In May 2010 the Russian Ministry of Defence launched a program for developing the new assault rifle for the Russian armed forces. Afterwards it’s been speculated that the original goal of that program was to replace the AK-74-type assault rifle with the AEK-971 rifle, which was developed by the Kovrov arms plant. This project was a part of the Russian army Ratnik program that’s the comprehensive individual soldier equipment system.

According to public information, Izmash started the AK12 development from scratch, but it’s likely based on earlier work developed in Ishevsk in decades past. The project was originally known as the AK200 and its goal was to get the rifle included into the Russian Army Ratnik program. The AK200 type rifle included certain features like the hinged receiver, ambidextrous cocking handle, thumb operated safety, among others. Many of these features were not common with the standard AK rifles. Most of these features were rejected and the following AK400 rifle resembled the AK74. To make a long story short, the AK400 was adopted by the Russian armed forces as the AK12 in 5.45×39 and the AK15 in 7.62×39.

The Saiga TR3 is a semi-auto only version of the AK12/AK15. It shares most features with the AK12, but it bears some differences. It’s currently available in 5.45×39 and 7.62×39 calibers as well as in the 366 TKM (9.55×39) smoothbore caliber aimed primarily at the Russian domestic market.

RECEIVER AND BARREL

The receiver is a U-section of stamped 1.5 mm sheet steel and assembled by rivets and spot welds. The bolt rails are likely laser cut sheet steel parts riveted inside the receiver section. The barrel extension and rear trunnion are machined from steel and pinned to the receiver.

The receiver cover is stamped from sheet steel and it is basically similar to previous AK-variations. However, it’s mounted in a far different way. At the front end of the cover is a machined eyelet that fits into a recess on the gas tube base. The cover is locked in place with a cross pin that goes through the gas tube base. The rear end of receiver cover has machined steel hooks that fits the receiver rear trunnion. The receiver cover fitting is much tighter than that found on AK47/AKM/AK74 type rifles. The receiver cover mounting is far different from the standard AK because of how the optical sights mount on top of the receiver cover.

The barrel is mated on a barrel extension (trunnion) by threads. The barrel is a four groove model with a right hand twist and a 16.38 inch length (416 mm) as measured from muzzle to bolt face. The chamber and bore are chrome-plated. The twist rate was not measured or given with technical data, but the 5.45×39 caliber barrels have usually 1 turn in 200 mm (7.87 in) twist. In theory the barrel is free floating as the lower part of the forearm is mounted on the receiver, not on the barrel. However, the gas tube is fixed on the barrel, so the barrel is actually not free floating.

There is no muzzle thread, but the muzzle brake is mounted by rotating until it catches a QD lug and secured with a spring-loaded plunger.

BREECHBLOCK AND TRIGGER

The bolt carrier and bolt are of the basic AK-type with a long stroke gas piston. Even as it’s intended for the 5.45 mm cartridge, its weight and dimensions are similar to an 7.62 mm AK. However, the 5.45 mm and 7.62 mm parts are not interchangeable. The gas piston is chrome-plated and it has no circular grooves like the AK47or the AKM. Like the AK military versions, the TR3 bolt has a floating firing pin. The bolt handle is on the right side of receiver and it’s the same finger-hook type as used with the AK rifles.

The trigger mechanism is a basic AK-type in semi auto configuration and there’s no auto sear or even a place for it. The trigger is two-stage with a pull weight of 4.2 pounds. The safety lever operation is of the basic AK type and the lever has second shelf for easier access. The safety lever is similar to the Krebs Enhanced Safety.

FURNITURE

The buttstock is both collapsible and folding. The buttstock length of pull has 4 positions from 10.7 to 13.2 inches (273 to 335 mm). The buttstock and its tube look similar to those of the AR15, but the dimensions are different and the parts are not interchangeable. A rubber recoil pad is fixed on a removable buttplate that covers a compartment inside the stock tube. The stock is held open with a spring-loaded button/latch located at the rear of the left side of receiver.

The stock folds on the left side and it locks on the side by a spring-loaded hook. The stock hinge includes a mechanism that locks the trigger mechanism and prevents bolt and slide movement. There is no provision to fire the rifle with the stock folded; that feature is likely omitted to comply with Russian firearm laws.

The plastic pistol grip is ergonomically shaped with finger grooves and an ambidextrous thumb rest. The pistol grip has a removable core that stores an oil bottle and some tools.

The handguard is also made from plastic and it has two halves. The lower half is mounted on the receiver with a large cross pin. The upper half of the handguard is mounted on the lower half with a snap-on coupling. The handguard has fixed Picatinny rails on top and bottom. There is also a provision to mount short plastic rails.

SIGHTS AND MAGAZINE

The iron sights are more similar to the Valmet/Galil pattern than typical AK open sights. The front sight is mounted on the gas block. The front post is adjustable for elevation with a separate tool and it has protective ears.  The rear sight is mounted on the rear of the receiver cover. The rear sight is anaperture type with sliding tangent adjustable from 100 meters up to 600 meters, and with a battle sight setting of 400 meters, marked with a Cyrillic ”P”. The rear sight is also adjustable for windage with 0.22 MRAD clicks. The adjustment mechanism is similar to the RPK rear sight. On the top of the receiver cover is a fixed Picatinny rail for mounting an optical sight.

The polymer magazine has a steel reinforced rear spine and front locking lugs. The magazine is a staggered row type and it is compatible with AK74 rifles. It has the size and shape of 30 round magazines, but its capacity is 10 rounds. Inside the magazine is a limiter made from heavy steel wire. The limiter is quite easy to remove; it’s likely there to meet current European Union gun legislation and perhaps Russian gun laws, too.

TEST FIRING AND HANDLING

For test firing of the 5.45×39 Saiga TR3, the only ammunition available was Barnaul 60-grain lead core FMJBT. Shooting from a sandbag support with iron sights at an outdoor range in snowy conditions and 14°F (-10°C) temperature, produced 3.6 MOA groups while shooting seven, 5-rounds groups. That’s not the best the AK platform can produce but the TR3 produced groups typical of many AKs.

In addition to accuracy testing, the Saiga TR3 saw some faster shooting situations. The TR3 performed well in fast, close range situations. It’s easy handling and fast shooting. With double taps, it was easy to keep the sights on target. The safety selector was stiff, but the rifle was also brand new. A feature that makes the safety selector stiff is the mechanism that locks trigger and bolt when the buttstock is folded. The safety lever has a second shelf, similar to the Krebs safety. On the other hand, it makes safety manipulation easier with gloves on, but it may also catch on clothing or equipment.

As previously noted, the iron sights were far from the familiar AK-style. The rear sight has a small diameter aperture that works well on bullseye targets, but the aperture is too small for quicker shooting. But, mount a red-dot up top, and the TR3 does much better.

The included 5.45 mm plastic AK magazine is bit trickier to fill than the 7.62 mm steel magazine. The magazine fit in the receiver is tight and requires more care to insert properly than with a 7.62 mm AK magazine.

Disassembly of the Saiga TR3 follows the usual AK sequence with few exceptions. The receiver cover is mounted differently and held in place by a cross pin at the front end of the cover. The gas piston tube is fixed and cannot be removed. But, for cleaning, it has a removable end plug.

There are no muzzle threads to mount a sound suppressor. However, the muzzle brake QD lug can be used to mount a sound suppressor. B&T make suppressors that mount on TR3’s QD lug.

