By Dan Shea

….Then there are the do-gooders. I am in my mid forties, and in each of the last few decades that I remember, I have heard the same story told in heart-felt, hand-wringing anguish- usually by people who look you deeply in the eyes to feel your “Aura” while they tell it. Each time, it is a different country- whatever the liberal darling of the month is. First it was ‘Nam, then Nicaragua, then El Salvador, et cetera, et cetera. It is always a “Good friend” of the storyteller, who was (Pick one) an aid worker for the UN, a Peace Corps volunteer, with the Red Cross, and had just come back from a hot zone. While there, walking through a destroyed village, he/she came upon an old peasant woman/ young mother cradling a dead child/ village elder, and asked “Who did this?” The reply is always “Men with Guns”, said with exaggerated emphasis on “Men” and “Guns”. Usually told slowly, with an accent. “MEHN with GOIINS”.

If there are any impressionable minds hanging around, now is the time to tell some stories about people who have successfully defended their homes and villages, because they DID have guns themselves, and were not sheep led to the slaughter of barbarians. Ask the white farmers of Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) right now if they feel like giving up their guns.

There are always going to be bad people, and there will always be bullies, whether they be 14 years old in the school yard, or governments gone out of control, or guerillas in the jungle. The answer to all of these situations is probably to avoid the crazies, but if it is unavoidable, meeting them with strength usually solves the problems. The schoolyard bully usually backs off fast from a good punch in the nose and an eyeball to eyeball understanding that he is not going to push you around. Out of control governments attacking another country respond much the same, letting them know you are willing to bomb them back to the stone age does wonders for their pugilistic intents. “Men with Guns” are apt to leave you alone if you make it clear that you can fight back.

The point? Don’t give up, don’t back off, and above all, don’t give up hope. We are moving into the enemies’ territory right now- they have held the high ground, and have abused the heck out of our Rights in the last few years.

It is not “MEHN with GOIINS” that we need to fear, it is “Leeberals with Pens”….

– Dan

BY The Small Arms Review Editorial Staff

Dear SAR

Situation Report March 2000 Issue – As always, you are right on! I have collected firearms all of my adult life – for over thirty five years – and as we become second class citizens in the eyes of those who would destroy the Second Amendment it is time to become politically active. There is little time left. Many people from the President to the media are ready to take away our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

John de Groseilliers

John, I personally, and everyone that I know at SAR feels just about the same. Complacency is our enemy- and as we move towards the November 2000 elections, we need to be ever vigilant and help reminds our friends to get out and VOTE!

Dear SAR

Have you every heard of anyone converting a 9mm Uzi to full auto, firing from a closed blot? This would be a big improvement! If you haven’t heard of this being done (with your experience with full auto guns) it probably has never been done. Would you write me back on this?

G. Greynolds

Certainly. IMI has manufactured closed bolt Uzi’s in each of the three basic sizes, but it was after the point that the importation was practical, thus most Uzi’s in the United States are open bolt guns. The concern was the first round accuracy loss that is somewhat inherent in open bolt firearms-or rather the perception of it. When your major competition in the LE market is the HK MP5, well, you have a lot of things going against you. The MP5 is a fine LE firearm, and the Uzi doesn’t really compare in that role- my opinion. The opposite can be said for having a mass of soldiers running through the desert- the Uzi is easy to “hand” in combat, and point fire is a proven combat advantage for the Uzi operator- also my opinion. The MP5 series is much more surgical, and very popular with LE users for that reason. This might open up an argument similar to the “9MM or 45” Tastes Great Less Filling wars, but to your question, yes there are closed bolt Uzi designs, but they never really made it to the states in any quantity. – Dan

Dear SAR

I don’t write many complimentary letters, but felt I must express my particular satisfaction with the Feb 2000 issue of SAR. Every article was interesting and well written, I particularly enjoyed the article “Johnson’s boys” I would encourage SAR to include one such firsthand article in every issue. The true life history of those using our most interesting weapons in battle provides us a deeper understanding of the practical use of our weapons. More importantly, articles of this type deepen our gratitude to the brave men who went in harm’s way. We all owe continuing gratitude to Mr. Bardwell for his insight on NFA legal issues. For many of us, the ever changing complexities of gun laws are as interesting as the guns themselves. The always well written article by Captain Monty portray our sport in the positive light it deserves. Reed Knight interview, Gatlings, Industry News, Ma-deuce – – All rounded out what I thought was the best ever SAR.

Norbert N. Smoot

Thanks for the “Up” on this. We need an attaboy every once in a while. I agree that we need to have user perspective stories on small arms, however, we try to keep them to that- related to the small arms. There are other magazines that do a wonderful job of covering the tactics and history of wars. Our job is the guns.

Dear SAR

I just wanted to express how much I enjoyed this particular issue of SAR particularly the section dealing with 50 assembly-disassembly timing etc. I hope in the future you can continue these pictoral breakdown articles in guns such as MG-34’s, MG-15’s and MG-13’s (old German stuff in particular) as it is very hard to find manuals that deal with this stuff. Keep up the good work.

Dave Wright

Dave, we have a lot more planned in the future, and it is our desire that issues of SAR will always be used as a reference for the firearms community. If you have particular firearms you wish to see this done with, please let us know.

By Robert M. Hausman

ATF Proposing New Dealer Regulations

Major changes in the regulation of firearms dealers are being proposed by the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF). Measures affecting recordkeeping by dealers of used guns, new procedures for the renewal of dealer licenses, and other actions are expected.

The new regulations are part of the agency’s response to the release of a report in early February that points out a small number of firearms dealers account for a majority of crime guns traced back to active dealers.The 85-page report, Commerce in Firearms in the United States, is believed to be ATF’s first comprehensive report on the firearms industry and the agency’s regulatory enforcement programs.

ATF has long known that a small number of dealers account for a majority of crime guns traced, as this author has personally witnessed ATF agents reporting this information several years ago at one of the meetings of the American Shooting Sports Council, a now-defunct industry lobbying organization. At the time, ATF officials said that while these small numbers of dealers may have sold an inordinate amount of guns later traced to crimes, this in itself was not necessarily indicative of wrongdoing on the dealers’ part. They added the neighborhoods in which the retailers were located, as well as other factors, could be contributing to the large number of trace requests.

However, the agency is now looking at this data in a new light, particularly after President Clinton publicly commented about it and called for new dealer regulations.

“This report provides new analysis leading us to new measures in our continuing efforts to decrease firearms violence and to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and youth,” Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers said. “Most important, ATF will conduct intensive inspections of the 1% of dealers that account for well over half of all crime guns traced last year. If violations of law are found, we will take actions against these dealers.”

Some of the key findings in the Commerce in Firearms report include:

– 1.2% of current dealers (1,020 dealers) account for 57% of crime gun traces to active dealers. Each of these dealers had 10 or more crime guns traced to them. Just 0.2% of dealers (132 dealers) had 50 or more crime guns traced to them, accounting for 27% of crime gun traces.

– A small number of retail gun dealers fail to cooperate with ATF requests to trace crime guns, obstructing criminal investigations in these cases. In 1999, about 50 retail gun dealers either failed entirely to respond to a trace request, did not respond within the required 24 hours three or more times, or wrongly denied having information that they in fact had. While dealers are required to respond to trace requests by law, the ATF report makes no mention of charges or disciplinary action taken by the agency against the 50 dealers mentioned.

– In 1998 and 1999, firearms dealers voluntarily reported about 1,900 interstate thefts, involving over 3,700 firearms.

– While ATF has long requested common carriers, such as UPS, etc. to report firearms thefts, the firms are not required to do so by law and only a few companies regularly file reports.

Among retailers, including pawnbrokers, responding to an ATF survey, over half had reported a gun stolen at some time during conduction of their businesses. Among those that had sold 50 or more firearms the previous year, 10% of pawnbrokers and 16% of retailers had reported a theft since starting in business.

New Measures

In response to the report’s findings, ATF will begin conducting intensive inspections of over 1,000 retail dealers and pawnbrokers who had 10 or more crime guns traced to them in 1999. About 450 dealers will be required to provide ATF with certain information (serial number, manufacturer, importer, model) on secondhand firearms they acquire. These dealers sold a significant number of new crime guns that were recovered by police and traced within three years of leaving the gun shop. An estimated two million secondhand guns are sold in the U.S. each year. The initiative is believed to help enable ATF to trace used guns sold by dealers associated with high numbers of crime guns.

Dealers who fail to cooperate with trace requests will be required to send all their firearms records to ATF so the firearms they sell can be traced if they are used in crime. ATF will also take regulatory enforcement actions with respect to these dealers, “as appropriate.”

Firearms manufacturers and importers, upon request, will be provided by ATF with a list by serial number of the firearms they sold that were traced as crime guns during the previous year. This measure is thought to enable the manufacturers and importers to police the distribution of the firearms they sell.

ATF will shortly publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking requiring all licensed dealers to conduct regular inventories and report discrepancies to ATF. This move will enable dealers to fulfill their statutory obligation to maintain accurate records of the acquisition and disposition of firearms and report the loss or theft of firearms to ATF. The report indicates the agency’s inspections had corrected over 15,000 inventory errors among some 21,000 guns initially identified as missing from inventory during 1999. The Federal firearms License application form will be amended to require dealers renewing their licenses to certify how many firearms they acquired and disposed of during the preceding three years. This will provide evidence to enable ATF to deny renewal applications of dealers who are not actively engaged in the business. No definite number of how many firearms a dealer has to sell to be considered “active” has apparently been set, however.

Congressional reforms enacted in 1993 and 1994 have resulted in a substantial drop in the number of firearms licensees, from about 284,000 in 1992 to 104,000 today. The breakdown includes 71,270 retail dealers, 10,035 pawnbrokers, 17,763 collectors of curios and relics, 968 importers and others, 1,639 manufacturers, and 2,247 ammunition manufacturers.

Repair of NFA Firearms

In other regulatory news, ATF reports it does not consider the temporary conveyance of an National Firearms Act-regulated firearm to a gunsmith for repair to be a “transfer” under the terms of the NFA. Thus, an ATF Form 5 application is not required. (SAR cautions that there has not been any change in the law in this regard, and that ATF simply stating that a transfer is not required, may not change the legal requirement for one. We caution that our readers seek adequate legal counsel before they complete any transfers of the possession of NFA registered firearms without the Form 5 for repair- Dan)

Other dispositions, such as demonstration or sale, are transfers as defined in the NFA and must be covered by an approved application to transfer and register. Transfers without approval are violations of federal law. Any firearm involved is subject to seizure and forfeiture and the parties to the transfer are subject to criminal penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment.

