Before it ceased operations on a fateful February day in 2017, Olympic Arms, Inc.—headquartered in Olympia, WA—was known as a prime manufacturer of AR-15 variants for the civilian and law enforcement markets. Established in 1982 as the brand under which Robert C. Schuetz of SGW (Schuetzen Gun Works) manufactured and sold AR-15 derivatives, Olympic Arms established itself as an innovator. It was the first to offer free-floating aluminum handguards or pistol caliber conversions for America’s rifle; they were also the first company to experiment successfully with a redesigned upper receiver that would integrate a recoil buffer over the bolt carrier group and barrel, allowing an AR-15 to be equipped with a side-folding stock — or none at all.

Olympic Arms was also one of the first-ever manufacturers of AR-15 pistols: indeed, the aforementioned top recoil buffer allowed its OA-93, OA-96, and OA-98 pistols to do without a buffer tube behind the lower receiver. While that system did provide the basis for a good, super-compact, short-barrel rifle (the OA-93 TCP, with a side-folding stock and a 6.5-inch barrel), Olympic Arms would indeed go on to develop an SBR based on a standard AR-15 layout.

ENTER THE “STUBBY”

The reason why Olympic Arms decided to follow that road when they had a bufferless design (arguably better, albeit with room for improvement) already in production; given the short barrel length, which would make it subject to the provisions of the National Firearms Act, the 1994 assault weapons ban that was in effect back in the day was likely not a factor in the decision.

It’s more likely that the company decided to market a product that would be more appealing to military, law enforcement, and government customers by providing prompt drop-in compatibility with pre-existing, select-fire M16 or semi-automatic AR-15 lower receivers for entry/CQB operations or for close protection details. And indeed, Olympic Arms was offering 6.5-inch BBL drop-in uppers to MIL/LE customers as early as 1998.

The first factory complete SBRs based on those uppers would be launched circa 1999, dubbed the K23B “Stubby”. Built around an Olympic Arms MFR lower receiver with standard controls and chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO, the Stubby was by no means the first “micro M16” to hit the global markets – products such as the La France Specialties M16K and the M2 Corp. M16C, M16X, and M16SP had been around for a while, and that’s not mentioning Colt’s early Model 607 carbines dating as far back as 1965 – but it was definitely one of the shortest-barreled to be produced in quantities that could be considered “significant” by any standard, and was very shortly followed by other very similar competitors such as the DPMS “Kitty Kat.” For all intents and purposes, the K23B Stubby did pave the way.

SHORT AND BRUTAL

The Stubby featured an A2 upper receiver with a 6.5-inch cold-hammer forged barrel, a Smith Enterprises Vortex flash hider, an A2-style front sight equipped with a front sling swivel but no bayonet lug, and a free-float cylindrical aluminum handguard that was a short version of the version used by Olympic Arms on their line of match-grade AR-15 variants. As such, the K23B does not feature a delta ring, nor a handguard cap.

It’s worth noting that Olympic Arms was the first company to introduce a free-float handguard for the AR-15. A new flat-top version would be launched around 2004. It would come with an M4A1-type removable carry handle mounted on a top Picatinny rail and a quad-rail machined aluminum handguard, making it more compatible with the many accessories that were becoming increasingly popular back in the day… and that today we just can’t seem to do without. This last version was in production — or at least available — all the way until Olympic Arms ceased operations.

The carry handle on the Stubby was fixed and featured a familiar, A2 fully adjustable rear sight. The bolt and bolt carrier group were, likewise, standard for an A2 variant, and as such the Stubby came with a standard recoil buffer, buffer tube, and six-position collapsing stock. Manufactured out of black polymer, the stock of the Stubby was more akin in design to that of the M16A1 carbine, M733, or early the Colt Commando (XM177), but all the standard A2 features were otherwise there (including a brass deflector in front of the forward assist and some major fencing around the magazine catch.)

