Many analysts found the CZ-75 a combination of the good features incorporated in such pistol designs as the Browning High-Power and the S&W M39. Especially the American gun writers found the internal machining unduly complicated but of relatively good quality. As the Czechoslovakian government of the time had enough service pistols for their military and police the sales efforts were export oriented. An export company named Merkuria found several end users in Central America and Scandinavia alike. All these volume sales and user feedback thereof were very important for the technical development of the basic model.

The basic CZ construction was later copied by several other gun producing companies as either direct clones like Swiss or Italian models, or as modifications like Israeli models. All of the pistol products based on the basic design have been popular. The original Ceska Zbrojovka factory still produces the CZ-75 in over ten different variations, from the compact model to a gunsmith-tuned IPSC competition model. The range of caliber include 9x21mm and .40S&W. An evolution model called the CZ-85 with an ambidextrous approach has found popularity in the sporting markets as an economical IPSC pistol.

One CZ-pistol model has received less public attention and this is due to the authority oriented specialty market. This small and fast paced selective-fire submachine gun, or machine pistol if you like, is based on the CZ 75B version of the standard pistol and is called 9x19mm CZ 75 Automatic.

Machine pistol or SMG

The terminology has been pondered upon before. Machine pistol gives us the impression of a service pistol-sized gun that delivers selective fire. On the other hand SMG (submachine gun) includes a larger amount of different weapon constructions offering full and semi-automatic fire and using service pistol calibers.

There has been a need to experiment with machine pistol constructions since the beginning of the modern self-loading pistol. Scrutinizing the more modern end of the history we can find products such as the H&K VP70, Beretta M93R or Glock-18 and all of these have found special applications by the authorities, police and military.

Perhaps it is not so surprising that Ceska Zbrojovka from Uhersky Brod brought their own small machine pistol to the market in the middle of 1990 to compete for these niche markets. As this small submachine gun is not equipped with a shoulder stock it should be compared to the Austrian Glock-18 machine pistol.

This CZ-modification shows practicality and sound technical solutions and it is clear that the project of design has had a suitable amount of resources to produce prototypes before the production series.

After initiating the project, the first selective-fire prototypes were made based on the newer CZ-85 ambidextrous model. The chief designer was Mr. Martin Kouba and the construction was presented at the 1992 IWA gunshow in Germany. This machine pistol design was not taken further and the basis for the next version was the CZ 75 pistol. Engineer Alexander Koten finished the actual CZ 75 machine pistol conversion during 1993 and after extended trials, production commenced with the marketing to military and police end users. This model was based on the modernized frame of the basic pistol and has been on the market since 1994, and aptly named 9x19mm CZ 75 Automatic sub-machine gun. Parallel to the prototype development of the CZ 75 Automatic Mr. Stanislav Strizik made a single-action selective-fire workshop prototype which, like the CZ-85 select fire was a project discontinued.

CZ 75 Automatic machine pistol

The CZ 75 Automatic is an all steel handgun. The barrel is hammered and machined, the slide and lower receiver are precision cast and machined. The trigger mechanism is double- and single-action. The user has the option of a first shot with either activating the hammer with the full double action press of the trigger or by cocking the external hammer and placing the selector on safe, for single action mode when needed. Even if the machine pistol has an external hammer it does not have a hammer release lever. This means that if the hammer is cocked it must be triggered and released under control of the thumb to place the gun in the double-action mode.

The locking mechanism of this pistol is no surprise as it follows the Browning principle of locking lugs on the barrel breech block connecting into recesses on the upper inner surface of the slide, when the slide is in its forward position. The connection is opened only after the short connected barrel-slide travels to the rear during the recoil cycle when a cartridge is fired. The breech end of the barrel is forced slightly down and stopped by the guiding pin, the connection unlocking letting the slide retract the full movement of its cycle. The force of the return spring slows its speed and eventually returns it to battery in its forward position. During the retracting movement of the slide the cartridge case is extracted and ejected and when the slide goes forward it forces the next cartridge from the magazine into the chamber.

This small CZ 75 Automatic machine pistol has at least two technical solutions that merit special attention;

• 1. The external arrangement of the selector. The safety switch situated on the left side of the pistol functions as the selector lever. It incorporates a simple feature that prevents any unintentional rotation into the full automatic position. When the selector is in its uppermost position (pointing 10 o’clock) the pistol is set on safe. When the selector is turned to the middle position, a very logical horizontal position pointing into the firing direction (9 o’clock) and showing one red dot the gun is set at semi automatic fire.
  
  To place the selector lever into its lower position (8 o’clock) for cyclic fire the middle part of the lever must be first pressed in the firing direction to facilitate the downward movement of the selector. The lever has in effect to be pressed forward and downward, and in its lower position two dots are showing as a mark of full automatic fire mode.
  
  For example, the Glock-18 machine pistol does not have any safety locking of its selector lever. The Glock selector, which is placed on the rear of the slide’s left side is safeguarded from accidental cyclic fire with a long movement of the selector switch. When in semi automatic mode the lever points at 11 o’clock and only turning it counterclockwise into the position 7 o’clock will facilitate full automatic fire.
• 2. The spare magazine functions as the front grip. The front of the lower receiver has a machined rail, and on the left side a spring actuated small latch. The floorplates of the magazines have similar machined tracks as the rails in the frame and a small recess for the frame latch. If the machine pistol operator wants a substantially firmer grip for firing cyclic he can connect the reversed spare magazine from its floorplate to the underside of the lower receiver. This gives an ergonomic grip pointing slightly forward. The magazine is locked in place by the small latch. To release the magazine the latch has to be pushed upwards and the magazine slid off in firing direction.
  
  In comparison the Glock-18 smg does not have a front grip and can not even facilitate one and the Beretta M93 smg has a small foldable front grip in the lower receiver.

Tryout at the range

The semiautomatic features of the CZ 75 Automatic are in par with any requirements of a standard service sidearm. The optional integrally compensated barrel offers slightly lesser recoil-movement of the gun but on the other hand the markedly higher gun report due to the gas ports, is not worth the gain. The compensated barrel has six openings in the front part of the barrel, they open up and to the sides, three on both sides. Personally, I favor the standard barrel giving a slightly shorter total length.

The sightspan of the open sights is 155 mm and they utilize a white three-dot system, with one dot in the bead and two on either side of the rear notch.

