4 Carbines within select units in all branches of the U.S. military. Performance of the first complete prototype OICW in 1998 from the successful Alliant Techsystems team was so successful that the military hopes to advance the fielding of the weapon in the year 2005 by a full 12 months. (Editor’s Note: Watch for a live fire SAR test as soon as we get the opportunity)

The development team remaining includes the prime contractor, Alliant Techsystems from Hopkins, MN, responsible for system integration and the futuristic HE bursting ammunition. Heckler & Koch, the famed weapons builder from Oberndorf, Germany is developing both HE and KE modules of the OICW, the actual “bullet launchers”. Contraves-Brashear of Pittsburgh, PA is responsible for the design of the Target Acquisition/Fire Control System for the OICW and the integration of a unique target tracker system from a British firm known as Optec. The fourth member of the team, Dynamit Nobel from Troisdorf Germany, of the HK G11/ACR caseless ammunition development program, is involved with developing product improved 5.56mm KE ammunition for the OICW. It is interesting to note that to win the critical fourth phase of development in this program, the “down select”, the Alliant Tech team had to beat out a larger and very capable team lead by AAI with FN Herstal responsible for the weapon.

To describe the OICW it pays to compare it to current fielded weapons, in particular the issue U.S. M16/M203 combined weapons system. Comprised of a 5.56mm select-fire rifle and add-on single shot 40mm grenade launcher fitted with simple iron sights, this weapon system weighs 14.5 pounds loaded with one 40mm grenade and 30-rounds of rifle ammunition. The maximum effective range of this weapon is generally considered to be 460 meters in competent hands. The rifle is the primary weapon in this combo; the grenade launcher being used for area personnel targets and for delivering high explosive grenades to selected point targets. With a thermal weapon sight for use at night the M16/M203 weighs 16.5 pounds and costs an estimated $29,000. A similarly equipped M4A1 Carbine with modular rail system and various targeting accessories with a slightly reduced maximum effective range weighs in at 19.5 pounds reportedly costs the tax payer $35,000.

The OICW is a dual weapons system consisting of a separable 20mm High Explosive (HE) module and 5.56X45mm NATO Kinetic Energy (KE) miniature select-fire “carbine”. In contrast to the M16/M203 the 20mm HE module of the OICW weapon system is considered the primary weapon leaving the KE module for close-in protection or assault roles or for targets where rifle fire is more appropriate, and cost effective. Each component of the OICW can be separated from the other by the operator and used by itself as determined by the mission. For MOUT operations in urban environments, for artillery crews or vehicle drivers the small, lightweight, fast handling KE module with its 8-10 inch steel sleeved titanium barrel would serve well in offensive or defensive roles at ranges out to and including 300 meters. Targets beyond 300 meters become the focus of the OICW’s 20mm grenade launcher.

The OICW 20mm grenade launcher fitted with a detachable pistol grip/trigger mechanism could be used solely as a smaller and more lightweight (@ 8 pound) semi-automatic grenade launcher where the KE module is not required. Firing less-than-lethal munitions the 20mm launchers could also serve well in crowd control operations.

The advantages of the OICW system compared to those of conventional weapons are far reaching. No longer limited to engaging the enemy with direct fire munitions (bullets) the air bursting 20mm grenades offer a leap forward in combat capability not realized before in the history of the infantry. In comparison, the advent of the long bow, self-contained cartridge, rifled bore and the machine gun are small arms developments that certainly changed the nature of battle. However, as revolutionary as these inventions were none had the potential for changing the planning for, the actual conduct of and the outcome of land battle as that promised by the OICW.

The air bursting munitions alone, with their maximum effective range of 2 1/2 times that of the current 40mm low velocity cartridge fired from the M203 for example, will extend the range that infantry can effectively and decisively engage and destroy enemy targets to a range of 1,000 meters, more than one half mile. The precision provided by the laser range finder, ballistic computer and turns-counting fuse in the air bursting 20mm grenade will allow the infantryman to incapacitate or kill outright enemy soldiers without the need to actually hit the target. Like all fragmenting projectiles the probability of hitting the target with shrapnel from the air bursting grenade increases the gunners ability to inflict injury on the enemy without the need to score a direct hit. Anything within a circle greater than 19 feet (6 meter bursting radius) will most likely take at least one hit from the deadly high speed fragments, most of which are sufficient to inflict serious injury, even through most types of protective equipment. Unlike the conventional point detonating grenade, like that fired from the M203 or MK19, the air-bursting grenade does not drive the vast majority of its fragments into the ground upon detonation.

Moving targets, multiple targets, targets obscured by smoke or fog, targets sensitive to damage such as electronic or optical equipment can be easily and effectively engaged without the need for a direct hit. Even slow moving helicopters are potential targets for the OICW. Aiming errors induced by the effects of combat stress that cause misses with conventional rifles will influence to a far lesser degree the high probability of hitting and incapacitating with shrapnel short and long range targets because of the air bursting function of the OICW’s 20mm grenade.

At no other time in our history has the individual warrior had the capability to engage his opponent hiding behind cover or in a foxhole. The air-bursting mode provided in the OICW’s TA/FCS provides for this ability by the man carrying an individual weapon. In the past only indirect fire crew-served weapons like mortars and artillery provided this capability. This ability to hit the enemy nearly anywhere he may hide is very close to becoming reality for the American fighting man. The ability to add distance to the round prior to launch but after lasing the target will allow the OICW user to hit targets around corners, behind berms, inside fighting positions, in vehicle commander copulas, inside buildings either through open or closed windows or even targets hidden behind light building materials. Simply select the fuse mode of operation in the TA/FCS for the grenade and the system does the rest.

In addition to the Air-Bursting (AB) mode the OICW offers a Point Detonating (PD), Point Detonating Delay (PPD) mode, Window Mode for shooting through glass and a short arm MOUT arming mode for use in Close Quarters Combat (normal arming range is > 14 meters). All grenades have a built-in timed self-destruct feature that will detonate the warhead to reduce or eliminate dud rounds in training areas and on the battlefield. The electronic package in the TA/FCS also allows for various modes of operation to include day, night and television for capturing the view of the gunner for direct feed to the helmet display of the future Land Warrior integrated combat ensemble and/or to unit commanders in real time.

A single rechargeable battery housed within the buttplate of the HE module powers the entire fire control system. Should the battery fail, a rudimentary aiming point is provided within the fire control systems field of view which allows effective though degraded target engagements for both KE and HE weapons. Modern portable power sources “batteries” on today’s battlefield are common and generally very reliable. Back up “iron” sights are also molded into the synthetic housing of each weapon module for aiming without the use of the TA/FCS.

The OICW has fully ambidextrous operating controls and is arranged in an over/under configuration. One trigger is used to fire both weapons. A barrel selector switch determines which weapon is fired with a squeeze of the sole trigger. The mode of fire is selected by the left and right sided safety/selector lever and offers semi-automatic fire for the 20mm and semi-automatic and 2-round burst for the 5.56mm module. The KE module attaches to the HE weapon in seconds using operator removable pushpins and an integral locking rail. The KE weapon uses standard M16/M4 magazines inserted forward of the pistol grip. The 6-round 20mm magazine is produced from polymer material and protrudes from the base of the weapon behind the pistol grip making the HE module of the bull pup design. This design allows for a weapon of relatively short overall length.

