After the end of World War II, most of the efforts in post-war Europe were being directed toward rebuilding cities, and people were primarily concerned with getting their lives back to normal. The world was finally at peace, and most countries were awash in surplus war material and weapons. Despite the peace, and many thousands of surplus small arms, weapon development in many countries continued. Most were focused toward a new class of weapon introduced during the war by Germany; the mid-range caliber Sturmgewehr made primarily of sheet metal stampings. The assault rifle was considered by many to be a weapon that would ultimately replace both the long-range battle rifle and short-range submachine gun. In spite of all the attention being focused toward the new assault rifle, a few armies still saw a place for the submachine gun in their inventory. Many new submachine gun designs emerged during World War II, and by the end of the war most of the shortcomings of World War II weapons were revealed. Designers took the best features of the World War II era submachine guns and added a few new ones.

Czechoslovakia has long been an innovator in firearm designs, introducing many unique weapons. Even as a member of the Soviet led Warsaw Pact, the Czechs did not conform to the Russian standard when it came to small arms. Designs like the vz.52 pistol, vz.52/57 rifle, and vz.58 assault rifle were fielded in place of the Tokarev pistol, SKS and AK-47 rifles. The Czechs even resisted adopting the standard Com Bloc 7.62x39mm cartridges by fielding their own, more powerful 7.62x45mm round, before eventually relenting and adopting the Warsaw Pact’s 7.62x39mm cartridge. The Czech designers and engineers implemented a number of revolutionary features in their weapons, some of which were later used by other designers for their weapons.

One series of Czech submachine guns developed after the war had many innovative features, although it is not clear if they were actually the first to do so. The weapons were the 9mm Parabellum vz.23 and vz.25, and the 7.62x25mm vz.24 and vz.26; the weapons are very similar except for their caliber. The vz.25 and vz.26 had a left side-folding metal buttstock, which attached to a collar that encircled the receiver tube. The stock could be locked in an extended or folded position and when folded the sheet metal buttplate could be used as a vertical foregrip. The vz.23 and vz.24 had a fixed stock made of wood with a stamped metal buttplate. The fixed stock attached to the receiver by a bracket welded to the bottom of the receiver tube; although some early fixed stock models had the same type of 360-degree stock bracket as the folding stock version. The Czech submachine guns featured an 8.25-inch long telescoping bolt, which surrounds the 11-inch barrel for 6.25-inches, allowing the weapon to have a relatively long barrel and a short overall length. The barrel, secured to the receiver by a threaded collar, could be easily removed for cleaning or replacement. A sling attachment loop was located behind the barrel retaining collar. The magazine well was located in the pistol grip, which gave the weapon good balance – enough to fire it using one-hand, if necessary, with some reasonable accuracy. Both the 9mm and 7.62 models used an excellent double-feed, triangular shaped steel magazine. Despite having such features, the Czech weapons are rarely recognized as most accolades go to the similar Israeli Uzi submachine gun, which was developed around the same period, although the prototype of the vz.23, the vz.447 was tested in 1948, reportedly a few years before the Uzi.

Submachine gun development in Czechoslovakia began as early as 1920, but progress was slow. The Czech army considered the U.S. Thompson and the German MP18, but after testing, rejected both weapons. During 1930s the ZK383 submachine gun was designed by the Koucky brothers at the Brno factory. The well crafted ZK383 had a bipod, a quick-change barrel, and a bolt that had a removable weight to change the full-automatic cyclic rate; features not normally found on submachine guns. The ZK383 submachine gun was sold to Bulgaria, Germany and a few countries in South America, but was not officially adopted by the Czech army. A few months prior to the start of World War II, Czechoslovakia was occupied by the German Wehrmacht. The Germans took over the Czech arms factories, putting them to work supplying their war machine.

During the post World War II era, the newly reorganized Czechoslovakian army was equipped with a variety of foreign-made small arms. While most countries stopped all development work on pistol-caliber submachine gun designs after the war Czechoslovakia, having no immediate requirement for an assault rifle, initiated a program to develop a new submachine gun. A relatively large number of indigenous designs were submitted by both the Zbrojovka Brno (ZB) and Ceska Zbrojovka (CZ) factories for test and evaluation. Since the test and evaluation program was being conducted during peacetime, there was no sense of urgency to find a suitable weapon. The first 9mm prototype submachine gun design, the ZB47, was tested in 1946, followed by the ZK 466, the H/47, CZ 47/1, CZ 147, H/P, CZ 47/P, ZK 471, CZ 447 and the CZ 247. The testing was further complicated in 1947 when it was decided that the program should include weapons firing the 7.62x25mm Soviet cartridge causing further problems and delays. As a result of the new 7.62mm round requirement, more prototypes were produced to include the CZ 248 and the ZK 476. By July of 1948 the competition was down to two finalists, the CZ 447 developed at the Strakonice plant and the ZK 476 from the Brno factory. The 9mm CZ 447 was chosen for production, after the army requested that the production weapon be chambered for the 9mm round. In 1948 the CZ 447 was adopted as the Sa vz. M48a for the fixed stock model and Sa vz. M48b for the folding stock version. Sa represents Samopal or submachine gun and vz stands for vzor or model. During 1950 the designations were changed, the M48a became the vz.23 and the M48b the vz.25.

After a relatively short period, production of the 9mm vz.23 and vz.25 submachine gun ceased on 26 May 1950. Orders were received to convert the design to fire the Soviet Pact 7.62x25mm pistol round, to conform with other Warsaw Pact members. Although a seemingly easy conversion, it was nearly a year later on 11 June 1951, when the new 7.62x25mm models were put into production. The wooden-stocked submachine gun was designated as the Model 24, and the folding stock variant the Model 26. The 9mm and 7.62 models look very similar; however, the pistol grip of the 9mm is attached to the receiver at a 90-degree angle, while the 7.62 model is canted at an 87 degree angle to the front. Other differences between the two caliber models: the 9mm barrel has six grooves, while the 7.62 barrel has four. The 9mm model used two different magazines, one with a 24-round capacity, the other held 40-rounds. There was only one magazine for the 7.62 model, which held 32-rounds. To differentiate the 7.62 magazine, it has a long vertical impression on both sides. The width of the magazine was extended approximately 5mm to accommodate the 7.62x25mm cartridge, which is approximately 4.3mm longer than a 9mm round. The 7.62 model had a slightly heavier bolt to handle the more powerful round. The 9mm models had an unloaded weight of 6.8 pounds while the 7.62mm version was slightly heavier at 7.25 pounds unloaded, largely due to its redesigned bolt.

The Czech models 23 through 26 were constructed in the same manner, primarily from sheet metal stampings; the receiver is a seamless tube. The select-fire weapons all fire from an open bolt and the cyclic rate is approximately 600 rounds per minute. A progressive trigger controls the mode of fire; pulling the trigger partially to the rear provides semiautomatic fire, while pulling the trigger completely to the rear provides the operator with a full-automatic function. The long bolt has a fixed firing pin and extractor. The recoil spring is held by a rod on the left side of a circular plate located at the back of the receiver alongside an ejector rod. The bolt has a space in the center to allow the cartridges to eject as it passes by the ejection port in the receiver. When the bolt is forward or to the rear position the ejection port is blocked by the bolt, which helps to keep debris from entering the receiver. The back of the receiver has an end cap to facilitate the removal of the bolt assembly. The cap is secured by a series of lugs on the receiver and held in place by the dimples in the cap and pressure from the recoil spring. The front sight is a blade type protected by a metal hood and the adjustable rear sight is a square shape with four positions: 100, 200, 300 and 400 meters. It is adjusted by rotating it to the desired range, which is marked under each sighting notch. On the fixed stock model, the sight is attached to a bracket spot welded onto the receiver. On the folding stock weapon the rear sight is attached to a collar welded around the receiver tube, which is used to support the folding stock. The pistol and foregrip are a composite made from phenolic resin and wood, commonly used for furniture on other Czech small arms. Located on the right foregrip is a metal insert that is used for loading the magazine. Two safeties are provided. One is located in the trigger housing; the safe position is to the right. When in the fire mode a painted red strip is visible. A second safety is the cocking handle, which can be used to lock the bolt in a forward or rearward position. Before the bolt can be retracted the handle must be pushed inward. Sling attachment loops are located behind the barrel retaining nut. The rear loop is on the side of the arm of the folding stock and on the fixed stock model the loop is attached to an inleted section of the wood. Several examples were studied and all had the manufacturer’s code “she” above the serial number on the left rear side of the receiver. Some examples had their year of manufacture below the serial number. The code “she” was that of the Ceska Zbrojovka plant in the town of Uherský Brod. Early submachine guns were blued, while many later models were phosphated or painted gray. The design of the vz.23 and vz.25 submachine guns have been credited to Vaclav Holek, assisted by F. Myska, J. Kratochvil, and V. Zibar.