The cyclic rate of the machine pistol is approximately 22-25 cartridges per second. This rate is so high that it is hard to decide on sound if it was a single shot or a two-cartridge burst. During an extended burst the cartridges are positively ejected to the right of the gun. Cyclic firing with this weapon offers a lot of torque to the supporting hands. A double handed grip is always recommended, and the operator should connect the front grip if the firing distance exceeds 15 meters. If the range is 10 meters or less it is possible to keep all hits on a target area of 1x 0.5m. The hits are divided over the total area. After practice it is possible to keep the length of the bursts at 2-4 cartridges and this increases hit probability for longer ranges. The fifteen cartridge magazine seems too short for the novice practicing full automatic firing with the CZ-75 A, but to keep the running temperature of the gun at reasonable levels during training it is good practice to let the gun cool down. The risks involved having a gun that is too hot a the “cook-off” effect on a chambered cartridge. That happens when the temperature of the chamber area of the gun is so high that it transfers to the powder charge in the cartridge and ignites it. At the very least an overheated gun is mechanically under great stress and the normal lubrication evaporates. The optional magazine holds 25 cartridges.

The gun is easy to strip for standard maintenance. Remove the magazine and check the chamber and remove any cartridge. Pull the slide to the rear so that the slide and receiver marks (at the rear left side) meet. The slide stop is removed to the left by pressing at the end of its axle on the right side, and pulling it out of the lower receiver. Let the slide carefully to the forward position and pull it off the lower receiver. The return spring and its guide can be released from below the barrel, and the barrel pulled out of the slide down and to the rear. The gun can be assembled after cleaning in the reversed order.

As a machine pistol the CZ 75 Automatic is a very interesting, well-designed and technically reliable small submachine gun. It remains to be seen in which direction the Czech company Ceska Zbrojovka will take its newest prototype weapons. Perhaps there eventually will be something in the Belgian caliber 5.7x28mm.

Please see the article on the Semi-Auto CZ-75 in this issue by Frank Iannamico…

By Robie Kulokivi

A short and effective combat shotgun is a good tool for the police officer or the soldier in house to house operations. The effectiveness of the shotgun is due to its cartridges’ payload, delivering several projectiles instantly to the target, covering a proportionally large area. The compromise is in “bulk” due to the large construction of the weapon dictated by the recoil energy. Magazine cartridge capacity is typically limited to seven cartridges. Perhaps this small caliber submachine gun is a solution addressing this problem. A weapon firing .22 LR caliber rimfired ammunition is light, has mild recoil, a high rate of fire and a possibility for a tremendous magazine capacity.

The MGV has roots in America

Even if this special MGV 176 smg may bring to mind the Vasily Degtyarev designed machine gun 7.62 x 25 mm model 1929 with its top mounted disk magazine, the roots actually start in the USA in the 60’s.

Gun designers Richard Casull and Kerm Eskelson, made their first semiautomatic .22 caliber prototype carbine in 1960 with authority sales in mind. After project funding, testing and some technical improvements, the Western States Arms mfg. commenced marketing the patented .22 LR Casull M290 Carbine in 1965.

This self-loading rimfire rifle or carbine was slightly reminiscent of the Thompson submachinegun in profile, except for the drum magazine that was placed horizontally on top of the gun, and the magazine fit 290 rimfire cartridges. The marketing, however, did not bring the expected success and due to slight sales only 70 guns were made. The manufacturing rights were sold to the American Mining and Development Company in 1969.In 1972 the company changed its name to American International Company (AIC). They negotiated a production deal with the Austrian gun company Voere, who also made some technical changes to the design. The profile of the gun remained the same but a selector was added and the triggering mechanism offered single shots and cyclic. The magazine construction was also slightly changed and the capacity of the drum reduced to 177 cartridges.

The American marketing company, led by Mr. Charles Goff Sr. went to great lengths to promote this Austrian manufactured caliber .22 LR American 180 M-2 submachine gun to U.S. police officials and the military for special applications. The gun was constructed of steel and aluminum. The stock, grip and handguard were of wood or plastic. The magazine was made of steel stampings. Fieldstripping was easy and the smg was disassembled into three main parts: the stock, receiver and barrel. The precision cast and machined parts and the assembly was of highest quality. The manufacturer made approximately 5000 submachine guns before production was discontinued in Austria.

This special American 180 model had its next generation marketed by American Arms Incorporated by Mr. Goff Junior in the late 1980’s in the USA. This was as a self-loading rimfire rifle, as well as the smg versions. Ilarco took over production for a short period, and by the end of 1990, an Oregon based company called E&L MFG. INC continued the production and marketing of the semi-automatic version called American SAR 180. The company also improved the magazine and offered 275 cartridge capacities and transparent drum construction. Would there be a chance, with further technical changes to reawaken any police or military interest in this weapon? A submachine gun with no recoil, light report and an extraordinary cartridge capacity should lift some eyebrows.

The small caliber version from former Yugoslavia

The development of the MGV 176 submachine gun started in northern Yugoslavia by the end of 1980, in the Slovenian province. Slovenia became an independent state in 1991 out of the former Yugoslavia. The gun described in this article was made in 1989 at the Gorenje Sovd factory in the city of Velenje. Current production is unknown to this writer. The Yugoslavian government directed any internal sales and the ORBIS export company took care of foreign marketing.

It is interesting to notice that Slovenia, where this substantially modernized version of the original American 180 smg is made, is a neighboring country to Austria. Perhaps there has been a flow of technical ideas over the border? Be that as it may, the Yugoslavian manufacturer filed for patent of the Avtomat kal. 22 HV MGV 176 (patentno zasciteno). The total amount produced is unknown but the technical finish and manufacturing of the smg and serial number gives the impression that several thousand have been produced.

Perhaps the most important modernization is, when compared to the original American and Austrian guns, that the upper and lower receiver are made of polymer (plastic). This small submachine gun incorporates several other technical improvements also.

Finer details

The .22 caliber MGV 176 submachine gun is delivered with two 162 cartridge drum magazines, maintenance kit and a suppressor. Next we will study the subassemblies.