The Saiga TR3 comes with cleaning kit, oil bottle, sight tool and one 10-round magazine. The Saiga TR3 isn’t the cheapest AK-type rifle available. In Europe the TR3 costs about 2,100 Euros; that is more than the price tag of the average AR15 rifle. Yet the TR3 is likely one of the best AK rifles currently available.

by Janne Pohjoispaa

Subcaliber conversion kits for marksmanship training were quite popular in the era between world wars. In Europe, 4mm subcaliber barrels for the P.08 Luger and the C96 Mauser “Broomhandle” pistols were common during the 1920s and 1930s. Additionally, .22 LR rimfire versions of service rifles and pistols were developed for military training in several countries, yet few were actually adopted and issued in large quantities.

Things changed rapidly after World War II. The nuclear bomb and swift development of military technology during World War II turned military tactics and doctrines toward highly mechanized warfare. With few exceptions, the focus of military training on marksmanship and individual shooting skills received little attention.

However, in 1959 UK MoD Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) came to the conclusion that there was a need for a .22 rimfire version of their then-current 7.62x51mm NATO caliber L1A1 battle rifle for recruit training. An RFP (Request for proposal) was given to potential British and Canadian manufacturers and in the summer of 1959, the British company Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) introduced a .22 rimfire conversion for the L1A1 rifle. The .22 rimfire variation was actually the L1A1 converted permanently for firing .22-rimfire ammunition. The BSA training rifle had an excellent accuracy potential but it was too expensive and required permanent modifications for the rifle. Only a few BSA-converted L1A1’s were ever made. It was never adopted officially and the project for a .22 rimfire training rifle was cancelled. It is interesting to note that decades later, following the very same idea, the Brazilian firearm manufacturer IMBEL came up with a full-sized .22 rimfire caliber version of the FAL rifle. IMBEL .22 FALs, which are still available, have been produced in both semiautomatic-only and selective-fire configurations.

Back in England, the idea for a .22 LR rimfire counterpart to the L1A1 was revived in the 1970s. At that time Heckler & Koch made a .22 rimfire conversion kit for the Metric FN FAL. With minor modifications this conversion unit was also adaptable to Commonwealth FALs. The H&K .22 conversion kit was originally developed in the 1950’s for the German Bundeswehr FN FAL, known as the G1.

The L12A1 conversion kit is not a firearm per se. Not until it is properly installed can it be used for shooting. The L12A1 conversion kit consists of three main components: barrel, breechblock assembly and magazine. An original L12A1 kit includes two 20-round magazines which, together with barrel and breechblock assembly, were stored in a robust wooden box.

The barrel has an overall length of 549 mm (21.6 inches) and has six grooves with a right hand twist. When inserted in the L1A1 rifle barrel, it fits all the way up to the muzzle. The .22 rimfire subcaliber barrel outline follows the bore and chamber shape of the 7.62x51mm NATO barrel and fits tightly to L1A1 bore. The .22-rimfire barrel walls are very thin and care is required while handling the barrel assembly to prevent damage. After the barrel has been installed in the bore, the magazine and bolt guide sleeve on the breechblock assembly prevent removal of the subcaliber barrel.

The .22 RF breechblock assembly includes the bolt body, bolt guide sleeve, bolt stop, recoil spring and the recoil spring guide which joins the breechblock components into a single assembly. This replaces the L1A1 slide and bolt.

The .22 RF bolt is of one-piece construction milled from a solid block of steel and weighs 6.3 ounces (180 g). The bolt face has no recess for the cartridge head as the chamber completely surrounds the cartridge. The single-claw extractor is a U-shaped hook stamped from sheet steel. The ejector is a small roll pin placed inside the bolt guide sleeve. The bolt guide sleeve serves also as the case deflector that forces expelled cases directly to the side. Ejected cases are expelled approximately 2 meters, regardless of cartridge type. The subcaliber assembly includes no separate cocking handle as the original L1A1 retracting handle serves for cycling the .22 rimfire bolt.

The L12A1 feed device is a single-column 20-round box magazine that is placed inside an original L1A1 magazine body. A single-column-type magazine is the most reliable feeding configuration for .22 rimfire firearms and serves this conversion well.

The L12A1 barrel and breech block will also fit in metric FN FAL uppers, yet due to the inch pattern of Commonwealth FALs, the conversion kit magazine works properly with British and Australian L1A1s only.

For evaluation purposes, the L12A1 conversion kit was mounted in an Australian Lithgow-made L1A1. Except for some small external details, the Australian version of the L1A1 is the very same as made in Enfield and Birmingham, England. Instead of a baked painted finish, Australian L1A1s have a “Parkerized” (phosphate) finish. Additionally, Australian-made L1A1s have chrome-lined bores and chambers while British-made rifles have only chromed chambers to ensure reliable fired case extraction. Both British and Australian L1A1s were originally issued with wooden furniture, but most British L1A1’s were later fitted with black plastic furniture while Australian rifles have wooden furniture made from native Australian hardwood called Coachwood.

Installing the conversion kit requires removing the original bolt and slide and inserting the .22 rimfire barrel liner into the bore. After the conversion kit breechblock and magazine are installed, the .22 rimfire L1A1 is ready to fire. The charging handle, magazine catch/release and safety work as before.

Generally speaking, not all .22 rimfire subcaliber training devices work reliably, but the L1A1 .22 conversion kit does. In fact, it cycles more reliably than most .22 rimfire rifles with a wide range of different ammunition. We tested it with a substantial variety of standard-grade ammunition including Aguila Super Extra, Geco LR rifle, Lapua Super Club and CCI Standard. Only subsonic hollow-point-type ammunition is too light to cycle the action reliably.

The L12A1 conversion kit is an excellent example of the .22-rimfire conversion kits actually issued for military training purposes. It appears that not all of the kits purchased by UK MoD were issued to British troops. The L12A1 used for the SAR evaluation was in never fired, unissued condition.

By Janne Pohjoispää

Although some sources have cited the vz 58 as a Czech copy of Kalashnikov design, it is not. The vz 58 is reminiscent in appearance to the AK-47 and AKM assault rifles, but its operating system is completely different. With painted metal surfaces, the vz 58 looks cheap, but its construction includes greater number of machined components than the H&K rifles or machine guns have.

In external configuration the vz 58 appears similar to the Kalashnikov assault rifles. The barrel is mated is to an open-top receiver. The gas piston is located over the barrel and the magazine has a curved shape similar to that of the AK series. However, except an open top receiver, many of these features can be also found on the WWII-vintage German MP43/MP44/StG44 assault rifles.

In the post-WWII period, the Czechoslovakian armed forces acquired substantial number of small arms captured from German troops and also obtained from other European entities as well. Prior to the Second World War, Czechoslovakia had been a large armaments supplier that exported military small arms including large numbers of the Mauser 98-type rifles and the excellent ZBvz26 and ZBvz30 light machine guns. After the war, the small arms industry that had served the German cause, turned rapidly to produce new small arms of domestic design. This occurred even prior to the communist takeover in 1948.

At the same time, the Soviet army was just fielding the SKS semi-automatic carbine and a new assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov appeared on the scene. Both these rifles were chambered for the intermediate 7.62x39mm M43 cartridge. During this time interval, the Czechoslovakian small arms industry introduced the semiautomatic vz52 carbine. The vz52 has a short stroke gas piston mounted around the barrel, similar to the German Mkb42(W), and tilting bolt with front-mounted locking lugs. It was originally chambered for a novel 7.62x45mm cartridge that served with the vz52 light machine gun, too. The 7.62x45mm cartridge remained in service only for few years until it was replaced with the 7.62x39mm M43 round in 1957. A version of the vz52 that was chambered for the Soviet cartridge became known as the vz 52/57. It was short lived, as a new selective-fire assault rifle destined to compete with the AK, was already on the drawing board. In 1958, this new 7.62x39mm caliber assault rifle was adopted as the Samopal vz58.