Of course, such a small carbine (barely 20 inches long with the stock collapsed) would suffer severe overgassing problems and timing issues without a properly tuned gas system. Olympic Arms went solved this problem with a pigtail gas tube: essentially a carbine-length gas tube shortened to PDW length by wrapping it in at least two loops around the barrel. The length that the gas has to travel to reach the gas key and push the bolt back is the same as on an 11.5-inch or 14.5-inch carbine, ideally reducing pressures to levels that guarantee sufficient reliability.

From direct experience, and experience of other users, that’s actually easier said than done. Firing a 5.56mm firearm with a 6.5-inch barrel is truly brutal in terms of concussion and muzzle blast, even outdoors, becoming particularly uncomfortable for the shooter after just a few rounds in rapid fire. Shooting it in low-light conditions or indoors will quickly become taxing to the shooter’s eyes and ears. Owners of the rare K23Bs in Italy, where this article was written, were quick to nickname it the “portable flashbang dispenser.”

Additionally, such a short barrel does not do a proper job at stabilizing ball ammo for engaging targets farther than thirty feet or so away – but that’s par for the course, the K23B was always meant for extreme CQB. Simply put, the Stubby barrel is just too short, not allowing enough time for the propellant to burn properly and for gases to reach optimal pressure levels. Trying to hit anything at 50 meters, or approximately 55 yards, is essentially a coin toss.

Finally, the pigtail gas tube is an excellent solution that reduces recoil in semi-automatic rifles and the cyclic rate of fully-automatic rifles when the barrel is at least 11.5 inches long… but on a 6.5-inch barrel, the levels of torque can easily become too high for the gas tube to bear. As such, the most commonly reported issue with the K23B is the rupture of the retaining pin, causing the gas tube to come out of the gas block and make the gun completely useless until it could be repaired.

A system such as the TwinTube, patented by Tim LaFrance for his M16K, would have been a better solution. But then again, back when the K23B came out, Olympic Arms was focusing on bufferless AR designs, and their first SBR had been such a design, with the K23B being more of an afterthought for compatibility with pre-existing M16 lowers. Something’s always gotta give.

AN OBJECT OF DESIRE

It’s quite clear that the Stubby was never a key product for Olympic Arms, but more like a footnote in their MIL/LE catalog; a version for the U.S. civilian market, dubbed the K23P and featuring a pistol-length recoil buffer and buffer tube, came to be without much success at a time when arm braces were still a long time from appearing. However, there is at least one place where the K23B has risen to an almost cult status among shooters and firearms enthusiasts: Italy. And that’s where we found the sample pictured in this article, at the Armeria Red Point gun store in Ostia, just outside of Rome.

The Stubby was approved for import and distribution on the Italian civilian market in March 2001, and it is considered a handgun by Italian law, which does not distinguish pistols from rifles by the presence of components like a buttstock or the intended shooting stance, but rather by the overall length vs. barrel length ratio (“intended to be fired from the shoulder” isn’t a thing, here.)

The Italian gun laws have been significantly improved from the year 2011 onwards, with some hiccups following the 2015 wave of terror attacks in Europe. However, back in 2001, the law (passed in 1975) assigned oversight on the Italian civilian firearm market to a central commission composed of “experts” (mostly from the military and law enforcement) with regulatory powers similar to that of the ATF in the United States and full freedom of interpretation as of what constituted a “common” firearm and what was a banned “weapon of war”, albeit somewhat tied to the National Proofing House.

The history of such a commission would warrant an article on its own. But, right now it’s sufficient to say that if it was for the mindset of the members of such commission (dissolved in 2011), the Olympic Arms Stubby would have never made it to the Italian market. As the (quite reliable) rumors have it, however, politicians entered the chat, or to be more specific, one politician, very prominent in Italy and extremely controversial, who held the office of Prime Minister four times from 1994 to 2011.