Upper receiver

The construction material for the upper receiver is impact resistant plastic. The barrel and lower receiver attach to it. On top of the rear part is a rail for the rear sight or an optional optical sight. The front sight is integrated in the front part of the receiver, which in turn forms a barrel shroud. The magazine latch is also on top. The bolt is of machined steel and has a fixed firing pin, which is more like a “ledge” (for rimfire). The bolt fits inside the inner rear part of the receiver. The cocking lever is on the left side and it has a sliding dust cover.

This submachine gun is blowback or recoil operated and fires from an open bolt, so it remains to the rear, held by the sear if cocked. The bolt can be removed for maintenance by pushing the mainspring guide in the firing direction to release it, and the lifting spring will guide the bolt out of the receiver. The ejection port is on the underside of the upper receiver.

When the stock is in its folded position, a notch on the shoulder rest fits into a recess in the floor of the barrel shroud, locking into position and making a front grip for a steadier firing position. On the left side of the receiver, both rear and aft, are fixing points for a carry sling.

Lower receiver

The lower receiver frame is also made of black plastic. It contains the complete triggering mechanism and safety features. At the rear of the pistol grip is the grip safety and to the left is the safety switch. When the switch is turned to the front and one red dot is visible, the submachine gun is ready to fire, if the grip safety is simultaneously pressed in. If the switch points to the rear, and the green dot is visible, the gun is set on “safe”.

It is not possible to cock the gun if the safety is on. To cock the gun the safety must be turned into “fire” -position and the grip safety must be pressed in with a normal grip.

The folding stock is hinged at the rear of the lower receiver. The rear part facilitates the stock locking mechanism also, which locks the folding stock into its extended position. To release the lower receiver from the upper receiver the stock must first be unlocked from its folded position. It is released by pulling the shoulder rest to the rear and releasing the locking notch from its recess in the upper receiver. With a tip of a cartridge or pin a detent must be pressed at the rear of the upper receiver. This releases the lower receiver, and the rear can be pulled downwards. The front part of the lower receiver rotates around a pin to the rear of the ejection opening and can be pulled away from the upper.

The trigger mechanism

The sturdy parts of the trigger mechanism within the lower receiver are machined of steel. The parts are fixed with axles or pins going trough the lower receiver. Both the safety switch and the grip safety lock the sear preventing any accidental discharge. A loaded and cocked gun can be dropped without hazard.

This submachine gun has a trigger selector; by pressing it against a slighter resistance the gun fires semi-automatic and by pressing it fully to the rear over a noticeable ledge it fires cyclic, or full-automatic. The cyclic firing rate is approximately 20 cartridges per second, depending on cartridge type.

The Barrel

The barrel is quick-detachable for maintenance. The barrel lock is on the underside of the upper receiver in front of the ejector opening. The barrel fits within the barrel shroud and the rear upper part of the barrel is machined to facilitate the magazine. The gun serial number and caliber is also marked on the barrel. The muzzle of the barrel protrudes from the shroud by 20 mm and is not threaded. The suppressor coupling fits over the muzzle when installed.

The suppressor is 170 mm long and when attached to the barrel prolongs the barrel length by 150 mm. The suppressor attaches by means of a clamp bushing which attaches to the smooth cylindrical muzzle when the locking nut is turned. This type of attachment does not need threads. For testing purposes the MGV 176 barrel was threaded and a Finnish-made suppressor (BR-TUOTE, Finland) was installed.

To sum up the good features of this submachine gun we should note that the user operated switches are logically placed. The safety construction is dependable and safe. Choices of material are modern, durable and easily maintained. Disassembly of the gun is simple and spare parts are easily replaced.

The horizontal drum magazine

The standard magazine fits 162 cartridges. The magazine floorplate and the inner follower parts are made of steel pressings and the magazine upper frame is made of transparent plastic. The driving force, to feed the cartridges, is given by a spring motor, or winder, which is detachable from the upper frame. The spring motor fits on top of the magazine and is attached only after the magazine is loaded. Tension is wound to the motor mainspring by turning the winder three and a half (3.5) rotations. The spring motor has a switch or brake, to lock the feed for safety or if the wound motor has to be detached from the magazine.

In a filled magazine the .22 LR cartridges are placed within in three horizontal, circular layers on top of each other. Looking down at the magazine from above shows that all bullets point to the center of the magazine. The inner wall of the magazine has small ledges in a vertical direction and the rimmed bases of the cartridges fit in between these. Due to the ledges the only feeding direction for the “stack” of cartridges is down. Pressing down on all the cartridges is the spring floor. The spring motor forces the upper frame to rotate counter-clockwise each time the bolt pushes a cartridge from the feedlips into the barrel chamber. The last cartridge is pushed to the feed lips by a cartridge shaped follower. The feedlip assembly is hinged to the bottom of the magazine floorplate and is placed on top of the floor opening to control the feed of cartridges. It also functions as an ejector forcing the cartridge cases straight down. The loaded magazine can be removed from the gun at any time without accidental spill of cartridges. The Austrian and American guns have the feedlips, or loading gate attached to the upper receiver. This technical approach made it mandatory to lock the spring motor before removing a loaded magazine, otherwise the force of the spring motor would have emptied all the cartridges from the magazine floorplate opening.

To fill the MGV 176 magazine the spring motor must be removed. It is released by pressing the locking studs protruding trough the floorplate. If tension has been wound to the motor then it must be locked before removal by turning the switch to the outer position, covering the “0” -mark. Turning the magazine upside down, it can be placed on a table. The feedlip assembly must be turned to the left. Now the opening of the floorplate and the cartridge shaped follower made of steel can be seen. By turning the floorplate slightly clockwise, the follower is withdrawn one step and the first .22 LR cartridge can be placed in the magazine. The floorplate is turned again and the next cartridge can be placed.

The cycle continues until 53 cartridges have been placed, that is the cartridge amount of the first layer. The floorplate is turned again against a ledge of slightly harder springpressure and the steel follower forces the spring floor one layer down. Now the cycle can be done again and as easy as in the first layer. As this, and the third layer, are without a follower they both take 54 cartridges. There is no spring force during the filling of the magazine other than the change of layers. After the last layer is full the feedlips must be returned to their original position on top of the opening in the floorplate. The last cartridge is placed directly between the feed lips. Now the magazine is loaded with 162 cartridges.