The vz58 appeared in two basic variations, the fixed-stock vz58P and the vz58V equipped with a side-folding metal stock. Except for this distinction, these two models appear to be otherwise identical. In addition to these, there exists a version called as the vz58Pi, which is the basic vz58P except that it has a provision for mounting an infrared night sighting device on the left side of receiver. The vz58Pi also features a light bipod and a conical flash hider attached to the muzzle. During the 1970s, some experiments were reportedly conducted with some 5.45x39mm caliber conversions. None were adopted, and interest turned during the 1980’s to the AK-based LADA small arms family (assault rifle, SMG and LMG) that were originally designed for the Soviet 5.45x39mm M74 round but later modified for the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge.

Like most other post-WWII products of the Czechoslovakian small arms industry, the vz58 assault rifle was not widely distributed outside the borders of Czechoslovakia. The vz58 was seldom seen on the news. However, the 7.62x39mm vz58 assault rifles were frequently encountered in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East in the hands of communist-backed forces commencing with the conflict in Viet Nam. Czech vz58 rifles were also issued to certain terrorist groups, including the Palestinian “Black September” movement. After Czechoslovakia was divided into two nations, the Czech and Slovakian republics, respectively, in 1992, vz58 assault rifles, along with a small number of the AK74-type 5.45x39mm rifles stayed in service with the armed forces of both nations.

The vz58 is gas-operated with a short-stroke piston and fires from the closed-bolt position. The gas system has a gas block pattern and location similar to the basic AK/Sturmgewehr design. The piston is placed over the barrel and topped with a sheet steel cover, secured with a single cross pin. The gas system has no regulator or provision for a gas cut-off. The piston is not integral with the bolt carrier. The piston’s maximum travel is 0.6 inches (16 mm), and it has its own return spring to drive it back to its forward position. The piston is chromium plated for better corrosion resistance.

Most gas-operated assault rifles have rotating bolt heads with front mounted locking lugs. The vz58’s bolt moves vertically along the bolt carrier’s guide ways. The bolt has a falling locking block with dual locking lugs. Construction is very similar to the Walther P38 or the more recent Beretta 92 except that the locking block operates in the opposite direction, i.e., the locking block drops into the battery. When driven backwards by the gas piston, the bolt carrier withdraws 0.67 inches (17 mm) until the locking piece disengages from the receiver and then moves a further 0.12 inches (3 mm) until bolt engages the bolt carrier follows its rearward motion. As the bolt has no rotating head, there is no primary extraction. The bolt body has a recessed breech face and a single claw-type extractor. The firing pin is of the floating-type as used with most military rifles. The bolt carrier was milled from solid steel bar stock and has complex shape, including bolt guide ways and clearances for allowing the vertical movements of the pivoting locking piece. It should be noted here that the vz58 could be assembled and fired without the locking piece, with disastrous results.

In a manner similar to the SKS carbine or Czech vz52 and vz52/57 rifles, there is a stripper clip guide milled on the front face of the bolt carrier. The 30-round magazine is, however, detachable. Although the vz58 magazine is similar to the AK pattern, it is not interchangeable. The vz58 magazine is stamped from sheet aluminum with ribbed sides. The magazine catch/release is of the AK-type, but smaller of size and can be accessed easily from the left side only.

The magazine follower incorporates a stud that activates the bolt’s hold-open device after the last shot is fired. The small-sized operating button of the hold-open device is located at the front of trigger guard and it can be used to leave the bolt group in the retracted position. There is no manual latch for releasing the retracted bolt and this is accomplished by removing the empty magazine or by inserting a loaded one and pulling back slightly and then releasing the cocking handle. The cocking handle is integral with the piston slide and positioned obliquely upwards.

There is no conventional rotating hammer on the vz58, but its striker-type hammer is a horizontally moving hollow steel bar, which is powered by its own spring assembly that is integral with the receiver’s top cover. The hammer passes through the bolt carrier to the base of the bolt where firing pin is located. Due to its configuration the selective-fire trigger mechanism is different from the majority of designs used with most small arms. In fact, just such a mechanism is encountered on the Swedish Bofors L/60 automatic cannon. The vz58 trigger mechanism can be described as a scaled-down version of design used with the Bofors automatic cannons. The 40 mm Bofors automatic cannon, introduced in 1929, was the first successful automatic cannon design.

There are two separate sears, side by side, for single-shot and full-auto fire. The full-auto sear is located 1.5 mm behind the single-shot sear. The single-shot sear is fitted with a disconnector that controls the bolt carrier’s movement and when the trigger is pulled the disconnector breaks the trigger connection to the semiauto sear until the trigger is released. When set on the full-auto mode, the disconnector is disengaged and the semiauto sear is connected rigidly to the trigger and held down as long as trigger is pulled. The full-auto sear has a separate trip arm that controls the full-auto sear when the trigger is pulled and holds down the semiauto sear. The fire selector is located just above the pistol grip, on the right side of weapon. The middle position is safe and when the selector is rotated forward, the rifle provides single shots. If rotated backwards, full- auto fire results. The selector markings are “1” and “30,” respectively.

If there is a single component that resembles the AK47, it’s the receiver. The receiver is milled from solid steel, but smaller than the AK. The vz58 is also shorter than the AK-47 or AKM. The receiver has a stamped sheet-metal steel top cover that overlays the rear half of the receiver. The receiver cover includes both the recoil spring and hammer spring that are secured by a single cross pin.

The relatively light barrel has an overall length of 400 mm. The bore has four-groove rifling with a right-hand twist of one turn in 9.45 inches (240 mm). Like most other military rifles and machine guns of Warsaw Pact origin, the bore and chamber are hard chrome plated for better corrosion resistance against powder and primer residues, to withstand the over heating produced by full-auto fire and also to inhibit accelerated wear from firing steel-jacketed ammo. The vz58 has a right-handed muzzle thread to accept a blank firing device or flash hider. It is not compatible to the Kalashnikov muzzle devices. In addition, the bayonet is different from AKM wire-cutter types. The bayonet attaches to a longitudinal rail under the barrel, and slides forward in a unique mounting manner. This bayonet rail also accepts a light bipod with non-adjustable legs.

The earliest examples of the vz58 had wooden stocks, but most vz58s will be encountered with furniture made from red Bakelite reinforced with wood fiber. Sources also report that some recently built rifles were fitted with black plastic furniture. The main difference between the vz58 basic variations is the type of buttstock, as mentioned previously. The vz58P has a fixed, partially hollow Bakelite stock with a steel buttplate, while the vz58V has an L-shaped side folding stock made from steel wire. The vz58 buttstock has a shorter length-of-pull than that found on the most of the AK series. Unlike the Kalashnikov design, the vz 58 buttstock provides no provision for storing cleaning kit. Neither is a cleaning rod is furnished with rifle.

Both the forearm and handguard are quite similar in configuration to those of the Kalashnikov. However, unlike the AK models, the vz58 forearm is riveted in place and cannot be removed without tools. The top handguard is mounted on the gas piston cover. The pistol grip is small and has a shape reminiscent of the late models of the Fallschirmjagergewehr 42. Neither the forearm nor pistol grip are checkered. They both have a glossy, and quite slippery, surface. The rear sling swivel is mounted on the left side of buttstock and the front swivel is attached to the gas block.

Czech vz58 rifles can be found with either a manganese phosphate (Parkerized) or baked gray enamel finish. Our test and evaluation specimen was marked “she 75” and had the latter type of finish.