The KE weapon is gas-operated using a highly modified HK G36 rifle dual gas system with rotating locking bolt and fixed barrel. The 20mm grenade launcher is recoil operated with rotary locking bolt. The barrel and bolt remain locked together during initial rearward movement. The design of the HE module with it’s advanced recoil mitigation system reduces the felt recoil to the shooters shoulder to just slightly more than that of an M16 rifle. The goal was for felt recoil shooting the 20mm grenades of 90% of that from an M14 rifle, a goal that was achieved by the designers on the very first prototype tested by the U.S. government. This low recoil allows for a sustained rate of accurate fire with the HE module of 10-18 rounds per minute, to include the process of lasing the target.

Materials used in the design of the OICW are as advanced as the performance of the weapon system. The barrels of both weapons are produced from lightweight titanium with a steel liner for durability and resistance to bore erosion. During first prototype testing it was determined that both barrels will withstand the firing of more than 10,000 rounds without degradation of accuracy. The weapons exteriors are produced from light weight yet tough fiber reinforced polymer material that resists exposure to temperature extremes, thermal shock, chemical compatibility and decontamination, rough handling and the normal abuse weapons take in the hands of combat Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and special operations personnel. The entire OICW can be field stripped in minutes without tools and is cleaned using a slightly modified 12 gauge shotgun cleaning kit.

Lethality – Will technology pay off?

All of this highly touted technology and advanced materials is nothing more than fancy window dressing, science fiction as opposed to science fact if you will, if in the end the weapon system cannot perform as intended where the rubber hits the road. The entire purpose of the OICW is to increase the combat capability of the current and future infantryman by dramatically increasing his probability of hit and incapacitation. Under the stress of actual combat, errors are induced in accurate aiming and those marksmanship skills otherwise easily mastered making target engagement extremely difficult even by the accomplished marksman. The fact that in combat the enemy often does shoot back, targets are moving, obscured by smoke, concealment or cover or are presented to the shooter at long ranges all reduce the hit probability of the infantryman with individual weapons that fire kinetic energy ammunition (i.e. bullets, buckshot, flechetts, etc.). There is simply little or no room for aiming errors with a rifle regardless of its rate of fire or the type of projectiles it launches.

In the past this elusive goal was not attained through the use of weapons firing multiple projectiles from one case or bursts of projectiles fired at very high rates of fire. The 1960 era SPIW (Special Purpose Individual Weapon) program reversed the roles of the current OICW making the “bullet launcher” the primary weapon and the grenade launcher the area fragmenting weapon, similar to what we have today in the M16/M203 weapon system. Like the Advanced Combat Rifle (ACR) program that came along some twenty years after the demise of SPIW, advanced bullet launching technology, to include caseless, duplex and flechette ammunition could not provide the 100% increase in hit probability required to advance that technology to the point of production and fielding.

The air bursting munitions of the OICW program, and it’s sister program the Objective Crew Served Weapon (OCSW), make up for aiming errors which result in clean misses with kinetic energy weapons by showering the target with lethal fragments detonating in the air anywhere within 6 meters from the target. As is the case with hand grenades and horseshoes, close is good enough. However, the OICW throws that horseshoe 1,000 meters with accuracy well within the lethal footprint of the grenade.

A second and more revolutionary advantage of the air bursting munitions of the OICW is the ability for the first time in the history of ground combatants for the warrior to engage the enemy behind cover or in the defilade. Never before has the infantryman been able to engage targets behind corners or inside fighting positions or behind a berm with his individual weapon. These were targets that only crew served weapons such as mortars or artillery could effectively engage. Rifle grenades, 40mm grenades fired from the M203, mortar rounds that detonate upon impact with the ground drive much of their lethal payload into the earth. Air bursting munitions provide a far greater potential for hits on target and thus incapacitation of the intended recipient than point detonating munitions.

Cost Effectiveness

What is the cost of state-of-the-art small arms technology? Is the payoff worth the price? If the results of the very first full OICW system tests in January 1998 are any indication, the future potential of the OICW looks extremely promising. The OICW will change the way in which the American military fights battles just as the long bow did and the machine gun and tank centuries later. America’s unfortunate enemies will be at a great disadvantage when faced with the awesome combat capabilities of the OICW and the overmatch performance it will provide to its users.

The current forecasted unit price of one OICW complete with its TA/FCS is approximately $10,000 compared to the $620 cost of one M16A2. However, one must be careful to compare apples to apples. The $10,000 unit price of the OICW includes its thermal module, built-in laser range finder, sensors and ballistic computer, passive night vision and video capability not to mention separable weapon modules. This cost can be directly compared to the M16A2/M203 with thermal and passive night vision sights which is reported to cost Uncle Sam @ $29,000, or @ $35,000 for the M4A1 carbine similarly equipped.

Projected 20mm ammunition costs are @ $30 per round versus that of the current M433 40mm round. However one is wise to keep in mind the 1,000 meter range, air bursting lethality and the critically important pounds per kill weight ratio in which the 20mm OICW grenade clearly has the advantage. The charts below graphically depict the cost versus weight versus effectiveness arguments in favor of the OICW 20mm air bursting munitions over the current M203 40mm low velocity, point-detonating M433 grenade.

The future is here

The Alliant Techsystems candidate OICW system performed superbly in the Phase 3 down-select tests that eliminated the formidable AAI team from further consideration. The Alliant Techsystems weapon met all seven of the mandatory exit criteria and exceeded four of the seven. With years of additional R&D time to perfect, lighten and toughen up the OICW one can expect the OICW prototype of today to become even leaner and meaner beyond it’s already advanced capabilities.

Short of carrying a thick Kevlar, titanium or steel umbrella, if the OICW progresses as expected enemy troops opposing U.S. forces will quickly learn the hard way that with OICW, there is no place to hide.

The German woman was becoming a real pain. I knew we were in trouble when I saw her Birkenstock sandals. CPL Pat Cooper had rendered initial first aid to the German relief worker, while I carried another woman away from the road accident. Their Land Rover hit a roadblock, went off the road and flipped over right after passing our three vehicle convoy. We were enroute to Mogadishu from a 10th Mountain division camp near Marka at a high rate of speed because darkness was falling. CPT Dan Dobrolwski, 513th MI Brigade, quickly organized a perimeter. Although an MI officer. ‘Ski and I had both been rifle platoon leaders in the 2d Infantry Division on the Korean DMZ in ’86 and he quickly slipped back into the combat troop leader mode, commandeering an M60 machine gun and organizing vehicle shakedowns of civilian traffic entering our perimeter which crowned the roadway. Within five minutes there was a crowd of about 100 civilians lining the road. We waited for assistance that never came.

Before we pulled out to medevac the relief workers ourselves an English aid worker asked me what should be done with the weapon. Weapon? Sure enough, with all the khat chewing Somalis milling around there was a loaded G-3 laying atop the vehicle’s underside. I hastily cleared the rifle and shoved it at him telling him, “here take this, sling it muzzle down and whatever you do, don’t play with the damn thing.”

