By Jani Kotnik

PHP

The start of Croatian handgun productions began in 1991 with first model PHP (stands for Prvi Hrvatski Pištolj – First Croatian Pistol) in 9mm Para for use in Croatian military and law enforcement forces. First model was an eclectic mixture between a Walther 38 and a Berreta 92 pistol. The pistol was designed as a large frame, double/single action duty size handgun which utilized a locked barrel with the Walther system of falling block, used also on the Beretta 92 series of pistol. Other features and the appearance were similar to a Walther 38. Open slide design combined with a straight recoiling barrel lent itself to very good accuracy, along with elimination of possible jams of ejected casings. The slide, frame and smaller operating parts were milled out of solid blocks of steel, a procedure which was later dropped in favor of more economically feasible investment casting. Magazines were a problem in the first days and were refined, with a small change in material used in the making process, and the follower was also redesigned. The magazines remain virtually unchanged and to the present day are used in all of the following models of Croatian’s pistols. In the early days of production there were 3 models of PHP pistols; standard with barrel length of 125mm (5”), compact, with shortened 100 mm (4”) barrel and slide and “target” model with extended 152 mm (6”) barrel. Out of those three, most the of production was the standard model, which saw heavy duty use during the war in Croatia in early 1991. Because of the hasty war production, parts of the PHP were prone to breaking, especially the first lots of PHP pistols which were of poor quality.

HS 95

Unsatisfactory results from field testing, and feedback from actual users were beneficial for the introduction of a new pistol in June of 1995. The new pistol was given the designation of HS (Hrvatski Samokres – Croatian Pistol): model HS 95. The HS 95 pistol, like the former model PHP, was produced in caliber 9mm PARA, ammunition that was widely adopted in various military and law enforcement units worldwide. Design was radically changed compared to the previous model. The construction was a shift from the Walther system to the modified Browning system of locking. Overall appearance of the pistol was more sleek and less chunky than former models resembling lines more popular in the SIG line, but with new technical solutions without any patent infringements. With the new model, IM Metal was utilizing a proven successful pistol design.

The new model was produced entirely of investment casting, which allowed for more economic production, except for barrels which were still made by classic cold hammer forging. The slide was fully closed, blocky in appearance, with a reinforced ejection port lower part as a precaution to possible material failure. This modification was later dropped out of production, as subsequent testing proved that this was more or less “overkill” in terms of slide strength.

New features included a frame mounted combination of slide release/decocking lever, automatic firing pin safety, extended trigger guard for use with heavy military style gloves, new magazine floor plates, synthetic grip panels and overall better ergonomics of the handgun. One interesting feature was employed in design: the pistol was fully ambidextrous.

The magazine release button, slide release/decocking lever were mirrored on both sides of the gun. The only “leftover” from right handed use was the disassembly lever on the left side of the frame which was designed for right handers only. Barrel to slide interface was designed around the time proven and tested modified Browning tilting barrel system with use of the rectangular rear end of the barrel mated with an appropriate cut out in the frame, which is easier to manufacture and keep tolerances on high ground. A selective double/single action trigger group combined with decocking lever and automatic firing pin safety was a very safe, yet very efficient combination as extensive testing very soon proved.

On the model HS 95, high-visibility sights in combat (bar/dot) configuration were employed. The first preserial model of HS 95 was fitted with a special adjustable rear sight, with elevation adjustment from inside of the slide, which was latter dropped in favor of a more classic dovetailed rear sight which was more than adequate for duty use. The only design change was using steel for producing an HS 95 frame. The steel frame makes the HS 95 one of the heaviest pistols of its class. Pistol HS 95, after thorough testing, found its place in several Croatian military and law enforcement units.

HS 2000

The world trend of using plastic materials for making light arms, has dictated a change in the thinking of many producers. IM Metal manufactured the first prototypes of their new “plastic” handgun in 1998. For the first time in the history of Croatian handgun manufacture, a polymer frame was employed in an effort to produce a more durable and lighter pistol. Extensive use of CAD/CAM equipment reduced the overall time needed to produce the first acceptable pistols for mass production. As we all know, it is one “thing” to have a good “paper” design, and another “Thing” to get it to functional mass production.