However, in order to avoid any appearance that a transfer has taken place, ATF strongly recommends that a Form 5 application be submitted for approval prior to conveying the firearm for repair. ATF believes this will provide protection to the parties involved as it will document the repair of the firearm and help ensure that a “transfer” did not take place. In addition, an approved Form 5 will assist federal firearms licensees in establishing that their possession of the firearm is lawful.

Accordingly, Item 15 in the “Questions and Answers” section of ATF Publication 5300.4, Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide 2000, suggests that the owner obtain permission for the “transfer” of the NFA firearm by submitting a Form 5 application and that the gunsmith do the same for the return of the firearm. Federal Firearms Licensees must record the acquisition and disposition of the firearm as required by Part 179, Title 27, Code of Federal Regulations.

ATF’s NFA branch has recently received questions about the “law letter” requirement for the transfer of “post-1986” machineguns. Apparently, information has spread through the firearms industry that the “law letter” is not required. That information is not correct.
Machineguns manufactured or imported on or after May 19, 1986, are subject to the provisions of Title 18, United States Code, section 922(o) and are commonly referred to as “post-1986” machineguns. The transfer of a “post-1986” machinegun requires certain documentation, usually referred to as a “law letter.”

Title 27, Code of Federal Regulations, section 179.105 requires that applications to transfer and register “post-1986” machineguns will be approved if it is established by specific information the expected governmental customers require a demonstration of the firearm, information as to the availability of the machineguns to fill subsequent orders, and letters from governmental entities expressing a need for a particular model or interest in seeing a demonstration of a particular machinegun. The regulations further require applications to transfer more than one machinegun must also establish the dealer’s need for the quantity of samples sought to be transferred.

Thus, an application to transfer a “post-1986” machinegun to the federal firearms licensee and special (occupational) taxpayer must be submitted with a “law letter” evidencing a government agency’s interest in a particular machinegun. The NFA Branch will look for the following information in the letter:

– Written on agency letterhead and signed by the agency head or by someone with delegated authority to sign for the agency head.
– Dated within one year of the date of the receipt of the application.
– Identification of the particular machinegun being transferred (for example M16A2 or an M16-type).
– Identification of the agency’s interest in the machinegun (for example, purchase, demonstration, or training)
– Documentation of the need for more than one machinegun of a particular model. Finally, ATF says parties involved in NFA transactions have been calling the ATF Hotline for the status of NFA applications and for NFA questions. The ATF Hotline is to be used only by firearms and explosives licensees and permittees to report stolen firearms and explosives. NFA status inquiries or other questions for the NFA Branch should be made by calling (202) 927-8330.

SIG Arms For Sale

A company-wide strategic restructuring and market refocusing is under way at SIG Arms, and the arms maker has been put up for sale.
The Swiss Industrial Co. Holding LTD of Nuehausen/Rhine Falls, Switzerland, the parent company of SIG Arms, Inc., of Exeter, New Hampshire, has announced the move. As a result of the restructuring, SIG Arms will be reorganized into three business units: hunting and target shooting; pistols; and, special arms and barrels.

The decision is hoped to bring closer customer relationships as a buyer is sought for the SIG Arms division.

SIG officials were quick to assure U.S. dealers and consumers that the restructuring effort and possible sale of the division will not hamper manufacturing, supply and customer support programs. The complete line of SIG pistols, rifles and shotguns will continue to be manufactured, shipped and serviced without interruption.

Clinton Attacks NRA (Again)

In one of his most blatant attacks on firearms ownership in America, President Clinton layed the blame for criminal activity squarely at the feet of the National Rifle Association, during a televised interview.

As part of the President’s response to a question speculating what the NRA’s concerns would be over so-called “smart” guns, during an interview with Katie Couric on the March 2, 2000 edition of NBC’s Today show, Clinton said, “They’re (NRA) basically against anything that requires anybody to do anything as a member of society that helps to make it safer.”

Clinton later stated in the interview, “We have a higher percentage of people in jail than all the other advanced countries, and they have a lower gun death rate. Why is that? That’s because they don’t have an NRA in their country…” Clinton then listed his latest gun control schemes-gun owner licensing, mandatory storage requirements, requiring all handguns sold to be equipped with so-called “smart” or user recognition technology, and outlawing gun shows.

Meanwhile Georgia Governor Roy Barnes (D) has proposed that felons be prosecuted if they attempt to buy a gun, closing what he called a “huge loop-hole” in gun sale laws. Pro-gun organizations have been pushing the U.S. Justice Department to step up enforcement of prosecution of known felons attempting to violate federal laws which prohibit them from even trying to acquire a gun.

Maryland’s Governor Parris N. Glendening, whose anti-gun exploits have upset the state’s gunowners, has now advanced a proposal to provide tax breaks to residents who take gun safety measures. A Glendening bill before Maryland’s General Assembly would provide tax breaks to those who purchase gun safes or safety locks for handguns. If enacted, residents would be able to claim a credit for half of the cost of the safety devices, up to a maximum of $500 on their state tax returns.

By Chris A. Choat

NEXT GENERATION OF RADIOS FROM MOTOROLA

Motorola, Inc., announces its latest innovation in two-way radio technology: the Motorola TalkAbout T6000 series, with entertainment, sports, and lifestyle features never before found in a single small device. The Motorola TalkAbout T6000 two-way radio series is unlike any ever introduced to the market, providing a multitude of new capabilities that can help users in navigating their environment. With a range of features including a digital compass, thermometer, altimeter/barometer, weather channel, FM stereo radio and stereo headset, these new two-way radios are the ultimate tool for the rugged outdoorsman or the urban adventurer. Other features of the Motorola TalkAbout T6000 radios include 14 channels with 38 security codes, clock with timer, alarm and stopwatch, hands-free and speakerphone use and drop-in rechargeable battery with drop-in capability. With a range of up to two miles the T6000 series radios are the ultimate communication tool for small groups who want to stay in touch while hiking, biking, snowboarding or just roaming the neighborhood or local mall. The T6000 series of radios are also water, dust and shock resistant. For more information contact Motorola, Dept. SAR, 600 North US Highway 45, Libertyville, IL 60048. Phone: 1-800-353-2729. Fax: 1-501-223-0301. They are on the web at www.motorola.com

GONCZ HI-TECH GENERATION II FIREARMS

Goncz High-Tech Firearms, designed and developed by Lajos John Goncz, have evolved over a period of 15 years to the point where they are some of the most modern, practical firearms available. The designer set out to develop a single “Gun System” that would replace the combined need of a sidearm and a much larger long gun. The firearm would also be capable of delivering high fire power and superb accuracy at distances up to 150 meters. This system can be equipped with scopes, lasers, lights, sound suppressors, etc. Its compactness, dependability, light weight and controllability are also very important factors to consider. These are arms designed for civilian populace, law enforcement and military. The compact Goncz Hi-Tech Firearm is a semi-auto pistol and carbine for the next Millennium. The pistol incorporates a seven-inch barrel enclosed in a ventilated shroud, micro-adjustable sights, safety and magazine releases on both sides of the frame, a trigger system that directly controls the firing pin (without any independent movement of the firing pin itself), and a telescoping bolt system. The firearm also features a pistol grip that is at the “center point” of balance, thus reducing felt recoil and helps keep the shooter on target during rapid fire situations. The firearm uses a double row, double column feed magazine which comes in 10 round capacity for the civilian market or 19 and 30 round capacity for law enforcement. Other important features of the Goncz Hi-Tech Firearm include safe trigger system, telescoping bolt system and easy disassembly with no tools required. The Goncz Hi-Tech pistols and carbines are available chambered in 9 X 19 mm Parabellum, .45 ACP, 7.62 X 25mm, 9 X 18mm and the new high velocity 5.56 X 18mm. For more information contact Arms Tech, Inc., Dept. SAR, 1125 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601. Phone: 1-818-769-6566. Fax: 1-818-769-6583.

NEW “SPIDER” SUPPRESSOR FROM ADVANCED ARMAMENT CORP

The new “Spider” suppressor from Advanced Armament Corp. is a thread mounted suppressor designed for use on 9mm semi-automatic pistols. Through the use of artificial environment technology, the SPIDER completely eliminates the muzzle flash signature and bothersome first round pop, thus making it equally suitable for use by civilian sport shooters and military/law enforcement tactical users alike. The diminutive size and light weight of the SPIDER enable it to reliably cycle most popular 9mm semi-automatics without incorporating cumbersome and expensive recoil enhancing equipment into the design. As with all Advanced Armament Corp. suppressors, the SPIDER features a stainless steel rear mount to prevent excess thread wear common with all-aluminum suppressors. Constructed of aircraft quality, CNC machined components, the SPIDER is available in a black, hard coat anodized finish. For more information on this and other models of cutting edge suppressors contact Advanced Armament Corporation, Dept. SAR, 221 West Crogan Street, Lawrenceville, GA 30045. Phone: 1-770-277-4946. Fax: 1-770-963-6556. 0n the web at www.advanced-armament.com.

SHARP SLIDER STOCK FOR THE RUGER 10/22

The Sharp Slider was introduced by Sharp Products, Inc., at this years SHOT SHOW. The Sharp Slider is an adjustable stock and bipod system that allows families to customize the popular Ruger 10/22 rifle into a versatile family firearm so that multiple young hobby shooters can learn firearm safety and the proper care and handling of firearms from a very early age. The bipod element of the system attaches to the Slider Stock and supports the length of the adult barreled action, effectively prohibiting dipping and swinging while giving the on site adult total control. Young hobbyists can focus solely on safe handling and technique as they fully grow into a typical adult firearm rather than growing out of several versions of youth rifles. This feature makes the Slider extremely cost efficient for families that have several growing children but still want to share their interests with their children. The adjustable stock telescopes outward to accommodate all growing children as well as extending a quarter of an inch beyond a normal adult stock so that an adult can comfortably assist and instruct children as well as shoot the rifle themselves. The Slider is also ideal for handicapped shooters with special needs because of the support that the bipod offers. For more information contact Sharp Products, Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 81, Nampa, FL 83653-0081. Phone: 1-208-466-7787. Fax: 1-208-466-4224. They can also be contacted at SharpProductsInc@msn.com.