It was not the first G-3 I’d seen in the past few weeks. There were weapons all over the country. Everywhere I went there was an arms room filled with the same hodgepodge assortment of small arms captured from the local thugs. The captured, confiscated, or voluntarily surrendered weapons were predominately Kalashnikov’s as most Somali “gun men” were armed with Kalashnikov’s. I can’t endorse the Kalashnikov enough as an all-around great battle rifle for the African continent. It is ideally suited for the harsh field conditions in desert and bush environments of the Dark Continent where operator maintenance is minimal and old crankcase oil or goat fat frequently suffices for weapons lubricant. The simplistic, robust design of the Sergeant Mikhail T. Kalashnikov’s perfect peasant rifle is just the ticket for arming a bunch of illiterate, primitive tribesmen who’ve never handled anything more technologically advanced than a transistor radio. Some of these people still believe that setting a sight on a longer range increases the hitting power of the bullet. Explaining trajectory and bullet drop is akin to teaching quantum physics. While AK’s , M-16s, and G-3’s were the most common weapons I saw in Somalia there was also a wide assortment of weapons laying about including at least one example of the more common European small arms made in this century.

SGT Jako from the 10th Mountain Division S-2 (Intelligence) shop in Kismayo showed me inside the locked CONEX container where they kept a stash of captured weaponry. I almost burst into tears at the sight of badly rusted Thompson .45 submachine guns destined for the demolitions pit, knowing that even in their rough, used condition the venerable Chicago Pianos were a collectors dream. There were also stockpiles of heavily used PPSh-41s. I would guess that the stocks of both these submachine guns had been idle for some time due to ammunition shortage. While both are considered long obsolete in modern military armories they are serviceable and dependable weapons found yet in the world’s backwaters. I saw both weapons fielded later that year (1993) in Bosnia and to good effect. A heavy World War II era submachine gun may not be on par with a modern assault rifle, but in combat it sure beats throwing rocks.

In the corner beyond the Thompson’s was another “obsolete” American weapon, a very pristine M14. No doubt there were a few USMC vets of the Southeast Asia Wargames back at MARFOR headquarters who would’ve appreciated this robust weapon. I carried an M-14 (actually an M-21 sniping rifle with ART-2) in combat as late as 1986, and think it is a fine weapon. A really interesting find was a Smith and Wesson 1917 service revolver, the one chambered for .45 Long Colt but used with the .45 ACP and half moon clips. Strangely enough it had a short snub nosed barrel. The finish was 100% and the grips were pristine. It looked like it was boxed out of the factory yesterday. I am still mystified as to how it escaped damage in the sandy wastes of Somalia. Large numbers of M-16s were previously provided to Somalia by the U.S. government when Said Barre’s regime was considered a bulwark against Mengistu’s Marxist government in Ethiopia. Ironically some of our troops came under fire from these weapons with significant numbers being captured and confiscated.

It seemed like there was one of everything. SKS carbines were piled on top of M-1 Garands which leaned against Mannlicher-Carcanos, flanked by Czech LMGs and rusting Mausers. Besides the G-3s there were also a few MG 42s. The myriad collection of weapons bespoke Somalia’s tortured path on its way from feudal state to nationhood and back to tribal chaos. I noted a few .303 Lee-Enfield No. 4 rifles. Millions of these rifles were made in England, the U.S. (by Savage Arms Co.). Canada, Australia and India. These were undoubtedly left behind in British Somaliland, used in Orde Wingate’s Abyssinia campaign, or issued during the post-war protectorate. The British ruled all of Somalia after the war until the Italians returned as the UN trustees in 1950. Somalia being a former Italian colony there were large quantities of Italian weapons. Several examples of the Beretta Model 38/42 submachine gun (differing from the 38A by its lack of a cooling jacket) were captured in Kismayo. The precision machining and finishing on the pre-war Model 38A’s was eliminated during the war to ease the manufacturing process. But, even with a stamped tubular receiver it proved to be a reliable and robust submachine gun. I know of only one reference to the Breda Model 1935PG 6.5mm rifles. The Breda was a substandard rifle built for export in the late 1930’’ ( a 7mm variant was sold to Costa Rica in 1937) and many were shipped to Ethiopia. I kept my eye out for one of these rifles. I have yet to even find a photo of one and am beginning to think it is a chimera. The bolt-action 6.5mm M91 Carcano rifles and carbines, however, were well represented with hundreds of examples, mostly in poor to junk condition. With the wide availability of various select fire weapons, especially Kalashnikov’s, I assume most were carried by herdsmen. Interestingly, it was this area of the world where it was determined there was a need for a larger caliber replacement for the 6.5mm. It was in the course of their campaign to subdue Haile Selassie’s Ethiopia defended by Spear carrying tribesmen that the Italians decided the 6.5mm was not enough of a man-stopper. The 7.35mm cartridge was introduced but with the advent of World War II the Italians thought it unwise to switch calibers and most of the 7.35mm Carcanos (M1938) were sold to Finland. Some were re-barrelled with 6.5mm barrels by the Italians. Near the end of World War II limited quantities of these weapons were re-chambered for 7.92mm Mauser. The Germans, who were pressing anything that launched a bullet into service, re-designated the 6.5mm rifles as the Gew 209(I) and the 7.35mm rifles as Gew 231(I) and rebored them for 7.92mm. Due to the increase chamber pressures generated by the 7.92mm Mauser cartridge it is unsafe to fire these weapons. I also saw several M59 Beretta rifles, in my opinion, one of the better Italian made weapons. When the U.S. adopted the M-14 the Italians decided to adapt its M-1 Garand (made under license by Beretta). The resulting weapon was an M-1 chambered to fire the NATO 7.62 round, modified to fire bursts, and fitted with a 20-round magazine and a grenade launcher / muzzle brake.

Later, back in Mogadishu I had the opportunity to examine a Breda Model 30 Italian Light Machine Gun.. The Breda, although one of the first machine gun made with a quick change barrel and, while exhibiting excellent workmanship, was a badly flawed design. A delayed blowback operating gun with a recoiling barrel (like the Italian 1914 Revelli) it has a large bolt with multiple locking lugs. The magazine is permanently attached and is loaded with a twenty-round “horse-shoe” charger of brass or cardboard. On top of the receiver is an oilpan and pump. Because of faulty loading and ejecting inherent in its design, weapons oil is injected onto the rounds and they’re fed through the side loading fixed-box magazine. It obviously didn’t fare too well in the sandy wastes of Ethiopia and Libya.. leading to the old joke about the Italian Army making better shoes than machineguns. When ‘Ski and I disassembled the weapon, which was in remarkably immaculate condition, we found the parts were serial numbered and they all matched. This was a museum quality piece. We attempted to arrange for its shipment to the U.S., but to no avail. It would be destroyed like several other museum pieces, including some priceless Wilkinson sabers which went into the demolition pit with everything else.

Large quantities of captured/confiscated weapons were shipped to the Embassy Compound where they were destroyed. Unfortunately the preponderance of weaponry was tempting. An Army lieutenant was arrested attempting to ship home an AK-47. A few troops I talked to displayed their “drop guns” – pistols such as Lugers, WWII-era Berettas, and Baby Brownings —acquired in Somalia and carried for personal protection or to insure they could produce captured weapons from dead bodies after a fire fight if needed. It’s too bad our troops worried as much about surviving the Monday Morning quarterbacks as they did surviving combat patrols. Despite the availability of many suitable weapons the well-deserving soldiers and marines of Operation Restore Hope were restricted from bringing home a legal war trophy.