The vz58 has a set of iron sights very similar to those of the Kalashnikov assault rifles. The front sight is a square post protected by a substantial hood. The front sight is adjustable for both elevation and windage by means of special tools. The rear sight is an open U-notch mounted on a sliding tangent-type base. It is adjustable for elevation only, from 100 meters to 800 meters with 100-meter increments and a 350-meter battle-sight setting. The sight radius is 13.94 inches (354 mm).

There is no provision for mounting auxiliary sighting devices on either the P or V versions of the vz58. The much rarer vz58Pi has an optical sight mounting bracket on the left side of the receiver for Russian NSP infra-red night vision device and the more recent Russian passive night vision devices, including the 1PN58 and 1PN51.

Firing and Handling Characteristics

The vz58 is shorter, thinner and lighter than the AK47 or AKM. The vz58 weighs 1.5 pounds less than the AKM and 2.5 pounds less than the AK47. It is also about 2 inches shorter than the AK47 and AKM assault rifles. The vz58 is easy to carry and feels more like a pistol-caliber submachine gun than a 7.62x39mm caliber assault rifle.

Yes, It’s light, compact and handy, but these qualities bring disadvantages. The vz58 is not very easy to operate with winter mittens; both the selector switch and magazine catch/release are difficult to manipulate if gloves are used. In addition, during prolonged firing sessions some insulation for the forearm is required. If a substantial number of rounds are fired, the vz58 gets so hot that it cannot be comfortably supported with the bare hand. The slim Bakelite handguard provides limited heat insulation and the lightweight barreled action won’t absorb much heat either.

The vz 58 was test fired with three types of the 7.62x39mm M43 caliber ammunition including Chinese Norinco 123-grain FMJ (Full Metal Jacket), Czech 123-grain FMJ sold under the brand name “KOPP” and Finnish Lapua 123-grain FMJ. When fired from the bench at a range of 100 meters, the vz58 was capable of generating 4 to 5 MOA groups with steel-cased Chinese and Czech ammo and 3 to 4 MOA groups with Lapua ammunition. Accuracy is close to average AK-grade, perhaps slightly better.

Strangely, the short stroke, piston-operated vz58 has lower perceived recoil than heavier Kalashnikov rifles. During the test firing sequence, the vz58 operated flawlessly with steel-cased ammunition, but produced continual extraction and feeding malfunction when brass-cased ammunition was cycled through the rifle. Evidently, steel cases are harder and will not adhere to the chamber walls as firmly as brass cases, which require more extraction momentum.

The vz58 expels empty cases about two meters (7 feet) to right. The ejection path is neither as violent as that of the AK series nor are the cases damaged, although this latter is of little concern to a military user.

Although finely made, the vz58 is poorly finished. It is pleasant to handle and fire, if only steel-cased ammunition is employed. Operators prefer what they are programmed to use. I am used to firing and handling the Finnish variant of the AK47, which I still think is better than the vz58. While the Czech rifle is more accurate, the AK is easier to shoot and deploy with and, most important, substantially more reliable.

US LE, Dealers and collectors Notes:

Class Three Supply (724-962-1890) has been importing Post 86 dealer sample restricted vz58s for law enforcement and Class 3 Dealers. Prices are reasonable- in the $400 range, and the quality of the guns I have seen has been excellent. Sarco (908-647-3800) has been selling parts kits, and bayonets have been relatively easy to find on the market, at about $40 each. The leather mag pouches that hold 4 magazines have been on the market recently as well, I bought a set at Knob Creek. There are 4 known transferable vz58s in the United States. There may be more, but I have never seen them. There were three full stock and one folder. One set was sold as full stock and folder, and these two were Vietnam bringbacks, registered in that time period. The finish on all of the transferables that I have seen was of the grey paint, and the stocks were all red bakelite style

While machine guns were used in real conflicts since the Matabele War in 1893, followed by the Boer War (1899 – 1902) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904 – 1905), the First World War changed views on full automatic infantry weapons forever. Mobile warfare required portable automatic weapons, and to a great extent machine gun development mutated from tripod or wheeled carriage mounted water cooled machine guns, to lighter guns, which were air-cooled and magazine-fed. These new guns were called light machine guns or automatic rifles depending who was talking about them. The Danish Madsen light machine gun originally designed by Jens Torring Schouboe, was one of first LMG designs available at that time. It was followed by Lewis, Chauchat and a few others, which were all fired in anger during the Great War.

During the First World War, a serviceable machine gun was almost worth its weight in gold. If the machine gun was a highly prized war “booty” for major armies like the Germans, French and British, one can anticipate how smaller nations like Finland greatly regarded captured machine guns. After the WWI, a newborn Finnish Army had a limited number of machine guns and an even more limited number of man portable light machine guns. In the latter category the most common types were the German MG 08/15 and its less successful aircooled variation, the MG 08/18, both in original caliber 7.92 x 57 mm. The MG 08/15’s and MG 08/18’s were acquired from German expeditionary forces and purchased from France in 1919. Other LMG types including the Lewis, French Chauchat and the Danish Madsen were captured in small numbers from Soviet-Russian forces or Soviet-backed Finnish Red Guards. Some Lewis light machine guns, mainly in caliber 7.62 x 54 R, were imported after the war. To meet increasing needs for maneuverable warfare and to standardize a miscellaneous selection of automatic weapons, the Ordnance Department of Finnish armed forces selected the Danish Madsen LMG in 1920. Until 1928, the Finnish Army and National Guard purchased more than 700 Madsen light machine guns of various models from Denmark, mainly in caliber 7.62 x 54 R. Although in the early 1920’s Finns even aspired to license manufacturing of the Madsen, it was later considered too complicated and liable to malfunctions in the Finnish northern climate. However, it is also quite obvious that buying armament from abroad was quite hard for the economy of a young nation.

At this point, the L/S-26 light machine gun arrives on stage. In the early 1920’s young ordnance NCO Aimo Johannes Lahti (1896 – 1970) designed a submachine gun which later became the renowned Suomi M1931 SMG. At that point in time, the submachine gun wasn’t yet considered a serious military weapon. Therefore, his supervisors urged Lahti to develop a new light machine gun as the army was looking for a successor for the Madsens and MG 08’s. Lahti started to develop a light machine gun, first at his own expense, and after October, 1924, with an official assignment from Ministry of Defense.

In October of 1924, the Finnish Ministry of Defense established the Light Machine Gun Committee (Pikakiväärikomitea), to select a new LMG for the Finnish armed forces. While the LMG Committee was officially selecting a new weapon, it was quite obvious that they would all rather that the new LMG would be of Finnish design and manufacture as opposed to an imported one. Certain specifications, including that it should operate properly with the Finnish 7.62 x 53 R (*) service round, gave some advantage to a native design.

* The 7.62 x 53 R is a Finnish designation for the Russian/Soviet rimmed 7.62 x 54 R round. Despite a different name, the Finnish round is interchangeable with the 7.62 x 54 R.

Although Lahti had independently developed a submachine gun, to the bureaucrats he was only a self-educated inventor without any formal competence in small arms designing. Therefore lieutenant (later general-major) A.E. Saloranta was appointed as Lahti’s instructor and supervisor. Lieutenant Saloranta, who later became an important character in Finnish military small arms circles, had studied ordnance technology at the Royal Danish Military Academy. Perhaps due to this, it was quickly apparent that Lahti and Saloranta couldn’t work together, so Lahti continued his design work alone. While not close friends, Saloranta later helped Aimo Lahti to get sufficient compensation for his design, as Lahti had designed the L/S-26 mainly at his own expense, and the government at first refused his compensation. While the L/S-26 is a brainchild of Aimo J. Lahti, from the viewpoint that Saloranta worked on it, and helped Lahti with his government contract, it is justified that Saloranta has his name in that designation as well.