PROEARS HEARING PROTECTION

The most advanced hearing protection and advancement system is now available from Howard Leight company. Two new products, THUNDER™ and LEIGHTNING™ POWERED BY PROEAR Sr, compress loud noises to safe levels. Most ear protection devices only “clip” peak sounds, but THUNDER and LEIGHTNING POWERED BY PROEARS are different. With Dynamic Sound Compression(tm), these two new innovative products allow the user to safely hear every sound. Sounds are compressed to within 72 decibels, so every sound is heard with clarity and no distortion at a safe level. These innovative products feature stereo reception, independent volume control and no connecting wires. THUNDER POWERED BY PROEARS is comfortable, with an extra-long, padded headband with wire for a custom fit. LEIGHTNING POWERED BY PROEARS has oversized cushions for extended wear, and a folding headband for easy storage. Both products are backed by Howard Leight’s warranty and quality service. For more information contact Howard.

By Nick Steadman

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

STOP PRESS!! – SA80 LSW TO BE SCRAPPED: a late-breaking story in the Mail on Sunday just as we were going to press said that, following a recent meeting of the House of Commons Defence Committee, the UK MOD’s Equipment Capability Team had finally decided the 5.56mm SA80 Light Support Weapon must go. It’s reportedly planned to invite tenders for a replacement from UK & foreign manufacturers; the decision was apparently made after it became evident that troops were simply not using the LSW because of its many shortcomings. The paper quoted a ‘senior Defence Ministry source’ as saying:

“Despite all attempts at improvement and modification it simply cannot be made to meet the necessary standards. It is also true to say that it is not really as powerful as it needs to be and it simply cannot lay down enough firepower to do its job effectively.”
Now we know why the Ministry has refused to release reliability data for the unmodified LSW (see separate story ‘SA 80 reliability – MOD fudges the issue again’ -this is available to SADW subscribers, not printed here in SAR). It’s obviously just too darned embarrassing!

ALTERNATIVES TO SA80 FOR UK FORCES: we commented in the previous issue of SADW that it would be a shocking waste of public money for the UK MOD to modify the entire 5.56mm SA80 weapon inventory, as it’s announced it may, in order to rectify the various reliability problems with this system which have been highlighted in the past few years. The estimate of cost is said to be ‘tens of millions’ of pounds.

We also mentioned that Royal Ordnance (or rather ‘H&K UK’) at Nottingham was understood to be poring over M16 drawings, which tended to suggest that alternatives to SA80 were at least being considered.

In fact, we have since been told that the UK is exploring the purchase of 20,000 Canadian Diemaco equivalents of the 5.56mm Colt M4A1 Carbine, in flat-top configuration with the Modular Weapon System enhancements enabling users to clip up to four different accessories around the handguards of their weapons.

McBROS PHOENIX VISIT REPORT – JAN 2000: at the end of Jan 2000 we revisited McMillan Brothers Rifle Co (McBros) in Phoenix (Arizona). The company’s .50/20mm Big Mac project, using a shortened 20mm Vulcan case necked down to accept a .50 Browning bullet, is still active, though there has been little time to do much more work on the rifle. However, McBros is having some more .50/20mm ammunition produced for development testing – this time using a separate neck and shoulder component to assemble the new wildcat case, since it is difficult to successfully form the Big Mac cartridge directly from 20mm Vulcan brass.

The company’s new .338 Lapua Magnum rifles are coming along nicely – McBros has sold several for hunting and target work, though so far there has been no law enforcement or military take-up. Black Hills is now to make the .338 ammunition using Sierra bullets, which solves the problem of securing a readily-available ammo supply. Titanium McBros actions are in production, and the company continues to make improved 7.62mm NATO Minigun components for Dillon; new feeder/delinkers are in production and a new clutch is being worked on. Last time we visited McBros its new high-tech target rifle, developed in co-operation with top match shooter David Tubbs, was still in CAD. The weapon now exists and has been tested; McBros says it shoots & functions well. Production rifles will be following shortly.

Prototypes so far have been in .308/7.62x51mm calibre, but competition models will be chambered for 6.5/.284, and there will be further options in 7mm International and 6.5/.308. This is a bolt-action design with fully-adjustable stock, using Knight/Stoner SR-25 magazines – in fact the whole weapon is strongly reminiscent of the SR-25, one of the guns which originally inspired it. The McBros/Tubbs rifle should be available by mid-Summer and will cost in the region of $2,500 retail, plus optics. McBros says there is interest in having this design chambered for .338 Lapua Magnum too, though there are no immediate plans along these lines.

On the .50 Browning side, increased customer demand has meant McBros having to double its .50 output, and it has also sold some of these big rifles to the Canadian army for peacekeeping duties. Furthermore, the gas-operated McBros .50 semi-automatic, designed by Ralf Dieckmann, is nearing final completion. Dieckmann has solved his earlier functioning problems, which were eventually attributed to bolt bounce. After a sear was broken due to mis-adjustmemt of the ejector, Dieckmann designed a new, fixed ejector, and new trigger mechanisms are now being produced by a sub-contractor in Tucson. The .50 prototype has already been range-tested at the NRA’s Raton complex in New Mexico, using commercial AA ammunition, and shot very well, reportedly better than 1 MOA at 1,000 yards, before the breakage mentioned above. Dieckmann believes the rifle should now be ready for production by Summer 2000.

On the .50 legislative front, no vote has yet been taken on the Blagojevich proposals to restrict these weapons, but the Fifty Caliber Shooters’ Association (FCSA) has since formed the .50 Caliber Shooters’ Policy Institute to raise the $100,000 it needs to fight its campaign to preserve .50 shooting. It has also hired a PR company and a Capitol Hill consultant. The NRA has assured the FCSA that it will staunchly defend the interests of .50 shooters. Simply accepting legislative moves to make .50 rifles Class III (NFA) weapons and paying the $200 transfer taxes is no solution, since some states do not permit such things to be owned at all. But some new restrictions already apply, for example no more .50 AP and API ammunition is being sold on the civilian market, though this is not strictly a problem to serious .50 target shooters, since they only use custom match bullets or factory-made target ammunition.

CIENER .22 KIT FOR GLOCKS: Florida .22 rimfire conversion kit wizard Jon Ciener has new $249 kits for Glock pistols, comprising a .22 barrel, a new slide, return spring, guide rod and ten-shot magazine, all in a fitted plastic case. The 17/22 kit fits Glock models 17, 22, 24, 31, 34 & 35; the 19/23 kit is for the Glock 19, 23, 25 & 32 pistols. Spare .22 magazines are $35 each. Contact Jonathan Arthur Ciener, Tel (407) 868-2200, Fax 2201.

Other Ciener rimfire kits cater for the AR15/M16 series, Mini-14/AC556 rifles, plus M1911A1, Beretta M92/96 & Taurus PT92/99 pistols.

SOFT VESTS CLAIMED TO DEFEAT STEEL-CORED AMMUNITION: Intersec magazine reported that Kevlar-producer Du Pont has come up with new soft ballistic vests claimed to resist steel-cored ammunition, though no calibre was stated – we assume pistol/SMG calibres only. Solely fabric is used. This is apparently possible due to development of what Du Pont calls its New Fibre Technology (NFT), developed at its European facility.

IMPRESSIVE SNIPING FEAT: a Reuters story in Mar 2000 said that an Albanian sniper killed a man in the recreation room of a high-security prison in the capital city Tirana. More interesting was the fact the fatal shot was fired from a balcony about 500 metres away, and through a window.

By Charles Q. Cutshaw

The 7.62mm GAU-2B/M134 Minigun has been in military use for well over 30 years and although it has long been out of production, the gun is still in widespread use by military forces worldwide. Despite its age, the minigun remains a highly effective weapon for ground forces, special operations use and for enemy suppression as a part of aircrew rescue under hostile conditions. The world’s special operations forces continue to rely on the minigun as an integral component of their weapons inventory. The author can personally attest to the effectiveness of the minigun. In 1969 he witnessed the total annihilation of an attacking North Vietnamese battalion by a minigun equipped AC-47 “Spooky” during a night combat action near Pleiku, Vietnam. The AC-47 decimated the enemy battalion in a matter of minutes, well before it came into range of the defending force’s small arms. The gun has been widely fitted to search and rescue helicopters, including mounting in such aircraft as the UH-1 series, MH-47, CH/HH/SH-53 series and MH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. It is also fitted to attack helicopters such as the AH-1 Hueycobra and MD-500 series. The minigun continues in service in many of the world’s special operations forces and is currently deployed on, among other fixed wing aircraft, the USAF Spectre AC-130 gunships. The versatile and effective gun has also appeared in ground and marine mounted configurations. For example, Saracen Inc. and Dillon Aero currently offer the minigun fitted into former’s Raptor internal security vehicle, which uses the Chevrolet/GMC Suburban as a platform. (See SAR Volume 1 Number 5 on the Raptor vehicle).

Availability of spares and facilities to rebuild worn guns, however, has been problematic for those forces that employ the minigun. General Dynamics, which owns the original tooling for the gun, has not produced spares in many years. The size of a typical spare parts order is small, and the cost of setting up tooling is prohibitive for such a large company. Therefore minigun users have been forced to purchase a hodgepodge of spares produced by small firms, including machine shops whose military contract bids were lowest and who did not have ability to manufacture precision minigun components from blueprints that were questionable at best. Many of the gun’s parts are very difficult to measure even with a the most advanced measuring equipment. Without a gun, or at least the mating parts, it was difficult to know if the new part was any good. The result was components that did not work at all or had to be hand-fitted to the guns due to faulty dimensions. The author personally saw two feeder/delinker housings while at Dillon Aero that were ostensibly made from the same drawing to the same specifications and tolerances, yet both were of visibly different dimensions. Neither would have functioned as intended even if they could have been installed on a gun, which they could not.

Mike Dillon, president of Dillon Aero, encountered these problems when he attempted to repair his own miniguns several years ago and because of the lack of quality and reliability of available military surplus components, decided to produce his own. At the same time, he recognized several shortcomings in the minigun design and set out to develop product improvements that could be incorporated into new production guns and retrofitted to existing guns as they were repaired. The most significant upgrade to the M134 is the new Dillon Aero feeder/delinker. It is essentially an entirely new design. Mike was annoyed by the need to dismount and completely disassemble the feeder/delinker every time a stoppage occurred in that unit. Checking with other Minigun users, he found this sentiment was universal. Further, it became clear that the feeder/delinker was the weakest part of the M134 system, the cause of almost all stoppages.