Some of the people who justly deserved a war trophy were the U.S. Marines (India Battery, 3/11) who manned several of the camouflage net covered sandbag outposts guarding the Embassy’s outer wall and the main outer gate to the U.S. Embassy Compound. I spent a little time wandering around the perimeter and getting to know the leathernecks responsible for the security of my work site and the area where I slept (quite comfortably) in a GP Medium tent. The positions were all 2-man positions which included night vision devices and an M249 SAW (squad automatic weapon). While some automatic weapons positions had range cards others did not; it seemed to be a gunner prerogative rather than a result of SOP (standard operating procedures) or orders from their tactical small unit leaders. Then again some had non-existent fields of fire and most of the marines I spoke to eschewed the M249 SAW, citing inaccuracy. They preferred their M16A2’s..”every Marine a rifleman.” Fine with me as I always knew where to find a squad automatic, and I much prefer a SAW or an M60 to a “16 any day. From their outpost on the Embassy wall’s southwest corner they had a good view of a Somalia “prison.” Nighttime executions were a common event with the Marines holding front row seats … no tickets required. LCPL Jessie Nunez told me he engaged a Somali armed with an RPG crawling over the Embassy wall just across the street from this “prison.” Despite the occasional “sniper” rounds thudding into their sandbags and the nightly spectacle of nearby Somali versus Somali firefights they spent most of their day shifts bored by routine and harassed by Somalis begging for food.

Perimeter security and reaction teams were handled by these marines and personnel from Force Service Support Group guard force. Additionally there were sniper posts located on top of various buildings in the compound as well as on K-7, a building outside the Embassy – considered key terrain because of its commanding height and fields of fire. Marines (artillerymen from Echo Battery 2/12 Marines) attached to the 3/11 Marines also performed mounted and dismounted patrols outside the Embassy and the airfield.

At approximately 0130 10 January, 1993, a fifteen man patrol traveling in Humvees spotted what appeared to be armed Somalis, the patrol dismounted near K-7. Moving stealthily down the alleyway while hugging the walls they were fired upon by an unknown number of Somalis. Going to ground most of the patrol quickly burned off some rounds, but the whole firefight was over quickly; the lieutenant screaming ceasefire before some of the Marines were even able to fire their weapons. The snipers from K-7 engaged multiple targets using either a .50 Barrett or a Remington 700, (no one would confirm which) and claimed two kills (later confirmed). The patrol accounted for another confirmed and a probable. Marines I spoke to remarked favorably on both weapons.

U.S. weapons which saw the most duty in Somalia were the M16A2 – which performed well, but required more attention in keeping out sand than other weapons – and the Beretta M92F 9mm pistol: not as well liked as its forebear the trustworthy and easy to use M1911A1 .45 ACP. I had opportunity to carry Colt and Beretta pistols in Somalia, but not the weapons mentioned. I was alternately armed with a Colt Officer’s model .45 ACP and an Egyptian “Helwan” copy of the 1951 Beretta 9mm. The .45 began jamming on me due (I believe) to the temperature change affecting the Blazer CCI hollowpoints I was loading. While my Pakistani 9mm ammo worked okay the Helwan’s eight-shot single-stack magazine was next to useless. It continually filled with sand, despite my best efforts to keep it clean. Pistols became a problem for many in Somalia. I saw a female naval officer (an 0-6 Captain, if I remember correctly) fumble with her pistol. She had wrangled a trip ashore and a “joy ride” through Mogadishu. Both her and the male subordinate accompanying her were so fat and out of shape they had problems climbing into the back of a 2 1/2 ton truck. She had to be helped to load her pistol. There were too many of such “officers” and not enough “shooters.” Lieutenant colonels and majors literally swarmed about the Embassy compound, all moving with that air of brisk, self-important military efficiency inherent to minor staff officers. All off to carry out some obscure staff function in an office identified with a string of acronymal letters. I have never before seen so many field grade officers in such a concentrated space. I think they outnumbered the grunts. Because most of these staff types all carried pistols there was a clearing barrel at the inner wall of the Embassy compound. A sign said, “No Negligent Discharges (or You will Fry!)” A reference to the consequences of any less-than-mundane action in the modern zero-defects army. A scorecard was kept on a piece of MRE cardboard and identified negligent discharges (they are no longer considered “accidents”) by service and country. It was removed at the behest of some colonel. The numbers were beginning to look embarrassing anyway.

Since the Somalia mission was a UN operation there were troops from all over the world: Sweden, France, Canada, Italy, Botswana, Morocco, and Pakistan – to name just a few. Of course all the contingents were armed with their own national weapons. While some, like the Botswanans and Moroccans, carried weapons purchased from other countries, most carried native manufactured weapons. The intelligence unit I was working with shared a building, the old library annex, in the outer Embassy compound with some Australians. Over 900 Australians (wearing those funny looking hats) were deployed in support of Restore Hope, and took over U.S. responsibilities in Baidoa. For the Australians it was the largest deployment of Aussie troops since their participation in the Vietnam war. Although their officers were equipped with well-worn Browning 9mm Hi-Powers the diggers were carrying brand spankin’ new AUG variants.

One of the most significant changes in Australian Defence Force (ADF) weaponry had just come about. After extensive test trials the Australian Government armed its troops with a new small arms weapons system designed to serve the ADF into the 21st century: the Austrian 5.56mm Steyr AUG (Armee Universal Gewehr) “bullpup”. The Austeyr (Australian Steyr) is manufactured under license in Australia with three models in production: the Austeyr F88, the Austeyr F88-C (Carbine) with a barrel 4” or 100mm shorter than the standard F88 rifle, and the Austeyr F88-S which lacks the integral 1.5 power sight, allowing the mounting of the AN/PVS-4 Night Vision Sight. Some of the Aussies commented that they’d prefer to have their SLRs or M-16s rather than the Austeyr. A female MP I spoke to liked it because of its shorter length and perception of lighter weight.

A few days after the Australian contingent was reinforced I went up to Baidoa as they were taking over the mission there and I watched some Aussies prep for a patrol. Along with some inquisitive Diggers I inspected some captured “technical” vehicles (pickup trucks with machine guns on improvised mounted) at Baidoa. Besides the usual shot-up Toyota trucks (one of which mounted a 106 mm recoiless) were a Flat 6614 APC (which mounts a 12.7mm machine gun) and a Detroit built truck mounting an AA gun. The technicals were captured by the 15th MEU USMC. The one mounted with a recoiless was used to kill 25 civilians and painted on the side was a slogan in Somali, which translated as, “We must Kill and Loot, Nobody will survive when we attack.” Another “technical” was emblazoned: “Ruthlessness and Gold in my Religion.” The next day one of the diggers in Baidoa discharged his Austeyr in the back of a vehicle. The round struck the barrel of his mate’s Austeyr splintering the round and wounding two others with the fragments.

After visiting the Aussies in Baidoa it only seemed logical to check out the Belgians in Kismayo, a port city south of Mogadishu, where Somali workers unload grain shipments. I flew into the air-strip there where 10th Mountain Division troops on top of the terminal building watched the access road to Kismayo airport and the troop barracks in the terminal building. The security detachment was well armed with M16s, M203s, a Mk 19 grenade launcher, as well as an M24 sniper rifle. The access road was blocked with 55-gallon drums filled with rocks and sand. The security detachment had a stand off distance of a few hundred yards to engage any “suicide car bomber.” No more Beirut’s. Designed for possible future conversion to .300 Winchester Magnum the M24 was built around the M118 Special Ball 7.62mm NATO “sniper” cartridge and on the Remington Arms commercial M70 long bolt action and the M40 custom trigger. The M24 Sniper Weapon system (including a Leopold Ultra M3 10X sighting telescope) was first issued in 1987 and was soon fielded to all infantry, ranger, and special forces units. It accounted itself well in Panama and later in the Persian Gulf.