Plastic Frame

The new model was officially named the HS 2000 and it is produced from BASF based Ultramyd 66 material, which has an excellent chemical composition and it is thermo stable and structurally extremely durable. The first models employed all plastic slide rails, with a steel locking block in front. Front rails were later redesigned as integral part of the steel locking block, thus only the rear slide rails were left of plastic. Subsequent testing just proved the point of the designers, that the rear rails were less structurally challenged than the front counterparts. The frame is checkered in front and rear for a more positive grip even with wet or sweaty hands. The main design idea was to avoid numerous levers and buttons, simplifying it, thus making it more user friendly and easier to manufacture. The HS 2000 now has a slide release, a magazine release button and a disassembly lever, creating an easy to use foolproof design. The outward appearance of the HS 2000 is very similar to some Glock models, the frame contour is very close to the Glock model 17. However, the “interior” of the HS 2000 is very different from the Glock series of pistols.

Trigger mechanism

One very interesting feature of the model HS 2000 is the single action trigger mechanism. The SA trigger mechanism is the best feature of the HS 2000, of course that’s only my opinion. The first thing I had changed on my Walther P99 was modifying the trigger mechanism from SA/DA to SA only. The shorter and crisper trigger pull made the Walther P99 an excellent sporting pistol. The HS 2000 comes with a factory installed SA mechanism, mechanically similar to the trigger mechanism of a Mauser K98, or if you wish, a Browning model 10. The falling sear is directly engaged with the striker/firing pin so when you pull the trigger the sear slides down and disengages the firing pin. Additional safety to the SA trigger mechanism is provided with the grip safety (Colt 1911 type), if you do not grip the pistol firmly, the trigger mechanism is not in the activated position, and renders whole pistol virtually useless. The beaver-tail safety blocks slide movement and effectively blocks the sear to avoid accidental discharge in the event of dropping it. Combined with an automatic firing pin safety which effectively blocks the firing pin/striker until the trigger is fully depressed, it makes the pistol safe. This pistol is considered safe to carry with a loaded chamber, but carry the pistol with an empty chamber to avoid unintentional discharge, in normal code “white” situation.

The HS 2000 had a trigger pull of only 1.5 kp, which was increased to 2.0kp at the request of users. The SA trigger mechanism allows factory adjustments from 1.5 kp through 6.0 kp while still remaining fully operational and safe. Competition models are factory produced with tuned triggers with shortened trigger travel and a pull weight of only 1.2 kp, but comes with a disclaimer that these models are NOT FOR DUTY use. Use of a newly designed trigger and frame allowed for very short trigger reach that was comfortable for people with smaller hands, but still remains ergonomical even for people with larger hands. The firing pin protrudes to the rear of the slide, where it is readily visible and felt, so you can check the state of the trigger mechanism.

Magazines

The HS 2000 shares the same magazines with its predecessors. The magazines are made from stainless steel. For most markets their capacity is 15 rounds, except for US/Canadian market where they are limited to 10 rounds only. The rear of the magazine has witness holes for a visual check of magazine status, labeled “5”, “10” and “15”. Magazine floorplates are made from the same polymer as the frame, eliminating possibility of breakage in speed reloads.

Slide/barrel

As in the older model HS 95, the slide of the HS 2000 is entirely made out of investment casting, thus reducing machining operations and reducing cost of manufacture. The design employed a two-step layout in order to reduce overall weight of moving parts, while maintaining the structural integrity of the slide itself. The slide houses the integral shielded extractor (Browning HP type), striker/firing pin assembly and automatic firing pin safety. The front portion of the slide is intentionally made thicker to avoid any possible structural problems on the most stressed point, where the recoil spring mates with the slide. The first models featured a front sight integral with the slide, but for the sake of compatibility with aftermarket sights and ease of replacement this was changed to a more conventional dovetail model. The rear sight is drift adjustable and comes standard as a bar/dot configuration with front sight, or upon request it is possible to get 3-dot configuration or night sights as option. The widened and lowered ejection port eliminates the event of stovepipe jams or failure to completely eject empty casings. As the system used for locking is a modified Browning tilting barrel system, the ejection port serves as part of the locking mechanism, since rear square portion of barrel mates with the appropriate cutout of the ejection port on the slide.