General-Major Saloranta’s career was a contradictory one. He was associated with the ill-fated “Lining Affair” (refurbishing worn-out Mosin-Nagant M1891 barrels by lining them using a so called Salerno-method) and the inoperative administration of the State Rifle Factory, which caused lengthy delay of issuing the first L/S-26’s to Finnish armed forces. Later he designed a military pistol which was, however, rejected in favor of Lahti’s L-35, and the Salobellum .22 rimfire conversion kit for the Parabellum pistol.

The first LMG prototype chambered for the 7.92 x 57 mm round was finished in the summer of 1925. In comparative trials arranged during the late part of 1925, the L/S-26 was fired against the Madsen, Swiss Ferrer MG 25, Colt-made BAR 1918, Anglo-French design Vickers-Berthier, French Hotchkiss and Italian Breda. After trials the L/S-26 light machine gun was found the most suitable type, and it was officially adopted on August 13, 1926, as “Pikakivääri m/26”, better known as the Lahti-Saloranta 26 or simply, the L/S-26.

As stated above, it took almost four years before the first L/S-26 light machine gun manufactured by VKT was issued to the Finnish Army in 1930. Established in Jyäskylä„ to manufacture the L/S-26 light machine guns, Valtion Kivääritehdas (State Rifle Factory) or VKT had serious administrative and technical problems with starting production of the L/S-26.

When production finally started in 1930, about 500 guns per year were manufactured. The last batch of the L/S-26 light machine guns was delivered to the Army in 1942. Altogether around 4700 L/S-26 light machine guns in caliber 7.62 x 53 R were fabricated for the Finnish Army. The main reason for ceasing production during WWII was that twice as many (around 10,000) Soviet DP light machine guns were captured from the Red Army. Nicknamed the “Emma” (*) by Finns, the gas-operated DP was highly respected by many first-line units, particularly due to its exceptional reliability in extreme conditions. The DP and its armoured vehicle variation known as the DT, became the standard weapons of the Finnish Army during WWII, and the Finnish arms industry started manufacturing magazines and spare parts for captured Degtyarev light machine guns.

* The Emma waltz was performed by various artists since 1929, and was one of Finland’s top hits in the 1930’s and during WWII, but why is the DP called “Emma”? The connection between a gramophone turntable and DP’s 47 rd flat drum magazine was obvious…

When Finland became involved in WWII in November 1939, the L/S-26 was the principal light machine gun of the Finnish armed forces. Virtually all existing stockpiles of the MG 08/15s, MG 08/18s and Madsens were sold abroad in the early 1930’s. The number of existing L/S-26’s was insufficient for a war-time army, but the situation became far better as Degtyarev LMGs captured from Soviet forces in large numbers during the Winter War (1939 – 1940), and the Continuation War (1941 – 1944) provided needed relief.

No commercial success

In early 1930’s Aimo J. Lahti developed an improved variation of the L/S-26 which accepted a 75 round drum magazine. Known as the L/S-26/31 it was originally intended as an observer’s machine gun for aircraft, but was soon adapted for ground use. The first models were designed to accept a 75 rd drum only, but very quickly they introduced a model which accepted both box and drum magazines. After minor modifications it was renamed as the L/S-26/32. The L/S-26/31 or the L/S-26/32 was officially adopted by the Finnish Army, while the few guns remaining at the VKT factory were put into service during the Winter War.

VKT invested a lot of money for marketing Lahti designs, but the improved models of the L/S-26 successors gained no significant commercial success. In the early 1930’s, VKT offered Lahti-designed machine guns and machine cannons to several European and South American countries, but without success. All that was changed in 1937, when the National Chinese government ordered 40,000 LS-26/32 LMG’s in caliber 7.92 mm Mauser. The first batch of 1200 guns was delivered to China in 1937. Soon after that the Japanese government asked the Finnish to cease arms sales to China. Although this single sale would have compensated all the establishment cost of the VKT factory at Jyväskylä, politics played a more important role. In addition to the 7.62 x 53 R and 7.92 x 57 mm caliber models, the prototypes were also made for the 6.5 x 51 mm Arisaka, 7 x 57 mm, 7.65 x 53 mm Argentine Mauser, .303 British and 8 x 56 R Solothurn (Hungarian) cartridges.

Recoil operated

The L/S-26 light machine gun fires from an open bolt and operates by the short recoil principle. The short recoil principle means that at the early stages of the recoiling stroke, the barrel and bolt engaged on the barrel will withdraw together for a short distance. Motion of the barrel discontinues, and the bolt continues alone on its backwards path. When the bolt comes back with a fresh round, it will chamber the cartridge and engage again on the barrel assembly. If the recoil operated gun fires from an open bolt, the striker will usually hit the primer before the barrel assembly is fully in the battery position. This principle is often referred to as “advanced ignition” or “floating fire”.

The L/S-26 works just that way. The upper receiver and barrel shroud permanently mated on the upper receiver, comprises the cradle for the barrel assembly. The upper receiver has bedways for the barrel assembly, and a guideway to control locking block movement. The muzzle of the barrel rests against the front of the barrel shroud, which serves as the bearing surface for the barrel. The L/S-26 barrel assembly includes a long, tubular barrel extension, which houses the bolt. The barrel extension has a tilting locking block that is connected on the receiver guideway via a pivot arm. The locking block will rise and fall according to the barrel extension movement. The barrel extension also includes an accelerator lever, which pushes the bolt backwards while the locking piece disengages from the bolt. The accelerator used with the L/S-26 also appears on other Lahti designed recoil operated small arms including the L-35 pistol. The barrel assembly weighs 5.11 lbs (2.32 kg), and the cyclic rate is moderate, 450 – 550 rpm depending on the ammunition used. The highest rates of fire in 7.62 x 54 R caliber weapons can usually be obtained with the Soviet silver tipped “LPS” light ball, which is usually judged the hottest service ammunition available for this caliber.

The upper receiver has a hinged top cover, which houses the cocking handle assembly. The cocking handle engages the bolt from above. It has no return spring, so it requires manually returning it to the front position.

Many gas-operated machine guns firing from an open bolt have fixed firing pins, which will hit the primer as the bolt goes to battery. Recoil operated L/S-26 employs a different and more complex system. The L/S-26 has a horizontally moving striker, which cocks as the bolt goes rearwards, and releases when the bolt goes to battery. The striker assembly is located inside the recoil spring capsule in the buttstock. The striker/recoil spring assembly is an Achilles’ heel of the system, and it is highly liable to jams while dirty or greased during the cold weather. Keeping the capsule absolutely dry and clean was a lesson learned the hard way during the early stages of the Winter War. The pre-War period Finnish Army regulations distinctly forbade disassembly of the lower receiver for all except armourers. The Winter War lessons were learned here, too, and regulations were checked. I have an army ordnance department manual printed in 1942, which gives instructions for disassembly of the striker/recoil spring assembly. However, those soldiers who received their advanced training with the National Guard (Suojeluskunta) knew well what was required to keep L/S-26 firing in the deep freeze of the Winter War.

The L/S-26 selective fire trigger mechanism provides both single shots and full auto fire. The sliding fire selector is located between the magazine catch and trigger guard. The selector has no markings, but it fires full auto on forward, and when pulled backwards it fires single shots. The safety is mounted just in front of the trigger guard. As the L/S-26 fires from an open bolt and employs a vertically moving striker, no hammer is required. The trigger mechanism has a tripping sear similar to most submachine guns. The L/S-26 trigger mechanism was nothing special, but in the pre-WWII era the construction of the trigger mechanism was classified as top secret. Revealing the construction details to foreigners, especially to those of the Soviet Union, would have been judged as treason.