When I helicoptered into Kismayo I noticed a flurry of activity. The Belgian paratroopers at the port had taken casualties in a flurry of grenade attacks in the past 24 hours. On the ride through town the driver of the Humvee tossed me his M16, but happily the trip was uneventful. The paratroopers wearing maroon berets with SAS “Who Dares Wins” cap badges and armed with FNC 80 Para folding stock carbines (and little else) had encountered an ambush just a few hours before. A Belgian Paratrooper I chatted with showed me the shrapnel wounds dotting his leg received in the ambush earlier. The doc had simply dug out the frags, gave him some aspirin, swabbed the holes with mercurochrome, and sent him back to duty to monitor patrol reports. Another had been wounded in the top of the head while firing from the prone – a preventable injury if Lee Paras had worn helmets. The FNC 80 is a good weapon for paratroops with its folding metal stock with rubber buttplate. Unlike many other FN rifles the recoil spring is in the piston rod assembly.

Just a few years previous to the United Nations intervention in Somalia the Italians, the former colonial masters of Somalia, were armed with a variety of weapons including the Beretta 12S 9mm submachine gun, the BM59 series of rifles, the 5.56mm AR70/.223 assault rifle made by Pietro Beretta SpA, and the SC70, the folding stock carbine version of the AR70/.223. While sold in limited numbers to Jordan and Malaysia, the AR70 (resembling the SIG 530-1 externally) and SC70 “special troops carbine” was fielded solely by Italian special operations forces. The development of the AR70/90 was prompted by defects in the design of the AR 70 and after the Italian Army announced competitive trials for a new service rifle in 1984 Beretta produced the AR70/90 in 1985 and introduced it into service in 1990. So the Italians were carrying rifles that had only been in their inventory for 2-3 years.

French Foreign Legionnaires, many from the garrison in nearby Djibouti, in their berets, short-shorts, and sunglasses were easily recognized by their FA-MAS (Fusil Automatique – Manufacture d’ Armees de St. Etienne) 5.56mm bullpup rifles. Called Le Clarion (the bugle) by the French troops because of its unconventional design, it is a good infantry weapon, especially suited to accurate fire from the prone position with its 25-round magazine and integral bipod. The short overall length (30”) also makes it ideal for vehicle mounted troops. The French were the first to field a bullpup rifle, and unlike subsequent bullpup rifles (the Steyr AUG and British L85A1) the FA-MAS is the only one which allows rapid reconfiguration to a left-shoulder firing weapon. Somalia was my first opportunity to see the FA-FAMAS in action and two very bored Legionnaires were keen to accommodate my curiosity. One thing of note: their magazine change was conducted with the weak or non-firing hand, something I’ve always done with a magazine-fed select fire weapon, but alien to some people.

Swedish troops, most headquartered at the “Swedish Hospital” which supported the UN mission, wore US desert pattern “chocolate-Chip” battle dress uniforms but were armed with the M45(B) Carl Gustav 9mm (kulspruta pistol submachine gun aka “Swedish L”. Influenced by their Finnish M31 Suomi submachine guns (manufactured under license by Sweden’s Husquvarna Vapenfabrik as the Model 37-38) and impressed by the success of crude but effective World War II submachine guns such as the British Sten and the Soviet PPSh-41 and PPS-43, the M45, was developed in the 1944 as a mass-produced, inexpensive weapon. While a well-made high quality weapon simple and uncomplicated in design, the fully-automatic M45 firing its 9mm pistol cartridge is only effective to about fifty meters. Still, an adequate weapon for military police guarding a hospital.

It seems like everybody in Somalia was fired at. The first time some Somali thug sent some rounds my way it was three short bursts of automatic, and nobody could locate the shooter. Sometimes shots were actually exchanged and some Somalis killed while other times it was anybody’s guess if the fire was even aimed directly at us, or just burned off into the air as harassment as we drove pass. With the distinct possibility of being perforated with some of the habitual (and at times somewhat desultory) gunfire, riding around Mogadishu and traveling throughout Somalia was not without its perils. But for a weapons aficionado attached to U.S. special operations it was still a hell of a good time.

Rob Krott, a former Army officer (Infantry and Special Forces units) studied East African cultures at Harvard University. A Swahili speaker with on-the -ground time in the area of operations he was hired as a Dept. of the Army civilian consultant and assigned as the Assistant Team Chief, Somali Linguist Team, in December ’92, deploying to Somalia in January ’93.

For further reading on Operation Restore Hope in Somalia the author recommends; Losing Mogadishu by Jonathan Stevenson and Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden.

Welcome to “Cookin’ with Dillon”, an SAR feature where we took the time to visit with Mike Dillon, king of the progressive reloaders, a man who has taken hopper feeding his machine guns that one more step by trying to manufacture the ammunition fast enough to feed the guns…. We caught Mike back in the kitchen, working on some of his favorites:

THOMPSON TURNOVERS

For Thompsons, Reisings and Greaseguns, This simple formula can’t be beat. Properly inspect the brass as in the 9mm loads. Use 230 grain FMJ bullets with 5.0 grains of W231. This should ensure safe, economical full auto fun.

308 WHILE-YOU-WAIT BOULLIABASE

One of the reasons I dislike the M60 is that one almost put my eye out. The other reason is I couldn’t reload for the damn thing, it would always separate cases, and I would make the headspace so long that the gun would have to crush up the cartridge to get it into the chamber and I would still get case head separation on it, and it’s not like a Browning, where when you get a case head separation, it’s not big deal, the trash drops out of the bottom of the gun, through the open ejection port in the bottom of the receiver. With the Browning, you just stick a broken case extractor on the front of the bolt and yank out the separated case. Then you’re shooting again. With the M60 you’re there trying to turn the damned thing upside down and dump the broken pieces out, meanwhile the top cover is flapping back and forth hitting your hands. I mean, I don’t like the gun, I can’t, I could never figure out why it would separate case as bad as it did. I truly regard the M60 as being a factory ammunition gun.

While I am definitely not a fan of the M60 GPMG, the following load for 7.62 x 51mm ammunition should work in the ’60 as well as the FAL, M14, or other .308 machine guns. Properly inspect and treat your brass. Use 147-150 Grain .308 FMJ bullets, and 48 Grains W748.

COLT CONCOCTION:

The main thing about loading 223 is that you use a case gauge. Use a Wilson case gauge, use a Dillon case gauge, I don’t care what kind of case gauge you use, but use a case gauge, and make sure you are sizing the cartridge so that the headspace is correct. Now headspace was one those terms that drove me nuts trying to explain to people. What it really refers to, I think, regardless of who’s definition we look at, is that once you put the cartridge in the chamber, if the cartridge moves all the way forward in the chamber to the limits of whatever stops it going in, that you should have some separation between the base of the cartridge and the face of the bolt. Now to me is what headspace is. How you arrive at it, is an entirely different matter. In other words there has to be room in the chamber for the cartridge to go in and yet not be sloppy. When talking about headspace, that’s what I am talking about. So you need to push the shoulder back, in order to gauge it right. I thought all cartridges headspaced on the mouth of the cartridge like a 45 did, I didn’t grasp that most of the shoulder cartridges headspace on the shoulder, not on the mouth of the case. I was abysmally ignorant when I started this.