The spring motor, or winder, is replaced on top of the magazine so that the locking studs lock securely in place. The spring motor switch must be turned to its center position covering the “8” -mark. To give the motor mainspring enough force to feed all cartridges, the rotor must be turned 3.5 rotations. The ratchet notches that connect to the magazine frame make the typical noise while winding the rotor. The transparent frame makes it possible for the operator to see the remaining amount of ammunition in the magazine. The magazine is actually mechanically very simple and dependable. Filling of the magazine is easy and takes only 5 minutes including all tasks. Emptying it by firing takes only eight seconds.

For testing purposes a customized magazine was made out of a 275 cartridge American 180 magazine made by E&L Mfg of the USA and one original Slovenian MGV-176 magazine. Due to the different approach of the feedlip assembly, it was necessary to use parts from both magazines, the Slovenian floorplate and the American magazine frame and internal parts. There was an added bonus due to the internal plastic construction of the American parts. When this 275 cartridge customized magazine was filled and compared to a filled original 162 cartridge magazine, both tipped the scale at 0.7 kg. Total loaded weight remained the same but the amount of cartridges increased with 113.

This large capacity magazine has five layers of cartridges and must be used with the original E&L Mfg spring motor as the original Slovenian drive has power to feed only three layers and must then be rewound. For the big magazine the motor must be wound seven (7) rotations.

On the shooting range

A filled magazine is connected to the top of the gun by placing the magazine floor front lip under the ledge of the barrel and pressing the rear part against the magazine latch until it locks. If the spring motor is not wound it must be done before firing, otherwise the magazine will not feed. The latch on the spring motor must be turned towards the center, unlocked position.

The gun is cocked with the left hand by pulling the cocking lever to its rearmost position and returning it to the front. The firing hand must hold the pistol grip and press the grip safety simultaneously to facilitate movement of the bolt. The bolt remains to the rear held by the sear. The moment the firing hand is released from the grip the gun is on safe, and the bolt immobilized. If necessary the safety lever can be turned pointing rearward, on safe, locking the trigger as well.

The folding stock is turned into position by pulling the shoulder rest strongly rearward to release its locking stud in the upper receiver barrel shroud. It is swung to the rear against its locking latch at the rear of the lower receiver and locked securely in place. Depending on the firing range, one of three positions of the rear sight can be chosen: 100, 150 or 200 meters. (There is a certain optimism in the range settings when compared to the outer ballistics of the cartridge and probable combat distance). The rear sight is connected to the upper receiver via an integrated accessory rail and can be removed and replaced with an optical or optronic sight or target pointer.

When taking a steady firing position the operator must remember that the cases are ejected straight down. This means that the supporting hand must be in front of the magazine, holding the barrel shroud. Turning the safety to its forward position the gun is ready to fire. Pressing the trigger lightly against an easily felt first ledge, the gun fires single shots. The recoil is negligible and the only movement actually affecting the stance is the magazine feed and spring motor. The report of the shot is typical to a rimfire rifle so at a minimum earplugs must be worn.

With the MGV sound suppressor in place there is less muzzleflash and less blast noise to the operator and more smoke around the ejection opening. The tested Finnish suppressor was superior when firing in a confined space, keeping the blast so mild that several test shots where attempted without earplugs. This is of course never recommended during training, and is always a hazard to the operator’s or by-stander’s hearing.

The MGV 176 submachine gun fires cyclic at a rate of 20 cartridges per second if the trigger is pressed fully to the bottom. It is relatively easy to keep the burst length at 6 to 10 cartridges. The recoil and torque during full automatic fire is nonexistent, even if the gun is fired from shoulder rest. At close range it would be possible to fire simple geometrical forms of choice in the paper target. With the stock in its folded position the shoulder rest forms a front grip for the supporting hand giving a very steady position when firing from hip level.

To secure reliable function of the MGV 176, high velocity and high quality ammunition must be used. In general it can be said that the small rimfire .22 long rifle cartridge is not the best possible choice for problem free feeding during high rate cyclic fire. There are however several brands on the market that have velocities exceeding 420 m/s, bullet shapes plating for good automatic feeding. Bolt and feeding speeds are so high when firing a .22 LR rimfire submachine gun that a severe misfeed could result in dramatic bending of the cartridge and ignition out of battery. This usually ruptures the case with possible hazards to the operator.

More firepower than a combat shotgun?

To make a comparison we chose the optimal 12 gauge close combat shotgun from South-Africa, the 18,5x70mm Protecta Bulldog which weighs 3.9 kg loaded with eleven (11) cartridges and has a length of 400 mm. The typical service load has approximately 10 projectiles of .33 caliber offering muzzle velocity of 400 m/s. In comparison the caliber .22 LR MGV 176 submachine gun loaded with 275 cartridges weighs 3.4 kg with a length of 480 mm. Velocity of the high velocity .22 LR is 420 m/s. The dimensional features of both weapons are close.

Firing 10 shot bursts from the MGV’s 275 cartridge magazine, as an equivalent to the 10 projectile shot load, give us a total of 27 bursts. The same firepower from a shotgun would require a 27 cartridge magazine and would substantially increase the total weight of the loaded system.

The MGV 176’s high rate of cyclic fire produces an impact in the target not unlike several projectiles from a shot load hitting in a short time frame. The effect, however, can be regulated by adjusting the length of the burst from the submachine gun, and the area of impact is smaller. There is a substantial advantage in lack of recoil, weight and noise in favor of the .22 caliber smg in comparison to the combat shotgun.

This submachine gun, and others using the same caliber and high capacity magazines, could be a viable option for a weapon used for indoor combat and defense aboard ships or in buildings. Especially when risk of “shoot through” should be minimized and blast noise can be hazardous to the operator as in use in confined spaces. This design and caliber certainly merit further study in these applications.

SAKO, Finland -since the early 1960’s a high quality sporting arms manufacturer has been deeply involved in developing and producing the basic weapon for the Finnish soldier, the 762 RK 62 assault rifle. A joint effort of the Finnish Defense Forces (FDF) and Sako over several years brought a new product improved model to daylight very recently, and this rifle was officially adopted as the 762 RK 95 TP.

After the initial order by FDF (worth some 16 Million USD) for the new M95 and spare parts, no follow up orders have been planned, nor does there seem to be any funding for future orders. Sako delivered the last assault rifles to the FDF during 1997 and after that the production line will be closed. This in turn means that the production knowledge will eventually disappear and after only a few years it would be difficult to start producing again. Is Finnish assault rifle production “finished” for good?