Barrels are made of premium bar stock that come raw from the Austrian barrel manufacturer, Bohler. Bohler has years of experience of barrel making, and some of the finest European custom rifles are built with their barrels. Barrels come in raw 2 inch bars, already hammer forged and rifled, which are then machined into the final contour of the HS 2000 barrel. For ease of manufacture barrels are a two piece assembly, consisting of the barrel itself and a rear reinforced “head “of the barrel. After the production of both parts they are joined “in hot” and extra secured by a lower pin “just in case”.

Before final assembly into pistols, all barrels must pass additional proof testing in a machine rest where pressure, accuracy and consistency are tested. The final step is to fit actual barrels to slides and frames, but thanks to modular design and high tolerances held, little to no fitting is required in this final step.

The recoil spring assembly consists of dual telescoping springs (Glock 26 type), which are used in order to lessen recoil sense and also reduce hammering of frame during firing.

Easy to shoot with HS 2000

In field stripping the HS 2000 you should inspect the chamber and ensure that the pistol is not loaded. Remove magazine, lock slide in rear position, rotate disassembly lever upwards -clockwise 90 degrees. While gripping the slide, press the slide stop and released the slide. To slide the slide from frame you should pull trigger and slide will come off. Remove recoil spring and barrel. For assembly just reassemble parts in reverse order.

There is only a disassembly lever, slide release and ambidextrous magazine release button to fuss with during normal operation. The HS 2000 offers the shooter relatively soft recoil, if you are using the standard 9mm ammo. It is easy to shoot, and quick double shots can be achieved by the inexperienced shooter. On the 25 mm target I have off-hand shot 10 cm groups with S&B ammo. On the FBI target in fast drill exercise I have put all the bullets in the center of the “ bad guy” in very short time. The 250 S&B rounds were fired in a test of the new HS 2000, pistol function was flawless. The HS 2000 passed the short test with flying colors, but the extended field use will show the quality of the new Croatian pistol. The Induchem d.o.o. company from Zagreb offered all three of the Croatian service pistols; PHP, HS 95 and HS 2000 as a collection.

Because of the war the Croatian IM METAL pistols production evolved in a very short time from a small garage-type of production into a respectable pistol maker. Time will show how well they will succeed in a peace time international market.

To satisfy the request for the AK type of weapon, designer Israeli Galili worked on the 5,56 mm version of the Kalashnikov rifle using a barrel, bolt face parts and magazines from the Stoner 63 system. The resulting weapon showed excellent promise. Meanwhile IMI personnel learned that the Finland company SAKO produced a copy of the AK 47 called the M62. After modifying samples of the M62, IMI Small arms division, which was at that time under direction of Mr. Yaacov Lior, purchased unmarked Valmet M62 receivers and mated them with the 5.56 mm barrels. In addition to the modifications of the Valmet, the Stoner magazines were modified and added to the new rifle. The folding stock was a FN FAL derivation. The results were an Israeli AK version in the standard NATO caliber 5.56 mm. The “new” Israeli rifle, the Galil, was first issued to the troops in May of 1973.

The Galil family of assault rifles consist of the standard model ARM, (with bipod), the AR, SAR and MAR (Micro) scale down versions of the 5.56 mm standard Galil rifle. All models (except MAR) are also available in the 7.62 x 51 caliber. The special Sniper rifle was developed from an ARM 7.62 mm model. The Magal carbine was developed from the smallest of the Galil family, the MAR Micro Galil rifle, and the caliber was changed from 5.56 mm to .30 carbine.

MAGAL

The MAGAL carbine is a semi-automatic weapon in caliber .30 carbine. The ammunition of the new rifle the, .30 carbine, is a normal choice for the Israeli police because they have large quantities of the M1 Carbines in their inventory. The major modifications made on the MAR micro Galil rifles were changing the barrel, bolt and magazine. But that was not enough; they had to change the gas system too. The 5.56 x 45 mm ammunition produces higher-pressure then the .30 carbine ammo. The gas chamber hole had to be a little larger then the original one and in addition to that, the bolt carrier was also changed.