Those who like to shoot AR15/M16 series rifles will enjoy the following quick recipe. It works just as well in any 5.56mm rifle or machine gun. Don’t let the 55 grain bullet fool you, this is a nice, even shooting accurate load. Properly inspect your brass. Use 5.56mm (.223) 55 Grain FMJ bullet, with 23 Grains of H322.

BROWNING SURPRISE

Those who know me are aware that the Browning 30’s and 50’s are my favorites (Other than Miniguns, of course). I like the 30’s in the original caliber, and load in the following manner: properly inspect and treat the brass then use 147-150 Grain FMJ bullets, with 55.5 Grains W760.

Consistent bullet seating is important, as is proper case trimming. Semi and fully automatic firearms rely on certain consistency in the feeding process, and deviations in length can interfere with the process.

9mm SUBGUN GUMBO

9mm Subguns are the mainstay of shooting. Inexpensive to feed, and even more so if you are reloading for them. Reloading, properly done, not only saves you money, but provides top quality ammunition for your pet Subgun. For this recipe, first we take 1000 used 9x 19mm brass cases, inspect and clean them. Look for any imperfections in the brass. Hopefully you are tracking your brass usage, but if this is a “Mongrel” pile that is all right as long as you do a good inspection. Lube the cases with Dillon’s Spray Lube case lubricant, then put them in the hopper. Fill the primer tube, bullet reservoir, and powder reservoir with W231 powder. Adjust the powder according to the projectile weight.

Commence loading. These should properly,

9mm – 115 Grain FMJ bullet, 4.7 Grains W231
9mm – 125 Grain FMJ bullet, 4.4 Grains W231

CHEF MIKE CLEANS AND LUBES THE CASES….

Lubricate the cartridges so that they are all lubricated about the same, and the magic lubricant is hydro-lanolin. This stuff works absolutely fantastic. It’s the oil out of sheep’s wool. We used to buy this stuff, it went for about 3 bucks a pound at drug stores. It’s a thick white cream. You figure a way to get it on your cartridge. I’d stick them in a tumbler and put the hydro-lanolin on my hands and just stick my hands in the tumbling media, and let it take it off my hands. Now this process is a lot easier- all you need to do is use Dillon’s Spray Lube. It’s hydrous lanolin in a quick drying solvent. The best way to clean brass for the commercial loaders, (that’s who I dealt with in the beginning were commercial loaders), is citric acid and TSP Tri Sodium Phosphate . Tri Sodium Phosphate is garage floor cleaner. You can get a pound box for a couple of bucks, It’s as cheap literally as a box of dirt. This stuff is almost free and it’s the best cleaner there is, it’s a grease cutter and you mix that with a little citric acid. You might say “Acid, Mike? That’s dangerous!” Well, you can take 1/2 teaspoon of the citric acid, put it into a glass of water and add a little sugar and you’ve got lemonade, cause that’s what it is. So two of the cheapest and safest things in the world can be used to do a fantastic job of wet cleaning large quantities of brass. Smaller batches of brass (Up to 500 cases) can be cleaned an polished using a small vibratory “Tumbler”. In my kitchen, I of course recommend the Dillon tumblers and ground corn cob. Add a small amount of case polish and run for an hour.

When you are “Wet cleaning”, you’re putting this mixture of TSP and Citric acid in water- just a little bit of each into a bucket of water. Dump it over the brass, and let it soak overnight. When you are ready, just pour the water off and throw the dry brass into dry corn cob and tumble a few minutes. Just as bright and shiny as can be. Then you examine the brass, size and trim, then tumble with the hydro-lanolin, and the brass is ready to go!

In the darkness of 23 August 1916 a battalion of British infantry worked feverishly bringing cases of ammunition and water forward. They were tasked with bringing up enough supplies to keep 100 Coy, Machine Gun Corps well supplied. It was no light work as the ten guns in question were Vickers .303 medium machine guns. When the signal to fire was given on 24 August the ten Vickers fired for 12 hours non- stop. The only pause was to change ammunition belts and barrels. Between ten guns they fired just shy of 1 million rounds. One gun actually averaged 10,000 rounds an hour for 12 hours. They used 100 barrels and an untold amount of water was turned to steam in the process. In the end their assigned task was accomplished. They had been charged with denying the “Hun” movement over a far distant hill. For 12 hours they had made the hill impassable. No reinforcements got through, no ammunition, food or water was brought forward, communication was effectively cut. In both World Wars and afterwards the Vickers Mk I machine gun proved eminently capable of providing long range indirect fire. It was used to such an extent in this manner that a special load was developed for use solely with the Vickers, the .303 Mk 8Z.

Unlike its contemporaries the .303 British was originally a blackpowder cartridge when it was first adopted on 2 February 1889. The .303 Mk I Ball load consisted of a 215 grain round nose bullet on top of 75.5 grains of blackpowder. It was soon changed to cordite and remained basically the same up through the Mk VI ball loading. This drove a 215 grain round nose at 2060 fps. The charge was 30-32.5 grains of cordite.

The big change came with the adoption of the famous Mk VII ball round. This load consisted of a 174 grain flat based spitzer on top of 37 grains of modified cordite. Velocity was 2440 fps. This load was in service at the outbreak of World War I and continues to give outstanding service in various places around the world today. For extreme long range use of the Mk VII ball did have two drawbacks. One was the velocity, the other was the flat base projectile design. Both were easily remedied.

Before delving deeper it is first important to understand British thinking as far as projectile design was concerned. They did not deny the long range superiority of the boattail (they referred to it as streamlined) projectile over the flat base. They readily admitted a boattail projectile has a greater capacity for overcoming air resistance, flatter trajectory, higher striking power at longer ranges, and greatly increased ranging power. However they also felt that it was far easier to manufacture a square (or flat) base projectile and therefore it was easier to maintain the standards of manufacture. This in turn would produce a more consistent and accurate projectile. Poorly manufactured projectiles may give rise to oscillation (wobble) in flight producing dismal accuracy at anything but short range. They felt that since mass production is at its peak during wartime that it was likely that boattailed bullets manufactured under such conditions might lack the careful finish needed to guarantee accuracy. The Germans however embraced boattail projectiles and it is interesting to note that in his book ‘With British Snipers To the Reich” Captain Shore mentions coming across specimens of German projectiles whose tapered bases were definitely lacking symmetry.

If you scratch your head at their (British military) thinking, just remember that when British tankers complained that the hammer spur on their revolvers were catching on this or that as they clambered in and out of their vehicles they came up with a surefire fix. Instead of simply issuing flap holsters they removed the hammer spurs and made all their service revolvers double action only.

Flat base or not the Mk VII ball round proved to be an excellent rifle cartridge. To make it more efficient for long range indirect fire they upped the velocity from 2440 fps to 2550 fps. Then they added a 174 grain projectile with a long boattail. This was loaded atop a charge of 37 grains of nitro-cellulose propellant as opposed to the normal cordite loading. So the Mk 8Z ball, for machine guns only, was born. This load gave the Vickers machine gun a maximum range of 4500 yards (4.1 km)! This is in comparison to the Mk VII’s maximum range of 3700 yards (3.38 km). Terminal velocity of a dropping .303 Mk VII at this range is only 315 fps which equates to about 40 foot-pounds of energy.