The trigger mechanism, recoil spring and striker assembly are mounted on a separate lower receiver, which covers the receiver at the back and bottom. The lower receiver also mounts the buttstock assembly.

The L/S-26 has a heavy fluted and tapered barrel with a length of 19.7 inches (500 mm). The barrel is mounted on the barrel extension by means of a thread. The barrel assembly includes the barrel, barrel extension and bolt can be removed in the field, but as each assembly requires a specific bolt with correct, individually fitted headspace, it is not a true quick change barrel. Most L/S-26’s were originally issued with an additional barrel assembly carrying the same serial number. The spare barrel assembly, which is called the “Varamekanismi” in Finnish (the spare mechanism) was stored and carried in a scabbard made from leather or later from birchwood. As most L/S-26’s saw hard usage during WWII, spare barrel assemblies are currently scarce. Owning a gun and a spare barrel assembly with the same numbers is more than good luck.

The barrel shroud has an internal thread, which mounts the flash hider and alternatively, the blank firing attachment. A separate blank firing barrel assembly, the “Paukkupatruunamekanismi” (blank firing mechanism) was used with the BFA. A spanner wrench was used for fastening/dismounting the flash hider and blank firing attachment. The spanner wrench is a part of a combination tool including wrench, hammer and screwdriver. Blank firing barrel assemblies were usually converted from worn-out or rejected parts.

The magazine is mounted by the common method underneath the receiver. The 7.62 x 53 R caliber L/S-26 has a curved, staggered row 20 round box magazine. The L/S-26 box magazine has tapering lips so that it will feed from a single position at the middle of the magazine. Five to ten magazines were issued for each gun, varying by the date of delivery. Carrying the L/S-26 magazines in the field was accomplished with an issued olive drab canvas bag with a shoulder strap.

Two magazine filling tools were issued for the L/S-26 20 round box magazine. The most common type was a simple depressor crudely made from sheet steel. The other type was a sophisticated magazine filling machine manufactured by VKT. The magazine filling machine was better suited for arsenal use than for front-line use under fire.

The L/S-26/32 came into Finnish service during the Winter War. The LS-26/32 has a removable magazine well, which allows the use of both 20 round box and 75 round drum magazines. In the Winter War, most 75 round magazines were issued for the Finnish Air Force, who needed them even more desperately than the ground forces did. As the drum magazines were not available for the L/S-26/32, most guns had the removable magazine wells welded or pinned in place to accept 20 round box magazines only.

Sights are slightly offset to the left because of the wide receiver. The rear sight mounted on the receiver cover has a sliding tangent arm graduated from 300 meters to 1500 meters with 100 meter steps. The foresight is mounted on the tall post attached over the barrel shroud. Detachable anti-aircraft sights were also developed for the L/S-26.

Scoped L/S-26’s are not pictured in any books or included in public collections, but a few guns were converted, apparently on field level, to accept a prismatic sight taken from the 32/33 (Finnish Maxim) machine guns. These guns, as well as scoped Maxims, were used as counter-sniper weapons to eliminate Soviet snipers.

The L/S-26 has a folding bipod mounted near the muzzle. Similar to most other designs of its era, the L/S-26 bipod is machined from solid steel with fixed height legs, but with provisions for rotating and canting the gun while it is standing on the bipod. The bipod was not liked by many of those L/S-26 or DP gunners of the Finnish Army who were on long range patrols or otherwise involved in mobile warfare. The bipod was not considered necessary when the L/S-26 was fired at short distances in the forests, the gun was fired from an underarm carry position using the sling as a support, or it was alternatively supported over the gunner’s rucksack or a natural rest.

No tripod was developed for the L/S-26. Instead of that, the Army developed an anti-aircraft mount, which was constructed over the Army issue rucksack’s tubular metal frame. The AA-mount/rucksack was intended to be worn on gunner’s assistant while the gunner stood behind him and fired upwards. The L/S-26’s AA-mounts were never made in quantity.

The L/S-26 furniture, including the buttstock and pistol grip panels, are made from birchwood. The buttstock has a steel buttplate, and some examples were fitted with a hinged shoulder strap.

The manufacturing methods of the L/S-26 were both expensive and complex, similar to many other small arms of the same era. Most parts for the L/S-26 were laboriously milled from solid steel billets or forgings, with very close tolerances. In practice the tolerances are too close to expect that the gun would operate properly in adverse conditions. This became very clear during the cold days of the Winter War, when temperatures dropped below -40 degrees Fahrenheit. In these conditions it requires very careful maintenance and absolutely no oil. Properly prepared, the L/S-26 will cycle reliably in freezing weather. However, it got a bad reputation among Finnish troops due to problems with reliability, which were after all caused by improper maintenance.

The L-34 – an unsuccessful rival

From this author’s current viewpoint the recoil principle looks like too complicated an operating method for a mil-spec shoulder fired weapon, but in the early 1920’s it was an obvious choice. Many authorities were attracted by the reliability of the Maxim machine guns. Conversely, gas operated guns were usually judged as being more unreliable designs- like WWI-vintage French Hotchkiss machine guns.

In the late 1920’s some high-ranking army officials started speculating about adopting a new gas operated machine gun. Some early attempts were made to adopt the 1918 BAR, which was adopted a few years earlier by the Swedish Army as the Kulspruta m/21. However, the ordnance department suggested the creation of a domestic design. In 1934 Aimo Lahti was assigned to develop a new gas operated LMG. Lahti had already sketched a gas-operated weapon, so it took only one month to finish the new LMG, which was later known as the L-34 “Sampo”. The L-34 was an outstanding light machine gun, in different circumstances it would have been a serious rival for the Bren/Czech ZB-series. It has a gas piston mounted beneath the barrel, a quick change barrel and a top mounted magazine. In addition to that, the L-34 was more than 2.2 lbs (1 kg) lighter than the L/S-26. The L-34 would have been simpler and cheaper to manufacture than the L/S-26.

The Ordnance department seriously considered replacing the L/S-26 with the new L-34, so seriously that in 1935 production of the L/S-26 was almost ceased. However, all of the Army officials rejected the gas operated L-34, and the L/S-26 was placed back into production.

Later Lahti’s designs were mostly gas operated: L-34 heavy machine gun chambered for the French 13.2 x 99 mm cartridge, the 20 x 138 mm caliber L-39 anti-tank rifle and the 7.62 x 53 R caliber L-41 general purpose machine gun.

Production numbers of the LS-26 and its derivatives were limited. Altogether around 4700 LS-26 light machine guns were delivered to the Finnish Army in 7.62 x 53 R caliber. As described above a limited number (around 50) of 7.62 x 53 R caliber L/S-26/32 were used during WWII. Most LS-26/32’s were built in 7.92 x 57 mm for China.

The L/S-26 served the Finnish Army throughout WWII, and also during the post-war period until it was replaced in the early 1960’s with the 7.62 x 39 mm M43 caliber belt-fed KVKK 62 (KVKK = kevyt konekivääri – light machine gun). However, the L/S-26’s remained in FDF inventory until 1986. Some guns were destroyed, while others were sold to collectors.

In a different time, in a different place, he would probably have been another Browning, Stoner or Kalashnikov, but the Finnish political climate in the 1970’s and the 1980’s wasn’t favorable for Jali Timari’s designs or any other private ventures of the small arms industry. Development of Timari’s most successful brainchild, the Jati-Matic submachine gun, started in the 1970’s, and it was introduced in 1980. Personal Defense Weapons (PDW) were not the focus of procurement personnel yet, but it was a time when design trends began to favor creation of compact and lightweight submachine guns.