M48 Ammunition

The 7.62x25mm M48 ammunition has been documented in several publications as being 20-percent “hotter” than normal loads, and often cited as being for “submachine gun use only.” The M48 ammunition has been the subject of much internet debate as to whether or not this is fact or fiction. The ammunition does generate more felt recoil and muzzle flash than most 7.62x25mm rounds, but there has been no official documentation found as to whether or not it was intended only for use in submachine guns. The ammunition comes packed on 8-round stripper clips, presumably for ease of loading in the vz.24 and vz.26 subguns. There are five clips packed in each cardboard box (40 rounds). One type has gray painted cases with the headstamp markings “aym” and a year of manufacture (usually 52 or 53). There are other types of Czech-made 7.62×25 ammunition on stripper clips that have brass cases and different head stamps.

By the early 1960s the 7.62 vz.24 and vz.26 submachine guns were being phased out and replaced by the 7.62x39mm vz.58 assault rifle: another very unique Czech design. The submachine guns were sold or given to other communist nations and were eventually distributed around the world. The weapons have surfaced in Cuba, Syria, Nigeria, Chile, Cambodia, Libya, Lebanon, and South African among others, often in the hands of terrorist groups.

To charge the magazines with the loader located on the right side of the foregrip:

1. Insert the 8-round stripper into the loading slot on the foregrip, the clip is held stationary by a guide stop on the end of the slot.
2. Place the edge of the magazine at the bottom of the guide slot and push the magazine toward the cartridges.
3. After the cartridges are pushed into the magazine the empty stripper clip is simultaneously moved forward and ejected from the slot.
4. The procedure is repeated until the magazine is filled.

Field Stripping Procedures:

1. Remove the magazine and visually inspect the chamber to insure that no cartridges are present.
2. Depress the button in the center of the endcap, at the same time turn the endcap to remove it from the receiver.
3. Retract the cocking handle and push it down into the bolt, the bolt and recoil spring assembly can be removed through the rear of the receiver tube.
4. To remove the barrel, loosen the barrel retaining nut and slide the barrel out of the receiver.
5. Reverse the procedure to assemble.

The problem of muzzle flash and smoke has bedeviled warriors ever since the Chinese invented gunpowder. Black powder combustion is accompanied by a flash, some sparks and the release of large volumes of white smoke obscuring both the shooter and the target. France was the first major power to develop a replacement for traditional black powder and field a smokeless powder small bore rifle with the introduction of the 8mm Mle. 1885 Lebel. The propellant was “smokeless” only to the extent that it smoked less than black powder. This caused France’s current worst enemy, Germany, to develop an even more efficient smokeless propellant with a much reduced flash signature. Not only did Germany develop a better propellant, but also flash suppression devices for their automatic weapons.

The advent of large scale use of automatic weapons in WWI trench warfare drew considerable attention to the muzzle flash issue. While it would not be worthwhile to single out individual riflemen firing from entrenchments, the large volume of harassing fire from machine guns was a different story inviting counter battery fire from artillery. This development made machine gun troops something less than popular with riflemen occupying the same trench area. During low light conditions muzzle flash will compromise the operator’s night vision as well as making the location of the weapon more visible to the opposing forces.

The standard German automatic weapon was the MG 08/15 featuring a combination flash suppressor/recoil booster as standard equipment, the U.S. Model of 1917 water cooled machine gun featured nothing in the way of a flash hider except the ingenuity of the troops draping wet empty burlap sand bags over the business end of their Brownings in an attempt to attract less unwanted attention.

The Ordnance Department, up to its neck in every sort of difficulty during WWI, worked on developing a flash hider with little enthusiasm and less success.

Post-war the flash hider issue came to a head with a letter from the Adjutant General’s office to the new Chief of Ordnance Major General Clarence C. (“If the troops want elephants, we will get them elephants.”) Williams read for record into the Ordnance Committee’s November 4, 1919 meeting minutes. This letter enumerated “…machine gun improvements…” which were the “…consensus of opinion of our best machine gun officers…” and closed with a directive from the Secretary of War that the improvements suggested be “…carried out as far as practicable.”

High on the list was “Development of an efficient flash hider; flashless powder is not considered to be sufficient.” This was followed by requests for “Real smokeless powder and, if possible, a flashless powder is needed. Our powder is far from smokeless and discloses the position of the guns at once.” The letter stirred up a hornet’s nest of activity in the Small Arms Division as they tried to determine which of the “suggestions” had been carried out or were under research or actual development.

Apparently some flash hider development had already occurred because at the November 14, 1919 Ordnance Committee meeting they considered a report from the Springfield Armory on a flash hider and recoil reducing device for the Model of 1917 BMG designed by a Captain Thomas of the Ordnance Department. The report stated that this was the fourth flash hider of the “Thomas type” tested and that all had proved unsatisfactory and recommended no further testing of this design be made. The May 14, 1920 Ordnance Committee meeting shed more light on the shortcomings of the Thomas design: first, it did not suppress the muzzle flash and second, it was shot off the gun after extended firing.

Apparently the flash hider issue got pushed to the back burner until the Committee took up as Item 1966 a December 6, 1921 communication from the Infantry Board requesting that a project be initiated to study and develop flash hiders that actually worked. Mr. A. C. Gray, a civilian employee of the Ordnance Department, stated that he had seen several types of flash hiders and that “The German one (ostensibly the MG 08/15) reduced the flash by about 50%.”

Things picked up a little momentum. The September 15, 1922 meeting of the Committee discussed Item 2368, a flash hider design by Captain A. F. Gilmore of the Coast Artillery Corps, which was somewhat similar to the Thomas design and, while it was efficient enough, it was expensive to manufacture and suffered from the same basic defect, it shot off the gun because it plugged up after prolonged firing. Major Glen Wilhelm who read the report mentioned that Springfield Armory had “perfected” a new type that would be submitted to test in the “near future”. By November 1922 approval was obtained for “one modified German flash hider” together with one of the Springfield Armory type to be submitted to the Infantry Board for testing.

The March 23, 1923 Committee meeting reviewed as Item 2774 the report of the flash hider testing from Aberdeen Proving Ground. The conclusion of the proof officer, approved by the Commanding Officer, was that the modified German flash hider “gave the best results, and was superior in every way.” However, in a dazzling display of fancy foot work and buck passing, Aberdeen stated that “in view of the fact that the flash hider designed by the Springfield Armory gave fairly good results and in consideration of a statement from Manufacturing Services (Springfield Armory) to the effect that the cost of Springfield Armory type would be considerably less than the German type, it is believed that both flash hiders should be tested by the Infantry…”

By the July 27, 1923 meeting of the Committee the story had changed somewhat. Item 3149 considered at this meeting stated in part, “These flash hiders have been tested at Aberdeen Proving Ground and by the Infantry Board with results that show very little difference in efficiency, while both are very good.” The Infantry Board recommended adoption of the Springfield Armory type apparently based on cost and the fact that it was an indigenous design never minding the fact that the “German” type was superior.

The December 27, 1923 Ordnance committee meeting took up Item 3462 which was specification No.52-5-12 the flash hider for the Model of 1917 BMG. This specification was approved and result was the M1923 flash hider. The shooting off of the flash hider problem was solved by removing the muzzle gland from the end cap of the water jacket and screwing in the flash hider.

The M1923 flash hider resembled previous designs except that it had vent holes in the exterior and functioned by allowing the unburned combustion gasses from the propellant to swirl around a series of baffle holes between the chamber that the projectile passed through called the inner spool and a helically wound coil spring between the spool and outer casing finally venting into the air. This allowed cooling and gradual mixing of the residual combustible gas with oxygen in the air. The flash hider was piece marked with the drawing number D1804 and underwent a proof test signified by the “P” stamped on the rear. It appears that all of the M1923 flash hiders were produced at Springfield Armory until RIA became the Ordnance primary engineering support and production facility for the .30 caliber BMG’s about 1936. Although not often seen actually on the weapon, the M1923 was a standard accessory for both the Model of 1917 and its successor the M1917A1.

RIA produced experimental flash hiders for the .30 caliber air cooled BMG’s during WWII including an attempt to adopt the M1923 flash hider to the M1919A4. This whole series of “beer can” styles all suffered from the same defects. They were relatively large and difficult to maintain as the vent ports plugged up with carbon deposits after extended firing. Plugged vent ports would increase booster chamber pressure raising the rate of fire and the specter of damage to the air cooled weapons because their gas assist booster feature not present in the water cooled gun. In February of 1942 in an attempt to speed production an alternate design for the M1923 flash hider was developed its drawing number and piece mark was D1804A.