The bolt carrier of the Magal carbine is similar to a bolt carrier of the standard Galil rifle, except that the bolt carrier does not incorporate a gas piston in the bolt carrier assembly. The gases from the gas chamber directly hit the extension of the bolt carrier, which acts as a gas piston. It is hard chrome plated on the top, to ease the cleaning procedures.

In the Magal we can use M1 carbine magazines, but normally a 27 round magazine, produced for the new carbine feeds it. The new magazines are different from the magazines for the M1 carbines in the modified follower, which incorporates the bolt hold open device, to hold the bolt to the rear after the last round was fired. (The M1 Carbine has no automatic hold open device.)

The Jacket

The mechanical constructions of the MAGAL carbine, as a Galil derivation, were not altered in a major direction. The main designing change was put into an external outline of the new carbine. The front grip, which protects the shooter hand from heat produced by the gas system and hot barrel, is made from plastic material and is connected with a pistol grip. In the manufacturer’s operating manual, this part is described as a jacket, and it is in fact the plastic cover for the whole receiver. The jacket additionally protects the receiver and most of the barrel from atmospheric influence and hard treatment. An additional hand guard on the pistol grip is another feature that indicates that the MAGAL is to be used as a police weapon. Police sometimes use lethal weapons such as rifles or pistols for non-lethal purposes, such as trucheons, to hit the participants of demonstrations.

On the front side of the jacket below the barrel is an orifice for the flashlight. The flashlights are now standard equipment for the police to use in combination with firearms such as submachine guns, carbine or assault rifles. The flashlights are not suitable for military use because usually the opposing forces are likely to shoot at you when you expose your position with a flashlight.

In addition to the use of a flashlight as a standard accessory of the MAGAL, the carbine can be equipped with the grenade launcher M203, which can be mounted on a Magal after disassembling the jacket. Rubber bullets can be used with the canister, which can be mounted on the flash suppressor.

The Sights

The iron open sights used on Magal are a standard Galil type of sight and include the night sights (beta lights). The rear sights are orange and the front are green colluded. The rear adjustable sights are “L” flip-type sights and the small opening is used for distances of up to 150 meters. The more sophisticated collimator sights (red dot) are now the first choice of the police personnel for sights on tactical weapons. The Trijicon or Mepro types of collimators sights are mounted on the adapter on the receiver cover. More demanding customers can get the Magal equipped with “Eyal” sniper scope (4-x magnification).

All kinds of rear sights are attached to the receiver cover and that can be a problem for accuracy with a worn down weapon. The cover can be loosely fitted to a receiver, which can affect the accuracy of the rifle.

To dismantle the Magal follow this procedure: First, unload the weapon and examine the chamber. Push the cover catch forward, lift the receiver cover and detach it from the receiver. Push the recoil spring assembly forward and lift it from the receiver. Pull the bolt carrier to the utmost rear point and lift it from the receiver, push the bolt to the rear and turn it clockwise, then push it forward. To strip the gas cylinder just pull it backwards.

The recoil spring assembly on the Magal consists of an additional triangular rubber recoil buffer. Those kinds of buffers stop the wear on the bolt and bolt carrier from metal on metal pounding every time you fire. Felt recoil is also reduced because the buffer absorbs the recoil normally absorbed by the shooter’s shoulder.

On the range

I am sorry I cannot give you a shooting impression of the Magal, because IMI personnel were not able to allow me on the shooting range at the time I was in the factory. Maybe next time I’ll have more luck with IMI. Of all the Galil rifles, the Magal is very handy to operate with a full loaded carbine weight of 3,68 kg. With a low powered cartridge, the shooting should be more than comfortable. The original M1 carbine (2,5 kg) is very easy to shoot so the much heavier Magal should be in the same category.

Israeli police use standard full metal jacket military .30 carbine ammunition and IMI SP (soft point) cartridges. The muzzle velocity of the 110-grain (7,10 gram) soft point bullet fired from 50-cm barrel is 600 meters per second. With the 1278 joules of energy the bullet of the SP .30 carbine proved to have excellent stopping power. The new SP ammo was developed to meet the requirements of the Israeli Police. It can accurately engage targets up to a distance of 50 meters. It is ideally suited for use in crowded environments, where secondary casualties must be prevented.