Dillon reasoned that if the gunner could open up the feeder/delinker, much like opening the top cover of a conventional machine gun, stoppages could be cleared quickly without removing the feeder/delinker from the gun. He experimented with several hatch designs and finally settled on a split or dual hatch configuration. This dual hatch configuration not only allows rapid clearing of stoppages but also allows the gunner to load the gun without the need to turn the barrels. This latter feature is important for two reasons. First, turning the barrels can cause the gun to fire, which is undesirable and should be avoided. Second, If the gunner is trying to reload the minigun in the window of a moving helicopter, he doesn’t want to lean out into a hundred mile an hour wind and twist barrels, especially if they are hot from having just been fired.

Several other improvements have been incorporated in Dillon’s new feeder/delinker. While the ability to quickly clear a stoppage has merit, preventing a stoppage is even better. Stoppages are usually caused by a restriction of the linked ammunition being drawn into the feeder/delinker. In the original unit a single sprocket forward of the links pulled the linked cartridges into the feeder/delinker unit. If the ammunition belt were restricted, this caused the cartridges to skew nose first into the feeder/delinker, jamming the unit. To lessen this tendency, Dillon added a second, heavier sprocket to the rear of the links to assure that cartridges are pulled with even pressure, both forward and aft of the links, thereby ensuring that the linked cartridge belt enters the feed mechanism with cartridges and links in alignment. Also, combining features of the stripper sleeve (forward sprocket) and the push rod guide (rear sprocket) eliminated several weak features.
The original feeder/delinker utilized the point of the bullet as the forward cartridge stop. The introduction of 7.62 X 51 MM saboted light armor piercing (SLAP) rounds in the late eighties mandated a forward stop that contacted the shoulder of the cartridge rather than the nose of the bullet. General Electric (GE) accomplished this change by adding a bolt-in steel spiral near the front of the feeder/delinker. Although this modification worked, it made servicing the unit even more laborious, as the bolt-in stop is difficult to install and adjust. This same task is accomplished in the Dillon feeder/delinker by casting and machining the stop feature into the forward plate. This permanent feature ensures a more positive “hand off” from the feeder/delinker to the gun’s bolts, thus enhancing reliability and enabling the use of virtually any type of 7.62X51 MM ammunition, including blanks and SLAP cartridges.

Another area of concern to minigun users is how to direct the heavy volume of brass and links away from vital parts of the helicopter like tail rotors. In the past, this was handled by a complex assortment of sheet metal weldments that were fitted over the gun’s existing exhaust port and held in place by screws and brackets. The Dillon Aero feeder/delinker is designed with a three bolt mounting flange on the link exhaust port to facilitate the positive mounting of purpose built link chutes that direct spent links and cartridge cases away from the aircraft. Spent brass and link tubes have traditionally been mounted to the feeder/delinker. The attachment of these two, four-inch hoses made the removal of the feeder/delinker in flight very difficult. To alleviate this situation Dillon Aero has added two bosses to their gun housing casting so that the brass chute can be mounted directly to the gun housing instead of the feeder/delinker. This, in addition to a quick detachable fitting on the gun exhaust port allows the gunner unencumbered access to the feeder/delinker.

The Dillon Aero minigun has been so extensively redesigned that the military would have redesignated it the GAU-2C for aircraft or M134A1 for ground applications, indicating a significant revision to the original design. We believe that this is appropriate, have also designated the new guns in this article and have recommended to Dillon Aero that modified guns be given the new designation so that military can tell at a glance that the gun has been modified to the improved standard.

Another important upgrade to the minigun is the Dillon designed pedestal/pintle mount. The original minigun pedestal/pintle mounts, still in widespread use by many forces, are cumbersome affairs that encase the minigun in a framework that is attached to a pedestal in the aircraft. The gun mount itself is a heavy “U” shaped pintle mount that attaches to both sides of the cumbersome mounting frame. The original mount is not only heavy, but also interferes with gun maintenance and reloading. Even worse, stoppage clearance while in flight is virtually impossible because the complex external frame limits access to the gun.

In the late eighties GE designed a universal mounting for both the GAU 19 (.50 Gatling) and the minigun. This new pintle mount allowed full access to the gun by eliminating the cumbersome external-mounting frame. This mount was a dramatic improvement over previous mounts but unfortunately the bulk necessary to tame the recoil of the .50 cal GAU19 obstructs the feed chute of the minigun. What Dillon has done is simply to retain the lateral geometry of the GE mount while reducing the mass. Also, the support arm of GE’s mounts pitches forward while Dillon’s support arm is either vertical or pitched aft for greater feed chute clearance. Examination of the accompanying photos will reveal that the Dillon Aero mount is elegant in its simplicity . The new mount incorporates single horizontal and vertical pivots. Both the horizontal and vertical pivots are located on the centerline of the firing barrel therefore the gunner experiences no pitching or twisting moment from the gun’s recoil. The stability of this mount enhances accurate shooting. The vertical pivot is mounted to a collar with a thick pivot pin that may be quickly attached or detached via a locking pin with positive detents to retain the gun in place. The new mount, made of 4130 chrome molybdenum steel, is lighter and allows the gunner improved freedom of movement over the universal GE mount. Fields of fire are limited by stops that positively limit the gun’s traverse and elevation, thus preventing the gunner from inadvertently shooting into the tail rotor, landing gear or main rotor of the helicopter on which the gun is mounted.

In addition to improving the feeder/delinker for increased reliability, Dillon engineers have modified the internal configuration of the 1,500 round and 4000 round ammunition boxes to further enhance feeding and thus, reliability. By eliminating all of the internal rollers and most of internal baffles that guide the ammunition belts and by modifying the one baffle that remains, Dillon’s engineers have reduced the amount of “pull” required by the feeder/delinker sprockets to draw ammunition from the box through the feed chutes and into the gun. This simplified internal configuration is also much easier and faster to load.

Fire control has also been improved over older guns. Dillon has incorporated the functions of the separate gun control and trigger box into a single, solid state control contained in the trigger box mounted on the gun integrally between the firing handles. The cost of this new system is only about one third of the old separate units and has considerable less external wiring. The control mechanism seen in the photographs is a second prototype, which will be greatly reduced in size in final production guns. The firing rate in Dillon’s modified or, newly manufactured guns, is preset at 3,000 rd/min, rather than the earlier variable rate of 2,000 or 4,000 rd/min. “I took a page out the Navy’s book,” says Dillon. “The guys at the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Crane, Indiana hit on the 3,000 rd/min firing rate as the optimum balance between reliability and terminal effects. Firing rates of higher than 3,000 rd/min can cause link stretch and belt pitch change, resulting in stoppages. Lower rates of fire are not needed as all of the new guns have clutched feeder/delinkers which allow gunners to fire bursts as short as 3 rounds without wasting ammunition.” (Older, unclutched systems, expended 6 to 12 live cartridges overboard each time the gunner let off the trigger)
Dillon Aero now manufactures a complete line of minigun spares and clutches for M134/GAU-2B/A miniguns and will provide them to authorized customers for repair of their guns. All Dillon components, whether manufactured to original specification or to Dillon’s improved standard, meet or exceed US military requirements in terms of both materials and dimensions. Dillon Aero will also rebuild customer guns to GAU-2C/M134A1 specification with all worn components replaced all product improvements incorporated into the rebuilt gun. And finally, Dillon Aero is producing newly manufactured M134A1 miniguns for approved customers. For those customers desiring only the improved Dillon flexible mount, this is available as a separate item, which can be adapted to any helicopter. The Dillon pedestal mount can also be purchased in ground or marine configurations. Dillon Aero can additionally provide information regarding forward firing twin mounts for light helicopters such as the MD500.

Contact:

Michael J. Dillon
Dillon Aero, Inc
8009 E. Dillon’s Way
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Tel: (480) 948-8009
Fax: (480) 998-2786
Email: Dillon@dillonprecision.com

By Matt Smith

This interview was conducted with Jeff Rankin, Director of Contracts, Sales and Marketing; Sal Fanelli, Technical Sales Manager; and Bill Forsen, Director of Law Enforcement  for FNMI of Columbia, SC.

SAR: Tell us about how your company is structured.

Jeff: FNMI is a wholly owned subsidiary of FN Herstal in Leige, Belgium. FNMI was incorporated in 1978 in Delaware, and is located in Columbia, South Carolina. The family in the United States, under the FN Herstal name, includes Browning USA and US Repeating Arms, also known as Winchester Rifles and Shotguns.

SAR: Why did you locate your plant in Columbia, South Carolina?

Sal: In 1981, the plant was put there to manufacture the M240 coaxial machinegun for the M1 tank. The initial contract was for 16,417 weapons, plus a 100% add-on option for a total of over 32,000 weapons. Although the initial contract has expired, we are still building the basic version of the M240 today.

Jeff: The Army has been the primary customer, along with some Marine Corp sales over the twenty year M240 production history.

SAR: What came next?

Jeff: In 1987, we began making other US Military products, including bomb racks for the Navy, M16A1 and A2 barrels, and M61A1 entrance hardware.

Sal: In 1988, we submitted proposals for the M249 machinegun, the M16A2 rifle, and the MK19 40mm grenade launcher.

SAR: Who was manufacturing the M16 at that time?

Sal: The M16A2’s were being made by Colt. The Army needed an additional 320,000 and decided to competitively procure them. We bid on it, and in 1988 we were awarded the contract. We are still manufacturing the M16A2’s, with the three round burst selector. From time to time, we also manufacture the M16A3, which is the full auto version of the M16.

SAR: Who was manufacturing the M249?

Sal: Our parent company, FN Herstal in Belgium, had a contract for 10,000 M249’s for the Army. The rest of the production, after the initial 10,000, had to be produced in the United States by law. We produced over 30,000 on that contract.

SAR: What happened with the MK19?

Jeff: This was before my time, but I am told that we had won all three of the contracts we bid on, including the Mark 19, within twenty-four hours. At that time, the company had to make a decision, because in reality, the company couldn’t perform all the work with the facility that it had. The company elected to select the M249 and the M16A2 for production. FN asked to have their name withdrawn from the MK19 competition. This allowed Saco Defense to win the contract. Up to this point, the MK19 had been produced in limited numbers by the Navy in Louisville, KY.