At least one, and likely several of this type were modified and attached to a M1919A4 barrel jacket by means modified front barrel bearing plug and sent to Aberdeen Proving Ground for testing in 1943. The tests were not successful and in 1954 a left over jacket, bearing and flash hider showed up in a scrap barrel in a salvage yard behind the Proving Ground Museum where it was rescued by Jon Wilkinson, a member of the 9701st Technical Service Unit stationed at Aberdeen.

The story of this find related to the author by Mr. Wilkinson goes like this: Jon saw the parts in the scrap barrel thought they looked unusual and wanted them. The guy running the scrap yard told him that the barrels were pre weighed for sale as scrap, and if he wanted anything he would have to come up with an equal weight in steel for replacement. Jon and his buddy Val Forgett, yes, the Navy Arms Val Forgett, were leaving the post that day and noticed some railroad track construction underway so they stopped and filled the trunk of the car with tie plates to swap for parts that they wanted from the scrap barrels. John displayed the A4 jacket/flash hider at an Ohio gun show in March of 2012 where Jeff Prater of Iron Creations, LLC spotted it and decided it needed a new home. Jeff took some pictures and sent them off to the author. You just can’t make up stuff like this.

Eventually, RIA’s flash hider R&D focused on the fairly obvious, the cone feature of the MG 08/15. The cone shape tended to minimize and direct the flash to the front of the gun, reduce the low light ball of flame display and somewhat diminished visibility of the flash from the flanks. The troublesome and complicated baffles and vent holes were eliminated.

The M6 design for the M1919A4 Fixed and Flexible models which would also fit the M1919A5 included an integral front barrel bearing and a booster chamber eliminating the one or two piece front barrel bearing and muzzle plug and screwed directly into the barrel jacket staked in place with the usual band (lock ring). The M7 flash hider for the M1919A6 replaced the cap style booster and the M8 design for the M1917A1 water cooled gun used a modified muzzle gland with the double male threads rather than the original gland. The drawings for M6 and M7 have an original date of July 7, 1945. It is not likely that any of these ever made it into combat in WWII. All of the cone style flash hiders could be machined from steel or cast from perlitic malleable iron alloy commonly called ArmaSteel, Saginaw Steering Gear’s Malleable Iron Division trade name.

A good portion of RIA’s immediate post WWII activity involved the overhaul and refurbishing of all manner of equipment, especially small arms, and preparing them for long term storage. This required the production of replacement and maintenance spare parts which they were doing in house. M6 and M7 flash hiders were being produced in small quantities as early as 1947. While the M6 design remained virtually unchanged throughout production, the original M7 design with a booster chamber diameter of 1.265 inches was apparently causing reliability issues in the M1919A6 so the chamber diameter was increased to 1.400 inches in August of 1948.

The first mention of any mass production of M6 and M7 flash hiders comes from RIA’s Manufacturing History for Fiscal Year 1950 (1 July 1949 to 30 June 1950) which also mentions R&D on an aluminum .30 caliber flash hider but does not indicate what .30 caliber weapon it was for. Fiscal Year 1950 flash hider production was 17,990 M6 and 8,961 M7 flash hiders followed by 10,900 M7’s in FY 1951, 14,014 in FY 1952, 19,194 in FY1953 and 3,277 unidentified types in FY1954.

In August 1949, the War Department issued a Modification Work Order (MWO) to replace all M1919A6 cap style boosters, M7 flash hiders with the 1.265 inch booster chamber, front barrel bearings and bipod retaining rings that were in the field with the new M7 having a 1.40 booster chamber and a redesigned front barrel bearing and thicker retaining ring. The MWO did not cover weapons in storage and for reasons not known the MWO was rescinded by Department of the Army Circular 310-66. The M6 flash hider is supposed to be marked 7162300 following the drawing/parts number naming convention adopted in late 1943 for new parts for either an existing or new weapon. Some M6s are mismarked C7162300 due to widespread confusion about including the drawing letter size in the imprint on the part. Birtman Electric Company produced M6s usually have the number near the open end of the cone, RIA production on the booster section. M7s are marked with the 7162303 drawing/part number there maybe mismarked C7162303 flash hiders lurking out there. Maker’s markings were not required. M6s have the standard .718 booster orifice and M7s the .812 opening, both designed for U.S. Caliber .30 ammunition. The M6 has 1 inch wrench flats at the base of the cone to aid in removal.

When the Korean War started RIA farmed out some M6 production to Birtman Electric Company, a Chicago firm that manufactured home appliances and had a production facility in Rock Island, IL. Packaged M6 flash hiders with Birtman labels are quite common, usually found with packing dates from 1951 to 1953. M6 packaging included a new band (lock ring) as the bands were not intended for reuse after initial staking. Birtman also produced 3.5 inch M20 rocket launchers (bazookas) along with toasters and vacuum cleaners. The company was purchased by Whirlpool, the appliance maker, in 1957. Every time the author loads the dishwasher, the heritage of the bazooka and the M6 flash hider makes pushing the start button much more interesting.

While the M6 and M7s were manufactured in quantity before, during and after the Korean War, most of the official wartime photos seen by the author do not show either of these parts. Documentation after July 1957 gets rather sparse as the air cooled BMGs were being elbowed out of the way by the M60GP machine gun and the primary source of Browning information, RIA, and by association the RIA Museum, lost engineering support and manufacturing oversight for machine guns when this responsibility shifted to back to the Springfield Armory.

The last official documentation known to the author of the air cooled BMG’s are the 1970 Depot Maintenance Work Requirements (DMWR) produced by the Army Weapons Command at RIA and the 1969 TM9-1005-212-25 for the M1919A4, M1919A6 and arguably the best of the breed the M37. These publications show only the M6 and M7 flash hiders as component parts, the M37 continued to use a booster bearing arrangement lacking any flash hider. Why the Army continued to produce a document, the DMWR, related to inspection and overhaul of a weapon displaced 17 years previously in combat ready units is not known.

The conversion work, as well as first level maintenance, is performed by the unit armourer, avoiding the need of sending the rifle to central logistic units; a time consuming procedure that could definitely slow down configuring the carbine to the mission profile.

Short and handy but equipped with a 13-inch barrel, the X95 is a bullpup with a polymer body that offers simple maintenance with an excellent degree of modularity of the essential components like the barrel, bolt group and trigger group.

It is this modularity that allowed them, with very few modifications, to design and realize a conversion kit for the Russian caliber 5.45×39 for the X95, starting from the 5.56 NATO version, making this carbine available in three calibers.

Replacing the barrel, the bolt group and using a modified STANAG 4179 magazine, the X95 is able to shoot the intermediate Russian ammo designed for the AK74.

The operating system, as in the case of the 5.56 NATO, is a gas recovery long stroke piston system with a self-adjusting gas valve.

This version seems to be dedicated not specifically for Special Forces engaged in “Black Ops,” but much more addressed to a possible diffusion on East European markets and to offer a diversified product in those markets where IWI is a consolidated reality, like South America.

Considering this perspective, IWI produces not only the conversion kit but a complete firearm, denominated as the X95R, while the carbine in 5.56 NATO caliber equipped with the conversion kit for the 5.45×39 is identified by the denomination X95L

The new X95 carbine will be presented at the Interpolitex, Moscow, and Expodefensa, Colombia.

By John Brown

In this third installment of the ATF Weight Loss Plan, we will explore the final portion of an NFA inspection: the NFA portion of your inventory. Our objective is to help alleviate the fears of an ATF compliance inspection by providing you with enough information so that you are well prepared for an inspection.

One of the final things that your inspection will entail will be the thorough review of your NFA inventory. This may be the most painful portion of your inspections through no fault of your own. The inspector will bring a printout of your inventory that is a printout of the National Firearms Registry and Transfer Record (NFRTR) that details the serial numbers of your NFA inventory. That’s right, the serial number. If you were to have to locate anything in your inventory strictly by the serial number you may want to assess how you would find anything in your inventory.

The registry focuses on the serial number of your NFA items and the other information that may help you identify that item in many cases is difficult to decipher from the information that is located on the printout. It is my suggestion that if you have a significant inventory, you list those serial numbers in a way that allows you to search for the number. For example, a simple Excel spreadsheet will allow you to quickly and efficiently find a serial number and retrieve the necessary information that you need to retrieve the weapon for the inspector. Finding the serial number and retrieving the weapon will make your inspection go much faster. If you are using any of the software systems that keep track of your serial numbers, e.g. eBound by Gunderson, your search will be much faster and easier for you to perform. In addition to the search, any notes that you can place about the physical location of your item will also speed up the process.

At this point we will assume that you have a good handle on your existing inventory and that you have the necessary tools to track what you have and where you have it stored. In addition to this portion of your NFA inventory you will also want to make up a list of all of the NFA items that you have dispositioned in the last year. This list will help you quickly and efficiently let your inspector know what is no longer in your inventory that may show up on their printout. In many situations your inspector will ask for a serial number that you may have dispositioned during the last year but it is still showing up on the registry. I would further suggest to save time during this particular process, that you make copies of the Form 3s or 4s for at least the last 90 days to prove the disposition. The inspector will most likely keep a copy of that disposition in an effort to make certain that the registry is correct.