It all started with a low recoil .22 Short caliber Olympic rapid-fire pistol, which Timari was developing in the mid-1970’s. While Timari was doing test firing with his the.22 Short caliber prototype, an untempered trigger sear suddenly broke, and the pistol switched to full auto. The fully automatic .22 Short pistol shot tight patterns due to its lack of muzzle rise. Exceptional low recoil was achieved by means of a principle borrowed from 19th century coastal artillery pieces (like the 1870’s Armstrong cannon). The pistol had an upward slanting bolt path, guiding the bolt upward to turn a part of the recoil force against the muzzle climb. Jali Timari patented the small arms application of this principle. It led to the creation of two pistols, a blowback operating JAT-22 and recoil operated JAT-9, and most important of all, the Jati-Matic submachine gun.

Since the mid-1970’s, Jali Timari has been a designer and co-owner of Tampereen Asepaja (TAP), a small sporting arms manufacturer located in Tampere, a birthplace of the Finnish machine industry. The origin of TAP traces back to 1923, when Niilo Lahtinen founded it. In the post-WWII period TAP’s main products were sporterized military rifles, but in the 1960’s and 1970’s they switched to manufacturing rifles mainly designed by Jali Timari and Torsti Laaksonen. Their main product was an excellent Lakelander bolt action hunting rifle. Other notable designs were the Caribou pump-action rifle and the Finnbiathlon straight-pull action .22 rimfire target rifle designed for biathlon competitions.

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s TAP attempted to enter the military small arms business. Timari designed a series of military small arms: 9 mm JAT-9 pistol, 9 mm Jati-Matic submachine gun, 5.56 mm assault rifle, 7.62 mm bolt action sniping rifle and a plastic body hand-grenade, called the “Wildcat”. The Jati-Matic submachine gun and the Wildcat hand-grenade were produced in limited quantities in the 1980’s, and the TAP sniping rifle in caliber 7.62 x 54 R participated in the FDF sniping rifle trials, but was not selected. The 9-mm pistol and 5.56 mm assault rifle never proceeded beyond the drawing board or prototype stage.

Tampereen Asepaja manufactured about 400 Jati-Matics, and around 20 Jati-Matics were manufactured by Gunsmith Esa Tiittanen. The Jati-Matic received a lot of publicity through the world; it was evaluated in numerous American publications including Soldier of Fortune and the Gun Digest Book of Assault Weapons. The strict Finnish export regulations for military small arms guarantied that it found no commercial success. In the late 1980’s Tampereen Asepaja went out of business and production of the Jati-Matic ceased for several years.

In 1994 Jali Timari sold all rights and production tooling to a new company, Golden Gun, Ltd. formed by Reijo Parviainen and Kari Kurki. In 1995 Golden Gun, Ltd. (Humalistonkatu 9, FIN-20100 Turku, Finland, Phone +358 2 233 0120, fax +358 2 233 0610) began production of an improved model of the Jati-Matic. Re-named as the GG-95 PDW, the new model has the external appearance and basic construction similar to the original TAP-made Jati-Matic, but included several improvements to the original design.

The current political climate is slightly different, and Golden Gun is now marketing the improved version of the Jati-Matic to military and law enforcement purchasers. The GG-95’s were also sold to private collectors in Finland.

SUBMACHINE GUN OR MACHINE PISTOL?

While two hands are required to operate the Jati-Matic, it lacks a shoulder stock, and therefore falls into the machine pistol category. The general design of the Jati-Matic family is very simple. The total number of parts in the GG-95 is 50. Since 1980 the Jati-Matics were manufactured only in caliber 9 x 19 Luger, but caliber conversions, such as the .40 S & W caliber will require only minor modifications to the bolt, a new barrel and new magazine. However, the .40 S & W version or conversion parts do not presently exist.

Operating principle of the original Jati-Matic and the GG-95 is the common unlocked blowback. The gun fires from an open bolt with a fixed firing pin. According to Timari’s patented idea first employed in his .22 Short caliber target pistol, it has the bolt guided upwards at a 5 degree angle to produce a vertical resultant force to work against the muzzle rise. Due to the wrap-around bolt design adapted from the Czech vz23/24/25/26 series, UZI, Beretta M 12 etc, a majority of bolt mass lies at the front of the gun’s center of gravity. The barrel line is low and close to the shooter’s hand to minimize the torque of recoil force. The general configuration of the gun will also help to reduce the muzzle climb. The breechblock construction together with the long bolt travel (4.4 inches or 112 mm) reduces the rate of fire to a practical level of 600 – 650 rpm, depending on the ammunition used.

The bolt is machined from an investment cast blank and weighs 0.6 kg (1.42 lbs). It is of two piece construction, consisting of the bolt body and a separate bolt face insert including a fixed firing pin. The bolt body and face are held together by an extractor stamped from spring steel. Bolt face and body can be easily separated for cleaning or replacing damaged parts. The word ‘FIRE’ on the bolt’s left side will appear in the ejection port while gun is cocked. This is a necessary feature, since there is no other cocking indicator and the bolt seals the ejection port in all positions except while ejecting. The bolt has a single recoil spring. The recoil spring’s guide rod rests against the rear buffer, made from elastic, rubber-type material and placed on the joint of the upper and lower receivers.

The GG-95 upper receiver is stamped from a single sheet of 1.2-mm steel plate, while the first Jati-Matics had upper receivers assembled from two pieces by means of spot-welding. The GG-95 upper receiver has no other openings, so it is well sealed against dirt and moisture. The upper receiver has a rectangular cross-section with reinforcing ribs, which will also accumulate dirt and powder residues. The receiver top cover is hinged from its front end to the receiver by a cross pin. The sloping outline of the original Jati-Matic’s top cover led to sighting problems- many operators had a tendency to shoot over the target. The new model is fitted with a receiver cover parallel to the barrel axis, making it better suited for instinctive shooting. The newest TAP-made Jatis appeared with this feature. The GG-95 top cover latch is similar to the original Jati-Matic design, but without an integrated rear sling swivel. The old pattern swivel had a built-in possibility of accidentally opening the top cover. Pulling the sling in the wrong direction opened the cover. The GG-95 has detachable sling swivels that can be mounted on either side of gun.

THE LOWER RECEIVER IS MADE FROM PLASTIC

General coloring of the GG-95 is matte black. For some reason the barrel has a bright blue finish, but all other metal surfaces are bead blasted and then blued. The result is a matte surface, resembling the manganese phosphate (Parkerized) finish. The lower receiver and other plastic parts have similar coloring.

The GG-95’s lower receiver is injection molded from polymer material called Polyphtalamide, shock resistant and insensitive to oils, solvents and powder residues. The foregrip/cocking handle assembly and some components of the trigger mechanism are also molded from the same polymer. Plastic parts were also widely used with the original Jati-Matic. It was not a surprise that many components of his submachine gun were made from polymer materials. Jali Timari, who had worked in the plastic industry since 1946, has a broad knowledge of manufacturing plastic components and the tools for the process.

Four screws mate the GG-95 upper and lower receivers. The lower receiver includes the magazine well with the AK-type magazine catch. The lower receiver also houses the trigger mechanism, which is built in a steel-framed module. This trigger module is mounted by means of one cross-bolt, and it can be easily removed for maintenance.