SAR: What impact did the new contracts have on your facility?

Sal: Once we had both of those contracts, we added on office space to the existing building and more range capability. We also leased another 30,000 square foot building nearby that became FNMI-2. All of the raw materials and vender parts came in through this building. Only after the parts were inspected and approved by our quality assurance personnel and then by the Government, were they sent to the main factory. This prevented nonconforming material from entering our production lines.

SAR: Tell us about your range facilities.

Sal: Originally, the factory had one 100 meter range for accuracy testing and one short range for reliability and function testing. Once the new contracts were received, we put in two more 100 meter ranges plus another range for function testing. Each of the long ranges had two distinct shooting positions and the short range had three bays inside of it. All the ranges are inside. We have no external ranges.

SAR: What is a typical test firing sequence?

Jeff: It varies from product to product. As an example, the M249 will go through a function check, rate of fire check, targeting and accuracy, then it’s shot for belt pull to insure the working components are strong enough to pull the belt through the gun. The final check on the M249 is a check with the 30 round magazine. For the M240, it goes through accuracy, targeting, rate of fire, and belt pull. Weapons will see anywhere from a minimum of approximately 126 rounds to a maximum of 156 rounds. Everything is fired from a hard stand mount where an operator pulls the trigger and required data is recorded by computers and gauges.

SAR: What happens if you have a problem with a weapon during test firing?

Sal: If a gun fails one of the performance criteria, that gun is set aside, and is allowed to be repaired. Once a month, a Government representative will come in and randomly select ten guns from the lot. Those ten guns are subject to interchange, where they will completely disassemble the guns, the components are mixed up, and the guns have to be put back together. FNMI personnel perform the work under Government supervision. The guns are disassembled down to depot level. If a part is not interchangeable, we have to discover why and the lot is subject to rejection. If, during the reassembly, we find out that it’s due to a defective part, we have to go back through the entire lot to determine if there are any more defective parts in the lot. If we find out that it won’t go back together due to an operator damaging a part, this will not affect the lot.

SAR: Are all parts manufactured in house?

Jeff: It varies from product to product. We make the key components for each of our products. For example, on the M16, we definitely make the lower receiver and have made the upper as well. We also make the bolt, barrel, front sight, extractor, and other parts, depending on production and delivery schedules. Smaller parts like springs, pins, and plastic components are purchased from venders who we have qualified. We make all the receivers from scratch for the M240 and the M249. More parts are made for the M240 than for the M249. We make more parts for the M249 than we do for the M16 which is a true combination of purchase and manufacturing.

SAR: What ammunition do you use when you test fire?

Sal: All of the ammunition is government furnished and we have to show that our guns function with this ammunition. We typically receive lots of about 100,000 rounds, which will last for a couple months of test firing. The Government then sends another lot and this turnover assures our guns work with a variety of lots of ammunition.

SAR: What weapons are currently in production?

Jeff: The M16A2 is currently in production at a rate of 1500 per month, under contract until May of 2002. We have the M240B in production at a rate of 175 weapons per month through June of 2002. The M249 is in production on a yearly basis at a rate of 250 per month. That contract will be complete in March of 2001.

Sal: The M240B is the new machinegun for the U. S. Army. The basic M240 tank version has a minimum number of parts and is designed to shoot inside a tank. The new M240B is designed as an infantry gun, with a bipod, buttstock, a full-length trigger, and barrel-changing handle.

SAR: Is the M240 being built to replace the M60?

Sal: Yes, within the Army, in every place that we know of, the M240 has replaced the M60. In the Navy, M60s are still being used on some boats, but they are trying to get funding to replace all of the M60s. Within the Air Force helicopter community, their M60s have been replaced with the M240D, the spade-grip version. The Air Force ground forces are scheduled to receive the M240s to replace the M60s within the next two years.

SAR: Are you exporting any of these weapons?

Jeff: We have a few foreign military sales (FMS) cases every now and then. Currently, in the year 2000, we will build one FMS case for the M240 coax version for a foreign customer through the US Army. The customer of the final product is blind to us right now. All of our other weapons are built for and shipped to the US military.

SAR: Has the military had many problems with your products?

Jeff: No, as a matter of fact in 1998 FNMI was awarded the U. S. Army Materiel Command CP Squared Award in the Contractor Performance Certification Program. To my knowledge, we are the only one in the small arms industry that has this award. There have only been seventeen recipients in the entire defense industry. Records from the military testing of our weapons are excellent. For example, on the M240B, 83,000 rounds were fired without a mission failure. The reason they stopped at 83,000 was that their test was done. We don’t know how much more the gun could have operated and these numbers are hard to believe, but they are U. S. numbers.

SAR: Do you make any products for the Special Operations Command?

Sal: SOCOM is looking for a lightweight 5.56 machinegun. Testing started recently on our lightweight version of the M249, and it will probably be a couple months before we will know the outcome of the Navy’s testing.

Jeff: We call our version the M249 SPW (Special Purpose Weapon). It includes characteristics which lighten the weapon while maintaining the reliability and durability of the weapon.

SAR: Tell us about your facility.

Jeff: The facility itself is 140,000 square feet. This includes the manufacturing area with state of the art CNC machining equipment as well as conventional equipment. We do our own in-house heat treating and surface finishes. The finishes include hard chroming of components and black phosphate on exterior surfaces. We have our own tool room to maintain tools and cutters, which can also be used as a model shop to manufacture a new bracket or item that we need to install either a weapon or a mount on a vehicle. We have an external bunker that is divided into two sections that house the government-furnished ammo. The commercial ammo for non-government testing is in a separate bunker. We currently have about 350 employees with the manufacturing areas working ten-hour shifts Monday through Thursday and the administrative staff and offices working five days a week. FNMI is a full house shop with our own engineering department where we do independent research and development on our products.

SAR: What role does the BATF play at your facility?

Sal: The BATF has a role with the various machineguns that we have in the sales and marketing group that we use for demonstrations. We are not allowed to use Government guns with Government serial numbers on them for demonstrations. We manufacture special machineguns with commercial serial numbers for demonstrations, and BATF controls those. Weapons that go to non-DOD customers such as the Coast Guard, the Department of Energy and police agencies have registration through the BATF.

SAR: What weapons do the Coast Guard and Department of Energy purchase?

Jeff: The DOE has selected the M249 and the M240B as their weapons of choice for machineguns for security at nuclear sites and purchase these from us. The Coast Guard uses the M240 family of weapons including the ground version and the airframe version for their boats and helicopters.

SAR: Do you sell many military weapons to law enforcement?

Jeff: Police departments can own military weapons. Some departments have purchased M249’s or at least had demonstrations of the weapons for evaluation. As far as the M16’s, we are restricted by the license between Colt and the U. S. Government and our contract to manufacturing these weapons solely for the U. S. military. We do not sell any M16’s or M16 related parts to anyone unless they are on the contract.

SAR: Tell us about your law enforcement division.

Sal: FNMI, with guidance from FN Herstal, started up the law enforcement division. There are certain products within the company that fit into law enforcement needs. For example, since FN owns Browning and Winchester, they tapped the resources from those two organizations for rifles and shotguns. Browning USA is headquartered in Morgan, Utah. Winchester/U.S. Repeating Arms is located in New Haven, Connecticut. Bill Forsen heads up our law enforcement division. (At this point, Bill Forsen joins in the interview).

SAR: Tell us about your law enforcement products.

Bill: The flagships of our division are the P90 machinegun and the Five-Seven polymer pistol for the law enforcement market. In addition is the polymer framed Model Forty-Nine Pistol. The reason it is named Forty-Nine is because it is available in both .40 caliber and 9 mm. As you can see, the “FN” is prominent in the names of each pistol. The Forty-Nine is available to both law enforcement and commercial sales and is made here in South Carolina. This pistol has two unique features. First, there is no spring tension on the striker until you pull the trigger so it is very safe. It is a true double action. Second, the patented rail system is extended and modular instead of molded in. Worn or cracked rails can be replaced without scrapping the frame. FN Herstal produces a double action version of the Browning High Power pistol which we will be bringing into the country to sell under the FN brand. There is also a possibility that we may begin marketing the single action version of the High Power in the future.

We are planning on introducing a new shotgun and precision rifle, in conjunction with U. S. Repeating Arms, for sale to law enforcement under the FN banner. The shotgun will be pump action, available in 18 or 14-inch versions, with screw-in chokes with improved cylinder and modified tubes. The interchangeable chokes will allow a department to fine-tune the shotgun for use with full power or reduced recoil shells. All steel components on the guns will be phosphate treated instead of the normal bluing. The receivers will come drilled and tapped for optics or ghost ring sights. The stock has been shortened to a thirteen and a half inches to compensate for body armor. The FN Special Police Rifle will be similar to the pre-64 Model 70 and will include the controlled round feed extractor and three-position safety which will allow the bolt to be opened in the safe condition. A detachable box magazine will be used and the chamber and bore will be chrome plated to extend barrel life and reduce cleaning intervals. An HS Precision bedded stock will support the barreled action.

SAR: How did the P90 submachinegun come to be?

Sal: FN did a survey of military services in several countries. The survey revealed that only 10% of the military personnel were actually out there fighting, while the rest were support troops. These others include the truck drivers, cooks, radio operators, and logistics types. If these soldiers got involved in military action, the fighting would be very close, at ranges of less than 50 meters. For them, having a long assault rifle or complicated weapon didn’t make sense. At the same time, NATO was predicting all enemy infantry would soon be wearing some level of soft body armor. NATO was considering replacing 9mm weapons because they were no longer lethal on the battlefield. FN took these two concepts, put them together, and then developed the ammunition and the weapon at the same time. The result was the P90 with the 5.7mm X 28mm round called the SS190. This round can penetrate body armor out to 200 meters in the P90 and 150 meters in the Five-Seven pistol. The purpose of this system was to replace aging handguns and submachineguns shooting 9mm and other handgun calibers. The P90 has been adopted by 19 countries around the world. This means they have evaluated them and purchased a significant quantity, which are in use today either in the military, law enforcement, dignitary protection, or presidential security and protection role.

SAR: Who are some of the countries that have adopted the P90?

Sal: It is in service with several units in France, Belgium and Portugal. There are many more countries that are still evaluating the P90 for potential use.

SAR: What is involved in transferring a P90 to a law enforcement agency?