In addition to the forms that have already been dispositioned from your inventory, I would also suggest that you have copies of anything that you have in process for disposition from your inventory. This will help your inspector also know what will soon leave your inventory.

At this point you will have completed the inventory of your NFA items and everything should be accounted for. It will also be at this stage that you will have completed the majority of your inspection and you should be feeling pretty good about the inspection, especially if you have organized your inventory.

Once this portion of the inspection is complete the only thing you have remaining will be your closing conference. If you have done well in your inspection your inspector will finalize your inspection with a summary of all of the issues of your inspection. If you have any violations in your inspection the inspector will cover those violations in detail with you and provide you coaching on how to avoid any similar problems in the future. In addition to covering any issues during the closing conference the inspector will cover a host of issues including any new processes or help that is available in the conduct of your business. Under normal circumstance your closing conference is very detailed. I know you can’t wait for it to be over with, but take your time and listen as this conference contains a lot of good information. Once this is concluded you will sign the closing documents and your inspections will be complete.

If during your inspection you experience a host of problems or issues, you may be summoned to what ATF terms a warning conference. At this conference, held at your local ATF field office, you would be officially warned about issues and specific corrective action that may be required to get your practices in order to comply with all ATF regulations. Rest assured if you attend a warning conference, follow on inspections within the next year will surely be in order. Use your time wisely before the next inspection to put your house in order. You will certainly want to correct issues that were covered in your warning conference and to improve on your overall operations.

Given the fact that your inspection feels like it is finally over, make no mistake, it is not. As certain as the formal part of your inspection is over; the clock is ticking before your local inspectors will return and initiate the process once again. Use this time wisely to learn from your previous experience and prepare for your next inspection.

If all else fails, call the NFATCA and we will gladly provide you with resources that can help your next experience be a little less painful. Come join us and dig into helping the entire community make a difference with the NFA industry. Log into www.nfatca.org and help preserve NFA ownership for you and your family today.

Eliminate Zombies Quietly with Thompson Machine Suppressor

If you have ever had the need to get rid of those pesky Zombies in your backyard and do it without alerting the rest of the pack, then Thompson Machine has just the tool for you. Their newest suppressor is called the Zombie XL and is in caliber .22 Long Rifle. The Zombie XL is a special edition, limited run, suppressor with only a small number of units being produced. The new suppressor is 6.375 inches long with an outside diameter of 1.125 inches and weighs just 4.5 ounces. Made from 6061 T6 aluminum, this new unit features a mono-core design that allows it to be easily taken apart for cleaning. Both front and rear end caps thread onto the core allowing for a “threadless” outer tube. The end caps also incorporate high temperature “O” rings that completely seal the unit for even better noise suppression and keeps grime out of the internal threads. The tube, end cap and mono-core have a flat black anodized finish to match most Zombie killing firearms. The outside of the suppressor’s tube is engraved with a special “biohazard” symbol that not only let everyone know that this is a special suppressor but also allows for a textured gripping surface to aid in attaching or removing it. The Zombie XL has 1/2 x 28 threads to fit most .22 LR Zombie eliminators. This new suppressor will also be produced without the special “biohazard” markings and will be known as the ISIS 22. The Zombie XL is also full-auto rated and most people that have heard it say that when shot it had a “dead” tone. For more information or to order one of these special suppressors, contact Thompson Machine, 172 Center Street, Panacea, FL 32346. Phone: (850) 408-5161. Website: www.thompsonmachine.net.

CrossBreed Introduces New OWB Mag Carriers

Top quality holster manufacturer CrossBreed Holsters, LLC is proud to introduce the new OWB Mag Carriers for 2012. Carrying spare magazines is always a good idea and frankly, a life-saving decision at times. CrossBreed Holsters is pleased to provide yet another option for doing so. Their OWB Mag Carrier has been completely redesigned for better concealment and, most importantly, easier access to the mags. With a cut down backer, forward rake, and more exposed magazine to grasp, reloads are swift and sure. Great retention ensures your mags stay put and a high ride keeps them concealed under a light cover garment. The OWB Mag Carrier is available for carry of one or two spare mags for all popular firearms. MSRP starts at $36.25. The OWB Mag Carrier comes with their two week try it free guarantee and lifetime warranty, just like all of their other fine products. For more information contact CrossBreed Holsters, LLC, 224 N. Main, Republic, CO 65738. Phone: (888) 732-5011. On the web at www.crossbreedholsters.com.

Volquartsen Custom Redesigns LLV Barreled Receiver

Volquartsen Custom has redesigned its popular LLV upper designed for the Ruger MKII, MKIII and 22/45 target pistols. The LLV Barreled Receiver has been completely redesigned for 2012. A great design has been made even better – better balance, more versatile and yes, even better accuracy! A hard anodized CNC machined billet receiver is the foundation of this lightweight setup. The complete barreled receiver weighs less than 15 oz. The receiver and barrel shroud are precision machined as one piece from aluminum alloy. An integral Picatinny Rail is machined into the top of the receiver. It is then fitted with a 6-inch precision stainless steel barrel that has been machined honed and lapped. The barrel has been contoured to reduce weight without sacrificing accuracy. The barrel features 1/2 × 28 threads on the muzzle end for adding a compensator or suppressor and comes standard with a thread protector. Target sights are also available as an option. Volquartsen Custom offers a complete line of rimfire rifles, pistols and accessories. For more information please contact Volquartsen Custom, 24276 240th Street, P.O. Box 397, Carroll, IA. Phone: (712) 792-4238. Fax: (712) 792-2542. Website: www.volquartsen.com.

Remington Introduces Model 700 SPS Tactical in 300 Blackout

Remington is proud to announce the Model 700 SPS (Special Purpose Synthetic) Tactical 300 Blackout rifle. Chambered for the incredibly popular 300 AAC Blackout, this new rifle features the time-proven Model 700 action and is designed to impress from the bench or in the field at a very affordable price. A long-time favorite of both military and police units, the Model 700 offers the legendary accuracy and unfailing performance you’ve come to expect. At the core of the Model 700 SPS Tactical 300 Blackout is the machined solid-steel, cylindrical Model 700 receiver design ensuring uniformity, strength and solid bedding area. Unique to this precision rifle is the 16.5 inch, heavy-contour clean barrel threaded to accept AAC and all 5/8 x 24 threaded flash hiders, muzzle brakes and suppressors. The tactical-style carbon steel, hammer-forged barrel is the perfect balance between handling in tight spots and delivering pinpoint accuracy. With a twist rate of one in seven inches, this rifle is optimized for accuracy. These specialty, bolt-action rifles are shipped with a thread protector installed. The rock-solid barreled action is bedded in a Hogue OverMolded Ghillie Green pillar bedded, synthetic stock with a semi-beavertail fore-end for added stability. The soft-touch, sure-grip stock is extremely comfortable for extended, long range shooting and assures a positive grip in both stressful situations and inclement weather. The dual point pillar bedding guarantees a solid interface between the action and stock to help insure cold bore accuracy and prevent point-of-impact shifts. Add Remington’s X-Mark Pro externally adjustable trigger, designed to “break-like-glass” and set at 3.5 pounds from the factory, and this rifle delivers surgical-like accuracy. Other key features include a drilled and tapped receiver for the addition of optics; distinctive, laser-engraved “300 AAC Blackout 1:7” roll mark; convenient hinged floorplate magazine with 4-round capacity and a non-reflective, black oxide external metal finish; and sling swivel studs. The Model 700 SPS Tactical 300 Blackout is the perfect tactical bolt-action rifle and available at a very affordable price. Suggested retail price is $817.31. You can contact Remington Arms Company, LLC, 870 Remington Drive, P.O. Box 700, Madison, NC 27025. Phone: (800) 243-9700. Website: www.remington.com.

Wheeler Engineering Develops Anti-Cant Indicator

Wheeler Engineering’s Anti-Cant Indicator improves accuracy by insuring proper gun alignment, which is critical for turret adjustment and hold over for bullet drop compensation. Keeping your scope perfectly aligned is critical to long-range accuracy. Canting your scope left or right only a couple of degrees may cause error in point of impact. With modern “Drop-Compensating” scopes, an Anti-Cant Indicator is a necessity. If your gun isn’t aligned correctly, dialing up the turrets or using hold-over marks will just throw off your shot, causing you to miss your target. The Wheeler Engineering Anti-Cant Indicator ensures that your rifle is always held near perfectly vertical, eliminating any chance for “Cant Error” to cause a miss. The Wheeler Engineering Anti-Cant Indicator is available in both 1 inch and 30mm models. This precision piece of equipment is crafted from machined aluminum with an anodized finish. It easily attaches to a scope tube in the same fashion as a ring. The Anti-Cant Indicator is easy to view from all shooting positions, and when not in use it folds in for protection. Retail price of the Anti-Cant Indicator is just $39.99. For more information about the Wheeler Engineering Anti-Cant Indicator or any Battenfield Technologies products, contact Battenfield Technologies, Inc., 5885 W. Van Horn Tavern Road, Columbia, MO 65203. Phone: (573) 445-9200. Fax: (573) 446-6606. Website: www.battenfieldtechnologies.com.

