Hinderikus (Henk) Lucas Visser was born in the City of Groningen, the capital of Groningen Province in the northeast of the Netherlands, on 5 August 1923. Henk was very involved in the CETME rifle project, the original HK G3, Stoner’s projects (most notably the Stoner 63A1), Oerlikon, Mauser, and many other historical events that impact on the small arms community today. Smallarmsreview.com is pleased to bring this lengthy and comprehensive interview to our readers from our 2006 issue and will be presented in two parts. – Dan Shea, SAR Editor-in-Chief

SAR: Thanks for joining us, Henk. I guess the readers would like to know what got you started with firearms – what was your first gun?

Visser: My first gun was an old pinfire revolver, which you could buy for about two bucks in those days. I was maybe fifteen years old. Pinfire ammunition was very rare so I just collected these and enjoyed looking at them and I would hide them from my mother who did not approve. My father had died when I was ten years old. Later in life my mother would complain about my gun collecting habits, but I would say, “Mother, it’s your own fault. You never bought me an air rifle.”

SAR: And your interest in military firearms?

Visser: I had wanted to be in the military, so as soon as I could ride my bicycle, I was always around the barracks in Groningen and the nearby airfield. After the German occupation of Holland, May 10, 1940, there wasn’t much hope for me to join the Dutch army. I was still in high school, and was definitely not a Nazi sympathizer. With friends, we harassed the occupying military units, and I was arrested by the Germans but managed to talk my way out of it several times. I was eighteen years old when the SD (German Sicherheitsdienst) finally arrested me.

SAR: What were the charges? And, I suppose, were you actually guilty?

Visser: Guilty as charged. Sabotage, gun possession, those were the main charges. It was May 5th, 1942 when the German SD arrested me. It was in the classroom, in front of all the other kids. (Laughs) It was quite something! On one occasion I had broken into the German barracks and put a match to a wooden building that the Germans were setting up for storing radio transmitters. It was at the airfield next to our town that the Germans had expanded and made into a bigger airfield. They held me, because the last thing I did was to break into the Navy officers’ mess, and I stole a K98, a machine pistol, a pistol, ammo and some of their papers. We had a small group of people that had gotten together to do this, and there was one man who was a traitor, he tried to blackmail me. Anyway, the Dutch police got involved, and I got arrested. Then in July I had a Navy court-martial in the town of Utrecht.

SAR: So, your first machine gun involved getting a Navy court-martial from the Germans while you were in high school?

Visser: (Laughs) Yes, and they condemned me to death and also three years for another break-in in a Dutch Nazi gunsmith shop in town.

SAR: An additional three years?

Visser: With the Germans, you were condemned separately for each crime and punished that way as well. I had a friend in jail, a cadet from the Dutch military academy, who was condemned separately to death three times, plus ten years, and four months. His father was very rich, and he started paying people off, so the Germans took off two of the death sentences and shot him for the third. My uncle, who was a director of the Dutch Philips electronic company, knew one of the German supervisors of the factory and tried to get me off. He told the supervisor, “You have to go and see if you can get the boy pardoned since his mother is a widow and only has one other younger son.” The supervisor went to see Seis Inquart, the German ruler of Holland, who said that this was a job only for the military. He suggested that my uncle should talk to General Christiansen, who was the military commander in Holland…but he also said no, and he said that Dutch high school boys who think that they can make a joke out of the German Army will be shot. So my mother was quite desperate, and she went with our lawyer to see the German Navy commander herself. Just to let you know how these Germans were; he lived in a big villa…my mother and our lawyer passed the guards at the gate, rang the bell, and a Navy sailor opened the door. He took the letter that my mother had brought asking for a pardon, and left my mother and the lawyer standing outside in the rain for half an hour. Then the door opened again and the same sailor gave the letter back to my mother, torn in half.

My mother was very desperate at this point. Her father had a butcher shop in town, and next to that was a vegetable shop…our two families were good friends. One of the children of the vegetable shop owner, Kees Veening, had gone to live in Berlin to be a speech therapist, teaching them how to breathe, etc. Kees Veening had a neighbor, and they became good friends. The neighbor was a historian, a reservist in the German army and was called up for duty in 1938. He had become a general and was responsible for the daily historical facts in Hitler’s headquarters, the “Wolfschanze.” This man had an idea: if he could get a hold of my file from the Dutch prison and keep it, the Germans in Holland would not be able to shoot me. So I sat for three months in the section of the prison where they kept the prisoners who were condemned to die, and oftentimes at 5 in the morning you would hear the Germans with the steel-toed boots coming up to take one or two of us out to be shot. So the question was always, “Who’s next?” I was there for three months.

SAR: On a German death row cellblock for three months, waiting to be shot every day?

Visser: Yes. You had to take all of your clothes off at night, so that if you escaped during the night you’d be naked. One night, there was a tremendous row and shouting and a group of drunken German guards came knocking on my door. I was sleeping on a straw bale, so I got up and ran to the window, stood at attention, reported myself and my punishment. The Germans shouted “Visser, who was condemned to death…You swine, our Führer has pardoned you!” After repeating this several times they threw my door closed, and I thought, “Oh, this is wonderful,” and went back to sleep on my straw bale. The next morning I realized that I had made it, and had gotten 15 years in a German prison instead. Later I learned that the German historian had waited until the Germans were throwing a party for their successes in Russia. They had taken over a million prisoners at that occasion and were celebrating. They were extremely pleased and were drinking champagne in Hitler’s headquarters. As Hitler was sitting at the table, the historian, General Scherff, approached with the letter from my mother and explained the story. Hitler looked up and said, “A friend of yours, eh?” and Hitler himself crossed out “Death Penalty” and wrote “15 years Zuchthaus” instead. When the people at my prison got the telex message from the Wolfschanze, they got drunk and came to my door at 2 or 3 in the morning to tell me that I had made it.

SAR: Well, there’s a project for some of our better connected readers. Somewhere, there is a piece of paper with Adolf Hitler’s handwriting on it that freed Henk Visser from a death sentence.

Visser: Yes, yes, I would pay $10,000 for that piece of paper! I was then transported to prison in Germany, a prison with small factories inside. There I had to work very hard, we had to make little aluminum cylinders. After the war, while taking apart a 20mm shell, I found one of those little cylinders. It was an aluminum detonator. We had to fashion them and drill a hole through them and of course thread them. We would make 5,000 of these per day and if you didn’t make 5,000 then you only got a liter of cabbage soup instead of 1.5 liters. Cabbage soup may not sound very special, but in the prison, an extra 0.5 liter of soup was important! So we made 5,000 per day.

We were in a very old prison called Zuchthaus Reinbach, near Bonn. Then I was moved to another prison called Zuchthaus Siegburg, on the other side of Bonn, and there I also worked for my dinner. I repaired military uniforms, and worked in a tool making shop. We worked about twelve hours a day in shifts, sometimes during the day and sometimes during the night. I must say I was lucky; in a concentration camp I would have died. In these prisons you had a roof over your head. It was a big building with thick walls, and if it was 20 degrees below zero outside it was only just freezing inside, which was cold but you didn’t freeze to death. We had guards who had been guards for all of their lives, they were professionals and so there were not many beatings or much abuse. We had some new guards who came in from the Eastern front missing an arm or something, and since they really couldn’t do a good job they would sometimes beat us to take revenge.

Anyway, I got very ill. I had tuberculosis in my lungs, intestines, on my vocal cords, and on a heart valve. I was dying and my weight was 100 pounds. Still, I was always treated a little differently from the other prisoners.

SAR: You must have had some pull from somewhere.

Visser: They knew I had received a pardon from Hitler himself, and the General Scherff sometimes inquired about how I was doing, so yes, they were careful with me. I was taken to the prison hospital. It was unbelievable, there were 3,000 prisoners with half of them sick and there were only 14 beds in the hospital. I got one of those beds, and I was dying. My uncle, who’s company Philips also owned a lot of factories in Germany, started inquiring about how I was doing. He was told that I was ill, but treated very well, and that I was cared for by nuns and that every day I would get an egg, but my uncle didn’t trust them. He sent someone who talked to the director of the Zuchthaus who reported that I couldn’t talk anymore and that I was dying. So he had his lawyers look over the German law regarding prisoners, and they found an old law that said if you were incarcerated and dying, you could go home to die. All of the judges that condemned me would have to sign off for my release, so my uncle went to see all five of the judges, at that time they were dispersed all over Germany because of fear for an invasion in Holland. When all of them signed I was sent home, but because of my contagious disease, I wasn’t allowed to go back by train. They didn’t want me infecting anybody else. The Phillips people had an ambulance that ran on propane, but since the gas stations were so far apart in Germany, they put the ambulance on top of a truck and trailer which ran on a wood burning gas generator. They came with a nurse to the prison, and through my uncle managed to rescue my hospital cellmate as well, another Dutch student from Groningen. We drove back through Germany and I was very happy to see buildings still on fire from Allied bombings. We got back to Holland and they hid me in a Roman Catholic sanatorium in Bilthoven. I was there for two and a half years, recovering.

SAR: Was that the end of the war?

Visser: On the 18th of May, 1944 I got out of Germany. The liberation of Europe happened while I was convalescing, and at the end of 1946 I went home.

SAR: It must have taken a long time to build your strength back.

Visser: I felt ok, I did what I had to do, and I could even bicycle a little bit. My mother made me go back to high school; she said I needed a high school diploma. (laughs) Of course the military was out of the question for me, because of my weak lungs. I wanted to go to the police academy, but was offered a job as a sales inspector in Java, in the East Indies – formerly the Dutch East Indies – and I accepted. The company had me tested to make sure that my health was alright, it was, and I was approved to go and work in the tropics.

SAR: Was this a firearms related job you were looking for in the tropics?

Visser: No, it was in the tobacco industry. I was in Java for five years where I worked and hunted; wild boar, mostly. I had a German 7mm rifle with a 12 gauge shotgun barrel. My job was inspecting the cigarettes sold by our company in Java. We manufactured the cigarettes, and wanted to make sure that the cigarettes weren’t being sold or bought on the black market. There were many Chinese sales outlets all over Indonesia and the islands that needed to be inspected. I traveled a lot, all over Java, and for a while I lived in Jakarta, Malang and Semarang. There were about five Europeans running the factory, and for a year and a half I was the chief purchasing agent. This was from 1950 until 1955. (Dolf mentions that he was there at the same time, too bad they hadn’t met at that point.) It was a fantastic time; the company was really well run. The Dutch people who were running it were no-nonsense and everything was always ok. Holland had given up Indonesia in December of 1949, and the bad thing was (and I’m very pro-American) that under American pressure, they pushed the Dutch out and threatened to stop the Marshall Plan for Holland. There were millions of dollars going into rebuilding the Netherlands. So you can understand that our government gave in.

SAR: (Dolf) The Americans pushed the Dutch into giving up the country. My father was very bitter about that, too.

Visser: Yes, yes, the Americans had the idea of instituting liberty and democracy and everything Western, but we were not ready for it! Our Queen Wilhelmina had already said in 1942 that Indonesia would be a free country in the future; the process would have only taken about 15 years to complete.

SAR (Dan): In America we tend to think that there’s a magic wand for those who’ve been under colonial control or subjugation or despotic control, that they can suddenly handle freedom. I don’t want to get too far off the subject, but I’ve seen it too many times in too many places. Often we think we can touch a country and suddenly it’s free. It’s certainly not that simple. Henk, you lived right through the middle of the Jakarta incidents? Is this the point where you started to develop more of an interest in machine guns?