This specific politician, who passed away in 2023, relied on his personal private security detail even when he was Prime Minister and would have had the right to a state security detail; as such, he wanted his private security to have the closest thing available to the Colt Commando, Heckler & Koch MP5 (later MP7), and a G36C that were standard for that kind of close protection duties in Europe.

The Italian importer for Olympic Arms – the now long defunct ATP (Action Tactical Products), headquartered in the northern town of Lesa – imported an unknown “minimum quantity order” of K23Bs, anywhere between ten and twenty samples, almost all of those immediately purchased privately by the personal bodyguards of the aforementioned politician, the others all sold on the civilian market and becoming the first “super-short” AR-15 on sale in the country. Many others would follow.

Back in the day, the Stubby was marketed in Italy chiefly towards private security guards – particularly those employed in cash-in-transit duties – but the extremly high price made it largely unattainable on a security guard paycheck, and all samples ended up in the ownership of private collectors with extremely deep pockets. Even nowadays, on the Italian second-hand gun market, the Stubby does not command any less than 3,800 euros, or just over $4,000 U.S. dollars.

Guaranteed, they’ll all be in essentially mint, as-new condition, but with the high number of better alternatives currently available to Italian shooters, including locally made models, you would need to see the K23B Stubby as a grail gun to spend so much money on one.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

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From the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s, an Italian company experimented on a large-size tactical pistol for home and property defense and for private security that never entered mass production: let’s take a look at it and see if there’s a future ahead for the design!

Albeit not successful as its creators (Roberto Teppa and Claudio Gritti from the Turin-based SITES S.p.A. company) would have wanted it to be, the SITES M4 Spectre sub-machine gun was by all accounts one of the most technically innovative and interesting firearms of the 1980s.

The Spectre design also saw civilian sales on both sides of the Atlantic: a stockless, single-grip variant dubbed the “Spectre HC” would be marketed on the U.S. civilian market, while European shooters had the choice of the “Falcon” pistol (essentially a semi-automatic M4 Spectre with a removable vertical foregrip and upfolding stock) and the “Ranger” carbine, same as above but with a longer barrel.

SITES shut down in 1997, but Gritti – now operating a company called Greco Sport S.A. in Switzerland – would continue to assemble and sell Spectre sub-machine guns, pistols and carbines until 2001.

For years, however, its creators would attempt to revise and improve the concept into an aesthetically new, more compact and ergonomically-friendly package that would be marketed chiefly as a semi-automatic pistol in two barrel lengths (5.3-inch (13.5cm) and or 8.6-inch (22 cm)), with a fast clip-on butt-stock available as an optional as Europe lacks the short barrel rifle restrictions of the U.S., that could become a desirable alternative for individuals looking for a high-capacity, highly controllable home and property defense pistol, as well as for local law enforcement and private security personnel, particularly those working cash-in-transit duties.

The first prototype of what was meant to be the Spectre’s heir apparent would be showcased at the 2000 EXA gun expo in Brescia, Italy by Claudio Gritti’s new company, THOR Projects, headquartered in the Swiss city of Mendrisio. In 2003, once again at the EXA expo, the design was on display again, this time known as the PPM-1 “Storm”, and announcements were made that it would be manufactured in Italy by a company called Modulo Masterpiece S.a.s. – back then a newcomer whose product line included both a vast line of bolt-action long-range precision shooting rifles and a series of high-grade competition-oriented 1911 pistols, a throwback to the post-SITES days of Gritti, who had worked on 1911 handguns with the Bologna-based TECNEMA company from 1990 to 1996.

Differences between the Modulo Masterpiece and THOR Projects teams sadly led to the project being dropped not much later, with not a single PPM-1 being produced commercially. The Italian company, however, retained the rights for the design and, in 2008, it underwent a corporate restructuring, becoming known as BCM Europearms. The development of the Storm pistol – now called the PM4 Storm – continued all through the early 2010s, with the final version being revealed in 2015.

Technically speaking, the BCM Europearms PM4 Storm is a semi-automatic, locked breech pistol designed to be manufactured in three calibers – 9mm Luger, 40 Smith & Wesson, and 9×21 IMI – but ultimately produced in an extremely limited number (approximately fifteen) only in the latter.