Review

The Magal semi automatic carbine is a “police” carbine, with potential on the civilian market as a recreation or home defense weapon. In my opinion, IMI has made a big marketing mistake to classify the Magal as a police weapon, because in many states so called police or military weapons are prohibited for civilian customers. On the other hand the specialized police markets are already full of very good products in this area. The H&K MP5 submachine guns are a main player.

By Jani Kotnik

In the civil war in former Yugoslavia all parties have extensively used a lot of different sniper rifles. There are at least three known Croatian sniper weapons: a 7.62 mm bolt action (a Steyr SSG type); the 12.7 mm MACS firing a Browning cartridge and the 20 mm RT-20.

The original RT-20 has been successfully used by the Croatian army for three years, on every battlefield in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The RT-20 is a shoulder-fired weapon that falls into the anti-material rifle category. There is a question about how can we classify a 20 mm weapon, which fires shells normally used in AA cannons, as a rifle. The official name for the weapon is RT-20 (Rucni top 20 – Hand Canon 20) and it fires a 20 x 110 Hispano Suiza HS 404 round.

RT-20

The RT-20 is a single shot bolt-action cannon (or a rifle if you wish) with a manually operated bolt handle on the left side of the receiver. The receiver is screwed on the barrel which has eight RH groves. Bullpup layout reduces the length of the weapon, and the bolt is at the extreme rear of the weapon above and to the rear of the butt plate. A standard Pachmayr recoil pad is attached to the butt plate. Bolt weighs around 3 kg and has three sets of locking lugs (modified Weatherby system), opened by raising the bolt handle through 60 deg. The weapon has no safety device, once the bolt is moved forward and locked, it can be fired.

The whole system is based on the modified Parker Hale bipod, with assistance of the small monopod at the back of the stock. Ordinary riflescopes are not suitable for a weapon like RT-20 because of the lack of elevation adjustment for long-range shooting. RT-20 has a modified Austrian riflescope Kahles ZF 84 6 x 42, which has a special reticle to allow trajectory holds instead of clicking in elevation changes. On the right side of the gas block there is a rail for a rack (backpack) to carry the weapon for long distances.

Reducing recoil

The firing of a 20 mm weapon from the shoulder has always posed recoil problems because of the size of the propellant loads, so the manufacturer has made a significant effort to reduce the heavy recoil. He used a semi recoilless system with two gas brakes which reduce forces of recoil on shooter’s shoulder.

About half way down the barrel there is a block with a gas port facing upwards (gas chamber). As the projectile passes this point some of the propellant gases are tapped off and directed along recoil compensator tube to be vented behind and above the bolt area. At the end of the tube there is a cone shaped area (Venturi funnel) with an arc of 60 deg. Because of the back blast this weapon is hazardous when it is fired from a position where the walls are directly behind it. (back blast is 1 meter long).

The rearward escaping gases also means that the shooter cannot assume an orthodox firing position. He must sit or lie at an angle to the left of the receiver, his right shoulder supporting the weapon and assuming some of the recoil forces. Because of the shooter’s position, the bolt handle is on the left side of the receiver.

Recoil forces are further reduced by a very efficient multi-baffle muzzle break. The sophisticated muzzle brakes have an effect of “pulling” the gun forward by directing the muzzle blast sideways and backward. The combination of these two gas brakes makes recoil spread over a long duration, essentially the recoil has two phases, and it makes the recoil more like a “push” instead of ka-slam.

Ammunition

To understand the potential we have, we shall look at the ammunition – a cannon ammunition, M57 20 x 110. This is the Yugoslav version of an Hispano Suiza cartridges 20 x 110 HS 404, which was produced in 1930s and subsequently adopted by Britain and USA during the Second Word War. Several other countries adopted the AA cannons and ammunition of this pattern. This ammunition is still manufactured in Belgium, Italy and Yugoslavia.