Visser: No, Dan, I have always been crazy about weapons. But going through the war years changed my perception of the world. When the Germans first “arrived,” they acted nice and very friendly. Holland was very wealthy and a rich booty. When it came to food I saw German soldiers go into Dutch shops to buy and eat an entire stick of butter, they hadn’t seen real butter in so long. Other things too, pastries, breads, all sorts of foods, they took them back home to their families. So in the beginning there wasn’t any ill treatment, but as every good Dutchman, I hated them from the very first moment. It wasn’t until later that the Germans showed their real character. They cleaned out the whole country. I actually started my collecting interest with military weapons when I got home from prison and the sanatorium. There was a gun in almost every home, taken from the Germans when they fled. I had friends at the police department, so if they had a really nice machine gun I was able to shoot it or buy it if they didn’t require it.

SAR: This was before your journey to Indonesia? Were you able to pick up many rare guns?

Visser: Yes, this was from 1947 to 1949. My interest in collecting military firearms was very intense, starting then. In those days it was all the common guns, also French guns that the Germans used. For instance, the first French machine gun that I got was a Hotchkiss 1914. It was a great big machine gun with cooling fins and a huge tripod. I was very interested in German sniper rifles at the time. When I went to Indonesia, I had to hide my collection in my mother’s house, since I had no license for these guns.

SAR: Are we seeing a pattern of youthful disregard for gun laws here?

Visser: (laughs) Yes, yes, and they were all cleaned very well before I left, so that when I returned there wasn’t a spot of rust on any of them.

SAR: When did you get involved in arms trading?

Visser: On my way to an appointment I stopped at a gun shop in a small street in Groningen. The guy that owned the shop had also spent some time in a German prison, as well as a concentration camp. In the shop I met a gentleman who was on the board of an ammunition factory in the south of Holland, he invited me to come and see the operation. I went there; it was a small factory that had just received an order for .30 carbine ammo from the Americans. The factory itself was a mess. I was told that the chairman of the board from the factory would like to talk to me; he offered me a job as director. He told me that the founder of the factory had died and that his younger brother wasn’t doing a good job running things. I said no, I didn’t want that job; I wanted to go back to Indonesia.

My boss back in Indonesia was a colonialist. He worked us to death, we never got enough salary, but we still led a wonderful life. He would always say, “Do this and I’ll give you a raise and a promotion.” I learned that even if I got a promotion, there would be no raise for me. He told me to go to Jakarta for a year and if I did a good job there, I would get a raise and a promotion, but when my review came up, I got a good promotion but no raise, as usual. He always had another task for me but I never got a raise. After five years, I got 8 months furlough. Usually when people went on furlough they would go straight home to Holland, but I asked if I could go to America. My boss agreed to pay for it, saying that I wasn’t such a bad guy. I flew to the Cocos Islands, Australia, lots of other small islands, Samoa, and then on to Hawaii, Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, Boston to visit a friend, and down to Washington D.C.

SAR: That doesn’t explain your start in the arms trade…

Visser: I am getting to it, Dan, patience. Before I went on vacation my boss in Indonesia began to worry about the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, which was getting more and more attention in America. He asked me to see how the American tobacco companies were dealing with it. I went to Philip Morris, and they told me that more and more people were buying mentholated and filtered cigarettes because the public thought that they were not as bad. I wrote back to my boss what the Americans had told me, and he quickly started ordering the machinery to manufacture filtered cigarettes. These of course are more dangerous than unfiltered cigarettes because it allows you to smoke the cigarette all the way to the filter. You end up inhaling far more tar, etc. than you would get from smoking a cigarette without filter.

My boss had told me that upon my return from furlough I would become the Inspector for the Island of Sumatra. And so again I asked him if I would get my raise, he said that we would discuss it when I returned. He was in Holland at the same time, so I traveled to Eindhoven where he was with his family and had dinner with him. I asked him during dinner if I would finally get the position I wanted, with a higher salary and the ability to sign for the company as a representative. (Editor’s note: In Europe, the right to sign documents in the name of the company puts you in a much higher level socially. You generally get a much better salary.) He said that if I did a good job working in Sumatra that I would get the position I wanted. At that moment I realized he was lying, and the next morning I started talking to the people from the ammunition factory again. I asked for what was at that time a fantastic salary, not at all contingent on how the company did at the end of the year. They accepted!

SAR: So your international weapons career started in the ammunition factory in Hertogenbosch in Holland.

Visser: You might say it started when I was making those fuzes in a German prison (Laughs). But, I’ll tell you, my first day as director there, I almost cried. There were two secretaries, and neither one could write or type a letter without mistakes. Everything looked horrible and unprofessional from that office on down to the factory. I had to fight to straighten out that company. When I arrived, there were 63 people working there, and when I left there were over a 1,000.

SAR: Did this job lead to you becoming a member of the 7.62 NATO council?

Visser: After the cigarette factory in Indonesia, I think this was a really big start for me. I got a call one day from an American friend at the Pentagon who said, “Henk, we know you’re working on blanks with a lengthened case so that they feed automatically. We don’t have that, and this morning during a mock battle in Panama the American side had to shout “Poof! Poof!” because they had no blanks that would function automatically in their weapons. The general who was responsible for Panama got mad and demanded immediate delivery of the special blanks.”

I said to my friend that I could get some of my guys and some of our new blanks, cases, powder, tools and the necessary weapons, and fly over to see what we could do. We flew to Washington and went from there to Frankfurt Arsenal, where testing began on our ammo. Whether fired from a gun that had been in a freezer or not, our blanks worked perfectly! The guys from Frankfurt Arsenal wanted to inspect our blanks and see how they could copy them, but they didn’t have the time. The Pentagon wanted 45 million blank rounds in cal. 7.62 NATO, and we would get one-third of the order, which for us was a very, very big order. We were very excited until one day I got a call from them with sad news. They said that Congress refused to release the money needed for that big order and instead specified that only 30 million rounds would be purchased, with the order going to Frankfurt Arsenal, so we lost out. This was a big blow to our company, but there was also good news. They told me that they understood that we wanted to make 20mm aircraft ammo. They offered me a 20mm ammunition factory for free, with new machinery and everything, in St. Louis, that had been used to manufacture .60 caliber ammo and later 20mm aircraft ammo. It had been “mothballed” for use in an emergency.

SAR: The early M39 revolver cannon series, the T161s, were T130E3 .60 caliber machine guns before they were moved into the 20mm range.

Visser: Yes, it was the plant for that ammunition. We went to St. Louis to look at it, and we were flabbergasted. Everything, the machines, the tools, etc. was brand new, and just for us. I went back to Holland to arrange for transport. I came back to the Pentagon (which was very easy to just walk into in those days) to talk to Colonel Moor and a couple of other officials, but they had sad news again. “We cannot give you the plant,” they said. They saw my reaction…and after a long pause continued, “But we can sell you the plant for a $1,000.” We paid the thousand dollars and brought all of the machinery back to Holland. The end result was that once we got operational we supplied every NATO Air Force with the 20mm rounds: the Brits, the Norwegians, the Germans, the Dutch, everybody. Later, when the Vietnam War began, the US Air Force realized that they did not have enough 20mm rounds. They requested an order for 10 million 20mm rounds. Our Holland plant could fill that order so a meeting took place at the pentagon. One of the officials said, “This is crazy! Lake City is not the only ammunition plant we have. Don’t we have one in the South?” Colonel Moor pointed at me and said, “Yes, and HE has that plant.” (Visser laughs) So we used the plant from St. Louis to fill a 23 million dollar order for 10 million rounds.

SAR: Like all good arms dealers, I love a story where you get a plant for surplus and then get to sell the product back to your source (laughter). Henk, that probably would have been 1967 or 1968 and jumps us too far ahead in this story. When did you first get involved with Armalite?

Visser: Ah, patience, Dan, patience. First we must address the CETME (Centro de Estudios Technicales de Materiales Especiales) program. When I started to work in Holland for NWM in 1955, they had an advisor that was a retired Dutch rear admiral who became a very good friend of mine. He had been in Spain recently (he spoke fluent Spanish), where some Spanish and Germans had been working on a new gun made from sheet steel. I knew of some of the developments that had been done in Germany with the Sturmgewehr, and I flew to Madrid. The operations there were very isolated from the outside world. The main operation was on the CETME rifle. They showed me the whole factory, and pointed out some of the small tools and things that they were missing which I could supply, so I told them I’d help out. I became very friendly with them, and pretty soon I had my own CETME rifle to take back with me to Holland. That rifle…that’s a whole other story.

It was made for special ammunition, an aluminum bullet with a copper jacket…a very long bullet with a short case. The man who designed this ammunition was Dr. Voss, and he was the German Air Force ballistician, and he was also the ballistician for the CETME group. He was very knowledgeable about recoil and automatic fire and the physics of holding a gun. During that time, the first German armed forces were the Bundesgrenzschutz who were supposed to guard the German boarders. There were 20,000 soldiers armed with German K98’s and the MG42’s, as well as 100 new 20mm Hispano guns and of course the P38 pistol, and nothing else. The boss was Colonel Naujokat, and he had been in charge of the two flat cars before and behind Hitler’s quarters on his train (during WWII). These open cars had 4-barreled 20mm automatic cannons on them.

The Spanish went to the Colonel and demonstrated for him in Bonn. The Colonel liked the new Sturmgewehr and the ammo very much, but told them they had the wrong caliber. The standard caliber was cal. 7.62, but this new Spanish ammunition was cal. 7.92. So they went back to Spain and changed the gun, the magazine, and, of course, they had to make new ammunition. They also made new firing tables, it took a year. After which they had their new CETME ammunition in cal. 7.62.

SAR: This was not yet 7.62 NATO ammunition, correct?

Visser: Correct. After the Spanish finished their new ammo, they brought it and the guns back to the German Colonel, who turned white and said, “Oh my God. I should have told you that 7.62 also requires a new case: the T65 case.” The Spanish group was beside itself, returned to Madrid and decided that it was all over. The gun was mathematically designed for a low powered cartridge and the 7.62 NATO had much more power, so it needed a totally new gun. But one of the bosses at the Madrid factory pointed out that the factory had good relations with the American military attaché, since they had just received an order to develop caseless rifle ammunition and caseless 20mm. The boss said, “Go and get a barrel and 1,000 7.62 NATO rounds.” Which they got from the U.S. The CETME with that barrel fired 600 7.62 rounds before the gun fell apart. The cartridge was far too powerful, since the gun was designed for a lighter round. The German engineers rebuilt and strengthened the housing as the German army wanted to arm their soldiers with them.

They had contact with the Heckler & Koch people, who were all old Mauser people working in two wooden barracks, making tools for pressings and so forth, and that’s how I came into contact with Heckler & Koch. The Germans at the Weapons Department in Bonn were always making changes in the gun, and it was Heckler & Koch who made the changes on the CETME. I told the CETME people, “You guys have no sales organization….let NWM have the rights to act for you all over the world.” They told me I had to pay for the right, which was no problem for NWM. They gave me the world rights for the CETME rifle, excluding Spain, Portugal and Germany. The rest of the world was ours. They also said that if I wanted to set up production elsewhere, they would help us get started.

In the meantime they were still working on the guns…making a new grip and so on…they had spent millions making the guns and making the changes. I went to the Dutch army, who agreed to test out the gun with all kinds of different ammo, including French steelcased ammo. They fired the steel ammo. When the trigger was pulled, there was a BIG noise, the rate of fire was 1,800 rounds per minute, and about half of the empty steelcases got stuck in the wooden wall. I told the Colonel to stop the test…it was a hopeless case. As it turned out, they never actually manufactured the steel ammo, but it was a hopeless case nonetheless.