Bill: First of all, the guns and ammunition must be imported on a BATF Form 6 and placed in a customs bonded warehouse. We are currently using a warehouse in Atlanta, but we plan to locate our own bonded warehouse here in the near future. The second step of this process is to have the items released from the bonded warehouse on another Form 6 when a department wants to make a purchase. Both of these steps require dealing with the BATF Imports Branch. Next, the weapon must be registered with the NFA Branch and later transferred to the agency. These two branches of the BATF do not have a whole lot to do with each other routinely as they have different responsibilities.

SAR: Tell us about your involvement with the National Defense Industrial Association.

Sal: Within FN, we feel that NDIA, in particular the small arms division, is very important to us. It allows us contact with government, academia, and other small arms companies. It provides an avenue for us to get out to many people at one time to talk about new products, what we’re developing, what we’re looking at, and whatever information we want to release that we think others need to know. The NDIA also allows for great teaming. For example, with the P90, when we knew we needed to have a suppressor, it gave us the opportunity to meet some people who did suppressor work. It also gives us the opportunity to work closely with government folks so that we really understand exactly what they are looking for. What’s on paper in black and white can easily be misunderstood, so that’s why it’s important for us to have face-to-face contact and meetings with them at NDIA events.

Years ago, NDIA was looking for corporate sponsorship to help the organization to grow. I checked with the FN executive staff for my participation, and they agreed. FNMI agreed to send me once or twice a year to steering committee meetings. At one of these meetings several years ago, I was asked to be the session chairman for the firepower division. Again, I checked with management, told them this would mean more involvement, and they agreed. This means that as session chairman, I have the task every year to locate a small arms firing range that can be used for demonstrations. I work with the local range people to make sure that we have everything we need, pass information back and forth to the various companies that want to demonstrate their products, organize it, choreograph it to ensure that it goes off as smoothly as possible. These demonstrations give the participants great exposure to other companies, the media, and all DOD personnel for their products.

SAR: Where’s the small arms symposium being held this year?

Sal: It’s going to be held in Indianapolis, Indiana with the firepower demo at Camp Atterbury, which is one half hour away. The meeting is scheduled for August 28-31, 2000.

SAR: What are some of the memorable moments from the past few demos?

Sal: The most memorable part from Reno three years ago was when the Navy showed up with their GAU-18 on the platform and shot at that vehicle. Two years ago, at Fort Benning, the most memorable moment there was the deer coming across the range along with the Navy showing off their Fast Attack Vehicle with all the various weapons and the quick conversion from one configuration to another. Last year, in New Jersey, the highlight was when J.D. Jones shot his .50 caliber pistol at a tank 800 meters away and hit it. There have been a lot of memorable things that have happened, and I could go on for hours with these stories. Someone always goes above and beyond the call of duty to have a great demo. HK, Knight’s Armament, the U. S. Navy and many others put on fantastic demonstrations. I am sure that this year will be exciting as well.

SAR: Thanks for sharing your time and thought with our readers.

Jeff/Sal/Bill: You’re welcome.

FN Manufacturing, Inc.
797 Clemson Road
P.O. Box 24257
Columbia, SC 29224
PH (803) 736-0522
Fax (803) 736-9949
Website: www.fnmfg.com

National Defense Industrial Association
2111 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 400
Arlington, VA 22201-3061
PH (703)522-1820
FAX (703)522-1885
Website: www.ndia.org

By Dan Shea

The SAR Expeditionary Force in the Ministry Of Defence Pattern Room, Nottingham, England

It was a cold December day when our three man squad left the relative safety of our various locations in the United States and crossed the Puddle to that rainy island on the other side. (Grizzled veterans of the Road Wars know that the Atlantic is the “Puddle” and the Pacific is the “Pond”). Headquarters had intel that the Brits were planning on cutting up their collection again- a bi-annual event it seems, but after the events several years back where the Blair government managed to disarm most of the legitimate citizens of this great island, chopping up their firearms and leaving them prey for the criminal element, well, who really knows what the government might be capable of.

The thought that this wondrous collection of history and martial technology might be destroyed has thrown much of the small arms world into an uproar. In typical fashion, the Small Arms Review had to take action, and what we are limited to is trying to record what is there photographically, and to get the message out to the firearms, law enforcement, military and scientific communities what is in danger there.

We found ourselves warmly welcomed by the Staff at the MOD Pattern Room, and settled into a daily routine of shooting studio photos of whatever seemed unique and pricelessly historic. 700 frames and one week later, we left and started the task of preparing to bring this information to the readers. This article provides a taste of the information in the Pattern Room- considered by many to be one of the premier Working Reference Collections in the world. We hope that you enjoy this opening essay, and will continue to bring this information to you in the form of articles as they are completed. The 700 photos that we took could barely scratch the surface of the history and technology that exists in the MOD Pattern Room, and we plan to return as often as possible to continue the studies. We supplied photography to numerous authors who have been unable to get to the UK, for their work.

The SAR Expeditionary Force hopes to continue to bring this information to you, the readers, and to continue to make SAR into a reference library that you can use forever. It is our fear that if current fashion continues, that only the photographs may remain, and we will all be poorer for that- including the very governments that sometimes hold their nose in disdain at the martial community. Only when it is necessary to “Break the glass in case of emergency”, and dust off the relics of former wars in order to learn how to defeat some modern threat will they truly understand what has been lost. The MOD Pattern Room contains such phenomenal items as Sir Hiram Maxim’s Number One, every conceivable prototype of the British firearms development, and modern pieces from the enemies of Freedom. The personnel there are outstanding, and carry an immense amount of “Institutionalized” knowledge. To deny this resource to the world community is a mistake of grandiose proportions, and we hope that the UK Government stays its hand, and finds a solution to the dilemma of the MOD Pattern Room.

We look back in history to see forward to the future, and hope to learn the lessons others have learned to help us solve problems we encounter today.- Raffica

Try that when you have destroyed your reference library. Save the Pattern Room!

SAR would like to thank Mr. Herbert J. Woodend, Curator and Mr. Richard Jones, Assistant Curator, for their gracious hospitality and patience with us as we worked in their Collection. We would like to thank other friends there, who will show up in future articles as we print them- including the mysterious “Q”, who is rumored to have not left the “Pistol/Submachine gun Room” in almost fifteen years. For those interested in a history of the Pattern Room, SAR Volume 1 Number 6 has a wonderful article by Virginia Ezell.

An unprecedented opportunity is now available to SAR readers. If you are reading this magazine, you must have an interest in fully-automatic firearms, and the nation’s newest and soon-to-be finest firearms training facility wants you to experience its training at the highest level first-hand. You are offered free tuition at an introductory submachine gun class. Formerly available only to graduates of its other training courses, Front Sight Firearms Training Institute, located just outside Las Vegas, Nevada, is now extending the opportunity of attending its one day sub-gun class free!

Is the free submachine gun course really free-of-charge? Having already attended the class, this author can answer that question with an unequivocal,”Yes!” And there are no strings attached. Even the food and beverages available throughout the day-a continental breakfast and a late lunch are gratis, as is the ammunition used.

All you have to do is get to Las Vegas. Lodging expense is your responsibility. If you stay in Las Vegas you will pay more than if you lodge in the town of Pahrump, Nevada, which is closer to the school. You will need to rent a car to get to Front Sight which is about 40 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip.

The Training Experience

I decided to have a look-see of Front Sight after attending the 2000 SHOT Show, held in Las Vegas last January. Arising early from the comfort of my very reasonably-priced Jacuzzi tub-equipped hotel room in Pahrump, I headed out early in the morning to the Front Sight facility, a short 20 minute ride away. Once there, I walked into the huge tent in use as a temporary classroom where I got signed in and noted the welcome sight of an array of foods including hot coffee, bagels, rolls, and chilled juices.

After the 20 or so students in the class had filed in, school founder Dr. Ignatius Piazza gave a short welcome and overview of the day’s program, as well as the history and future of the Front Sight school. We were also given an operational lecture on the UZI submachine guns we would be using that day. Students in the class came from a variety of backgrounds, with a couple of M.D.’s, and a dentist in attendance. All, with the exception of this author, shared one common trait, they had never fired a fully-automatic firearm before.

We soon headed out to the range and spent the rest of the morning receiving lectures on the UZI’s operational characteristics, doing dry-fire, clearing, practicing mounting in the high and low ready positions, magazine loading exercises and learning range etiquette from several instructors.

Front Sight’s teaching philosophy requires there be one instructor for every four to five students, one of the highest student-instructor ratios in the industry. A school policy requires all instructors to be able to perform, on demand, anything they ask their students to do. This keeps the instructors’ skill level high and yields the best level of instruction for the student.

The first shots were fired in the semi-auto mode, at increasingly greater distances from the target. Several different gun mounting positions were practiced. When all students were able to handle their guns adequately, and follow and respond to range commands, we moved on to full-auto fire.

Proper stance to control full-auto fire involves standing bent forward at the waist, with the strong side foot slightly to the rear. The feet are placed at a 30- to 40-degree angle to the body with knees bent, while the elbows are tucked down with the right elbow close to the body as the gun is mounted with its butt high in the natural pocket of the shoulder and the facial cheek contacting the stock.

Shooting at first in two and three round bursts, our groups grew tighter the more we practiced the all-important technique of trigger control, one of the three secrets of shooting success. The instructors were always there to provide guidance while stressing one of the reasons to learn to shoot well is, “It is better to give, than to receive, in a gunfight.”

One aspect that particularly impressed me was their method of teaching did not demean students for making mistakes, but rather the instructors’ role was to provide encouragement and patient guidance to help each student shoot better. This is an important consideration making the school ideal for the new shooter as well as for women. While I have attended several of the “big name” schools in the past, I was particularly impressed by how well I and the other students were treated at Front Sight, we were even provided with one of my favorite foods, bagels and cream cheese! Seriously, student respect constitutes a vital component of the school’s plan of attracting affluent clients who will likely not tolerate a “boot camp” atmosphere.

The instructors also went to great lengths to ensure each student was able to grasp every concept and lesson as it was presented so that no student was left behind. While we started out as a group of disorganized, unpracticed would-be subgunners, by the end of the day, we were all able to mount, fire and achieve good hits on command, and in unison.

My class, which was held on a Monday, was rather small with only 10 students. Classes held on weekends usually contain many more participants and thus shooters step up to the firing line in volleys. While one group is shooting, the other reloads their magazines. Since my class contained so few students, we were able to do a lot more shooting and work on perfecting technique, including failure to stop drills entailing delivering head shots on command.