Morphix Technologies Offers New Training Tool

Morphix Technologies, an innovator in the science of detection devices for dangerous chemicals, has created a Training Kit for law enforcement, responder and agency training facilities and schools in response to the increasing need for chemical awareness training. With a rise in illegal drug and chemical production, toxic chemical spills due to industrial or transportation accidents and chemical suicides, more officer and responder training programs include courses that provide critical knowledge on chemical scenarios and how to respond to them. The Chameleon Training Kit, used during training, helps initial responders learn to identify the presence of toxic chemicals through a training Chameleon armband with special inactive cassettes that show the difference between unaffected cassettes and cassettes that read a chemical in the environment. Also included in the kit are blue training cassettes (50 total) and ammonia ampoules that enable the instructor to demonstrate, in a well-ventilated area, how the cassettes change color when exposed to a chemical. Responders learn how to use the Chameleon Training Kit and find that it is as simple as removing one of the grey cassettes from the Chameleon armband and replacing it with one of the blue training cassettes. The Chameleon can then be put over the forearm or attached to a vest with hook and loop. The trainer then demonstrates how a “real world” color change would occur by breaking one of the ammonia ampoules and waving it underneath the training cassette. If the cassette changes from a solid color to two colors, the Chameleon has detected a hazardous level of toxic gas and it’s time to leave the scene. The Training Kit is identical to the original Chameleon system and it shows officers how quickly and easily they can configure their Chameleon and put it on in less than a minute. Please contact them at Morphix Technologies, 2557 Production Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23454. Phone: (757) 431-2260. Fax: (757) 216-6209. They can be found on the web at www.morphtec.com.

Since the last time I wrote Sitrep, two friends have passed on. These were guys who were well-known in our Class III community: Bob Faris, and Kent Lomont. If you haven’t been aware of this, we’ve posted information online for remembrances, and hope to bring you more on them later. Regarding Bob, please look into your back issues of SAR (Volume 11, Number 4, January 2008: and Volume 11, Number 5, February 2008) for our Interview with him. Kent never sat for an Interview; however, we’re working with his family and friends to put some interesting stories together for the readers.

Second quarter 2012: We’ve all been talking a lot lately about the new method of bringing Small Arms Review to you, so I thought I would run through some of the items that are frequently brought up:

1- We know that some of you have dial-up Internet connections, and we’re trying to work on cleaning up the file size so that you have better access. That’s one reason that the articles are text files with thumbnail pictures on the right of the screen. You read the text, then put your cursor on the pics to the right and scroll through them. Likewise, we’re working on the Ipad and Kindle access for those who use these items.

2- We also know that some of you don’t like going on-line to read. We have to balance that with how the majority of our subscribers have asked us to make the archives and past articles available in a searchable format. Thus the compromise between publishing a quarterly magazine, and having weekly article updates and weekly archival updates.

3- For some unknown reason, a number of our subscribers never really go into the website; they go to front pages and look, but don’t access the articles. Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the site. Once you sign in, there are hundreds of articles and thousands of archival pictures, manuals, research documents, etc. that are being uploaded.

What do I think the most exciting thing about what we’re doing is? It would have to be the archives, along with our ability to respond to what’s happening today in small arms, as it happens. You can email us with ideas of what you’d like to see in the Archives, or work towards getting your own archival material kept forever online, available for future generations.

The Archive Project is something I’ve wanted to do for many years; start with the massive piles of photos, articles, manuals, research documents, data sheets, etc. that we have at LMO, add in many other libraries, and simply employ people to digitize these archives and make them searchable. That’s why it’s a pay site. Twenty bucks a year. Only ten bucks extra if you subscribe to SAR. That helps pay for getting the work done and making it all searchable. There’s a lot of volunteer work going on as well. Lately, Dolf Goldsmith has been coming over and captioning WWI and other rare machine gun pictures with me. We have other people coming over as well. This all becomes a resource for you, the reader.

So please, if you’re a subscriber, go the extra bit to get the online edition and archives. Up until today in late March, we’ve been open online for about seven weeks, and we’re at 1 million page views. We have almost half of our subscribers online now, actively going inside the archives. We’d like to get the rest of you who can go online, to do so, and then we can continue growing the archives and new content into something truly special and interactive for the small arms community.

We send one email a week to our subscribers, and plan to keep it that way. Once a week, late on Thursday evening, we email you and let you know what articles are in your Friday morning update, what back issue articles are now online, and let you know what to expect on the second weekly update. The following Tuesday is the archive update of photos, manuals, research documents, test reports, manufacturer sheets, etc. So if you’re “Online” with us at www.SmallArmsOfTheWorld.com then remember: Tuesday morning is your research document update, Friday morning is your article update. Of course, if we find something really cool, we’ll put it up as fast as we can.

Thanks for sticking with us on this; it’s a difficult transition into the 21st Century, especially since all of us are bookophiles that love the feel of a real book or magazine. I think the Kindle and Ipad allowing my wife and many of my friends to read their books on airplanes or wherever has helped sway me to this new method, but one thing I know for sure: Once we have this archive really cooking, it will be one of the best resources on the planet for small arms information, and allow our community another solid resource to search or just enjoy. – Dan

When the Allies examined the weapons discovered in the German Reich after the war, they came across a device that was classified as a “spring gun” or “trip wire activated static defence machine gun.” Nevertheless, in actual fact it was a practice device with the name “Zielfeuergerät 38” (short “Zf.Ger.38”).

For very realistic exercises during training, it was necessary to create a well armed “enemy.” For this purpose the company C.G. Haenel from Suhl developed a blank-firing device in the German standard calibre 7.92x57mm which could fire at the attacking soldiers.

The simple construction was sturdily implemented and reduced to the most necessary functioning parts. The device functions as a blowback operated weapon with an unlocked bolt in full automatic mode only. A fire selector for single shot is missing. Like on most early submachine guns, the safety is made of a cut out in the housing, where the cocking handle can be hooked in and holds the retracted bolt in the rear position.

The housing (receiver) is a 30-inch long iron tube with 0.2-inch wall thickness. After unscrewing the rear end cap the spring and bolt can be taken out. The 28.7-inch long spring is well protected against mud and dirt by a telescoping two-piece metal tube, in which the front end of the 6-inch long firing pin is screwed in. This unusually long firing pin reaches through the entire bolt. Since the device was only made for shooting with blank rounds, a light unlocked bolt was sufficient weighing only 0.8 lbs. The total weight of a complete Zielfeuergerät (without magazine) is approximate 22 lbs.

Most of the barrels were made of heavy metal tubes without any rifling. However, some examples are known with shot-out and reworked machine gun barrels. These rifled barrels probably tempted the Allies to the theory that they have found a spring trap. The barrel can be removed by unscrewing the large nut at the front of the housing.

The German blank round “Platzpatrone 33” had hollowed wooden bullets that were usually destroyed by the pressure of the powder gases. Nevertheless, an attachment bearing four longitudinal spikes inside was screwed onto the muzzle to shred larger wooden parts. Safety was important during exercises before the war.

The trigger mechanism is located on the top side of the housing. It can be released either by tug from behind or pressure from the front. Since the cocking handle is moving back and forth with the bolt, its way is guarded by a robust metal bracket.

On the left side of the housing is the magazine well for a curved 70-round magazine. It has a very strong similarity with the 25-round magazine of the German MG 13 light machine gun, whereby the impression is created that two MG 13 magazines have been welded together. This is a fallacy, even though it’s possible to use some of the ZfG38 magazines in the MG13, but not vice versa. There are dug ups known from front line positions, which show the use of ZfG38 magazines in combat.

The Zielfeuergerät 38 was manufactured in two variations: one model for installation in tank mock-ups and one for ground use. They do not differ in technology, but the latter possessed a bipod and a vertically adjustable tail spur. Also the barrel of the ground gun is shorter (8-inches). Above the mounting plate of the spur a welded-on eye was used to pass through the wire fixed to the trigger mechanism. Holes in the bipod legs could be used to peg the ZfG on the ground. The protection guard for the cocking handle was mainly affixed to models used in tank mock-ups.