The original Jati-Matic has the fire selector integral to the trigger, similar to the Steyr AUG. A short trigger pull is required for firing single shots and a long pull allows fully automatic fire. Skilled operators can successfully master this type of mechanism, but inexperienced operators will face problems with finding the desired fire mode, especially while working under stress. The GG-95 has a selector switch placed on the left side of the lower receiver with two fire modes, semi-auto and full-auto. Timari designed a trigger mechanism capable of firing single shots, 2 or 3 rd bursts and continuous full auto fire, but the Jati-Matic with this feature never went beyond the prototype stage. Personally, I consider a single shot mode pointless, because the role of this type of firearm will seldom require single shot firing. In any case, there is now a thumb-operated fire selector for all kinds of submachine gunners.

The operation and location of the Jati-Matic and GG-95 safety catch is far from where we are accustomed to using it. The trigger mechanism has no separate safety catch, but the cocking handle/foregrip serves as the safety and locks bolt movement while folded into the carry position. While the foregrip is folded, the gun can safely be carried in Condition One (cocked and locked). A sliding forearm/cocking handle patterned after a typical pump action shotgun forearm was designed after the request of some law enforcement officials. In my opinion, the folding foregrip should be fitted with an integrated, “D”-shaped finger loop, which would speed up bringing the gun into action. The GG-95 has no shoulder stock, but handling and firing characters would improve a great deal if a well engineered folding stock was added on this system. Although Jali Timari didn’t favor the shoulder stock, there was a top folding stock for the original Jati-Matic, made in very limited quantities. The shoulder stock for the current GG-95 could be of the side folding type, which could be removed if desired.

The GG-95 has an 8-inch (203-mm) barrel. The bore has six grooves with a right hand twist of one turn in 9.84 inches (250 mm). The barrel rests over the upper receiver. It contacts the receiver at two points, one at the rear end and the other near the muzzle end. The barrel is held in the correct place and position by two circular rims turned on the barrel, and an indexing stud at the front end of the receiver. The barrel is clamped securely while the top cover is folded down. The barrel has no feed ramp; cartridges are fed into the chamber straight from the magazine. The standard barrel has a plain muzzle without any mounting device for a sound suppressor. After the manner of the original Jati-Matic, a separate suppressor barrel with a threaded muzzle is available for the GG-95. This threaded barrel has a left-handed metric M14 x 1 thread to accept all Kalashnikov-compatible sound suppressors. The left-handed thread prevents suppressor loosening caused by interaction of barrel twisting and the suppressor’s inertia. In the 1980’s, the Jati-Matics were usually equipped with the famous Vaime suppressors, while in the 1990’s the GG-95s are fitted with Finnish BR’s KRS (Kalashnikov Reflex Suppressor) muzzle cans.

The Jati-Matic and GG-95 magazines are of double column type and available optionally with 20 rd, 30 rd and 40 rd capacity. The magazine is very similar to the Carl Gustav 36 round stick magazine but unfortunately not interchangeable with them. The GG-95 won’t accept Carl Gustav, Smith & Wesson etc. magazines or vice versa. The magazine body is made from extruded aluminum alloy and the follower is injection molded from plastic. The similar sized 40 rd magazine is remarkably lighter than the all-steel Carl Gustav/Suomi 36 rd stick, and it is as reliable and easy to fill as original Swedish (for the Carl Gustav M/45) and Finnish (for the Suomi M/31) magazines. No loading tool is required for filling the Jati-Matic family of magazines.

Sights are rather crude, but it doesn’t matter because this gun won’t be used for target competitions. Both the original Jati-Matic and the GG-95 have a vertically adjustable foresight and a fixed open notch type rear sight. The GG-95 rear sight is integrated on the top cover latch, while the original Jati-Matic has the rear sight integrated on the lower receiver. The Jati-Matic family will also accept additional sighting devices, which this author considers to be of questionable value. In the early 1980’s, large first generation laser sighting devices of D-cell Maglite size were occasionally fitted on the original Jati-Matics. Currently Golden Gun, Ltd. offers a separate top cover to mount tactical lights and auxiliary sighting devices.

HANDLING AND FIRING

The Jati-Matic and GG-95 are “two hand” weapons without a shoulder stock. They fit in the same category as the H & K MP5K, Famae Mini-SAF and Steyr TMP. The Jati-Matic is apparently less expensive than any of its competitors.

The most significant feature of the Jati-Matic family is exceptional controllability. Even operators without experience with a small sized full-auto firearm can fire long (10 shots or more) bursts and keep every bullet hole in a 12 inch (0.3 m) diameter target at distances up to 15 meters. An experienced operator will achieve far better patterns. Adding an extra weight on the muzzle e.g. in form of a sound suppressor will help to control recoil. In addition the sound suppressor will reduce the risk for hearing damage if the firearm is discharged indoors, as many CQB scenarios will usually require.

Old TAP brochures used the slogan “Full-Auto Fire With One Hand”. Firing long bursts with any member of the Jati-Matic family with a “one hand” hold will cause poor controllability. The same goes for using a Weaver stance “Two hand” hold. There is a foregrip, so always use it while firing bursts. Some operators fire the Jati’s frequently from underarm and use bullet strikes on target to correct fire. Generally speaking, this is just spraying bullets around, and in conflict with the professional principle that the first shot should count. This is an especially unsuitable method to use in crowded places. Personally I prefer firing aimed bursts holding the gun at eye level with both hands.

While the gun is carried in cocked & locked position, it is brought into action quickly by turning the foregrip to the downward position. Golden Gun, LTD supplies both belt and shoulder holsters, which are patterned after handgun holsters. Larger and heavier submachine guns will require somewhat different rigs. For carrying the original Jati-Matic or the GG-95, I prefer to use a shoulder rig, e.g. similar to the one developed by Eagle Industries for the MP5K.

In our test firing, two types of 9-mm ammunition were used. We had Finnish Lapua-made 9 mm ball fitted with a 115 gr. (7.5 g) FMJ bullet loaded to nominal muzzle velocity of 1330 fps (405 mps) close to NATO specifications, and Lapua 9 mm subsonic round fitted with a 150 gr. (9.7 g) CEPP (Controlled Expansion Police Projectile) bullet. During the course of test firing, about 400 shots were fired. No malfunctions were observed.

Recently there has been a lot of discussion about successors to the 9-mm Luger. While it would be interesting to test fire a 5.7 x 28 mm caliber version of the Jati-Matic, it seems that the 9 mm Luger caliber handguns and SMG’s will remain as the world standard in the foreseeable future. Advanced ammunition technology and millions of guns around the world chambered for that cartridge make this likely. The 9 mm Luger, a workhorse of many wars and different ideologies, is still going strong and even more popular than ever before.

One feature in the Jati-Matic and the GG-95 bothers me little: there are accessory components required for mounting other accessories. Personally I think that the basic implements like a sound suppressor or a tactical light should be mounted on any firearm of this type with a minimum effort.

In this form or rather with some diminutive modifications including the re-engineered cocking handle and shoulder stock, the attractively priced GG-95 will be a potent competitor for other subguns or machine pistols of similar size.

The GG-95 submachine gun specifications

• Caliber: 9 x 19 mm Parabellum
• Operation: Blowback, fires from an open bolt. Selective fire trigger mechanism fires both single shots and burst fire.
• Feed mechanism: Detachable staggered-row box magazine for 20, 30 or 40 rounds
• Barrel: Six grooves with a right hand twist of one turn for 9.84 inches (250 mm).
• Lengths: Overall: 14.8” (375 mm) Barrel: 8” (203 mm)
• Weights: (empty) 3.63 lbs (1.65 kg)
• Sights: Protected post front, adjustable for windage. Fixed rear.
• Finish: Blued
• Manufacturer: Golden Gun, Ltd, Humalistonkatu 9, FIN-20100 Turku, Finland. Phone +358 2 233 0120. Fax +358 2 233 0610.