To make the gun work, they had added grooves in the chamber, so that some of the gas would press on the exterior of the case to release it. The main fault of the CETME rifle is that as soon as the climate gets moist, firing the gun without immediately cleaning it results in sticky cases. This design of the roller locking system is only good for lightly-powered ammunition. We had a very fortunate thing happen; the Germans had improved the gun enough so that it functioned, but later on I learned that Heckler & Koch had a trick up their sleeves. All of the guns were tested, and they had seven different-sized sets of rollers, so that if there was a problem they would put other rollers on the locking mechanism. They would change the rollers until everything worked properly!

SAR: Very pragmatic from the point of view of a demonstrator. What year was that?

Visser: 1958 as I remember. Because the Germans had changed the rollers and had gotten the first order for 400,000 rifles, the whole world wanted the CETME rifle in the form of the G3. They had to say no to worldwide orders, because they didn’t have the rights to sell outside of Spain, Portugal and Germany, I did! We did have plans to make the rifle outside of Spain, but I stopped those plans because I felt the design was not good. I got a call from Bonn, it was my good friend from the Ministry who said, “Henk, we cannot have this. Here we are, a great nation, and we cannot sell our own rifle. I’ll offer you a deal: I know you want to make 20mm ammo for those thousand Starfighters we have bought.” They were so far back, they bought 1,000 Starfighters and they didn’t know what gun was in it! He said, “You’ll get 33% of all orders for 20mm ammo if you relinquish the rights to sell the CETME rifle.” I said, “OK.” He immediately went and got his secretary to type up a document saying that I would forever get 33% of all the 20mm orders for the Germans. ANY 20mm ammo. It saved our neck. It was one of the best days of my life…I didn’t realize it at the time, but that was the end of our CETME involvement.

SAR: You were the link between CETME and Heckler & Koch?

Visser: Partly, yes. Heckler & Koch were not big shots. Their company wasn’t large enough at that time to make the big deals. They grew because of all these orders that came in from everywhere. Later they designed many important weapon systems. It was really something to see.

SAR: Henk, I would like to come back to the rifle design programs in more depth, later. If you share your experience as a collector with our readers, I am sure they would be interested. This may seem somewhat insensitive, but to obtain your collection must have cost a fortune; far above the income of a young Dutch boy who was on the Nazi death row.

Visser: Yeah, that’s about right. I have been very fortunate in my business decisions and made some very nice commissions. We can come back to that business later.

SAR: So, what was your passion?

Visser: Collecting guns. Well…really the military guns. That was the start, anything military I could get. Later it was the Dutch firearms and I sold my military collection to Bonn, it was the beginning of the museum they have now in Koblenz. 849 of my guns are still there – even my Gatling gun – the beautiful brand-new Gatling gun with the carriage and the ammunition car.

SAR: What was the Gatling, a British one?

Visser: No, an American one. The Colt 1883 model with the jacket around the barrel, and the tripod. One day in a military base, somewhere in America, near Picatinny I believe, a sergeant was cleaning up the attic, and he found this Gatling gun. It was brand new but completely taken apart, no one had ever looked at it. He went to his Colonel who said to get rid of it. And there, magically, was Val! (laughs) And who do you think bought it on the spot?

SAR:(Dolf) Yes, Val would certainly have been there! (We are discussing the late Val Forgette of Navy Arms, another international arms dealer of the good old days.)

Visser: I knew Val very well and he sold the gun to me. Very cheap, I might add. It was really a big affair, and when I left NWM they wanted to take it, but instead I sold it to Bonn, and the Gatling is in their museum today. Two of the magazines disappeared, it is sad that there are always people in museums stealing things. There were many rare guns in the military collection. One that I thought was very rare was a 7.62 NATO Gatling gun from GE. I was the only private guy in the world who had a brand-new one.

SAR: Gatling Gun, you mean an M134 Minigun?

Visser: Yes, I got it out of Vietnam…I had so much stuff there….I was working for Dutch intelligence at the time, so they arranged for a Shell tanker to haul all the stuff I had gotten to Singapore. I had 10 RPG-7 anti-tank launchers, with 200 rounds of HE grenades. The Dutch and the Germans wanted to test them.

SAR: And how about the testing?

Visser: Well, we finally got the shipment and it had to go on the deck of a Dutch destroyer in Singapore. They loaded it from the tanker onto the warship. I had managed to get a lot of interesting items for the collection during my time in Vietnam. With the RPG-7, we had to do some testing for the government. They decided that this test they wanted to run was too big for them and they made a deal with the Germans, who did a tremendously detailed testing. They even tested the glue on the wooden cases, they checked the labels to see where they were made, in Russia or East Germany. I still have one RPG-7 and an inert rocket at home. I was very interested in the American M72 LAW. I once owned six LAWS.

SAR: When did you get into the antique guns?

Visser: Slowly I got more and more interested in the antique guns…I had always hated them, so crazy and ugly they seemed to me…but then, because of my historical interests, I decided to get rid of anything that was non-Dutch. I had the best automatic pistol collection in the world, all the early Mausers, Bittners, Schonbergers, Borschards, Gabbit Fairfaxes, etc, etc. I sold them all in one lot to Dr. Sturgess, a good friend of mine. He came to my place the first time and I opened drawers for him, and he started sweating, he was going crazy. He was…really, I’ve never seen anybody so excited by my collection.

SAR: (Dolf) Even the Maxim automatic pistols came from you? I have them in my latest book.

Visser: Yes, Dolf, the Maxims as well! I was collecting automatic pistols when nobody was interested. I went to every gun shop in Switzerland where they hadn’t had the German occupiers to take everything, and there were a hell of a lot of people saying, “That old gun there, 150 francs and you can take it, with ammo too.” Those days are gone, you know. There was a gunsmith who I was talking about Lugers with, about how the prices of the Lugers had started going up, and he said, “You know, I have Luger serial number 0001, which was presented to my neighbor, an officer, in front of the troops.” It was the first Luger that the Swiss Army officially adopted. I said “That’s interesting, can I see it?” and he brought it to me in the holster. He said, “The normal price for this is 225 francs, but if you give me 275 then it’s yours.” Those were better days, you know? You would go into a gunshop and there would be a Mondragon rifle with special bayonet. It just doesn’t happen like that anymore.

SAR: Basically Henk, all the money you made you put into collecting guns?

Visser: Everything. I had no capital, no shares; I only had substantial commissions from sales. Eventually I sold my pistols and all my special ammo to Geoff Sturgess…but…it’s like a sickness, you know? I was at the Las Vegas Antique Show and there was a very rare Dutch gun there. It looks like a single-shot pistol, but it’s a three-shot pistol with a little channel where the powder goes for the first, second and third shot, and there is a Maastricht mark under the barrel. It was from the Funderburg Collection, a very famous collection. It’s in a catalog. I bought it for a lot of money! It’s crazy!

SAR: You’re preaching to the choir when you talk to Class 3 owners in the United States. You did a series of books on your collection of Dutch guns….

Visser: Yes, they are available commercially, but are out of print at the moment. The set weighs 22 kilos. Now I’m writing more books, one with the names of all of the Dutch gun makers, about 1,400 of them. Another book project that I was working on with two technicians, both specialists with Master’s degrees in History Drs. Martens en Drs. de Vries, was to write the story of Dutch weapons starting at the Napoleonic era. As these books were written in Dutch they will be translated into English and the 3 volumes will be condensed into one. There is another book in English, almost finished, about a very special German – who later became an American – Otto von Lossnitzer, the father of the modern aircraft revolving guns.

Look for a link to the second half of our smallarmsreview.com interview with Henk Visser in an upcoming SAR newsletter when we look at Vietnam, Oerlikon, the changes to the Stoner 63 system and the innovative Mecar rifle grenade programs, as well as Visser’s work to restore Dutch firearms in Russian museums. – Dan Shea

“Filling the magazine, and loading the cartridges into the chamber, should be done with quickness, ease, and certainty. The sights should be simple and not liable to shift during firing; they should be capable of being quickly set, easily seen and accurately aligned. – On Rapidity of Fire; The Text Book of Small Arms, 1904, Captain W. B. Wallace, 2nd Bn. Suffolk Regiment, Inspector of Small Arms.

One hundred and one years ago, the mantra of the small arms designer was evident. Keep it Simple. I was struck by this paragraph while reviewing the 1904 edition, and the lessons learned it represented. I would urge all of today’s designers of weapons and accessories to find a copy of this book and spend some evenings reading it. There is much to be applied on today’s battlefield. Simplicity is important in high stress, high impact situations. Anyone who has ever buttstroked an enemy with an M16, and had the stock break, will understand this – even if it was in training. You have effectively disarmed yourself. If you break an AK47 buttstock, you lose accuracy at long range but you can still fire from a two handed grip. Simple and robust are good words to remember when designing weapons. The sights? Ah, the sights. In today’s world of SOLIC, HALO, CQB and the rest of the acronyms, there are incredibly complex sights being developed. The best are extremely robust and some can even physically break and still keep operating. Again, just going back in time and seeking some wisdom from the old school.

Q-I have a ZB30 and want to get some spare parts put together for it. The bolt face was welded and I wanted to make a firing pin out of some ZB26 parts I might have access to from a friend. Any suggestions on this?

A- Actually, some comments are necessary before addressing the firing pin issue. There are three basic variations of the ZB gun parts you are apt to commonly run into today: the original ZB26, the ZB30, and the ZB30j, which is the Yugoslav variation. A lot of these guns are coming out of the Balkans as parts kits, and it is important to realize that the development of these weapons does not allow for much interchanging of parts. I am also not much of an advocate for changing original parts to fit other guns, blasphemous as that sounds. Sure, common magazines or very common barrels being converted to work in something unusual, but as we have seen, a stroke of a pen and the sources on cheap magazines, barrels, or fill-in-the-blank, are gone. I suggest that having such a rare gun, you should try to find original parts kits and buy them to stock up on original parts.

On all of these guns, the firing pins are very different in most dimensions, and should not be cut up or altered for other guns. It would be easier to start from scratch and turn and mill down what you need. Actually, it would be easier to watch for the parts sets on the market and buy them. I spoke with Bob Faris and Bill Vallerand at length on the ZBs to affirm this information. Read the picture captions for the differences in the firing pins. Also, bear in mind that the ZB26 was one of the most robust and reliable machine guns ever made – the receiver was expected to do 5,000,000 rounds. The system was designed for one type of ammunition, one loading of powder and bullet, and initially there was trouble with any heavier projectile. This Vzor 23 ammunition had a 150-grain flat-based projectile, as well as a single hole Berdan primer system. The ZB30j was expected to address this ammunition sensitivity issue. With the correct ammo, the 26 wouldn’t skip a beat. I have fired all of these in Bosnia and Serbia, as well as in US collections, and I consider these along with the FND BAR, the MAG58, and the bastard child of the ZB, the Bren, to be some of the best light machine guns in the world.

On the firing pins, it is good to remember that the oblong shape presents a stronger “neck” and is less likely to splinter than the round shape does. It also presents a larger surface area striking against the primer. In the ZB26, the bolt face has a ridge that actually crimps the brass of the cartridge seat around the primer, producing a better gas seal. With those two features, the initiating process of the combustion chain of events are much more reliable than in some other systems. The Vzor 23 ammunition did not have to have the primer pocket crimped in as it was done during firing. However, this oblong shape adds more work to production. The ZB30j firing pins could be turned on a lathe and had one mill cut for the pin, while the ZB26 and ZB30 firing pins required additional machining to make the oblong shape.

Q- I bought some of the PPSH41 drums that just came in, and one of them has the left feed lip much taller than the right. I was told this was for the PPSh-34 but I can’t find any info on that gun.