Sako; arms factory production from a military viewpoint

The commercialization of the Civil Guard Supreme Staff Gunworks in Helsinki city, the capital of Finland, on 1 April 1921 was the starting point for the 76 year old company that we know today as SAKO. Suojeluskuntain Ase- ja Konepaja Osakeyhti” (Civil Guard Gun- and Machiningworks Ltd) was formed on 1 June 1927 from the previous Civil Guard Supreme Staff Gunworks. After that re-organization the plant was moved from Helsinki to Riihimãki city. The Civilguard was a militarily led volunteer organization apart from, but co-working with the FDF. The organization was abolished in 1945 after the last Finnish wars.

During the 1930’s there were several large projects in both construction and maintenance of small arms. The main departments included machining, cartridge, barrel, and woodwork shops. One of the more important products by SAKO at the time was the 7.62 M28-30 bolt action rifle, a greatly improved Mosin-Nagant clone produced until 1941. Production exceeded 70,000 units. It is worth noting that this is the very same model that was used in the 1937 World Shooting Championships in Helsinki.

During the early fifties much of the effort went into servicing material after the war as well as to regaining the civilian markets. The FDF started planning the next generation of infantry weapon and asked both SAKO and Valmet (formerly VKT), a state owned company, to produce prototypes. After some experimentation, the Valmet M58 assault rifle in caliber 7.62x39mm was accepted as a test-bed for future trials. FDF requested offers from both Valmet and SAKO for a prototype batch consisting of 200 rifles. Valmet won the contract and delivered 200 units of 762 RK 60 assault rifles for field trials in late 1960. Based on the information gathered from those trials, specifications for the M62 were written down and prototype rifles produced. Special cold-hammered barrels were ordered from SAKO for the new test models.

In 1962 the FDF accepted the 762 RK 62 as the new standard infantry rifle and both Valmet and SAKO were contracted to produce it. The SAKO series started from serial number 200,001, and the very first production rifle by Valmet, serial number 100,001, was placed in the Military Museum collection. Some small changes in the basic model were made over the years but the model designation remained.

From 1987 on Valmet and SAKO fused into a single company (SAKO-VALMET) with Nokia and Valmet as 50/50 stockholders. Later, after several organizational shifts in state ownership, the SAKO name remained for the gun and cartridge producing, privately owned company located in the cities of Riihimãki and Jyvãskylã. The FDF has ordered assault rifles from SAKO on a regular basis until now.

Now it seems that from 1998 onward, there is no more funding available!

Sako is the biggest hunting- and sporting rifle producer in Europe and the biggest USA exporter in the trade. This, however will never compensate for the loss of military small arms production.

What happened to the government orders?

The funding for the FDF is directed from the annual state budget through the Ministry of Defense. The Finnish defense budget is approximately 1.8 Billion USD, which is some 4.6% of the total state budget. The FDF uses this funding so that around 0.6 Billion USD is used to procure new material.

In 1996 some 16 Million USD were placed in a contract with SAKO for the new M95 assault rifle. No follow-up orders from the FDF led to a lay off of some of the workers on the assault rifle line, with more to go in early 1997. From a top of over 450 workers working with the assault rifle, the force is now down to a hundred , and production is facing a grim future.

The “ghost in the curtains” often referred to here is the Finnish Defense Force Hornet (F/A18) aircraft procurement from the USA, which depleted most of the funds reserved for other weapons purchases. During the same period the FDF purchased large amounts of cheap Chinese assault rifles and former DDR used Russian assault rifles to be placed in stock for the use of all others in units that are not the best equipped troops of the war time FDF. These cheaper weapons were for use instead of the older SMG and rifles these forces had. The total war-time force of the FDF is some 500,000 soldiers.

The best equipped brigades are already stocked with domestic assault rifles, so it seems there is no need for any further purchases. At least this is a political view of these matters in many circles. This erroneous impression is probably about to lead to a situation where the assault rifle production know-how slowly evaporates from Finnish industry.

The staff of Sako are hopeful however. If the Parliament would awaken to the problem and direct funds for continued production and procurement of domestically produced weapons, there might be a solution. A previous (13 March 1997) State Cabinet Defense Political Report regarding development of the Finnish national defense during FY 1998-2007 did not directly secure any hopes for continued funding of the assault rifle. The debate is ongoing.

Some light has been shed very recently (in early 1998) on a possible budget for small scale, up-keep production of the Finnish assault rifle. It has yet to materialize.

Patria Industries Ltd. is a recently formed company including five of the major Finnish defense materiel related factories; Vihtavuori, Lapua, Sisu Defense, Vammas and Finnavitec. The key issue, apart from export, is state ownership to secure FDF needs so SAKO seems to be outside of this procurement. Would there be any sense in purchasing the assault rifle construction line from SAKO and putting it into the new defense industry company to save the Finnish assault rifle?

The latest assault rifle- 762 RK 95 TP

The FDF assault rifle 762 RK 62 with its milled receiver will serve well for many decades to come. It is a reliable and well-made weapon.

This previous model is robust, accurate and well liked by the soldiers using it. The caliber (7.62 x 39 mm) is well suited for use in Finnish conditions. Small cosmetic adjustments have been made over the years to the basic assault rifle model but a real FDF demand for a new improved model materialized in 1988 based on research during ’86-87. The first SAKO prototypes of 1988 and 1990 included drastic changes to the rather loud selector lever of the Kalashnikov-type weapons. The selector lever was placed to the left side of the receiver to be operated with the thumb, and the right side had only a spring assisted cover plate, instead of the old version, to facilitate charging handle movement and to prevent debris from entering the receiver.

For some logistic reason the FDF could not accept this special improvement to the design so an M92/62 hybrid was constructed for troop field testing purposes. This model was operated similarly to the M62 and had more interchangeable parts than the previous prototypes. Sadly, it also had the standard selector.

After some small final adjustments the production model was ordered, and was designated the 762 RK 95 TP by the FDF.

The most important new features of the M95 are;

Folding stock.

A very positively locking design folding to the right of the receiver. Stock profile resembles the Galil but the locking is different. The upper tube of the stock has an area for maintenance accessories.

Receiver profile and cover assembly.

The milled receiver profile is such that it supports the magazine better than the M62 receiver did. The receiver cover is connected to the receiver in the standard Kalashnikov way but is also secured with a cross bolt through the upper rear of the
frame.