Both models of the ZfG are listed in the secret regulation D.97/1+ “Geräteliste” (list of equipment) from 1. July 1943 in the section “Machinengewehre / Lehr- und Übungsgerät” (machine guns / training devices) as equipment numbers 8012 and 8014. Interestingly enough not a common magazine is listed, but each model had their own one (equipment NR. 8013 and 8015). Whether these differ in any form could not be observed. All magazines known to the author are interchangeable and not distinguishably marked. Maybe the tank magazine was of a drum type due to the limited space in the turret.

Both models of the Zielfeuergerät bear the marking “Zf.Ger.38” as well as the serial number, the year of construction and the Haenel company logo on the housing. The tank mock-up model is additionally marked with “Pz.Kpfwg.Nachb.” (Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung / fighting tank mock-up). On nearly all parts of the weapon the Waffenamt-number “37” can be found. Some bolts are stamped with a star, whose meaning is however unknown.

The exact history of this training unit is not known and no regulation or operation manual is known, but luckily a few documents have survived the Russian “occupation period” in the archive of Suhl/Thuringia (former East Germany). From a report addressed to the Russian commanders of the city Suhl (commission Spassow) from July 1945 concerning the number of weapons and devices manufactured by Haenel during the war it follows that of both models together 6,103 pieces were manufactured. Interestingly enough the entire number is specified under the year 1939. It seems that from then on no more ZfGs had been manufactured. Maybe there was no additional need for blank firing devices after the beginning of World War 2. Also, the list does not differentiate clearly between the two models: behind the model designation “Zf.38 u.Zf.38 Pz.” is written by typewriter “4256” and in addition handwritten “1847”.

So far no other documents could be found and the American investigation reports are of not much use. Allegedly based on a captured German document the reports state that the ZfG38 had been used for distance measurement. New “evidences” (unfortunately not dealt in greater detail) would confirm that it was also used as a defensive weapon with trip wire release and as a perfidious weapon for road ambush for vehicles.

These realizations certainly do not originate from a practical testing of captured ZfGs, because firing ball ammunition would not have lasted very long. By the construction as a recoil operated weapon (without locked bolt) a heavyweight bolt would be necessary to compensate for the power and keep the device running without destruction.

The German weapon designer and chief engineer of the Gustloff factory Barnitzke worked on a machine gun with an unlocked bolt near the end of the war. The simplified weapon should speed up the manufacturing process and maybe replace the MG42. Barnitzke’s documents, which were captured by the US-Army in Suhl, as well as his postwar recordings, clearly indicate that such a machine gun is not practical because the bolt would need a weight of at least 4 kg. Several attempts to use a lighter bolt failed or did not lead to practicable solutions like e.g. the “Flywheel MG”, on which gear wheels and flywheels should absorb the enormous recoil of the bolt. Today this prototype is part of the collection of the National Firearms Centre Leeds and an investigation of the weapon resulted in that even this “light” bolt still weighs more than 1 kg. The bolt of the Haenel Zielfeuergerät 38 weighs only 0.8 lbs and also the thin recoil spring is only of low tension. Thus it might be impossible to fire standard ball ammunition without damaging or destroying the Zielfeuergerät.

Unknown Zielfeuergerät Discovered

While researching the old Haenel files in the Suhl archive, the author found a blueprint and three factory photos of a so far unknown “Zielfeuergerät Schmeisser” (calibre 9mm). It looks very similar to the ZfG38, whereby due to the calibre the magazine well and the barrel are differing. The magazine well is identically constructed to the submachine gun MP28/II. It is arranged diagonally upwards and takes up a special 100-rounds stick magazine. According to the blueprint, a special round “Spezialpatrone für Zielfeuergerät Schmeisser” was used to fire the weapon. This round has the exact same dimensions as the 9×22 blank round of the MP28/II. Since the blank round is crimped and does not contain a wooden projectile, it could be fired without a safety attachment at the muzzle. Except the magazine well there are still a few other characteristics typically for a Schmeisser construction of this time: The simple hook style safety cut out (like MP18 and MP28/II), the recoil spring covered by a telescoping tube (like the MP38) and the use of a barrel nut to fix the barrel to the receiver.

Unfortunately no further data concerning this device is available and also the time of the development is unknown. The weapon does not carry a date mark. The stamped designation simply reads “ Zf.Ger.”, the weapon’s number is not readable on the photos.

This 9mm model is supposed to be the first development by Haenel, before the design was changed to the calibre 7.92×57 for practical reasons. The standard machine gun blank round was widely used and so no additional manufacturing of a different special cartridge was necessary. Also many blank rounds have been made of re-used spent cartridges.

(The author wishes to thank Dr. Geoffrey Sturgess and the Thüringisches Staatsarchiv Meiningen/Suhl.)

Note:All dimensions, acronyms and official terms are from Marine Corps terminology and refrences.

There is no telling what small arms are doomed to shelf space and others to be revolutionary on the battlefield or home front. The M27 from Heckler and Koch and its civilian version, the MR556, are current examples from which their impact is still being measured. With the M27’s current employment with the United States Marine Corps and deployments to Afghanistan, only time will tell if this new weapon will be a game changer or not.

Background

Finding the perfect balance between firepower, weight, reliability and ammunition capacity has constantly been a challenge for Light Machine Gun (LMG) development. These support weapons for the traditional infantry squad have usually been a compromise among these four factors. The BAR lacked the magazine capacity to be truly successful, while the M60 gained the infamous nickname of the “Pig” due to its excessive weight and bulk. The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) came very close to being the exemplary LMG but quickly lost its glory through its high malfunction rate and weight. Recently, the United States Marine Corps decided upon a solution that takes the Squad Automatic Weapon to whole new level.

Several years ago, while observing a Marine unit conducting pre-deployment training on Range 410 Alpha in Enhanced Mojave Viper, Twentynine Palms, California, a high-ranking officer watched a squad clear a trench as part of the training exercise. The squad’s SAW gunners established a support-by-fire position while the squad rushed into the trench and continued on with the range. After it was over, the officer asked the battalion Gunner (Chief Warrant Officer – an expert on Infantry small arms and tactics) why the SAWs couldn’t come into the trench with the main effort. The answer given was that the SAWs would slow the squad down and could not be effective in the trench because of the gun’s weight and open bolt operation. Finding this tactic detrimental to the way Marines fight today, the officer and battalion gunner decided to act. Requests were made to the firearms manufacturing community and a competition for a new squad LMG ensued.

The competition was designated the “Infantry Automatic Rifle” and the Marine Corps made it very clear that it had to fill the place of the SAW but also be a lighter and more portable weapon. Changing the designation from SAW to IAR showed that the Marine Corps was dedicated in finding a mobile automatic platform instead of being burdened down with the old technology. It had to weigh less than 12.5 pounds and accept the US standard 30 round magazines. It had to fulfill the function of the SAW but also be lighter and more mobile. Six commercial companies accepted the challenge, and three made it down to final testing: FN Herstal, Heckler & Koch (H&K), and Colt. FN’s contender was a modified SCAR; H&K’s and Colt’s weapons were both modified versions of their respective entries into the Black Rifle market. All except H&Ks were open bolt. After months of exhaustive testing, H&K came out on top. Trumping its competitors in areas of precision, reliability and malfunctions, the H&K submission produced outstanding results. Accuracy was unparalleled compared to the other two. In fact, it is reputed to be the second most accurate weapon in the Marine Corps inventory after the M40A5 sniper rifle. Designated as the M27, H&K had proven itself once again.

In 2010, Marine Corps Systems Command bought an LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) quantity of M27s slated to replace or complement M249 SAWs in four Infantry Battalions and one Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (LAR). All units had the opportunity to train and deploy with the M27 throughout 2011 and into 2012 in the War on Terror. The M27 is operating so well in combat that the Marine Corps has already ordered the full contract quantity. The current recommendation is to replace all the former SAWs with M27s throughout the rifle platoons but current individual assignments are at the discretion of the company commanders.

Function/Nomenclature

Due to the M27s commonality with the M16/M4 rifles, user operation is similar. Instead of direct impingement, it is gas piston operated. It has a free floating barrel, and uses a more efficient bolt than an M16A4. These are the only major functional differences to the standard issue M16A4 that all Marines are familiar with. Cleaning the weapon is made much easier by the gas piston that keeps a good portion of the carbon out of the bolt carrier and upper receiver. Also, unlike the M16A4, the M27 is highly ambidextrous. Sling mounts, fire selector, and charging handle can all be made left or right handed with little modification. Point target range is 550 meters while area targets are 700 meters and maximum range is 3,938 yards. The Fleet Marine Force (FMF) chose the 16.5” barrel.