As the heir apparent of the SITES Spectre sub-machine gun, the PM4 Storm was conceived to be ready for use at a moment’s notice, while still remaining perfectly safe to carry or transport given the relatively compact size – a true plus for bodyguards and other private security professionals working close protection details – and boasting an aggressive look and feel that would alone act as a deterrent against the less well-prepared and determined attackers. Gun grabbers in the United States would call this an “assault pistol”, but well, the makers of the Storm don’t shy away from it.

As many of you may remember, the SITES Spectre featured a SA/DA striker-fired (or better, linear-hammer fired) trigger group, quite unusual for a sub-machine gun: an ambidextrous decocking lever located over the grip, at thumb reach, replaced the standard manual safety and allowed the user to drop the striker safely on a loaded chamber with the selector set on semi-automatic or full-automatic fire.

The Spectre could thus be carried ready to fire, much like a revolver or a double-action pistol. All the operator would need to do, if the need arose, was to bring the gun to bear and pull the trigger; the first shot would be fired in double-action, the following rounds would be fired in single-action. The SA/DA trigger design also allowed shooters to restrike a chambered round in the event of a malfunction.

The PM4 “Storm” improves and elaborates on the original SA/DA trigger group of the Spectre, albeit ever so slightly, by replacing the old linear hammer with a standard hammer for easier manufacturing and offering a better trigger pull in double action.

At the heart of the PM4 Storm is a massive cylindrical bolt, with a large hook-type extractor. The bolt is hollow and houses a free-floating striker and the return spring; the entire bolt assembly runs within a (likewise cylindrical) steel receiver to which the trigger group is hinged at the bottom, housed in its own metal chassis with two side bars for easy inspection and maintenance.

The charging handle of the PM4 Storm is screwed on to its seat within the bolt, is reciprocating, and runs into a slot cut on the left side of the receiver. It is also the only non-ambidextrous control of the gun, which in and by itself has very little controls, most notably no manual safety: a push-button located within the trigger guard, behind the trigger itself, acts as a decocker and engages the double-action.

The flat magazine catch is located right behind the mag well: it is meant to be operated by thumb, either by left- or right-handed shooters. The magazines don’t drop free and must be pulled away, although the PM4 Storm does lock open on an empty magazine.

Ditching the heavy, cumbersome and complex 50-rounds quad-stack “coffin” magazines of the original SITES Spectre, the Storm pistol has been conceived ever since its first iteration in the year 2000 to use tried and true, double-stack Uzi magazines. 15- and 20-round magazines were planned to be made available, but the pistol will feed through any iteration of the popular 9mm Uzi mag.

The mentioned steel receiver of the PM4 Storm is contained within a black high-strength polymer chassis; unscrewing the charging handle from its seat in the bolt and removing the rear endcap of the polymer chassis is required to field-strip the gun.

The chassis is composed of two parts: a lower, which includes the grip assembly and the magazine well; and the upper, featuring a full-length top MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny rail for optics or emergency flip-up iron sights.

Originally the PM4 Storm had to feature a shorter top rail and a set of integral sights, consisting of a fixed front post and an adjustable rear sight assembly; the idea was ditched in the final iteration in favor of a full-length top rail, as were many features of the previous prototypes such as a detachable pistol grip and a different, overall more smooth and sci-fi-ish design of the polymer chassis.

A second, removable screw-on piece of Picatinny rail is located in front of the magazine well, providing an interface point for tactical accessories or for a foregrip – once again, there’s no such thing as SBR or AOW regulations in Italy.