Charging handle angle.

The handle is placed at an upward angle (around 45 degrees) to facilitate left hand loading. This angle is not as much as that of the Galil.

Gas system valve.

The two position (open-closed) valve, is placed under the front sight on the right side. The actuation lever is well sized and the closed position is when the lever is pointing up (position marked with a “K” and arrow). The lever is then in view of the operator. The valve can be of use in different rifle grenade applications or when the need for the non-retracting bolt carrier is called for- when firing a suppressed rifle.

Muzzle brake.

This totally new model offers reduced recoil impulse of the rifle, well quenched muzzle flame and is dimensioned for the newest types of rifle grenades. It requires a newly designed blank firing attachment. The FDF uses wood-bulleted blank ammunition for training purposes.

An accessory suppressor which quick attaches to the muzzle brake is produced by another Finnish company.

Sighting systems.

The rear sight has an L-shaped foldable peep sight with 150m and 300m settings. In the middle position the use of the dusk sight is possible. The dusk sight is an open sight with a tritium gas self-illuminating dot.

The elevation and horizontal adjustments are made to the front sight using an accessory tool. The front sight also has a fold up dusk sight that has a self illuminating dot. The front sight has protecting ears which clearly curve forming a circular opening, open at the top.

To facilitate use of optical or optronic sighting devices there is an accessory mounting rail that attaches with two screws to the left side of the receiver.

As a complete weapon the M95 is definitively an improved version of the older M62 with several other smaller improvements than those described above. The quality of workmanship is easily seen on any detail.

Perhaps the positive acceptance by the troops using these new rifles and pressure from those not yet issued it, will eventually lead to further funding, and further procurement of the 762 RK 95 TP by the FDF.

The first M95 production rifle, serial number 960,001, was presented by SAKO to the Military Museum in Helsinki. Perhaps they will have the good sense to request the absolutely last production rifle also.

Remaining products with military potential

What remains in production is the SAKO TRG series of sniping rifles. Two standard calibers and action sizes are produced; TRG-21 in 7.62 x 51 mm and TRG-41 in caliber 8.6 x 70 mm.

The rifle is of modern configuration in the 5 kg range, boasting rugged subassemblies and a plastic stock. The action is bedded in an aluminum bedding rail, which in turn functions as the fixing points for the two piece (front and rear) stock. The handguard part of the two piece stock has mounting rails for accessories. The buttstock part is fully adjustable for height, length and cant of butt plate. The trigger assembly is modular, removable and fully adjustable to shooter preferences.

The bolt has three locking lugs offering an opening angle of 60 degrees. The feed is from a detachable box magazine, 10 cartridges in 7.62 mm and five in 8.6 mm.

This rifle has received positive attention abroad and domestically, but the FDF has not bought it in quantities other than for sporting use.

There certainly would be a boost of sales potential if SAKO would place a bit more military attention on this TRG product. Just some fundamental things like applying hard chrome to the interior of the barrel and other necessary parts.

Perhaps resources are not available, or then again perhaps the SAKO leadership has become too “sportsman oriented” and is about to lose the military market by mistake. They would not be the first manufacturer to do this.

Be that as it may, this eventual assault rifle production loss will certainly be Finland’s loss.

For fifteen years there has been a formidable, South African-made tool on the market for police and military use. If the requirement is a weapon for close combat, entry missions, or supportive, close-range firepower, then there is one design that has been unsurpassed.

The revolving, close combat shotgun

A firearm loaded with multiple projectiles for each load could easily be considered a shotgun, especially if it has a bore without rifling. With the large variety of weapons available today we know that this is not the whole truth. But going back in time 400 years, considering the technology available to produce firearm barrels, the way of short distance warfare and the fact that the firearms were muzzle-loaded until only very recently, it is very easy to understand why shotguns were considered effective. Using the terms “shotgun” and blunderbus loosely one could say that these weapons have been used in combat applications for over 400 years.

The smooth-bored barrel was the very first type available in early firearms. It was noted that hit probability over a distance was higher if the muzzle-loaded weapon was charged with many projectiles while dispersion from a short-barreled blunderbus was fairly wide, pattern density was poor. The main advantage of a load of shot was the potential of wounding several opponents with a single pull of the trigger, giving time to perform rather a slow reload through the weapons muzzle.

The occasional need for quick reloading of early weapons led, in time, to variants of guns that incorporated manually rotated chambers. The simplest version was a rifle with several barrels attached around a central spindle in a cylindrical form. The gunner loaded each barrel from the muzzle with a shot load. After firing one barrel the gunner manually turned the next barrel in line with the firing mechanism, and could thus fire the next shot much faster. Weapons of this configuration were heavy and cumbersome. There was need to reduce weight for mobility.

A remarkable step in the evolution of the revolving shotgun was taken in the late 1830’s. With the advent of Samuel Colt’s revolving percussion rifle, a mechanism for automatically indexing the cylinder was introduced. The mechanical function was the same as we see in the revolver today. The ability to better understand metallurgy, produce weapons to exact tolerances and devise better tools for manufacture had increased since the early days of revolving firearms. The same advances had not been made in loads for the chambers of those weapons. The ignition system had improved from matchlock and flint to percussion caps, but basically all weapons were muzzle loaded, be it from the muzzle of the barrel, or the muzzle of the revolving cylinder.

The muzzle-loaded revolver has the potentially dangerous phenomenon of multiple chamber discharge present during firing. This could happen from hot powder gases escaping from the gap between the forcing cone of the barrel and the front of the cylinder. When it happened the gunner was likely to seriously injure his supporting hand.

As the accuracy of standard muzzle-loading rifles increased so did the distances in combat. The interest in the shotgun never grew to a larger scale in military applications. It was probably only the US Army that understood the advantage of the shotgun in close combat. The revolving shotgun, with its user un-friendly drawbacks of the time, was almost forgotten. The standard cased cartridge would change all that, in due course.

Before WW II, there were some serious trials with the revolving shotgun concept. The most important product was a design by Charles J. Manville. The basic 12 gauge (18.5 mm) design incorporated previously untried features; one being a 24 chamber spring-assisted cylinder. By pressing the trigger the gun fired and rotated the next chamber in line with the barrel. The operator had only to release and press the trigger again for the next shot. The Manville shotgun had a front and rear pistol grip and no stock. When reloading the gun the rear (frame with the cam housing) was removed from the barrel and cylinder assembly, thus exposing all the chambers for loading.