Cartridge cases of steel or brass can be found. Ignition is made by conventional percussion cap pressed into the base of the case. Projectiles vary from solid armor-piercing to explosive and incendiary projectile with impact fuses. The Yugoslav version M57 has a self destructing fuze which will time destruct the outgoing shell from 4.5 to 9.5 second intervals, thus the maximum range for HE-I shell is from 1800 meters up. The HE-I shell is yellow colored, the armor-piercing/incendiary AP-I M60 which has a steel core with incendiary filling is colored black with a red stripe. According to the details from FN for 20mm ammunition, the muzzle velocity of the ammunition is 845 m/s. The velocity test of RT-20Mk2 showed a reduced velocity of 750 m/s with a standard deviation of 0.3 m/s. The AP will penetrate a 20 mm steel armor plate at 200 meters. The explosion of the HE-I shell will produce fragments with a 5 m lethal radius. The nature of the ammunition indicates that the RT-20 can be used as an anti-material and also as an anti-personnel weapon.

Use of RT-20

With the weights of 27 and 18 kg (RT20Mk2) the RT-20 are very handy weapons. They can be used in commando styled operations, as a sniper and counter-sniper weapon and especially as an anti- material weapon. It will destruct all soft skinned vehicles and penetrate the side armor of light armored vehicles, helicopters or aircraft on the airfield. A trained shooter can hit a pin point target such as an enemy soldier at a range of 1500 meters and more, only limited by the accuracy and quality of the cartridge. The Croatian forces have used a tactic to insert commando groups with an RT-20 in the rear of enemy positions to attack fire bases, convoys, command posts and all valuable targets in range of 2000 meters.

RT-20 has a significant firing signature, a muzzle blast at night and sound which will identify the firing position to the enemy. So the best tactic would be to shoot and scoot, if we tried to avoid a retaliation from opposition.

Test firing of RT-20 MARK 2

The basic model of the RT-20 has a total weight of some 27 kg, and it is made of steel and aluminum. The author of this text was privileged to test fire the prototype of 20 mm RT-20 Mark 2. The RT-20Mk2 is a light version with a reduced weight of 18.5 kg, and it is made of steel, aluminum and titanium. The receiver, barrel and bipod are made of steel, stock is from aluminum, the muzzle brake, gas chamber and retro active gas tube are from titanium.

Can you imagine an 18 kg weapon firing a huge 20 mm AA cartridge? Calculation with PCB 1.3 software, has shown that the physical recoil is 516.9 J of energy, with recoil velocity of 7.5 m/s. The twin brakes on RT-20 Mk2 must reduce a recoil to manageable level, to be handled by a normal sized man or a woman.

The test was undertaken on the Croatian military range under the supervision of designer.

Before going any further, I must admit that I was also tested at the firing. My first encounter with 20 mm ammunition was during the close firing of a M57 AA cannon. To discuss recoil, one 9.3 x 72R cartridge fired from a double barreled rife left a memorable signature on my nose. Combine the huge back blast of a M57 cannon and the recoil of a “mild” big game rifle, and you will establish respect for this powerful rifle. However, we were there on our own request, and a man’s got to do what man’s got to do.

The designer of RT-20 told me that I had to lean on the cannon and force it forward, in his words: “This is a man`s rifle which has to be treated properly”. The first shot went out to the 200 meter mark because I didn’t aim- I was trying to learn about and get accustomed to the recoil. When the shot rang out, I was pushed by the heavy force, but my shoulder stayed in place and I was in a single piece and OK. Then we started hunting for targets, and the second shot went to the 400 meters mark to cut down a pine tree (2 meters tall). The third shot was placed on a square meter target at 1000 meters, the fourth and the fifth were dead on at targets 1400 meters away. The sixth was a long shot at the 2000 meter mark. All targets were the same, a square meter of white paper. Because we had an ammunition lot with self destructive fuse set at 4.5 s a shell exploded at some 1800 meters, but the path was in line with the target, so we can assume a clear hit if we had different ammunition. Inspections of the targets show that some were totally gone, others were well perforated with shell splinters.

The weapon fired was a fine piece of art, with pint-point accuracy – easy to hit a man size target out to 1500 meters or more. But that is not important, the main reason to have this weapon in your arsenal is based on the destructive potential of 20 mm projectiles, with their ability to carry an explosive payload and penetrate light armor. Cost efficiency of the system is obvious, a single 30 US dollar well placed shell can destroy multi million dollar equipment; vehicles, choppers etc. at 2000 meters or more.