A- Probably because there wasn’t a PPSh-34. There are some model names close to that, and if you look at the accompanying photo you should see your drum right in the middle. It is for the PPD-40 submachine gun, which was the precursor to the famous “Shpagin”, the PPSh-41. The PPD-40 drum does have the left feed lip higher than the right. The first of the Soviet submachine guns we are discussing were the PPD-34 and the PPD-34/38. The “D” stands for the designer’s last name, Degtyarev. The PPD-34/38 guns fed from a stick magazine or a drum with a stick magazine top (left) which complicated feeding as well as manufacture. The same designer made the PPD-40, which introduces the open space in the feed area, allowing a drum that presents the rounds directly from the drum to the bolt. This drum (center in the picture) has one side of the feed lips machined, and the other left alone. In 1941 the PPSh-41 was adopted. The “Sh” stands for the designer’s name, Shpagin. This drum (right) is the one most commonly found, and both of the feed lips are formed down to present to the bolt. If possible, you should try and find the owner of a PPD-40 to sell or trade that drum with. These drums are not too common, and I did see a PPD-40 sell from Ohio Ordnance’s tables during the October 2005 Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot. Perhaps they can help you find a buyer for that drum so it gets re-united with an original PPD-40.

Q- I bought a small box of AR-15 magazines from a GI who was walking through a local gun show. Most of them were pretty standard looking and had the usual floorplate markings. There was one light weight magazine that had no markings and it had another mag catch square cut out on the right side. Not like the AR-18 slit, a full cut out box. I thought it might be one of the British SA-80 aluminum magazines. Any idea on where this magazine came from?

A- The square cut out on each side, combined with the lack of markings and the light weight are pretty sure indicators that this is a Type 65 magazine. This is the Taiwanese variant of the M16 series of rifles. I only know of a couple of these rifles in the US, and these were pre-1986 dealer sample guns. How most of the magazines that I have seen got into the US was from the 1989 invasion of Panama. Some of the Panamanian Defense Forces used the Taiwanese Type 65 rifle, and some US troops brought back magazines, bayonets, etc. as part of what should have been war trophies – but in actuality were contraband. I am still a firm believer that our warriors should be able to bring back the weapons of the enemies they fight, and to legally register these machine guns. Regardless of what I happen to think, the powers that be have decreed that these items are contraband.

The British SA-80 magazines would look similar but have Radway Green markings (circle RG), different welds, and not have that second cut-out. Regarding that, I have no idea why that right side cut-out is there. The rifle doesn’t have any mechanism in that area.

The rifles were manufactured at the Hsing-Ho Arsenal, Kaohsiung. Magazines were presumably made at the same arsenal, but there have been reports of various factories making these.

Q-I recently purchased a set of the Smith & Wesson 1940 rifles in 9mm. One is a Type I, the other a Type II. This is starting into a quest for me to obtain all of the accessories. I saw a picture of a special tubular stock once, and would like to know where I can get one.

A- Congrats on the score of a set of these. The original production of the 1940 went to the UK, with all tools and gages. Legend has them all being destroyed by a Nazi bomb. With a few exceptions, these all had the standard black plastic stock. Interestingly, most of these in the US were sold as sets. A S&W collector discovered the parts for the 1940 Light Rifle in the back room at S&W during the 1970s and made a deal to have all of these “in the white” parts finished with a beautiful blue, then completed. He sold them all as sets of a Type I and a Type II. Most had a warning plate on them to not fire with modern 9mm ammunition, as it was too powerful. Interesting guns, the magazine fits into what appears to be an oversized well, but in actuality the rear of the well guides the brass straight downward. Also, the barrels are under 16 inches in length making these Short Barreled Rifles, but these were removed from the NFRTR as Curio & Relics and do not require transfer or registration anymore. The buttstock you are referring to is an unusual stock that was made for the British as a “Paratrooper” or “Takedown” stock, with an aluminum base and a steel tube extension and shoulder piece that was removable for takedown. I have only seen that one in the MOD Pattern Room Collection (now at the Royal Armouries in Leeds). Accessories that are usually found are slings and magazines, with the magazines frequently being new in a cardboard box.

Q-I got a tool in a pile of parts, and need some help identifying it. (Picture enclosed)

A- The first clue is that the tool has such a weird shape that it is well known to .50 caliber shooters. This is the famous “Butterfly Wrench”, or more correctly “Wrench, Combination, M2”. This wrench design predates the World War II guns, and during the war it was a common tool for all three basic variants: the M2 Water Cooled, the M2HB, and the M2 Aircraft Basic. There are many different tools worked onto one metal piece. The best way to explain the tool is through a picture. Yes, it can be unwieldy and awkward to use and requires a good look through the manuals to see exactly how it was used, but it also combines an entire tool box in one flat piece of metal that is pretty handy to have around.

Magazine: Taiwan T65
Manufacturer: Taiwan – various factories.
Notes: Very thin aluminum shell, painted black, for Taiwanese version of M16. Mag catch hole on each side.

Category: RDC2B (Rifle caliber, Dual column, Curved, presents from 2 columns, Box style)

Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
Capacity: 30 rounds
OA Length: 7 1/8 inches
Backstrap: 7 1/4 inches
Max. Width: 2.520 inches
Body Width: 2.380 inches
Max. Depth: 0.870 inches
Body Depth: 0.870 inches
Construction: Aluminum

Send questions to:
Raffica
sareview@aol.com
Or mail to Small Arms Review Attn Raffica
631 N. Stephanie St #562
Henderson, NV 89014

Long time SAR readers are aware that we have a policy where we try to send free copies of our magazine to the deployed troops. Many of us have been out there, and appreciated some good reading material, so we at Small Arms Review have tried to accommodate those making the sacrifice today.

I recently ran across the website http://anysoldier.com/WhereToSend/ and was truly impressed with their efforts. In this electronic age, the soldier in Iraq, Afghanistan, or on a ship at sea can go online and touch base not only with family and friends, but they can go to Anysoldier.com and actually list the things they are looking for and give an address. You can go there too, and send things to them.

This got us to thinking. We had some back issues, and some of us ante’d up the postage and a group of volunteers got together, and we packaged up a thousand “Cookies From Home for Shooters” packages, got the addresses of a thousand troops who wanted reading material, and we packaged and packaged and packaged, thinking all the while about the troops and their sacrifices, and how we could do a little something for them.

Then we ran into the United States Postal Service. Previously, they had informed us we could not use our Periodical Rate when shipping older magazines, so we paid full fare on this so there would be no questions. When we showed them the first few packages, no problem. When we showed up with a truckload, they obviously didn’t want to deal with it, and one of them said, “Hey! The new regulations require that all APO/FPO addresses over 16 ounces have a US Customs declaration form be filled out in five copies. We can’t accept these, see ya!”

Back to the drawing board. The volunteers got together; they improvised, overcame, and adapted, came up with a system, and started typing the online customs forms. They did one thousand sets of five in two days. Some of the Postal employees pitched in advice on how to get it done, and got us the packing slip holders. The volunteers persevered, and we finally penetrated and defeated the bureaucracy. One thousand packages of good reading are on the way!

I was separately told that the newly required US Customs form for APO/ FPO addresses is so that each package can be tracked and the sender identified, in case there were a terrorist sending poisoned cookies or something. I immediately said “Well, what if they were a good little terrorist, and lied about their name and address, and the poisoned cookies get through. All you would know is that the package came from X address on X date…. The same exact thing a postage date stamp would tell you, and that proves this is just one more pointless exercise, wasting time and killing trees to make paper.”

We had to fill out the forms anyway. Regardless, y’all can go to http://anysoldier.com and see what the troops need, and send a care package. Oh, yeah, don’t forget the US Customs form.

– Dan

ATF has issued Ruling 2005-4 finding that certain integral devices intended to diminish the report of paintball guns are not “firearm silencers” or “firearm mufflers” under the Gun Control Act of 1968 or the National Firearms Act.

The ruling came about by the Bureau’s recent receipt of requests from paintball gun manufacturers to evaluate and classify integral devices intended to diminish a paintball gun’s report. Specifically, the manufacturers asked whether the device would be considered a “silencer” as defined in the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA), 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44, and the National Firearms Act (NFA), 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53.

A sample compressed air paintball gun was submitted to ATF containing a ported device attached to the barrel. The paintball gun’s barrel was one inch in diameter and was permanently welded in place. The section of the barrel the device was attached to had an internal diameter of .68 inches and was ported with 20 openings. Ten of the openings were rectangular in shape and were about .430 inches wide and 1 inch in length. The other 10 openings were oval in shape and approximately .25 inches wide and 1 inch in length. Two end caps, each with a diameter of 1.5 inches, were permanently welded to the barrel at either end of the ported section of the barrel.

A section of plastic tube about 8 inches in length and 2 inches in diameter covered the ported section of the barrel. It was attached by sliding it over the paintball gun barrel and was held in place by two rubber “O” rings affixed to metal bushings. These bushings were permanently welded to the barrel, one toward the rear and one at the muzzle end. The plastic tube was removable.

To determine whether the ported barrel and outer sleeve would function as a silencer on a firearm, it was removed by cutting with a hack saw. A threaded adaptor with tape wrapped around it was utilized so the device could be attached to a .22 caliber Ruger Mark II pistol. With the device attached, a sound meter test was performed, with five shots being fired with the device attached and five shots fired without the device attached. The testing indicated that the attachment of the device resulted in a 7.98 decibel sound reduction.

Definitions of Terms

In making its determination, ATF noted that the GCA defines the term “firearm” as: (A) any weapon (including a starter gun) which will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive; (B) the frame or receiver of any such weapon; (C) any firearm muffler or firearm silencer; or (D) any destructive device. Such term does not include an antique firearm.

Further, the definition of “firearm silencer” and “firearm muffler” in 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(24) provides as follows: The terms “firearm silencer” and “firearm muffler” mean any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm, including any combination of parts, designed or redesigned, and intended for use in assembling or fabricating a firearm silencer or firearm muffler, and any part intended only for use in such assembly or fabrication.

The NFA defines the term “firearm” to include any silencer as defined in section 921 of the GCA. 26 U.S.C. 5845(a)(7).

The term “make” is defined in the NFA to include manufacturing, putting together, altering, any combination of these, or otherwise producing a firearm. 26 U.S.C. 5845(i).

The paintball gun examined by ATF was determined not to be a “firearm” as defined, as it did not, is not designed to, and may not be readily converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive and does not utilize the frame or receiver of a firearm. Thus, the sole issue presented was whether the ported barrel and outer sleeve are a firearm muffler or firearm silencer as defined in the GCA and NFA.

ATF reasoned that the design characteristics of the paintball gun’s ported barrel and outer sleeve are similar to those of conventional commercial silencers. The barrel was ported to allow the escape of gases from a fired round and the outer sleeve dampens or muffles the sound when a round is fired. Moreover, the sound meter test indicated a reduction of 7.98 decibels when the ported barrel and sleeve were attached to a .22 caliber pistol, which ATF said is consistent with the sound reduction resulting from the use of commercial silencers.

Especially noteworthy is that the definition of “firearm silencer” and “firearm muffler” requires that the device be one for diminishing the report of a portable firearm. The device considered by ATF was permanently attached to and an integral part of a paintball gun, which is not a firearm as defined in the GCA or NFA. The device cannot be removed from the paintball gun without destroying the barrel and rendering the paintball gun unusable. Under these circumstances, the integral device is not a firearm muffler or firearm silencer.

However, once the device is cut from the paintball gun, it can be used to diminish the report of a firearm. As stated previously, the design characteristics of the device are consistent with those of commercial silencers, and ATF’s testing indicated that the device functions to reduce the report of the firearm. Moreover, removal of the device from the paintball gun “indicates some intention to utilize the device for something other than reducing the report of the paintball gun,” ATF said. Since the device will no longer be permanently attached to an unregulated item, and because of its silencer design characteristics, removal will result in the making of a silencer under the NFA and GCA. This is consistent with the definition of “make” (as stated above) in the NFA, as removal of the device results in production of a silencer, ATF says.