The main materials used to construct this weapon were steel and aluminum. The barrel was of steel, and the aluminum cylinder had chamber inserts of steel. Further development of this weapon occurred in 25 mm and 37 mm for police departments to use in riot control. The Manville Corporation discontinued the production and development of its family of weapons in early 1940, concentrating its effort on other products.

The Manville design has been marketed to the law enforcement and military since the middle of 1980 by Hawk Engineering Inc. as the twelve cartridge 37 mm or 40 mm MM-1 version. It has never been reintroduced as a shotgun.

By the end of 1970 another American revolving shotgun was being introduced. This weapon is known as the 18.5 x 70 mm Pancor Jackhammer. The concept has been developed by John Anderson, and it has advanced the revolver principle even further. The ten-chamber, revolving cylinder is factory pre-packed with loaded cartridge. For reloading the complete cylinder (with the cartridge cases) is removed, and an unfired cylinder is replaced. The weapon incorporates an extensive use of plastic materials, combined with steel. The development of the weapon and its ammunition started in 1978, and continued for almost a decade, but only prototype production has been achieved. The current status is unknown to this writer.

In early 1983 a South-African product was introduced to the weapons market, a robust revolving chamber shotgun of a design that has proven to be hard to beat.

FIRST THE STRIKER

A South-African company (called Armsel and based in Johannesburg) started producing the 18.5 x 70 mm STRIKER combat shotgun in 1983. In the country of origin this weapon has since been marketed by Aserma Manufacturing as part of Reutech Defense Industries (RDI). The Striker shotgun and grenade launching derivatives have also been further designed and made in the USA by Penn Arms.

The Striker was an innovation by Hilton Walker and Hans Kornberger, two South-African gun designers. Mr. Kornberger moved to the USA in late 1980 and established the marketing company for American sales.

The original Striker design incorporates some remarkable features that have refined many of the original ideas from the Manville guns.

The standard model of the Striker has a front and rear pistol grip, a folding stock and a collimating dot sight. The sight is also a South-African product called the Armson O.E.G. (Occluded Eye Gunsight).

To fire the Striker the shotgun is held by its grips. The safety is removed by pressing the cross bolt to the left. When the trigger is pressed the revolver drum moves slightly clockwise to align the cartridge primer with the firing pin. Further pressure against a force of approximately 6 kg at the end retracts the hammer and lets it fall in the manner of a standard double action revolver. When the trigger is released for the second shot the revolver drum is indexed to almost present the next cartridge in line with the firing pin. The next pull of trigger again moves the drum so that the primer is inline with the firing pin and this cycle continues for a maximum of twelve shots. To empty the chambers of cases, the safety is placed on, and the hinged cover at the loading port is opened. By fully pulling on the ejector rod, (which is on the right side of the barrel) each cartridge case may be individually ejected in turn.

Apart from the cross-bolt safety which only restricts trigger movement, there are two other major safeties. The important one operates by keeping the chamber (primer) out of line with the firing pin until the trigger is pulled. The third safety feature is the fact that a relatively heavy trigger pull retracts the hammer, to eventually allowing it to fall on the floating firing pin. The weapon is safe to carry fully loaded, even if the cross-bolt safety has not been applied. Only a deliberate pull of the trigger will fire the Striker shotgun.

The total length of this basic model is 500 mm with the stock in the folded position and 780 mm with it extended. The barrel is 300 mm and cylinder bored.

If necessary (under the emotional stimulation of armed conflict) it is possible to fire all twelve cartridges in five seconds. The recoil is evenly distributed trough both grips and butt of the stock. This, combined with the weight of the weapon, reduces felt recoil to a great extent.

THE PROTECTA MODIFICATION

The basic Striker construction has been improved with slight changes and a variety of features. In 1991 a new version of the combat shotgun was introduced by Aserma Mfg. as the PROTECTA. Externally and technically very much like the Striker but with drastic changes in both chamber indexing and cartridge case ejection. The South African designers of the new features were Hilton Walker and Pat Farquharson.

The Protecta modification had an substantial impact on some of the more central issues in this combat shotgun concept. Size and weight and general ergonomics of the basic Striker remained the same but there are four details which demand further attention.

1. Operation of the Weapon

The rotating chambers are indexed manually with the axial movement of the front grip. The front grip is pushed to the right until it stops, and is then returned to its original position until it stops and locks. The movement is 30 degrees. The shroud of the barrel also turns axially with the front grip and as the index arm assembly is connected to the shroud the movement is transferred. The front grip and shroud are held in their normal position with the help of an index locking detent and the force of its spring. When sufficient force is applied the lock is released, and the grip can be turned to the right. The index assembly also has a floating index pin, which in the earliest models was spring assisted. This index pin travels in a star shaped track in the front of the chamber drum assembly called the index plate.

The track forms a star with twelve outer and inner points. If we study one segment of the star track, which is the distance the index pin must travel for one indexing movement between chambers, it forms the letter “V”.

The left upper end of the V is the place where the index pin rests when the front grip is in its normal position. When the grip is turned the pin travels down along the track to the point of the V. The floor of the track goes from deep to shallow to get abruptly deep again at the point. The ledge formed by the sudden difference in depth prevents the floating indexing pin from retracting the same way.

When the front grip is returned to its normal position the index pin travels to the right upper end of the V. Again the floor of the track goes from deep to shallow until it deepens at the upper end, forming a ledge to prevent rearward movement. Now a complete indexing cycle has been made.

To the operator the indexing movement is very short, fast and positive. If one would attempt to fire the weapon with only half the movement made, there would be no effect, as the primer of the cartridge is totally out of line with the firing pin.

Indexing of the chambers can be done by either turning the front grip or by keeping the front grip stationary and turning the rear grip clockwise and back. The method used is up to the preference of the operator.

2. Safety Features

One safety feature was described above. The Protecta can not accidentally be fired out of battery, the indexing movement must be complete.

As opposed to the Striker the Protecta is indexed so that the primer comes directly in line with the firing pin. Thus a new feature has been included as is with most double action revolvers. Unless the trigger is deliberately pulled the hammer can not transfer its blow to the firing pin. There is a hammer block which is removed only after a full rearward pull of the trigger. The trigger pull is 6 kg (13.2 pounds) and the trigger is lockable with a cross bolt safety.