The butt stock is similar to the M4 four position collapsible stock except that it is less sluggish and is six position. Unlike an M4 stock, it is easily removed by depressing the position toggle. It has one circular and two lengthwise sling keepers mounted at the rear allowing a diversity of slings to be used. The butt pad is rubber. Fully extended, the M27 is 37 inches (M16A4 length: 39.63 inches) and with the stock collapsed it is 33.66 inches (M4 collapsed length: 30 inches).

The M27 has a three position fire selector; Safe, Fire, and Auto, with the traditional H&K pictograms for each. Controls are on both sides of the receiver. The pistol grip is very comfortable and has a polymer pebbled surface to enhance grip. There is a battery compartment in the pistol grip that is held in place by a pivoting slider and the grip itself is more ergonomically designed than the standard M16A4 pistol grip. The magazine well has a flared opening that aids in magazine insertion but prevents Magpul PMAGs from being fully inserted. This leaves room for further magazine improvement if any manufacturer is up to the challenge. The weapon serial number is stamped upon both the upper and lower receivers right above the magazine release catch and left side safety in traditional European fashion. All M27 serial numbers begin in “USMC” and H&K proof marks are to the left of the serial number on the upper receiver.

The upper receiver has a 12 o’clock rail that is interconnected with the Free Floating Rail System (FFRS) by a U-shaped lug. A captive locking screw adjacent to the magazine well additionally secures the FFRS. To take the FFRS off, grasp the bolt carrier with the thumb or index finger on the extractor in order to turn the strongest lug into a screwdriver. An important reason for a finger being on the extractor in such a position is that only the strongest lug is engaged and not the weak ones opposite the extractor. After only a quarter turn, the bolt carrier is unnecessary; hand strength is sufficient enough to complete disassembly. Only the 12 o’clock rail is marked with reference numbers up to 42 while the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock rails are left blank. Unfortunately, few attachments can be mounted directly underneath the handguard screw due to its proximity to the 6 o’clock rail.

The M27 also comes with H&K rail protectors that take up most of the rail when mounted. They are secured at the end of the protector with a plastic indent. These too have a polymer pebble surface and provide good grip. There is no permanent sling mount but all M27s come issued with a rail mounted sling mount that uses a single screw to secure it in between rails. The ejection port cover is polymer. The charging handle has an extended release lever and pins so that it can switch to the other side. Right above the chamber on the left hand side of the barrel, it reads “HK 5.56mm” alongside an H&K proof mark. The bird cage flash hider can mount all attachments that an M16A4 can such as Blank Firing Adaptors (BFAs), muzzle caps and Bayonets (bayonet stud is included for the USMC OKC3S bayonet).

The bolt carrier and gas piston system are the true “moneymakers” of the M27. Their design is what makes the gun run so well and so reliably. The bolt carrier is similar enough to an M16A4 for it to lock into one and chamber a round. Whether or not the hybrid weapon will function reliably is unclear. On the flip side, a M16A4 bolt carrier cannot fit in an M27. The firing pin retaining pin is captive while the firing pin has a spring that keeps the bolt forward. This spring prevents accidental discharges should the weapon be dropped.

The gas piston system consists of the piston rod, piston and gas block. The piston rod has a captive spring and its lateral movement is no more than an inch at the most. The piston is the dirtiest part of the weapon after firing and is simple to clean. It fits into the gas block, which has a vent port facing downrange on top of the barrel. The gas vent is larger in diameter than the HK416 but this change in design made a significant improvement in reliability and is expected to save the Marine Corps in excess of several hundred thousand dollars.

The M27 comes with three sighting systems; Back Up Iron Sights (BUIS), Squad Day Optic (SDO), and the Ruggedized Miniature Reflex (RMR). The Sight Unit, SU-258/PVQ Squad Day Optic was created for the M249 SAW with a contract from Trijicon in 2009 but has been since mounted on the M27. It is a 3.5×35 machine gun optic that is mounted to the rail via LaRue Tactical throw mount with duel locking lugs. It has Tactical Tough flip up dust covers and comes with an Anti-Reflection Device (ARD, known as a honey comb for its pattern) screwed onto the objective lens. The reticle is an illuminated horse shoe around a center dot with a small post below. For distances of 100 and 200 meters the aiming markers are the top and bottom tips of the dot respectfully. For 300 meters it is the tip of the illuminated post and further ranges are marked on down the mil scale below the tip. The crosshair mil scale goes out to 35 mils on the horizontal lines and 40 mils on the vertical lines. On the vertical range scale there are range estimation stadia lines (Bullet Drop Compensator) that can provide accurate range estimation based on the shoulders of an average sized man (19 inches). It also has brackets for vehicle estimation both side and frontal views by using the tires.

On top of the SDO is the RMR, a small reflex sight intended for engagements under 100 meters. Unlike the M240B MDO (Machine Gun Day Optic) RMR, which is rail mounted to the optic, the RMR is screwed in and cannot come off except with the use of tools. An important aspect of the RMR is that the dot is rather large in the holographic image and proper cheek wield cannot be maintained while acquiring a sight picture. A gunner must take careful measures to secure a proper zero and maintain it with good muscle memory. The RMR uses adjustment dials that require a flat blade and don’t have a dust cap. The SDO has turn knob adjustment dials with dust caps.

Performance

On live fire ranges the M27 has preformed flawlessly with sub- Minute of Angle groups typical. Transitioning from semi to auto is simple and very effective when switching from long range targets to quick bursts on close engagements. On a recent live fire training evolution, the unit’s M27s went through more than 300 rounds per gun in the span of an average of 20 minutes in completing an evolution. The author only experienced one jam, caused by a double feed while simultaneously gripping the magazine well and magazine.

The gun is extremely controllable on fully automatic provided a proper stance and proper technique is used. M27 gunners were engaging targets well out to 500, 600 meters with one shot hits and immediately taking out near targets of opportunity with bursts and magazine dumps. For Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT), the M27 performed at the same level as an M4, if only a little longer and heavier (7.9 lbs unloaded). The RMR holographic sight was perfect for live fire kill house evolutions where Marines couldn’t afford to be tunneled into the SDO while in a MOUT environment.

But the M27 is not without drawbacks. Since the magazine capacity can barely match the rate of fire, gunners would routinely empty entire magazines in seconds only to reload and repeat. Marines were running through evolutions with an excess of sixteen magazines in pockets, pouches and whatever else was improvised. Many more magazines were split up among the squad to carry extra. In comparison, standard load for a rifleman is seven magazines and M27 gunners were carrying nearly three times that amount (21 non-tilt follower magazines). Magazine couplers helped with reloads but they take up space on flak jackets and in pouches. PMAGs will not work because of the frontal plastic bevel, which prevents full insertion into the magazine well. The bevel can be filed down to work but, this is highly questionable and against regulation. Questions have been raised on the use of drums designed for the M16A4. These may not work reliably in military operations overseas. They also cannot stand up to extreme temperatures that military equipment operates in. Surefire has just come out with 60 and 100 round magazines that work reliably in the M16A4, but not in the M27. Currently, Surefire is working to redesign the new magazines in order to work in the M27 as of March 2011.

Grippods were an issue as well. Some gunners had theirs broken within the opening minutes of evolutions. These fore-grip combinations are not designed to be used with machine guns, which need a rugged platform to anchor them to the deck. The Grippod does not provide enough elevation for a gunner to successfully engage targets at an incline. The Marine Corps has replaced the Grippod with the LaRue design bipod system. Also, it is worth noting that occasionally the screws on the LaRue throw lever mounts would come loose after an extended period of sustained firing.

The M27 barrel is not meant to be readily replaced if there is a hot barrel. Tests have shown that the sustained rate of fire is 36 rounds per minute (rpm) at 120 degrees Farenheit for a 600 round load. The cyclic rate of fire is 750-800 rpm (M249 SAW 850 rpm). Little guidance has been provided in the event of a hot barrel except for the shooter to be careful and conserve rounds. During the early testing of the M27 there was a torture test of the gun’s reliability that was called the “Wells Test” named after the Captain who implemented it. It took 1 minute and 36 seconds to fire through 22 fully loaded magazines all lined up next each other without a single malfunction. Yellow M4 BFAs are standard.

As in all weapons in the field, small parts begin coming off after extended use of the weapon both in evolutions and everyday use. Battery compartment covers, optic dust covers and ARDs have all been seen to come apart and off if not constantly checked. Most units have it as Standard Operating Procedure to secure serialized gear to the weapons with zip ties and 550 cord. Gunners must be wary of placement with such extremities because if positioned in certain areas they melt if in contact with the barrel (PEQ16) or interfere with disassembly of the weapon (SDO to FFRS).