The Ruling

ATF thus “held” that a device for an unregulated paintball gun, having a permanently affixed, integral ported barrel and other components, that functions to reduce the report of the paintball gun is not a “firearm silencer” or “firearm muffler” as defined, as the device is not one for diminishing the report of a portable firearm.

ATF held further, removal of the permanently affixed ported barrel and other components from a paintball gun is a “making” of a silencer under the GCA and NFA that requires advance approval from ATF. The ruling, which is dated October 12, 2005, is signed by Carl J. Truscott, ATF’s director.

Case Against CA Importer Dropped

The state of California’s case filed against federally licensed importer Andy Sun has been dropped. The case was one of California’s largest gun possession cases on record and involved allegations that while Sun possessed the necessary federal licenses to operate his business, he did not have the required state permits. Judge Frank P. Briseno ruled last October that the state Dept. of Justice’s Firearms Division used protected information to get a search warrant for Sun’s Business and residence. Sun, 49, was indicted in 2004 on 55 felony counts of possession and sale of illegal assault weapons.

Agents of the state reportedly seized two machine guns, two grenade launchers, 26 “assault” rifles, one “assault” pistol, 482 “assault” shotguns, 388 rifles, 10 shotguns, 527 pistols, and 23,572 “high-capacity” magazines, according to the state attorney general’s office.

Among the guns Sun allegedly possessed were an Omega SPS-12, a Norinco MAK-90, a DPMS Arms Model A-15, a Colt Sporter rifle, a Romanian Model MAK-3, a Romanian Model MAK-2, a MAADI AK-47, a Norinco Model NHM-91, a Norinco Model 320 “Uzi”, an Arsenal Model SA93, a Yugoslavian Model M-90, a Poly Tech AK-47-S, a Norinco Model 56S, a Mitchell Arms Model M-90, an HK SL8-1, a Federal Ordnance Model M-14, a Thompson Auto-Ordnance firearm, a Norinco SKS, and an L1A1 Sporter.

Apparently, Sun did not have the necessary state licenses to own the above listed firearms and although not a federal issue, an ATF inspector notified California state authorities that firearms banned by the state were in Sun’s possession.

Judge Briseno ruled that the search warrant used by the state was based on mandatory information Sun was required to submit to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives during an administrative inspection. He also consolidated the original 55 criminal counts to three.

Senior deputy district attorney Brian N. Gurwitz admitted the search warrant was based on evidence gathered during the course of an ATF inspection (in other words ATF agents tipped the state off as to what they found in Sun’s business premises) but said the dismissal would be appealed. “We respectfully disagree with the trial court’s ruling,” Gurwitz explained. “They (ATF) went to do an administrative inspection of his business, and they observed weapons he was not entitled to possess under state law.”

Remington to Import Zastava Rifles to U.S.

Serbian weapons maker Zastava Oruzje, in mid-October, signed a U.S. importation agreement with Remington Arms Co. The agreement, worth 3.2 million US dollars, was signed in Kragujevac, a major city located 140 km southeast of Belgrade, where Zastava Oruzje is based, the official Tanjug news agency reported. The deal involves the production for Remington of some 24,000 rifle barreled actions (without stocks) in various calibers. The rifles will be marked, “Remington-Zastava.”

The agreement also calls for the joint development of new models and the lending of expertise by Remington to aid the older Zastava plant in developing technical and technological innovations.

Zastava rifles were previously imported by K.B.I., Inc. of Harrisburg, PA. The firm’s founder, Michael Kassnar, said that the switch by Zastava to Remington came as somewhat of a surprise. He added that K.B.I. formerly had a $3.7 million contract with Zastava for the U.S. importation of rifles and that only about half that amount had actually been delivered due to the antiquated production processes and aging equipment employed by the Zastava factory. Remington declined comment.

ATF’s NFA Branch Now Relocated in WV

ATF’s National Firearms Act (NFA) Branch is now located in Martinsburg, W.Va. Since moving to the new offices, the NFA Branch has added Customer Service Representatives to assist industry members and the public with questions and in determining the status of the processing of notices and applications.

The NFA Branch’s new mailing address in Martinsburg, W.Va. is: National Firearms Act Branch, 244 Needy Road, Martinsburg, West Virginia 25401 Tel: (304) 616-4500 Fax: (304) 616-4501.

NFA Branch personnel assigned to Martinsburg, who may be reached at the above numbers, include: Kenneth Houchens – branch chief, Dawn Henson – section chief, Amy Stely – specialist, and legal instruments examiners Andrew Ashton, Nicole Dudash, Jason Frushour, Rob Howard, Dejuana McConner, Barbara Payne, Daniel Pinckney, Scott Robertson, William Shipman, Sandra Snook and Kendra Tate.

The following NFA Branch personnel continue to work at ATF Headquarters in Washington, DC, and may be reached at (202) 927-8330: Gary Schaible – Program Manager, specialists Sylvia Alexander, Denise Brown, Janice Fields, Cheryl Fisher and Maurice Walker, as well as legal instruments examiners Lucretia Fountain and Alma McCoy.

New ATF Form 4473 Must Be Used

All Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL) are reminded by ATF that they should have started using the new ATF Form 4473 on Monday, October 17, 2005.

Every FFL should be in receipt of the new forms (OMB No. 1140-0020). The new forms were required to be used starting Oct. 17th, as previous versions are obsolete. If any FFL is not in receipt of new ATF Forms 4473, he or she should immediately contact their local ATF office. If any FFL has received new forms but wishes to place an additional order, please contact the ATF Distribution Center at (703) 455-7801.

Canada May Sue U.S. Gunmakers

Canada is looking into ways to sue U.S. gun manufacturers for the spread of illegal weapons into the country, according to the Toronto Star newspaper. It’s one part of a multi-faceted crackdown on gun crime, due to be unveiled shortly. The package follows months of unusual violence in Toronto that came to be known as the “Summer of the Gun.” Of the 61 homicides so far this year, 41 have involved firearms, a record number.

The policy will also be seen as another shot by Prime Minister Paul Martin’s government across the bow of Canada-U.S. relations. Government sources told the Star that Canada will be looking into “every legal option” to stem a tide of crimes involving arms that make their way into the country illegally from the United States, often being smuggled across the border.

This includes possible suits against U.S. manufacturers, launched either in the United States or in Canada if the firm has assets there, the sources said. Though no precise estimates are available, Toronto police have said that almost half the gun crimes committed in Canada involved illegal, U.S. origin firearms.

The anti-gun-crime package will also include: tougher rules on sentencing and parole in gun crimes, including longer minimum sentence provisions and lifetime firearm-ownership bans on repeat offenders. Minimum sentences of one year in some firearms offenses could be doubled to two years, and 10-year ownership bans would be extended to lifetime prohibitions, the source said. Improvements to the witness protection program, to encourage people coming forward to reveal and testify against acquaintances who commit gun crimes, are expected to be proposed as well.

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

SIGARMS Introduces New Custom SAS Series Pistols

SIGARMS Inc., a firearms manufacturer offering the highest quality products and services in the industry, now offers their new custom SIG Anti-Snag (SAS) Series Pistols. Straight from the SIGARMS Custom Shop, these limited production P229 and P239 pistols have been put through a dehorning process to eliminate all sharp and rough edges. The result: an ultra-smooth, snag-free profile that’s ideal for concealed carry because the radius edges allow for a faster draw. For the ultimate performance, each pistol has a contoured stainless steel slide with a front SIGLITE Night Sight and a contrasting rear sight. The lightweight black hard-anodized alloy frame includes a rounded trigger guard and dust cover. Each model includes new SIG SAUER wood grips and is covered by a limited lifetime warranty. These limited production pistols are currently available for delivery. The P229 SAS has a 12-round capacity and the P239 SAS has a 7-round capacity. Both are chambered in .40 S&W. For more information, please contact SIGARMS, Inc., Dept. SAR, 18 Industrial Drive, Exeter, NH 03833. Phone: (603) 772-2302. Fax: (603) 772-9082. Their website is www.sigarms.com.

DPMS Introduces the “Pardus” CAR Stock

Make your shooting experience more enjoyable with the addition of an innovative new buttstock design from DPMS. Made of space age, lightweight, fiber reinforced black Zytel, the buttstock has four integral slots for sling attachment in addition to the standard sling swivel making it completely customizable to the needs of both left and right handed shooters. Customize your length of pull with the 6-position buffer tube. Both the standard 6-position tube and the Mil-Spec tube are available with this design. Adjusting the tube with cold or gloved fingers just got easier too as DPMS has designed a more ergonomically shaped latch with fully integrated finger grooves. Shooters will also notice the curved, saw-tooth buttplate. The curved plate allows the shooter to pull the rifle to the shoulder more securely, providing for a tighter cheek weld to the comfortably flared, Monte Carlo-style cheek rest. Law enforcement and military personnel who routinely wear Kevlar will appreciate this insightful design element. One final design element that everyone will appreciate, especially those who have inadvertently dropped the rifle on its buttstock, is the reinforced area surrounding the latch pin. This reinforced area will provide additional strength to the latch pin and help to resist breakage should the rifle ever be dropped buttstock down. Available now, this new tactical carbine length black buttstock assembly will retail for $69.95 and includes the stock, buffer, buffer spring, lock plate and locking ring. An OD Green and a Tan assembly are also available at $74.95. For more information on this as well as their extensive line of other AR-style rifles, components and accessories, please contact at DPMS Inc., Dept. SAR, 3312 12th Street SE, St. Cloud, MN 56304. Phone: (320) 258-4448. Fax: (320) 258-4449. They can be located in cyberspace at www.dpmsinc.com.

Samson Quick Flip Mount for Aimpoint 3X Magnifier

Samson Manufacturing Corporation has now introduced what is probably the best mount available for the Aimpoint 3X Magnifier. The new mount, called the Quick Flip, mounts the Aimpoint 3X magnifier rock solidly to any flat top rail, yet allows the magnifier to “flip” to the side out of the way instantly. This allows the user to go from standard unmagnified Aimpoint to 3X magnification in an instant. The mount is precision machined and features a pre-drilled base that perfectly mates to the 3X magnifier. It also comes with Allen head attaching screws. The Quick Flip has a spring loaded base that is kept in place by a lever in its side. When the lever is pressed, the base with the magnifier attached, flips to the side out of the way allowing an unmagnified view if the coexisting Aimpoint sight. The Quick Flips also incorporates the excellent ARMS #17 single lever platform mount. This allows the entire unit to be removed with a simple throw of a lever. Another great feature of the mount is a built-in safety that blocks the release lever when the ARMS base is removed from the rifle. This keeps the unit from flipping open when stored in a BDU pocket or case. The new Quick Flip is available in two models, one that flips to the right and one that flips to the left. If you are familiar with Samson’s rail forearm systems, then you’ll know that this product is the very best made. If you are not familiar with their products, treat yourself right and pick one of them up today. They are built like a brick outhouse and will probably outlast the rifle they are used on. For more information, please contact them at Samson Manufacturing Corporation, Dept. SAR, 110 Christian Lane, Whately, MA 01373. Phone: (413) 665-1162. Fax: (413) 665-1163. They can be found on the web at www.samson-mfg.com.