3. Reloading

This has been vastly improved since the Striker by the fact that the new system ejects empties during firing. To load, place the cross bolt in safe position and open the newly designed loading port cover. The cartridges are placed in each chamber by indexing the drum. Close the cover.

To fire, press the cross bolt safety to the left then pull the trigger. Index the following loaded chamber in line with the loading movement of the front grip. The loading port cover opens automatically, exposing the cartridge case head of the previous round. When the trigger’s pulled again the shot is fired, and part of the powder gas is bled from the chamber mouth and forcing cone. This expands into the chamber with the empty case, pushing it forcefully to the rear. When the case is completely clear of the chamber it collides with the rear wall of the ejection opening frame and is flung to the right. All cases are ejected automatically, except the last. The last case can be ejected manually with the ejector rod when preparing to reload the gun.

This system has speeded up the reloading cycle quite a bit, since the early, manually-ejected Striker version.

The powder gas assisted ejection directs some amounts of gas and debris in the direction of the operator. If the gun is fired from the left shoulder eye protection should be mandatory to prevent injury to the right eye.

4. Amount of parts for construction.

The change from the Striker spring assisted rotary motion to the manually indexed version of the Protecta system cut the amount of parts only slightly. The most important difference is in the drum of chambers that consist of 60% less parts than in the Striker version. Production cost is probably smaller also.

When a standard model is perfected it is time to produce models for special applications. The shotgun is a formidable and very practical close combat weapon for entry teams, if it is correctly sized to be operable indoors. RDI has answered that call.

THE BULLDOG

By the middle of 1992 the first suggestions of a special version of the Protecta were discussed. However, it was to take some time before the potential benefits of the proposed model were to materialize. By February of 1995 the matter was at hand again. By March the technical engineers at Aserma Mfg. had built the final version. This was definitely a tool for the entry team to us in a confined space. The ultra-compact shotgun was appropriately named “BULLDOG”.

The overall appearance of the 18.5 x 70 mm BULLDOG combat shotgun is intimidating. The total length is 400 mm with a barrel length of 171 mm. The weapon has no collimating dot sight. It has no stock and is meant to be operated from a sling rest, either from the high forward position under the line of sight, or from a low close to body waist level, eyes on target. The loaded weight is 3.9 kg. (8.4 pounds)

The weapon is loaded with eleven cartridges. By sacrificing one cartridge as compared to the standard Protecta some gain has been achieved. The loading port cover is omitted from the Bulldog, making the loading faster yet simpler. The chambers are filled with the indexing method up to number eleven. The twelfth chamber remains empty at the loading port after the weapon is fully loaded with eleven cartridges. After the first eleven cartridges are fired one empty will remain in the drum This works as a marker case for the twelfth chamber. The weapon is loaded again, only now the empty case marker is at the loading port when the weapon is completely reloaded with the next eleven cartridges. The marker is the first to eject when firing is commenced. A new marker case remains after the cycle is repeated. Reloading is very quick with the Bulldog, and can even be performed in slow run if necessary. The ejection port frame is of great aid in placing cartridges.

Even if the barrel is only 171 mm long the weapon still retains the manual ejector rod. It is meant as an aid when unloading an unfired weapon, or in removing cartridges left in the drum. It can also be used to push out the last empty cartridge case depending on the model of the plastic case. The manual ejector pushes from the case mouth, not the inner floor of the case.

The ergonomic demands have been dealt with in this design as well. To facilitate the short barrel the front grip has to be placed more rearward than the standard model. Considering the 145 mm circumference of the chamber drum assembly, the position of the supporting hand would be very awkward if the grip pointed straight down. The Bulldog has a front grip placed at a 45 degree angle to the left to facilitate easier gripping and indexing of the drum. This of course makes it a weapon for right-handed users. It is not readily ambidextrous. For left-handers a point-down grip can be provided, as a point-right grip would place the supporting hand in the path of ejected cases.

The weapon is easily stripped for user maintenance. First make sure that the cylinder is unloaded. The tools needed for dismantling the Bulldog and Protecta are one 5 mm Allen key and a small screwdriver. By inserting the shaft of the Allen key in the hole of the fixing shaft head in the middle of the drum assembly it is screwed counter clockwise to release. The four Allen-head screws that fix the drum cover to the frame are removed. Remove the screw that connects the index arm to the barrel shroud with the screwdriver. Remove the index arm assembly. The complete drum assembly is removed by pulling it down and away from the frame. The cover plates are removed from the rear of the drum. The chamber drum is lifted out of its cover. The plastic rear grip with frame can be removed by loosening the Allen head screws that retain it. The dismantled weapon is easy to service. Assemble in reverse order.

While doing some extensive firing with the Bulldog at the shooting Range: I noticed the following: The shotgun is easy to point at ranges under 30 meters. The gun carries well when fully loaded with the sling across the body. Recoil movement is stronger than the Striker, so the 1 kg (2.2 pounds) reduction in weight carries a penalty. There is scarcely any lift of the muzzle during recoil. The movement is essentially a kick straight back, with slight clockwise torque. This is probably due to the front grip placement. When firing for extended periods the right hand upper knuckle gets sore because of the connection between the ejector opening frame and firing hand. The use of gloves helps to mitigate that.

On targets 10 m (11 yards) distant the shot spread is 300 to 500 mm depending on the type of cartridge. If there is a need to fire slugs accurately it is good to invest in an accessory dot sight and folding stock, and to fire with shoulder support.

The Bulldog ejects its empties very briskly. Cheaper brands of cartridges lose their spent primers in the process. The positive ejection lands the cartridge cases two meters to the right of the operator.

The operation of the indexing system takes some time to learn instinctively. This is especially so if one is very familiar with pump action or self-loading shotguns. In the beginning of familiarization with the Bulldog I repeatedly pulled the trigger twice on the same cartridge. When the indexing movement is accepted by the hands operating the gun, firing can be very fast, if and when necessary.

Reloading the empty weapon can also be a very quick operation, after initial training. As noted, this can be performed while moving on foot, either walking or in a slow run.

This South-African combat shotgun product has proven to be a sound design from the start. Since 1983 it has evolved to the model known as Bulldog in 1995. I am certain that the company producing this tool for entry teams will listen to potential customers in the future, and offer model variations for different applications.