You can easily tell Mk VII ball from Mk 8Z ball by simply looking at the head stamp. The British military headstamp gives the manufacturer’s name abbreviated to one or two letters. “RG” for example indicates the round was manufactured by the Royal Ordnance Factory, Radway Green in Cheshire, ‘K’ indicates manufacture by Kynoch and so forth. The year of assembly is given, and the cartridge type. Up until the end of 1944 Roman numerals were used to indicate the mark type of the cartridges. VII or 7 would indicate the standard Mk VII cordite loaded ball. A suffix of ‘Z’, such as ‘7Z’ would indicate nitro-cellulose propellant instead of cordite. So a round with a head stamp of K63 8Z would be a Mk 8Z ball round loaded with nitro-cellulose by Kynoch in 1963.

A letter prefix on the mark designation before 1957 identified projectile type. No prefix indicated ball. The codes are listed below:

B-Incendiary
O-Observing
D-Drill
P-Practice
E-Smoke Bomb Projector
Q-Proof
F-Semi-Armour Piercing
R-Explosive
G-Tracer
U-Dummy
H-Grenade Discharger
W-Armour-piecing
L-Blank

Where a cartridge performed two functions the prefix could use 2 letters, such as ‘PG’ for Practice Tracer. So a designation of G8Z would indicate Mark 8 Tracer, loaded with Nitro-cellulose. Until the adoption of the NATO color code in 1957 the British used a color code as follows:

Of special note is British wartime experience with the barrel erosion characteristics of Mk VII ball (cordite) and Mk 7Z and 8Z (Nitro-cellulose). They found that barrels should be used with either cordite ammunition (Mk VII) or Nitro-cellulose ammunition (Mk 7Z and 8Z) but not with both. This was due to the different wear patterns of the two different propellants. They stated this was especially important for overhead fire. I’d hate to know who found that out!

I took examples of different types of .303 ball cartridges, pulled the projectiles and weighed the components. For Mk VII ball, I had examples from 1949 vintage Radway Green and 1948 vintage Greenwood and Batley. For Mk 8Z I had examples made by Kynoch in 1963. And to make things interesting I used some Greek ball manufactured by Greek Powder and Cartridge Co., in Athens and Sellier and Bellot in Vlasim, Czechoslovakia (I have been extremely impressed with Sellier and Bellot .303 Ball, it’s really good stuff). Data is contained in the chart. I then trundled all my gear out to my car and drove to The Outdoor Sportsman in Northport, Maine. The range is class 3 friendly and the owner Carl Kosomo helped with the testing. To check for accuracy I used a custom No. 4 Enfield Tactical rifle with 26” heavy fluted Douglas match barrel, synthetic stock, and 3X9 Leupold.

I was pleased as the Mk 8Z shot into an inch at 100 yards. Not bad for machine gun ammunition. Average velocity was 2559 fps and recoil seemed no different from Mk VII ball, fairly mild. Point of impact was 1.5 inches higher than for MkVII ball. Bolt opening was normal and cases extracted easily. Primers were normal with no signs of higher than ordinary pressure.

While I did not have the opportunity to perform any long range tests, it has been my experience that the .303 Mk VII gives easy hits out to 850 yards or so (with a good rifle). Somewhere around 950 to 1000 yards though, for direct rifle fire the old girl runs a little short on steam. It would be interesting to see how much of an improvement the Mk 8Z offered. It doesn’t seem to be very different from some of the new 175 grain 7.62 NATO match loads that are now coming into vogue. In all truthfulness, the Mk 8Z probably doesn’t offer much of an improvement over the Mk VII for rifle use at typical infantry engagement ranges. For it’s intended purpose though I’m sure it was extremely effective. There is no doubt that a number of Vickers firing Mk 8Z ball could wreak havoc at incredible distances. One does not normally worry about rifle caliber machine gun fire at a distance of 4 kilometers. In this case it would be a mistake you wouldn’t make twice.

The Vickers Mk I machine gun passed into oblivion in 1968, and with it the Mk 8Z ball round. Their indirect fire role having been usurped by the 81 mm mortar. With its passing a chapter in machine gun history closed. It has been said that once one has tap traversed on the Vickers the fascination of the weapon remains for all time. The Vickers gun will stand for all time as a truly great machine gun. So the .303 British will stand as a truly great military cartridge.

Recently while doing research for my upcoming book on the Reising submachine gun, I made arrangements to visit the Quantico Marine Base located near Washington, DC. I had been communicating with Ken Smith-Christmas of the Quantico Museum about the possibility of examining any Reising guns they might have in their possession. He told me that they did have a few Reisings, and if I would give him a few weeks notice he would be more than happy to show them to me. Shortly thereafter I was on my way to Quantico, Virginia.

The Marine Base at Quantico is located just off Interstate I-95 about 40 miles south of Washington, DC. The base encompasses approximately 60,000 acres, and is home to over 12,000 military personnel, their families and civilian employees. Thousands of troops were trained at the base during WWI, including units of the 4th Marine Brigade. After WWI ended, new tactics and techniques of amphibious warfare were conceived, developed and perfected at Quantico. These amphibious tactics proved invaluable during the Marine island battles in the Pacific Theater of WWII.

The small air facility at Quantico has been instrumental in developing helicopter techniques that were used in the Korean and Vietnam wars. More recently Quantico pioneered the development of V/STOL aircraft and amphibious assault ships. An interesting Marine Air-Ground Museum is located near the airfield. The museum’s many exhibits illustrate a chronological view of the Marine Corps Air-Ground team’s development and role in modern warfare. Sitting just outside the gates of the airfield is President Dwight Eisenhower’s presidential helicopter. Eisenhower was the first president to utilize a Marine helicopter for transportation. The world famous FBI Academy, universally recognized as a leader in law enforcement training and research is also located on the base. There also are many historical Marine statues located throughout the area.

After an unintentional tour of the Marine facility at Quantico and a few phone calls I finally located Mr. Smith-Christmas’s office. After the proper introductions Ken and I drove across the base to an obscure, unpretentious building. We walked up to the building’s entrance and once inside I saw a huge vault door. I had a feeling something wonderful was about to take place. After making several telephone calls to security for authorization we were cleared to open the door. Once the huge steel door swung open and I was able to peer inside, Reisings vanished from my immediate thoughts.

The very first thing I saw were rows upon rows of what appeared to be wooden stocked FN-FALS. My first thought was, could these be the rare T-48s manufactured by H&R and High Standard for the service rifle trials in the mid 1950’s? Mr. Smith-Christmas confirmed my suspicions, yes they were, 78 of them in brand new condition! As I looked around I saw racks of miniguns, Vulcan cannons, chain guns and other exotic weapons of all types.

Some of the more unique weapons in the vault were: John Browning’s prototype “Potato Digger” serial number 1. Sitting on the floor was an experimental water cooled Lewis machinegun. Some of the shoulder fired weapons I saw were M3 carbines with infrared sniper scopes, M1 carbines with experimental folding stocks and Thompson style vertical foregrips. There were even a few Special Purpose Individual Weapon (SPIW) prototypes.

There were many weapons and not just one example, but seemingly endless rows of RPD’s, M60’s, Maxims and Vickers machineguns. One area contained a cache of weapons captured by the Marines in Desert Storm. These weapons were mostly Soviet designs, except for a WWII German MP44 Strumgewher leaning in the corner.