Crimson Trace Introduces Lasergrips for Glock

Crimson Trace announces that the G-Series, the company’s eagerly anticipated new Lasergrips for Glock pistols, are now available. The G-Series consists of four different models, each of which is custom designed to fit specific Glock frames. The G-Series Lasergrips are the latest addition to the Crimson Trace produce line. The four G-Series Lasergrips fit 20 different Glock handguns, including full-size, compact and sub-compact models. The one piece unit installs easily and securely by simply sliding it over the back strap and replacing the trigger-housing pin. After installation, Lasergrips hold zero shot after shot. In fact, over 2,000 rounds were fired during torture testing with no adverse effects to the sighting system. Patented Lasergrips, the world’s only grip-integrated laser sight system, incorporate a laser sight and pressure-sensitive activation switch in the ergonomically designed grip. The G-Series utilizes a special design feature in which the activation switch is located in the back of the grip, turning on the laser’s bright steady beam when the firearm is held in a normal firing grip. No other laser sighting system has this “instinctive activation” feature. Lasergrips are fully adjustable for windage and elevation, precision engineered to exacting specifications and made in the USA using the highest quality components and workmanship. By adding the Lasergrip to the stock grip, the ergonomics of the Lasergrip actually improve the point-of-aim characteristics of the pistol. The areas where the batteries fit make a slight palm swell that naturally fill the hand and provide more of a purchase on the firearm. Suggested retail on the new grips will be $299. For more information contact Crimson Trace Corporation, Dept. SAR, 8089 SW Cirrus Drive, Beaverton OR 97008. Phone: (503) 627-9992. Fax: (503) 627-0166. They can be located on the web at www.crimsontrace.com.

Pelican Rolls Out Their New 1560 Case

Taking their classic 1550 Case to another level, Pelican Products, Inc., a leading manufacturer of high-impact, all-purpose watertight cases, has unveiled the new 1560 Case. As one of the newest members of the Pelican Protector case family, the 1560 boasts more that 2,800 cubic inches of possible storage space. Features include rubberized front and side grips for maximum comfort, as well as ball-bearing, polyurethane wheels and an extension handle for easy transport. The case also features stainless steel reinforced padlock protectors for added defense against cutting and theft. For extra convenience, optional accessories such as TSA-Accepted Pelilocks, lid organizers and padded divider sets are available so travelers now have the 1560 as a viable mid-sized case to check important equipment in. Like all Pelican Protector cases, the 1560’s cell-core construction helps it excel in some of the most extreme conditions on Earth. Pelican Cases can be spotted by the distinctive, trademarked Dual Band design. Additional standard features include a lid equipped with a polymer sponge O-ring for a dust and waterproof seal and a Gore-Tex purge valve that stops moisture from entering the case and automatically balances interior and exterior air pressure. As with all Pelican Products, the 1560 is backed by their Legendary Lifetime Guarantee of Excellence: “You Break It, We Replace It…Forever.” For more information on this as well as their full-line of fantastic products, please contact them at, Pelican Products Inc., Dept. SAR, 23215 Early Avenue, Torrance, CA 90505. Phone: (310) 326-4700. Fax: (310) 326-3311. Their website is www.pelican.com.

The 2005 Small Arms Review (SAR) show kicked off again as the largest NFA show on the West coast. As usual, the show was a huge success and was crowded with buyers and collectors from all over the country. This year marked the first time that the National Firearms Act Trade and Collectors Association (NFATCA) met with the National Firearms Act (NFA) community at the SAR show. It was also the first time that the NFATCA actually set up a booth, which attracted interest from all members of our community. At the conclusion of the show, the NFATCA welcomed 15 new members into its ranks. In addition, members of the board spoke with dozens of interested manufacturers, dealers, collectors, and buyers in an effort to increase membership. The efforts of the NFATCA were successful thanks to Long Mountain Outfitters LLC, who went out of its way to ensure that the NFATCA members had every opportunity to show off its accomplishments and bring the entire community close to its objectives in protecting the investments all of us have in the NFA world.

On Saturday morning, the NFATCA hosted breakfast for all of the exhibitors and for special invited guests. Following breakfast, John Brown, President of the NFATCA, kicked off a formal meeting discussing the NFATCA’s accomplishments for the NFA community since its incorporation early in 2005. At the conclusion of this discussion, our Firearms Attorney, introduced three distinguished speakers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) whom the NFATCA had invited to the SAR show. Addressing the crowd were Audrey Stucko, the new Deputy Assistant Director for Enforcement Programs and Services, Gary Schaible, Program Manager, NFA Branch, and Rick Vasquez, the Assistant Branch Chief of the Firearms Technology Branch.

Ms. Stucko detailed some of ATF’s efforts to work closely with the entire NFA community and how the Bureau was working with the NFATCA to develop a much more collaborative working relationship with the industry. Mr. Vasquez presented a summary of the many planned improvements to the process of obtaining approval in the manufacturing process. The Bureau received a great deal of praise for its actions this year during the move to Martinsburg, West Virginia, particularly the improvement in the processing of all NFA transfer forms.

At the conclusion of the presentations, the audience addressed questions to a Technical Panel composed of Rich Vasquez ATF Firearms Technology Branch, Gary Schaible, ATF NFA Branch, Attorney our Firearms Attorney, and long time Class 3 dealer and author of the Machine Gun Dealer’s Bible, Dan Shea. Exhibitors asked a variety of questions which the participating panel eagerly answered. In every case, the exhibitors and ATF demonstrated a spirit of cooperation previously unknown in the NFA community.

John Brown concluded the meeting by encouraging all members of the NFA community to “get involved” and to join the efforts of the NFATCA. After the meeting, our Firearms Attorney escorted the ATF guests through the show and introduced them to the exhibitors.

The SAR show was a wonderful opportunity for both the NFA community and ATF. The show also demonstrated that the efforts of the NFATCA to work closely with ATF are building a better future for this industry. Thanks to the ever-growing strength and numbers of the NFATCA, these efforts continue to enjoy a huge success. For an update on the accomplishments and projects the NFATCA is involved in, as well as your opportunity to join with us, please go to our website: www.nfatca.org.

The shooting line hosted 193 registered shooters and stretched almost a quarter mile long. Two million rounds were expended. The array of arms was staggering ranging from a one-half scale Tippmann Browning machine gun up to a 90mm T-8 field artillery piece, with just about everything imaginable in between. World War I classic guns such as Vickers, Maxims, Lewis and Browning were in abundance as were World War II MG34s, MG42s, SG-43s, M2HBs, BARs, Thompsons, Stens and MP40s. Modern weapons were also well represented with MAG 58s, M240s AKs and all their variants, AR-15/M16s and Miniguns.

There were nine anti-tank/artillery pieces on the line this year providing an exciting and different sound to the cacophony of the automatic fire. These included four US M3 and M3A1 37mm anti-tank guns, two Swedish 37mm Bofors anti-tank guns, two 57mm M1A anti-tank guns and an extremely impressive US 90mm T-8.

One of the trademark features of this shoot is the large number of radio controlled aircraft available for that ever-so-difficult anti-aircraft fire. 37 aircraft made their appearance this shoot and all were repaired at least once for further missions. The gunners are definitely getting better as most of the airplanes only made it through about four passes before being blown out of the sky. Another trademark feature of this shoot is the number of reactive targets set up; this year totaling 1,500.

Ma Deuce Certified Armorer Dan Shea was puzzled as to why his M3-AC-Basic wasn’t working when he put it up on the Vinghog mount. Several people pointed out that he had forgotten to switch the shuttle from right hand to left hand feed resulting in hours of good natured ribbing over this ultra senior moment. Someone said, “You won’t see THAT mentioned in SAR.” Yes, you will. – Robert Segel

Ed Hope displays a 37mm round for his Model 1878 Hotchkiss Revolving Canon mounted on a wheeled field carriage.

The weather was perfect during the shoot and the only disappointment was the prohibition of tracer and incendiary fire. There has been an unusual amount of rain in this region this past year and what is normally a dry, dusty and barren environment, enabled the growth of an abnormal amount of underbrush that when dry becomes extremely flammable. At the risk of literally setting the hills on fire, the decision was made to prevent the use of tracer and incendiary rounds. Though this caused great disappointment, everyone understood that a large fire in this remote location would be a disaster for all and, in true MG camaraderie, nobody complained. In the meantime, MG Shooters, LLC is actively trying to burn off all the undergrowth in preparation of the next scheduled shoot in March.

No stranger to machine guns, Lauren Word pops reactive targets with ease with her father’s Vickers.

Two of the great machine gun minds of our time meet for the first time: Bill Vallerand and Bob Faris. The wealth of machine gun knowledge these two men possess could fill volumes. And they are more than happy to help and share that knowledge with anyone who asks.

There were a number of side events that included a long range artillery shoot, M1 Garand match (Brandon Bymoen), 40mm match (Dan Dolan M-79), Belt fed match (Michael Milburn), Thompson match (Dave White M-1), Subgun match (Tony Dee 38-A), Service pistol match (Mickey Thompson – 1911) and a BAR match (Rocky Buttshw – 1918).

A shooter/pilot arrived in his helicopter with 20 boxes of hot Krispy Kreme donuts that he freely distributed among all the shooters and during the down time when the reactive targets were being reset, he would give free helicopter rides to anyone who asked. A raffle was held for the benefit of the Owen Whitney school in Wikieup and has to date received $1,900 in donations.

MG Shooters, LLC holds a number of shoots throughout the year at this location and the next scheduled shoot is March 24-26, 2006. To confirm dates and details for future events, contact them directly.

MG Shooters, LLC
P.O. Box 5672
Scottsdale, AZ 85261
(602) 327-7933
www.mgshooters.com

Maintenance

The most basic element of any drum or mechanical device is to ensure that the mechanism is in good working order. Many times I have seen drum magazines in collections that are pretty to look at, but they could not function due to a variety of reasons. In my opinion, a faultless drum is one that is in great condition (meaning little or no blueing loss and no scratches or dents) and one that can function.

When you first receive a drum, I suggest that you take the drum apart, including removal of the rotor from the drum. To open a Thompson drum magazine, begin by grasping the front winding key and sliding it in the direction of the large hole in the key and lift the key off. With the key removed, the front cover can be lifted off from the body. Don’t be afraid if the two halves of the drum do not come apart easily. The snugness of the fit will depend on how long they have been together and how much dried grease and grime there is.

Next, place the body and rotor on a soft surface with the rotor pointing down toward the table. You have to remove the rotor retaining key first to free the rotor from the body of the drum. Most times this is easily accomplished by sliding monofilament fishing line under the key. Usually there is enough space: if not try sliding a wood tooth pick or plastic card under the key to allow the monofilament to go under. With the monofilament in place take a plastic card and position it near the hole in the body into which the key locks.

The plastic cards are something that most everybody already has. You either get them in the mail as “temporary” credit cards or old phone cards or even old hotel room keys that you forgot to leave behind. If you are hard pressed, you can even use your regular Visa or Mastercards.

Once the monofilament is under the key, wrap the two ends of the line around a wooden dowel rod. Lift the line via the dowel rod until the key pulls clear of the hole in the body of the drum. Next, slide the plastic card under the key, in-between the body. Now pull the line and the key parallel with the drum body and remove the key. This will free the rotor from the drum body. The plastic card will prevent any scratches being added to the drum body.

With the drum now apart clean all the surfaces. Don’t forget to remove all dirt from the feed lip area of the drum magazine. Once the drum is cleaned, examine the surfaces for any dents, dings or damage. If needed, tools can be made to fit up inside of the drum to act as an anvil to tap against to reform the metal. If the dents are not impeding the function, leave them alone as they will add character. Additionally, it is a good idea not to over work the sheet metal as splitting and cracking of the metal will occur.

With all the repair work completed, reinsert the rotor, but without the retaining key installed. Add the proper amount of ammunition (inert ammo or function test ammo is best for safety) between one set of rotor arms. Then by hand, rotate the rotor and see if the ammunition rotates around the feed rail without any binding. If binding occurs, look for dents or obstructions in this area. If it operates smoothly, replace the drum cover and the winding key and repeat the process. This will tell you if binding occurs with the cover in place.