The targets used are of Piazza’s own design, having been developed utilizing his medical background. The silhouette-style targets are an accurate representation of human dimensions taken from medical cadaver and x-ray studies.

Finally, just before the end of the day, we got to empty an entire magazine at the target. Actually, we were able to do this twice. Once, for practice to get a feel for what it is like to unleash a full 30 rounds non-stop. And a second time, on a clean target, to produce a remembrance of the day to take home. My target now proudly hands on the wall of my office.

We then retired to the headquarters tent, where we were treated with a meal of pizza and soda, as well as a sales presentation on the various levels of membership offered in the facility, along with the opportunity to sign up for additional training. Quite a few students did so. In fact, the school has a 95% student return rate.

It goes without saying there is a lot more to learn about submachine gun shooting than can be taught in one day. Since this was just an introductory course, no certificate is awarded at its conclusion. For those who want to pursue study of the submachine gun, a separate four day course is given (contact the school for details).

The basics of subgun deployment, safety, and how to hit consistently are provided in this free introductory lesson, and, as mentioned, all of the students in my class (none of whom aside from myself had ever fired a fully-automatic firearm before), did surprisingly well due to the high quality of instruction. This was not an informal “fun shoot,” but rather real training that produced visible results.

School Background

A chiropractor by training, Dr. Piazza, a native Californian, developed his avid interest in arms not through law enforcement or military experience, but rather after, “a group of anti-socials drove through (his) quiet neighborhood and blasted away at everything representing the fruits of a decent work ethic,” in 1988.

“During this random drive-by shooting spree, I was struck by a sudden and frightening realization. Although I owned firearms and shot them regularly at the range, I was never taught the skills required to use a gun when it is needed most – to defend one’s life,” Piazza admits.
The vision that became the Front Sight concept occurred the following year when Dr. Piazza attended a firearms training course under the tutelage of the famed Col. Jeff Cooper, founder of the Gunsite Training Center in Paulden, Arizona. Dr. Piazza understood the value of such training and anticipated the demand he could create for world-class firearms training coupled with a resort-style, first class facility.

“After thirteen week-long courses and thousands of hours of practice over a three year period, I held Jeff Cooper’s signature on Expert certificates in Special Pistol, Shotgun, Carbine and Rifle courses,” Dr. Piazza recalls. He then went through a period of years when he took a wide range of firearms training courses, at virtually every shooting school.

“Among them was Massad Ayoob’s Lethal Force Institute and Clint Smith’s Thunder Ranch,” Piazza says. “As I continued to evolve my plans for the ultimate firearms training facility, I looked for submachine gun training. My search turned up Chuck Taylor, who at the time, was the only Four Weapons Combat Master in existence. I then began a six month, daily training regimen in preparation for the Four Weapons Combat Master Test.

“My routine included dry practicing with the handgun, shotgun, rifle and submachine gun for three-to-four hours each day, weekdays, and then renting a shooting range all day Saturday to practice live-fire drills. When I felt I was ready, I began testing for certification. I failed many times, often just by a few points right at the very end of the test,” Dr Piazza admits.

“But, with each failed attempt, I improved and learned more about what it takes to really train to the highest level possible. In the end, perseverance was the key to success and I am proud that on August 28, 1993, I became the second man in the world to secure a Four Weapons Combat Master certificate,” Dr.Piazza says.

After several years of frustrating attempts to secure a use permit to open Front Sight on a 1500-acre ranch in California, he secured a lease on an existing, outdoor shooting range in Bakersfield, California. Front Sight officially opened in Bakersfield in April, 1996. But Piazza continued to search for a permanent location he could purchase in the Las Vegas area (partly due to Nevada’s more favorable tax and firearms laws which allowed possession of full-auto arms). In January, 1997, Front Sight closed the escrow on their 550-acre Las Vegas site and began designing the facility, securing use permits, water rights and construction permits.

World Class Facility

Construction started on Phase One in November 1998. Approximately 2 million dollars in earth moving work was performed before an oversight by those hired to secure the Grading Permit resulted in a five month construction delay. The permit has now been issued and construction has resumed. Expected to be completed by the end of 2000, Phase One will include nine training ranges from 25 yards to 400 yards; eight, 360 degree, live-fire simulator ranges; five story SWAT tower; 500-square-foot indoor video training simulator building; defensive driving track; 7,200-square-foot armory and gunsmithing shop; pro shop; 7,200-square-foot classroom; administration and maintenance buildings, five on-site residential buildings; and RV parking area. All training will be conducted in a resort-style, first class facility.

Phase Two, due to open in April or May of 2001, will include a 1000 yard rifle range, 4,200 foot airstrip; four private training ranges; 7,200-square-foot martial arts gymnasium; and a 900-square-yard secure training facility to allow professional actors from stage and screen, as well as the world of politics, to train privately.

Phase Three, due to open by the end of 2001, will feature a complete residential community with commercial retail center; community center; private K- 12 school; 350 condominiums and 177 one-acre luxury home sites. Similar in concept to a golf resort community, instead of rolling green fairways, Front Sight will cater to the interests of shooters. When completed, the facility will actually compose a new town – Front Sight, Nevada – with its own zip code.

“This is strictly high end,” stressed Dr. Piazza. “Many of our clients are law enforcement personnel, doctors, lawyers, accountants, and other professionals.” He believes the first class nature of Front Sight will work to help build a positive image for the concept of firearms ownership and use, including submachine guns. “If Harley-Davidson could change the image of the users of their motorcycles in the public eye, than certainly I can help the firearms industry polish their image by building the finest firearms training facility in the world which will serve as a showplace for the shooting sports and tactical, as well as self-defense training,” he says.

Harley-Davidson has very effectively changed the public perception of the users of their products from that of outlaw motorcycle gangs to the choice of celebrities. The motorcycles have gone from a product connected with criminals to that of a revered status symbol associated with personal success in a span of only about 20 years.

Aside from submachine gun training, other course offerings include two and four day defensive handgun; two day handgun skill builder and advanced tactical handgun; handgun combat master prep; two and four day tactical shotgun; two and four day practical rifle classes. After taking the free introductory submachine gun class, most students progress to signing up for a two-day handgun, rifle or shotgun class. Though construction has not been completed, the school is fully operational and all course curriculum is currently being offered by a staff of 75 instructors.

The development is located about 10 miles east of the small town of Pahrump (whose name was derived from a native American word meaning “water stone” due to the presence of hot, underground springs in the area). Pahrump contains a couple of hotel/gaming establishments, an Albertson’s supermarket, a pharmacy and other basic service businesses. Front Sight’s property is buttressed on all sides by Bureau of Land Management property. Pahrump has welcomed the school’s construction.

“We were impressed with the magnitude of the project,” commented Donna Lamb, Pahrump Regional Planning Commission secretary. “And it seems pretty safe out there in the desert.”

“It’s the perfect place for this kind of thing,” said David Dwyer, the Front Sight project engineer. “People in Nevada are pro-development and pro-state’s rights. We’re rebels here. It’s the Wild West.”

Participatory Levels

Though one may attend courses on a one-time basis, Front Sight is not planned as a facility one visits once and then forgets about. Rather, it is intended as a world-class resort to which shooters will return time and time again. Some may even want to live there! Read on.

Since construction is being financed with operating revenues, the “First Family” Program has been instituted to generate cash to cover construction costs by offering high-value charter memberships to those with the vision to see what the facility will become once it is completed. There are four levels of participation in Front Sight’s “First Family” Program.

The first is the “Copper” in which participants may attend two and four day courses, in Defensive Handgun, Tactical Shotgun and Practical Rifle as often as one desires. Also included are six certificates for attendance at firearms courses that may be sold or transferred to anyone who has not previously attended a course at the school. Other benefits encompass 10% discounts on tuition, gunsmithing, shooting supplies and the etching of the participant’s name in a First Family monument. The cost of Copper First Family membership is presently $8,500.

Bronze membership includes free attendance at the courses listed above in the Copper section, plus two day Handgun Skill Builder, Advanced Tactical Handgun, Handgun Instructor’s Course and the four day Handgun Combat Master Prep class. Twelve First Family course certificates are provided, along with 20% savings on other courses, products and services, in addition to other amenities. The cost is presently $22,000.

Silver First Family Membership allows attendance at any Front Sight firearms course free-of-charge. A total of 24 course certificates are included, which may be sold to others. Plus free use of the school’s private ranges free locker rental, priority placement in courses, and other benefits are given. The current cost for this level is $85,000.

The highest tier, Platinum First Family, includes a one-acre luxury home site on the premises. It also allows free attendance at any course, as many times as one desires. A stack of 24 course certificates which may be sold are provided the first year and up to twelve additional course certificates are provided each year thereafter for a lifetime. Platinum members are even relieved from the necessity of having to clean their guns, as this service is provided free by the gunsmithing staff.

When completed, there will be no other place in the world like the safe, secure, upscale community of Front Sight, Nevada. The first 16 Platinum memberships rapidly sold out. Another 10 were offered at $200,000 and sold out. Six more were presented at $240,000 and $250,000 and these too – you guessed it, sold out. Presently six additional Platinum memberships are available at $275,000. Once these are gone, the next offering is expected to be priced even higher.

“In some circles, if I say something at the dinner table about cleaning my shotgun, I’m not going to be real popular,” disclosed Mike Meacher, a country-club development investor from Southern California who purchased a Platinum membership. “I view this as a vacation home. These are not a bunch of rednecks. They are doctors, attorneys and software people, and some retired guys who just like the community.

“People will pay $200,000 to become a member of a golf country club, then buy a $250,000 chunk of land to live across from the golf course. But the firearms facilities, with a few exceptions, are all rudimentary and remote. If you look at the draw of Las Vegas, you’ll understand there is nothing else like this. Las Vegas is a destination resort. There is a tremendous tourism draw already, and there’s a lot of reasons why if Joe is a shooter and Mary and the kids are not, Joe can come to Front Sight while Mary and the kids enjoy the Strip. This is the same way the golf resorts pull golfers onto the course,” Meacher observed.

You’re Pre-Approved!