On the “milder” side I examined rows of various sniper rifles, a 1903 rifle equipped with a rare Pederson device, and several rare variations of he M1 Garand rifle.

Foremost in my mind was the fact that all these interesting, rare and historical weapons were sitting in this vault out of view from those folks like myself who would love to see them on display in museums. Mr. Smith-Christmas shared my feelings and said in the future something could be forthcoming. I conveyed to him that it would be a tragedy to see any of these weapons destroyed. He also agreed with me on that point as well.

Much to my relief I discovered that Mr. Smith-Christmas is an avid shooter and collector of firearms, and very much interested in preserving the weapons in the vault for present and future generations. It was good to know that there are people like Ken Smith-Christmas watching over these historic pieces.

I’ve been catching some flak lately- nothing too serious, just a couple of shots across the bow. I thought this might be a good point to address the issues that have been brought up. Probably the most prevalent complaint has to do with “Toy” articles. When we first started to run these, there were a lot of positive comments. Most were in the vein of “Where can I find these antiques”, “Love the memorabilia articles”, “How about putting values on these items so that as I find them, I know what to pay”. However, this positive response has “Petered” off and been replaced with “Hey! How about more gun articles?” “If toys are all that we Class 3 owners are reduced to having, we should just give up”, and similar negatories.

I don’t mean these concerns aren’t serious, I simply mean that the situation is fixable. There were several reasons for the “Emmageeman’s Corner” being used- partially because of filling out a color section of SAR quite handsomely, and partially because many of us do like these articles.

The solution here seems to be in the form of a compromise- I have asked Robert Segel to do some articles on machine gun accessories for his next group of “Emmageeman’s Corner”. These will include photo essays on water cans for machine guns, Anti-Aircraft sights for machine guns, and items in a similar manner. Then, on occasion, we will spice things up with another machine gun memorabilia article. Hopefully, this will service the Class 3 community with a nice photographic identification series for those hard to figure accessories.

Other comments from the readers have been in regard to what they would like to see more of in SAR. Belt fed articles top the list, followed closely by “How-to” articles, as in “How to headspace and time a 1919 Browning Machine Gun” (Coming in the next issue), “How to change calibers on a Vickers Gun”, etc. Next is a series of Thompson articles by different authors, and we have some real good competition submachine gun articles coming up.

Remember that if you, the reader, send us your thoughts on what you want to see in SAR, we will listen and try to give you more of it.

Amnesty talk: I am hearing a lot more talk about Congress looking at an Amnesty similar to the 1968 one in regard to machine guns. The talk is coming from “Our” side of course; the “Other” side is saying, “When hell freezes over”. I am an advocate of an Amnesty period being declared where the general public has a year to register any machine guns that are either not on the NFRTR or have been accidentally deleted from it. This one year period is to be used to correct the flaws in the NFRTR. The reason is simple: the NFRTR, which is the registry of all NFA firearms, is demonstrably “Off”. This means that if someone has a machine gun that was taxed and registered, but the government doesn’t have a record of it, that person may find themselves the target of an ATF raid, with the ensuing life threatening and lifestyle threatening consequences. It may have already happened to someone.

The NFRTR is quoted as being accurate for the purposes of prosecution- if the firearm in question is not on the registry, then it must be an untaxed, unregistered firearm. This situation is similar to the FBI’s fingerprint system. At present, the FBI can certify in court that “The defendant’s fingerprints are on the item”. Imagine for a moment that two people are found who have identical fingerprints. The new testimony would have to be “Fingerprints very like the defendant’s were on the item”. Sounds a lot different, doesn’t it? It sure would in a courtroom. Well, if the NFRTR is not 100% accurate, then an ATF agent’s testimony would change from “This firearm is not on the NFRTR, and the NFRTR is accurate” to “This firearm is not on the NFRTR, but we are only partially accurate in our records”.

It would seem that an Amnesty would be necessary to fix the situation, so long as this period was used to make the corrections to the NFRTR. I don’t expect to see one any time soon, but that doesn’t mean I won’t advocate one.

Dan Shea

I want to thank SAR for lending not only this space, but also for its significant impact on uniting this community of friends. It is essential at this time to indeed unite for a cause that has been set in front of us. As you have read earlier in these pages, our current project is to be a national-scale legal battle, attempting to remove the Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) certification from the forms used to pay tax on NFA items. This is one of the many issues that NFA manufacturers, dealers, purchasers and enthusiasts should see as needing of reform. The BATF Forms 1, 4, or 5 are the entryway to joining the NFA community, and the CLEO certification is the part of these forms that lends itself to corruption, confusion and abuses of power that amount to de facto gun control.

The CLEO “signoff” portion of the Forms 1 and 4 is what stops most people from paying tax to take transfer of their NFA firearms. We as NFA enthusiasts are often confounded by local officials conspiring amongst themselves to not sign these forms. (Dade County, FL and Houston, TX for examples.) We are flummoxed when we see proof of ATF staff advising local officials not to sign off on their own requirement on their own forms.

Often dealers find it in their interest to search out friendly chiefs and sheriffs in order to provide signoffs for their clients. In some areas, if you don’t buy the item from a store that made a significant contribution to the sheriff’s re-election fund, you don’t get a signoff.

We waste our anger on locals who have no business viewing our private tax documents in the first place, yet are “required” to by an illegal BATF form. We waste time trying to issue writs of mandamus to local officials, attempting to get them to “do their job”, when it clearly isn’t their job.

Is it not obvious that this federal requirement lends itself to local corruption? Is it not obvious that a federal form should not require a local signoff? As the ATF looks at the Form 1, 4 and 5 as federal tax documents, is it also not obvious that you should not need to submit your private tax information to scrutiny and ambiguity of some local official’s prejudices and preferences? This requirement is a violation of the Appointments clause of the Constitution (what brought the Brady laws down), as well as an affront to the 14th Amendment (Which ensures due process and equal protection no matter where you live).

The good guys, generally meaning WE, can win a lawsuit challenging this requirement. We, the NFA community, have traditionally been ignored, forgotten, or worse – sold out by mainstream firearms lobbyist groups. So we’re doing things ourselves. The process has been set in motion by a non-profit, grassroots organization birthed from our own ranks. The 1934 Group is collecting donations now to fund this suit.

Attorneys Jim Jeffries and Steve Halbrook have agreed to co-counsel, provided that the 1934 Group holds up on its end of the deal: coming up with the financial ammunition to bring this to its final outcome. Not surprisingly, that’s where you come in. We need and expect your support. The NFA community, from manufacturer to dealer to end user to their future heirs stand to benefit greatly from such a change in the way business is done. I sincerely hope you realize this and help us to advance your freedoms.

Be the change that you want to see in the world. — M. K. Gandhi

My Thanks in Advance,

Kel Whelan
Chairman, 1934 Group

Private Donations in personal or company cheque, money order (Please make notation on ‘memo’ field of your cheque if you prefer to stay anonymous to the CL3 community) can be sent to:

1934 Group
12701 NE 9th PL Suite #D312
Bellevue, WA 98005

SAR is not involved in this fundraising effort, but we are cheerleaders for the project. We see no reason for this requirement staying in place in light of how much it has been abused. If you want to continue to exercise your Right to own firearms by purchasing NFA firearms, there should be no unwritten local impediment. We support the 1934 Group and their attorneys, James Jeffries and Stephen Halbrook. We hope you will as well. Let’s DO something about our problems, not just complain about them. -Dan