Next, load the entire drum and repeat the process with the cover and winding key installed, but not the retaining key on the back. Apply pressure on the winding key until the ammo pops up into the feed lips and hold pressure. With your fingers, try to eject the cartridges. The amount of energy to eject the cartridge is very small. If it requires a lot of hand pressure, then there is a problem.

Normally, you will have to examine the area around the feed lips on the cover for a small dent in the radius area between the sidewall and the top. Even a very small dent here can render the drum inoperable. If a dent is found, repair the dent and the drum should function.

Now that the drum is in working order and cleaned and now empty of ammunition, it is time to decide if you are going to shoot the drum again or preserve the drum. If it is a collectable drum and will not be fired, coat the interior of the drum with a good metal preservative (e.g., Rigg, or museum wax or LPS 3) to prevent rust. If you plan on shooting the drum any light oil will work as a lubricant. Then reassemble the rotor into the body.

To reinstall the retaining key on the rotor, start with the plastic card in place over the slot on the body. Then slide the retaining clip into place on the rotor. Then with the monofilament, lift the tail of the clip and gently raise the clip and remove the plastic card and lower the tail into the slot.

Restoration vs Preservation

There are two different schools of thought on any collectable item: whether to preserve an item in its current condition or to restore it to another time period (usually to factory new condition). I am a firm believer in preservation. I believe that the dents and scratches are part of the unique history of the drum or firearm. Too many times someone has restored a drum or gun (meaning reblued or parkerized) only to find out that the drum was a prototype or had a rare marking which was now destroyed. Remember, a refinished drum will not have the value of an original finish drum.

However, there are times when restoration is necessary. This includes, but is not limited to, times when the only way to protect a drum from further damage is to restore the drum completely. When it becomes necessary to restore a drum, please get in touch with a good gunsmith. Not, Billy-Bob who has a parkerizing tank at the hardware store.

Thankfully, there are some very good gunsmiths. One of the best that I have seen in restoration is Merle F. Bitikofer. He has the talent and the skills to replace the rotor springs and to repair almost any damage. He is also the only person I know of that has repeatedly repaired West Hurley C drums to functioning drums. I have also personally seen work by Paul Krough (Diamond K), Craig Jordan, and Stan Andrewski and they perform the work with exceptional care. They also have the blueing process very close to original.

Presentation

Many collectors enjoy displaying their collection for others to enjoy. If the presentation is done correctly the effect on the public can be impressive. Displays such as the ones done by The Thompson Collectors Association at the NRA Annual Meetings, the National Firearms Museums’ display “On The Side Of Law And Order,” and the Colt Collectors display at the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyoming are all prime examples. These displays have been seen by tens of thousands of collectors and members of the general public. The result has been nothing but high praise from the media and general public. The fact is, Class III has to do it better than anyone else just to be considered acceptable.

When displaying drums, they should be clean, well oiled and with little rust. I also recommend “whitening up” the markings. This is done by taking a white “China Marker” (a wax type pencil) and softening the tip up by soaking it in lighter fluid for a few seconds and rubbing it into the stampings or engravings. Once the wax dries, wipe off the excess with a cloth with just a bit of a gun solvent and then reapply a top coat of oil or Rigg. The results are a drum with markings that the public can see and read from a distance. The whitening can also be used for photography purposes so that the markings are easier to read. If you want to remove the wax, simply use a worn out tooth brush and some gun solvent and the wax will come right out.

Another suggestion is to use a stand when presenting drum magazines. If the drum is sitting flat on a table it is usually hard to see and read the markings. If it is in a stand it will be upright and at a good reading angle. There are several stands available or you can build them yourself. I like to use the plexiglass “large plate” holders as drum stands. These can be found anywhere collectable plates are sold, at flee markets or antique stores.

Contacts

Merle F. Bitikofer
224 N.W. Woods Lane
Dallas, OR 97338
(503) 623-8294

Diamond K
C/O Paul Krough
1390 E. 7th St.
Delta, CO 81416
(970) 874-5750

Craig Jordan
929 Barr Run Road
Marianna, PA 15345
(412) 267-4585

(Editor’s Note: Robert Bruce’s many reports for SAR on the Global War on Terror have provided a good look at guys, guns and gear of US and Coalition forces. Now, he offers another dramatic photo essay showing the principal battlefield weapons being employed by radical Islamic militants, commonly referred to as “insurgents.” – Robert G. Segel)

“Approach us, oh paradise. Oh brigade of martyrdom-seeker: Celebrate and sing the praise of God, for tomorrow you will meet the beloved ones, Muhammad and his companions. You have never accepted injustice, Oh lions of monotheism. This is your day. Go after the heads of the infidels, the Jews, the Crusaders, and the descendants of Ibn al-Alqami. Do not show any mercy toward them.” Al-Qa’ida statement posted 14 September 2005 on Global News Network Forum

This chilling “prayer” for merciless and suicidal attacks against Coalition forces and others opposing the world’s most infamous terrorist organization was just one – and by no means the worst – among venomous calls to action that spew forth daily. Legions of terrorist insurgents draw strength and purpose from these messages, going out to strike with all weapons at their disposal.

Asymmetric Warfare

While there is no shortage of willing martyrs among the teeming masses of the radical Islamic world, the futility of slugging it out with technologically and lethally superior US and allied military forces is recognized by both sides. Thus, savvy terrorist leaders employ a guerrilla style of warfare that, until recently, Western armies have termed “low intensity conflict.”

Since there is nothing lacking in the intensity of car bombs, mass executions and the like, this inadequate name has been largely replaced in the last several years with “asymmetric warfare.” The new term more accurately describes exploitation by insurgent forces of American and Allied vulnerabilities discovered through constant and creative probes.

For example, traditional convoy ambushes require a lot of preparation and movement of men and weaponry into fixed positions where they must wait for their prey to arrive in the killing zone. Western advantages in day and night surveillance, from a variety of air and ground platforms, make this unacceptably risky – particularly outside of urban areas.

So insurgents now most often use two relatively low-risk means for convoy ambush. The first involves planting IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) anywhere along many miles of road and then remotely detonating them. The asymmetric advantage comes from extreme difficulty in detecting the IED planting, spotting it along the way, and stopping the trigger man with his radio or cell phone.

The second is packing a car or truck with explosives and driving it right into the midst of allied vehicles on the move. Advantages come from official reluctance to risk civilian lives (and inflammatory television news pictures) by uncompromisingly enforcing safe distance requirements. Consequently, convoys and soldiers get horribly mangled at the cost to terrorists of a wheelman or two. Asymmetric annihilation.

Suicide/Homicide

Given the Western world’s traditional respect for individual human life it also makes sense for terrorists to exploit this as a perceived weakness. Radical Islamic clerics assure their followers that heavenly rewards await all who die in the war on infidels so male and female volunteers of all ages line up for suicide missions.

Inspired no doubt by the horrific effectiveness of suicide bomb attacks by the Palestine Liberation Organization against Israel, Muslim teenagers and others strap on explosive vests covered with a matrix of hundreds of steel pellets or any other lethal implements such as nails. All too often they are able to walk undetected into high value targets where they activate detonators, blowing themselves to bits in the act.

Even if the target is not of significant military value there are asymmetric warfare benefits. News outlets exploit the grisly imagery and world opinion is shaken by the incomprehensible acts of these “martyrs.”

Lessons from Vietnam

Just as guerrilla style warfare eventually succeeded in Vietnam, hit and run tactics have been embraced by insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. They wear no uniforms and enjoy the support of enough civilians to comfortably hide between offensive actions.

In addition to monetary and materiel resources from Osama bin Laden and other terror networks, their cause is aided by a familiar cast of bad actors including much of the news media, all of the so called “antiwar movement,” endless legal challenges from various America haters, and leftist politicians both foreign and domestic.

No Shortage of Small Arms

It is no big deal for jihadists to be very well armed with a variety of serviceable and effective arms because Southwest Asia is awash with weaponry from decades of stockpiling and indiscriminate issue during various wars. Indeed, when Saddam’s forces were allowed to escape destruction on the battlefield in the opening weeks of Operation Iraqi Freedom, most took their weapons home and nobody secured the armories and ammo dumps from looters. The better part of these, from pistols to rocket launchers, is of Communist Bloc design and manufacture.

The ever-popular AK-47 style assault rifle, chambered in original 7.62x39mm, is undoubtedly the most commonly encountered and, surprisingly, may be legally owned by Iraqi citizens when properly registered. This is a practical solution to the very real problems of personal and family security presented by the enormous numbers of illegal weapons in the hands of terrorists and other criminals.

Also firing this serviceable intermediate M43 cartridge is the RPK, a squad automatic weapon version of the AK characterized by a longer barrel with bipod, extended 40 round magazine, and distinctive wooden buttstock. The belt-fed RPD is also occasionally encountered.

Moving up in caliber to 7.62x54R, insurgents field large numbers of the belt-fed PKMs, almost always in a bipod-mounted version. Roughly equivalent to the US M60 and M240, this air cooled general purpose machine gun boasts significantly better range and penetration than the AK caliber weapons it supports.

Sharing the Russian rimmed full-power rifle cartridge are SVD style sniper rifles, usually Romanian FPK/PSLs. While these are often equipped with four power day optics, some night scopes are beginning to find their way into enemy hands through capture of Coalition weapons or direct supply from terrorist supporters abroad.

The Soviet DShKM and CHICOM Type 54 heavy machine guns represent a big jump in caliber and capability by pumping formidable 12.7x108mm rounds at 575 rpm out to an effective range of more than 2,000 meters. Comparable to the legendary US M2HB “Fifty Cal.,” these helicopter and AFV killers are highly respected by both sides.

RPG!!!

Officially categorized as the number two most effective casualty-producing weapon in the hands of insurgents (IEDs hold first place), the Soviet designed RPG-7 rocket launcher is a recurring nightmare to all US and Coalition forces. It achieved well-deserved notoriety more than three decades ago in the Vietnam War and hasn’t slacked off since. Astounding numbers of these unguided missile pipes are all over the place along with so many rockets that there is no end in sight.

While it has its flaws (notoriously inaccurate in crosswinds), the RPG is simple to use effectively at relatively close range and is capable of punching right through the aluminum “armor” of Bradleys, LAVs and Strykers; not to mention Kevlar and ceramic plates on up-armored Hummers and many of the new Gun Trucks.

Flares and Evasive Action

Military and commercial flights into Baghdad International and most other airports in the region often perform radically evasive maneuvers and release decoy flares. These defensive measures are taken in response to reports of insurgent antiaircraft weapons in general and the feared SA-7 in particular. This Soviet built shoulder-fired antiaircraft weapon fires a heat seeking missile that locks on to engine exhaust and steers itself to the kill. Although less effective than the US Stinger, the SA-7 can bring down subsonic aircraft operating within its 3,500 meter range. Plenty were supplied by former countries of the Soviet Union as well as similar designs from some “allied” European nations.

Mortars and Rockets

The high angle of fire and relatively long range of mortars and rockets make these ancient weapons very effective for harassment of Coalition installations. Most are Soviet type 82mm mortars and 122mm rockets. Although our side’s ballistic tracking radar can almost instantly pinpoint the location of the weapon once it is fired, a skilled insurgent crew will “shoot and scoot” long before retaliatory fire can be brought to bear. Meanwhile, no base, airfield or compound is completely safe and it only takes a round or two each night to abruptly interrupt sleep, keep nerves on edge and reduce mission effectiveness.

Insurgents on the Internet

Because royalty payments must be made for clearance to publish commercial news images of insurgents in action – too often rewarding agencies and photographers sympathetic to their cause – Small Arms Review will not provide money to support terrorism. All of the images used in this report have come from official US and Coalition military news sources.