Conclusion

The Heckler & Koch M27 has made a significant impact on the way Marine squads conduct operations. The M16A4 familiarity makes it perfect to issue to Marines already so ingrained with that weapon. Its reliability and weight take away the M249 SAWs principal drawbacks. Some have even speculated that this weapon is an indirect path that the Marine Corps is taking to get more reliable squad level small arms into the hands of Marines without going through the headache of replacing the M16A4. Such programs and rifles have faced opposition ever since their inception (SPIW 1960, ACR 1986, OICW 1990, XM8 2002, SCAR 2007). Overall, this is a very fine weapon and has definitely exceeded expectations. The grunts love it, and that is the most enduring compliment any firearm or piece of gear could earn.

(Special thanks to David Dimaruo, Tom Durwood, Edward Young and the Marines and Corpsmen of 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines.)

After the civil war that tore the country apart from 1936 to 1939, Spain found peace and managed to stay out of WW II. In the 1950s, the country became modernized with American help and money obtained from tourism and the country was equipped with modern equipment in all the military fields. Gun factories, gathered within Empresa Nacional Santa Barbara, produce conventional armament, but in 1949 the Spanish military authorities created the Centro de Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales or CETME, under the direction of General Cantero. Its research department developed many new models.

CETME got collaboration from German technicians and among them was Ludwig Vorgrimmler, who worked at Mauser at the end of the war and developed the StG 45 (M) with a delayed bolt operation. At the request of France, Vorgrimmler was amiably invited to continue his work at the Mulhouse Technical Center. But he was requested by the Spaniards also, and against the wishes of the French, he managed to go to Spain. There, he developed an assault rifle which used a delayed opening bolt.

The first prototype was made in 1951. It fired a 7.92x40mm cartridge with a lightweight and very tapered bullet. Another one was developed with a similar 7.62mm calibre ammunition. But the final rifle (CETME Modelo A) used a 7.62×51 with a light bullet called the 7.62mm CETME-NATO.

The weapon was exhibited in several European countries and interest was shown by the new German Army. Finally, the CETME assault rifle, optimized by Heckler & Koch, was adopted as the G 3 by the Bundeswehr.

The Spanish Army adopted the Modelo B in 1958 and it was followed in 1964 by the Modelo C, which fires the now standard 7.62mm NATO cartridge. These models were used by the Spanish armed forces and the Modelo C was manufactured until 1976. At the end of its production, the CETME Modelo E rifle was also produced with a green plastic stock.

CETME Modelo L

Starting in 1971, the CETME Division de Armamentos y Municiones Conventionales developed a 5.56x45mm rifle. It was derived from the former models with some obvious modifications. The development spread out over ten years; the official tests taking place from 1982 to 1984 and the weapon was adopted by the special forces (Foreign Legion, paratroops and Navy commandos). Production began in 1986 and was completed in 1991. Fabrica de Armas de Oviedo produced approximately 100,000 examples of this model.

Description

The gun had few machined parts, which were assembled by welding. The stock is made of green plastic, the butt plate is of rubber and a metallic sling bar is fitted on the left side. There are also two holes for the assembly pins, which are removed when disassembling the weapon. The stock is hollow and contains the recoil spring. The spring-guide has an additional spring which acts as a buffer. The stock is assembled on the frame with two pins.

The 5.56mm barrel has 6 groves, right hand twist. The first models had 12-inch rifling, but production models have 7-inch rifling. CETME Modelo A, B, C, used fluted chambers, which were then discontinued on the Modelo L.

A flash-hider similar to that of the M16A1 is screwed on the muzzle. The frame is made of stamped sheet metal, with sharp angles at the top and longitudinal grooves on the sides. After stamping, a milled part is welded at the rear of magazine housing which receives the magazine hook. The frame is prolonged with a square section tube, also welded and which contains a rod holding the folding cocking lever on the left side. The trigger mechanism has an aluminum frame and contains the trigger, semi-auto and full auto sears, disconnector, hammer and their axis and springs. It is assembled with a pin and the selector axis. The pistol grip is of green plastic and is screwed under the trigger group. The steel trigger guard is a separate part. The selector is on the left side just over the pistol grip. It has three positions: safety (S), single shot (T), and full auto (R).

Initially, a long plastic hand guard was installed under the barrel, from the magazine housing to the top of the frame. To avoid heating problems, it was replaced by a shorter double wall plastic hand guard and a sheet metal perforated cooler. The cooler is screwed inside the hand guard. It joins the frame at the rear and is retained by a pin at the top.

Feeding was initially with straight 10-, 20- or 30-round magazines. But for the standard rifle, a STANAG 4179b (M16 type) magazine was adopted. Spanish mags were made of thick steel sheetmetal which produced malfunctions. During NATO exercises or deployments of the Spanish troops in some countries, the soldiers tried to obtain M16 magazines, which work perfectly in the Modelo L. This constituted a “double-allocation” because it was prohibited (and severely punished) to lose a magazine whose cost was 25 pesetas in 1995!

The bolt body is made of several milled and welded elements. It receives the bolt head, locking piece, locking rollers and firing pin.

The front sight is protected with ears and is adjustable for elevation. The rear sight is an L type flip-up and has two apertures (200-400 m). It is adjustable for windage. The initial model had an oblique drum with a U shape sight for 100 m and three eyepieces (100-400 m). Sight mounts are both cast steel. The front sight also has a ring and is pinned on the barrel. The rear sight is welded to the frame.

The frame has a painted green finish. The barrel, metallic parts of the hand guard, magazine and trigger guard are parkerized. The trigger frame is black anodized.

Accessories

• Carrying sling,
• Bipod, which is similar to the model for the CETME Modelo E. It has two telescopic legs and is installed like a clothes pin. This accessory is cumbersome and not very practical: it can’t be folded nor be easily transported fitted on the weapon. When moving its telescopic legs there is a likelihood of a finger pinch. The only positive point is that it is fitted with a knee joint which facilitates clearance.
• Bayonet Modelo 1964. The single edged blade is 8.74 inches long and has a black parkerized finish with a black plastic handle grip It has a green plastic sleeve, with canvas holder and metallic hook. It is fitted over the barrel.
• Cleaning kit.
• Scope.
• Blank firing device.
• Grenade launcher.
• Magazine loader.

Other Models

• Modelo LC, is fitted with a short barrel and a telescopic stock made of two steel rods and a metallic butt plate with a rubber recoil pad. It is locked by a pushbutton located on the top of the frame plug. On this model, the buffer is installed in the rear frame plug. The recoil spring is shorter than that of Modelo L. It cannot be used with a bipod or bayonet and cannot launch grenades.
• Modelo LV, with a STANAG scope mount for a Spanish Enosa scope or a British Susat scope.

Disassembly

• Remove the magazine and clear the firearm.
• Extract the two assembly pins at the rear of the frame and place them in the holes located on the stock.
• Remove stock and recoil spring.
• Remove the pin which retains the trigger frame and pull it 0.07″ at rear. Put the selector downwards to extract it slightly, then match the axis pin with the corresponding notch to extract it, after which you can remove the trigger frame (that is more quickly to write than to do!).
• Pull the cocking lever to the rear and extract the bolt.
• Remove the pin which fixes the hand guard to the front sight base and remove the handguard.

Epilogue… Or Almost

G 36

Some troubles were encountered with the CETME Modelo L and in 1996 the Spanish Army sought to replace it. Several foreign models were tested: German G 36, American M16A2, Austrian Steyr AUG, Belgian FNC, Canadian C 7, Israeli Galil and Swiss SG 550. Finally the Heckler & Koch G 36 in its standard export version fitted with 1.5x day scope, was adopted. Special forces also used the G 36 E, G 36 K, G 36 C and G 36 V, with an Aimpoint sight, X day scope or holographic sight.

The G 36 is licensed for production in Spain by the Spanish arsenals which became Santa Barbara Sistemas, and later in 2001: General Dynamics Santa Barbara Systemas. The Spanish armed forces received 75,000 G 36 at cost of 770 Euros each ($1,125).

Comeback of CETME

The research division of Santa Barbara became the Compañia de Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales. Unable to furnish a replacement weapon for the Modelo L, it continues research on small arms and accessories.

ComFut

The ComFut system, or Combatiente del Futuro, is a program for the addition of a camera, sighting device and communication system on the G 36.

CETME Modelo XR

In 2008, the Spanish government requested to develop a new weapon. CETME entrusted the project to four engineers: Antonio Ferrol, Marcos De Leña, Santiago Sobera and Pío Ternal. They developed an improved version of Modelo L. After having considered the use of telescoped ammunition, they retain a conventional 6.8×43 cartridge similar to the 6.8mm Remington SPC. The weapon works with a short stroke gas system and a locked breech. The cocking lever is reversible. The barrel is lengthened 0.78-inch and received a new flash-hider. The XR bolt stays open after shooting the last round. It mounts conventional sights (the front sight can be folded) and two Picattiny rails for sighting or accessories. The straight translucent magazine is of polymer. A short barrel gun with collapsible stock designated XRC was also developed.

The CETME Modelo XR should start production in 2016.