Since not everyone may have these amounts of cash available, Front Sight has made arrangements for everyone attending its classes to finance their First Family memberships, regardless of their past credit history. And the interest rate will surprise you – prime! The prime rate is the interest rate banks offer only to their best customers. At the time of this writing, the prime rate was 8.5%. Financing can be as short as 12 months, or stretched out over five years. For example, a Copper First Family membership only involves a $173 monthly payment over a 60-month period.

Those who are in a position to make one payment of the membership and do not need financing, can enjoy significant savings. For instance, $3,000 is deducted from the cost of Copper First Family membership, bringing it down to a total of $5,500, if paid in one lump sum. Similarly, the highest level, Platinum First Family, can be had at a savings of $80,000 from the financed rate of $275,000, if paid with one payment of $195,000.

The amount paid for a Copper, Bronze or Silver First Family program may be applied directly toward upgrading to a higher level of membership and to the purchase of a homesite within the development in the future.

Silver and Platinum first family memberships may be transferred to one’s heirs to ensure the next generation of a family continues in the firearms tradition. Silver and Platinum members may choose a deserving son or daughter, or grandchild, niece or nephew and begin training the relative at Front Sight immediately. Upon the member’s passing, the Silver or Platinum First Family Program may be granted to an heir.

On July 4, 2000, a special First Family reunion will be held for First Family members and their immediate families. The special celebrations will include a machine gun demonstration by SAR’s technical editor Dan Shea.

If you are not in a position to make a long term commitment to the school, don’t let that bother you. As mentioned, you can take individual courses on a paid tuition basis without making a further commitment. In any event, a must attend course is the free introductory submachine gun class. As a further incentive, a 50% discount off the cost of the first tuition course is offered to those who attend the free sub-gun class.

If you are worried that your current skill level might not be appropriate to attend a course at Front Sight, you needn’t be. Instructors will give you the personal one-on-one attention you need to perfect your accuracy, speed and gun handling. Whether you are new to gun ownership and want to save time and money by learning it right the first time from world recognized experts, or an advanced student reaching for the highest levels of perfection, your skills will be dramatically improved with the first course.

To Dr. Piazza and his staff, -you are the weapon and your firearm is just a tool. Upon graduation, you will fully understand why Front Sight’s motto is: “Any gun will do-if you will do!”

For more information:

Front Sight Firearms
Training Institute
P.O. Box 2619
Aptos, CA 95001
Telephone: 800-987-7719
FAX: 831-684-2137
E-mail: info@frontsight.com
Web site: http://www.frontsight.com

By Rob Krott

“The small arms were the same as those currently issued to NATO forces, and all were brand-new from Brussels… One in four men was issued with an automatic weapon that was new to me, the Belgian 9mm Vigneron M2 submachine gun. The weapon was light and handy and almost as good as the FN 9mm UZI submachine gun… But the Vigneron had one weakness: the ejection opening cover was a bit tinny and had a tendency to snag on surrounding undergrowth when in the open position.”

– Colonel Mike Hoare, legendary commander of 4 Commando (Katanga 1961) and 5 Commando (the Congo 1964), The Road to Kalamata

Outside its country of origin the Vigneron is a relatively obscure weapon, although Vignerons have cropped up all over the world, from Vietnam to Northern Ireland. When I first read of it in a novel on African mercenaries years ago I thought it was a fabrication. After reading about it again in Hoare’s memoirs I became intrigued. Designed by Colonel Georges Vigneron, a Belgian Army officer, the Vigneron was intended to replace the British 9mm STEN gun. Several STENs were still in service with the Belgians and the Vigneron replaced them in 1953 when it was officially adopted by the Belgian Army. Prior to World War II Belgium forces used the Schmeisser MP 28 II produced by Haenel in Germany. The MP 28 II was also manufactured in Belgium by Pieper and fielded as the Mitraillette Model 34 with the Belgian Army.

The Vigneron (la mitraillette Vigneron Belge or het machinepistool Vigneron) is a rather conventional post-World War design. The Societe Anonyme Precision Liegeoise in Herstal manufactured the first production run of the weapon with some parts being subcontracted to Rocour of Liege. Rocour would eventually take over full production of the weapons. Still other vignerons were manufactured by Brussels firm of Ateliers de Fabrications Electriques et Metalliques (AFEM). According to Mr. Peter Van Meenen, my correspondent from Antwerp and an expert on the Vigneron, the CMH inscription on the grip might stand for Compagnie de Manufacture Herstal, which supposedly made the plastic lower receiver. This is unconfirmed, but is very likely.

An uncomplicated weapon, the Vigneron is a simple blowback selective fire design made from sheet metal stampings and plastic. It is a classic example of 1950s submachine gun production. Firing the 9x19mm NATO pistol round with a muzzle velocity of approximately 380 meters per second / 12224 feet per second it has a cyclic rate of 600 rounds per minute. The Vigneron weights 3.29 kilos/7.25 pounds (unloaded). A fully loaded 32 round staggered stack box magazine weighs .6 kilos, bringing the loaded weight to 8.74 pounds. Fairly heavy for a submachine gun. An M-14 rifle weights 8.7 pounds and in combat, I’d rather have an M-14.

The Vigneron is 890mm/34/9 inches overall with stock extended and 705mm/27.5in with stock telescoped. The telescoping stock is fabricated from heavy steel wire and performs double duty as a cleaning rod: one end of the stock is slotted for bore patches and the other is threaded for a bore brush.

The Vigneron has a long barrel for a submachine gun (305mm/12 inches) but the Vigneron barrel incorporates a compensator and a muzzle brake, making it easily recognized by its cooling fins and compensator notches (located behind the front sight). The barrel has six right hand grooves.

The M1 Vigneron has a blade front sight and a non-adjustable rear aperture. The M2 Vigneron added a protective hood to the front blade sight (it sometimes became bent) and the rear “peep” sight was replaced by a standard notch sight. The top half of the M1 peep sights were simply cut off to leave a notch sight.

Operation

The Vigneron loads and fires like the British Sten. It has a grip safety which must be depressed. The integral grip safety locks the bolt to the rear when not depressed. This prevents accidental discharges should a loaded weapon with bolt forward is dropped or jostled. The selector switch on the left side of the receiver has the usual three settings: semi-automatic, automatic, and safe. Even while set on automatic a light trigger finger will still be able to get off single shots. The ejection port is on the right and is protected by a hinged dust cover. The dust cover is unlocked / opened by cocking the weapon with its non-reciprocating bolt handle (located on the left side of the receiver).

Identification

The marking on the left side of the magazine housing “A>B>L>” is an acronym for the Belgian Army (incorporating the French Armee Belge and Flemish Belgisch Leger). According to Peter Van Meenen, A.L. is also found and sometimes the markings are milled off. The last two digits of the year of manufacture are also found here as is the model number of the weapon, either “VIG M1” or “VIG M2”. Some modified M1s may be over-stamped with a numeral two. Below this is the weapon’s serial number. On the reverse side of the magazine housing are markings which denote whether the weapon was issued to the Belgian army or Congolese army. On the Belgian issued Vignerons there is the crest of Belgium, a lion rampant inside double pointed spear-head. The Congolese Vignerons have a lion encircled by laurels and “FP” (for Force Publique, the colonial era Congolese military and police force). Others marked “CB” for Congo Belge (Belgian Congo) were also issued during the colonial administration. Next to the selector switch are the selector markings “A”, “R”, and “S”. My interpretation is A – automatique, R-repeter, and S-securite, i.e. automatic, semi and safe. Above the trigger housing is “Licence Vigneron,” and beyond the selector switch at the top of the pistol grip is “CMH” as already explained. Above that and just to the right of the selector switch’s “S” is an encircled “B” (not found on all weapons).

According to Van Meenen, “The few people I met that fired the gun in anger seemed to like it a lot. I had a chance to shoot it myself when one was issued to me in an artillery unit in the Belgian army in 1986. The then brand new FNC was replacing both the FAL and the Vigneron. By then the aging gun was quite unpopular with the soldiers, mostly conscripts.” The soldiers’ dissatisfaction with the weapon was attributed to its performance and its appearance. “It didn’t look the part because armorers lovelessly touched up the damaged finish with black paint. There were also complaints from people who couldn’t get used to the grip safety, which sometimes pinched the hand and could cause a failure to fire. Rumor went around that if you didn’t screw on the receiver very right, the grip frame could become loose during firing and the receiver would fall on the ground, still spewing out slugs until the magazine was empty.” While his training emphasized the need to always screw the receiver cap back on tightly, Van Meenen says he could never find out if this theoretically possible accident had ever occurred in actuality. The possibility of this mishap was taken seriously enough that modifications were made to the Vigneron used in Africa: a metal tab welded onto the receiver to keep the receiver cap from loosening. Another problem mentioned in a Dutch magazine article, concerns reassembly of the barrel. Because the threads are the same it is possible to put the barrel on upside down or even switch it with the receiver cap…though you’d have to be mechanically challenged to do either. Be that as it may, there is video of an IRA funeral detail which shows one of the IRA terrorists firing a salute from a Vigneron, no doubt hastily reassembled as the escaping gas can be clearly seen exiting the compensator cuts on the bottom of the barrel.

Like submachine guns in most western armies the Vigneron was issued to rear area troops and special forces. Vehicle drivers, armor and artillery personnel, and military police were issued the Vigneron. The ParaCommandos were also issued the Vigneron and used them in action during the parachute assault on Stanleyville, in the Congo in 1964 and on subsequent operations during the Congolese Intervention. Vignerons were already in use during the Simba Rebellion by the Congolese Army (Armee Nationale Congolese, formerly the Belgian officered Force Publique) and the government hired white mercenaries fighting the Simba rebels. After the war Vignerons were supposedly used as close-quarter defense weapons by Union Miniere truck drivers in the Congo. They removed the buttstock and cut the barrel back to the last cooling ring, sometimes even welding the front sight back on.

The Belgian gendarmerie (police) which were part of the armed forces were also equipped with the Vigneron. The police issued Vigneron was replaced by the Belgian made (Fabrique Nationale) UZI in the 1970s and the military replaced theirs with the UZI and the 5.56mm FNC assault rifle. The obsolete weapons were then disposed of in Algeria, Burundi, Congo, Portugal, and Rwanda, although some Belgian Army reserve units still carried Vignerons as late as the early 1990s. The Portuguese issued the Vigneron as the Metralhadora M/961 and fielded them in Mozambique and Angola.

Rob Krott and SAR would like to thank Mr. Peter Van Meenen of Antwerp, Belgium for his assistance in the preparation of this article.