However, for a frightening glimpse into the dark world of freedom’s many enemies among radical Muslims, we recommend a visit to the website www.albasrah.net. Click the picture boxes for hundreds of portraits of terrorists in action.

Between the years 1933 and 1958, the final incarnation of the Schmidt-Rubin rifles that began with the M1889 Infanterie Gewehr, was built at the Eidgennossische Waffenfabrik in Bern, Switzerland. That rifle, the Karabiner 1931, or K-31 as it is commonly known, was like its predecessors – a straight-pull bolt action design that to many American shooters may seem a little odd.

The rifle’s designer, Colonel Rudolph Schmidt, offered his design to the military while employed as a weapons technical officer at the government arsenal in Bern.

The cartridge the K-31 is chambered for, the 7.5×55 Swiss, was, like the rifle itself, a final version but of a design by Eduard Rubin, that had originally been experimented with in the Swiss service rifle that predated the Schmidt-Rubin design; the 1869 Vetterli 10.4×38 rimfire rifle. The Vetterli rifle was not a strong enough design to handle the increased pressure of the newer center-fire round. The cartridge would eventually be adopted as the 7.5×53.5 for use in the M1889 rifle, the first of the Schmidt-Rubin service rifles. The round would evolve into the longer 55mm case for the later Gewher 1911 model rifle and carbine, and then continue on into the last rifle of the series, the K-31. On a historical note, in the 1930s, the Swiss Guard at the Vatican was issued one hundred K-31 rifles, making the Vatican the only other “Sovereign Nation” to be issued Schmidt-Rubin rifles.

Design

The cock-on-opening design, while it is a bolt action, is somewhat unusual in that as opposed to the more common turnbolt style action most are familiar with, this rifle is of the so called straight-pull design. This simply means that instead of lifting the bolt handle to turn the bolt lugs out of their locking recesses, the Schmidt-Rubin bolt is merely pulled straight back to accomplish the same thing. The actual turning of the lugs is accomplished by means of an actuating rod on the side of the bolt sleeve that engages a helical or spiral groove in the sleeve which forces it to rotate as it is moves back and forth. The K-31 bolt differs from earlier models in that it is shorter and has its locking lugs forward near the head of the bolt sleeve whereas the earlier models had the very long bolt with lugs nearer the center of the body. These changes in 1931, part of a modernization program for the rifle, made the new bolt both shorter and stronger. The models with the lugs near center for the earlier, lower pressure version of the 7.5 round allowed the bolt to compress and thus would not tolerate much more pressure than was present with the M90 loading. This fairly mild load used a round nose bullet of 210-grains at around 1,970 feet per second.

At the rear of the bolt is a large finger-pull ring that serves as both the safety and a manual cocking/decocking device. The safety appears to be two-position. When the ring is pulled back far enough to allow the rectangular tab to rotate and rest on the flange, the rifle will not fire, but the bolt can be operated. Rotate further clockwise and then allowing the ring to go forward in the 9 o’clock slot will put the rifle on safe and lock the bolt as well.

On the right hand side of the rifle just under the receiver opening, is a spring-loaded grooved pad bolt stop that, when depressed, drops an engagement lug and allows the bolt to be withdrawn for access to the breech.

All of the Schmidt-Rubin rifles used a detachable 12-round capacity box magazine for the first model and six for subsequent rifles. The magazine could be loaded via an unusual cardboard and metal charger that held six rounds. It could also be loaded with single rounds while in or out of the rifle. The K-31’s magazine follower is designed to stop the bolt’s forward travel when the magazine is empty as is common with many service rifles.

K-31

An example of this rifle was recently acquired at a large chain sporting goods store for a bargain price. It was a little rough around the edges as received with a bit of rust here and there. The light colored beech wood stock showed the expected dings and scratches but appeared serviceable. However, the top of the comb looked like someone had taken a rasp to it. Upon removing the bolt to inspect the bore, it was found to be incredibly dirty and, even with a bore light, evidence of rifling could barely be seen. Using a .30-06 cartridge to see if it would pass the “bullet test,” a bullet was placed into the muzzle. If the bullet disappears up to the case neck it’s likely the bore is worn either by shooting or cleaning from the muzzle too often, making potential accuracy suspect. The bullet stopped in the muzzle well before the case mouth could touch. Running a patch soaked with Hoppes #9 down the bore a number of times revealed that the bore, though it had been extremely dirty, was still in excellent shape with strong rifling and no discernable throat wear. The bolt face likewise showed little evidence of much shooting.

The rifle was completely disassembled to inspect and clean all parts of dirt, oils or grease. Disassembly is simple and done in much the same way as any number of similar military rifles. Only a slotted screwdriver is required. All serial numbers matched on this rifle including the stock and handguard. It doesn’t really matter whether all numbers match or not as long as the bolt and receiver do, as that is the most crucial fit of the rifle because of cartridge headspace. As an added bonus upon removing the buttplate for cleaning, a small plastic card with the name and other information of the last person the rifle was issued to, was found. On the other side of the card was the rifle’s serial number which also matched this rifle. There are a number of references to these I.D. cards on other shooters’ rifles on the internet, and in one previously published article, so it was intriguing to find one with this rifle.

The model K-31 has a barrel length of 25.7 inches whereas earlier models started out at 30.75 inches, then down to 23 inches for the 1911 Karabiner model to the final K-31. It is a four-groove barrel with a right hand twist of 1:10.5.

One of the more interesting features of the rifle is the drift adjustable front sight that, unlike most drift type front sights that move side to side, this one moves fore and aft in an angled dovetail groove. The rear sight is of the fairly common tangent style adjustable from 100 to 1,500 meters. It is, however, not windage adjustable as that function is performed at the front sight. Perhaps the reason for the angled dovetail on the front sight is that more left and right movement is possible within the confines of the front sight base than if using the standard right angle dovetail.

The stock has two bands to secure the forearm to the stock and, in the case of the rear band, to provide for the forward sling swivel. The front band is a little unusual in that it is actually a hinge affair that clamps to the stock. It is tightened with a screw on the other side. It also incorporates into it the bayonet lug and stacking rod. The rod is used for the same purpose as the more common stacking swivel seen on other military rifles.

With the barreled action out of the stock well done inletting can be seen. The rather large block recoil lug fits in a recess that has at its bottom a steel plate to seat the bottom of the lug metal to metal.

The trigger is another interesting piece of work. One side of the trigger housing is open allowing access to the inner workings while the other side is closed. This is a typical two-stage military type affair with a long first stage as slack, then a very crisp final stage that, on this rifle, only measures three pounds on an RCBS scale. This is an excellent trigger though set a little light by service rifle standards. It’s actually a lot lighter than most modern factory sporting rifle triggers as they leave the factory. The one piece trigger guard is large for gloved hands and fits well in the stock.

7.5×55 Swiss

The 7.5 Swiss, as it’s commonly referred to, is a fairly interesting item in itself. Considering the time period of its design, it’s fairly advanced looking with its fat body, minimum taper and relatively sharp shoulder. It very much resembles the much later .284 Winchester which, even at its introduction in 1963, was deemed by some to be a radical design. Other than caliber, the two look nearly identical side by side. Of course the other major difference between the two is that the .284 is a rebated rimless round wherein the rim is smaller than the case’s head diameter. The 7.5 Swiss has a normal rim that is slightly larger than the head diameter. Also, the headspace measurement of the 7.5 is different with the .284 having more distance between rim and shoulder. It is interesting to note that .284 brass is often used in the absence of proper 7.5×55 brass to make loads for the Swiss. Reportedly, it works just fine. However, it must be sized and fireformed. Powder capacity of the two rounds is very similar. Depending on how powder is tapped in or compressed, the two rounds will support about the same charge. In fact, as the 7.5 round is a .30 caliber, thus allowing a slightly better expansion ratio, one could surmise that in rifles of equal strength, the 7.5 cartridge may offer a slight advantage in velocities over the range of bullet weights, plus the ability to handle heavier bullets than a 7mm cartridge. In other words, it’s about the equal of the .30-06 which says a lot about its capability. That’s not to say it’s safe to “hoss it up” in the Swiss action. While the Schmidt-Rubin design is not a weak one, it likely can’t compete with a modern turnbolt when it comes to handling pressure. In Frank Barnes’ book Cartridges of the World, he states that it can be expected to give performance similar to the .308 Winchester. It’s likely he means (in) the Swiss rifle. If the two cases are set side by side, the 7.5 is noticeably larger in every dimension, except caliber. Now that boxer primed brass is available from Hornady and others, the 7.5 Swiss would make an excellent candidate for an accurate non-magnum sporter using a modern bolt action.

One of the older military loadings with the 190-grain bullet was, according to Barnes, loaded to about 37,000 psi. The later loading with the 174-grain spitzer is reportedly loaded to about 45,500 psi. Neither of these is much by today’s standard. Muzzle velocity is stated as around 2,650 fps with the 174-grain load. Two rounds of this load were clocked at 2,500 and 2,516 fps on my chronograph.

Bolt Takedown

It is not certain that this is the exact official method for bolt takedown, but it works. With the action cocked, remove the bolt from the receiver. Pull back on the safety/cocking piece ring until the small rectangular tab clears the flange, then rotate the ring clockwise to between seven and eight o’clock to allow the tab to rest on the flange. This allows the actuating rod to be removed from the bolt sleeve. Rotate the sleeve until it disengages itself from the rear portion of the bolt and flange. Tip the sleeve down to allow the inner bolt to fall out into the hand. To remove the tip of the two piece firing pin assembly, first decock the firing pin by turning the ring to allow the tab to go all the way forward in the straight slot. This releases some of the strain on the spring. Pull back on the spring with one hand while with the other hand, move the tip off laterally, and then remove the spring if needed. To complete the disassembly remove the ring/stem from the flanged part of the bolt. Reassembly is in reverse order. This is all accomplished without any tools: a plus for a service rifle.

The extractor, which resides on the top of the bolt just past the 12 o’clock position, is not large but is apparently adequate. Ejection is via a substantial folding blade in the bottom of the receiver just behind the magazine well. The bolt face is slotted for the ejector but the locking lug isn’t as in some designs.

Shooting the K-31

Only one word is needed to describe the shooting and handling qualities of the K-31 rifle: outstanding! The Swiss gun lived up to its reputation as an accurate rifle. Shooting 174-grain ball ammunition from a portable rest at about 85 yards and using a makeshift target (bucket bottom), the rifle’s first six shots went into a group of about two and a half inches. A subsequent three shot group went one inch and another group put four of five into one inch as well. The lone flyer was shooter error getting used to the light trigger. Groups were well centered left to right but all were about five inches above point of aim at that distance. This seems to be typical of battle sights that are commonly set for 300 yards. The u-notch rear sight provided a good sight picture with the blade front.

The rifle fed smoothly with no misfires and extracted and ejected perfectly. I always knew where the empties were because they went straight up and then bounced off my noggin upon descent. How high they fly is determined by how much vigor is employed in bolt operation. For the handloader, the bolt can be eased back slowly for easy removal of cases from the open action. I really have no criticism of the rifle other than the trigger being a little light for a service rifle. A three pound pull is more appropriate for a single-stage hunting or match rifle trigger.

As a combat rifle we may never know for sure how it would have worked, or if it was as good as other proven designs like the Mauser, Enfield, or Springfield. Most bolt action service rifles exhibit a fair amount of play in operation, to allow for mud and debris that invariably finds its way into guns in battle, and still remain functional. When the bolt is run back and forth in the Swiss, contact is near metal to metal between bolt and receiver opening, and there is but little play. Still, military training usually will point out potential problems and judging from the condition of the stocks on Swiss rifles observed, many appear to have been used for purposes other than target shooting. At any rate, the Swiss stayed with the same basic design for well over a half century so it would seem they had a fair amount of confidence in the design.