The barrel of the PM4 Storm pistol is 14.5 centimeters long (5.7 inches for those using freedom units), and ends in a thread-on, multi-port proprietary muzzle device that doubles as a flash hider and compensator. Like the SITES Spectre, the PM4 Storm opts for a sinusoidal rifling pattern, with six right-handed grooves and a very long twist rate (1 turn in approximately 1 meter, which would be 1:39.3-inch). The sinusoidal pattern is extremely effective in tightening groups, not as much as you’d need to come out on top in a shooting competition, but definitely enough to bring the hostiles down when the prize on the line is your own life.

As mentioned above, time and time again, there’s no such thing as SBR restrictions in Italy and in most of Europe. While in the US the difference between a long gun and a handgun is the intended mode of use – with long guns being “originally conceived to be fired from the shoulder” – the European Firearms Directive, ever since its first iteration in 1991, designates a long gun as a firearm that is both longer than 60 cm (23.6 inches) and has a barrel longer than 30 cm (11.8 inches), with anything shorter being classified as a handgun, regardless of any buttstocks or foregrips.

The Italian law, which like many other gun laws in European countries implemented the directive, goes so far as to state that the overall length of a firearm equipped with a collapsible or folding buttstock must be measured with the stock in its fully collapsed or closed position, thus focusing on concealability rather than the possibility of firing the gun from the shoulder.

It is, thus, no wonder that the Storm pistol was always planned to be equipped with a buttstock. As previously mentioned, the original prototype from THOR Projects in Switzerland came with a clip-on fixed stock, and as the various iterations of the design came to be, the companies involved in the development experimented with fixed, folding, removable, and collapsing wire metal stocks.

In the current iteration, the PM4 Storm’s factory chassis end cap can optionally be replaced with another that is threaded at the end for a MIL-SPEC or commercial buffer tube, allowing the use of M4-type collapsible buttstocks. The mount is hinged to fold to one side, making the PM4 Storm compact enough for concealed carry under a jacket even when the stock is installed.

Now, the PM4 Storm is by no means a diminutive firearm, standing in at 39.5 centimeters (15.5 inches) in overall length without a stock, or with the stock folded, while topping the scale at 2.5 kilograms approximately (5.51 pounds) when empty. But considering it is meant for rapid fire in close quarters, the extra mass helps keeping recoil and muzzle climb under control.

THOR Projects and Modulo Masterpiece briefly experimented with a carbine version, to be called the CM4, that would tentatively be 77cm (30.31 inches) long overall and feature a long barrel and a fixed buttstock.

The carbine project has however since being shelved; the reason for its demise are unknown, but once again, with SBR restrictions not really being a thing in Italy and most of Europe, the manufacturing company wouldn’t have to worry about overall length. The reader must also remember that the Storm pistol was conceived initially in the early 2000s, over a decade before the PCC craze ever saw the light of the day.

And to be more accurate, “shelved” is a description that applies to the entirety of the PM4 Storm pistol project. After a limited run of merely fifteen commercial samples, BCM Europearms put the production of the Storm pistol on an indefinite hiatus to focus on their core business of top-tier bolt-action competition rifles for the European commercial markets and high-precision sniping platforms for the Italian military and other professional customers worldwide.

“Indefinite hiatus”, however, doesn’t mean – in the words of the owner and CEO of BCM Europearms, Gianmattia Molina – that the PM4 Storm is dead. It’s on the back burner, for sure, but still in his mind; and the company still has the technology and owns the rights to the design.

A return – or to be more precise, a true full-scale commercial launch – of the PM4 Storm pistol sometime in the future can thus not be ruled out.

The design would require some tinkering, to adapt it to the sensibility of the modern markets: Molina explicitly mentioned lengthening the overall action and chassis to accommodate Glock magazines, abandoning the .40 Smith & Wesson option which has long fallen out of favor with civilian shooters and professional operators worldwide, and replacing the original end cap and M4 buffer adapter with a vertical Picatinny rail that would allow more versatility and flexibility in the installation of sling rings, SIG Sauer MCX/MPX type stocks, arm braces, and the like.

But in today’s civilian firearms market, even in Europe, a firearm like the PM4 Storm does have its space, and for someone like the writer – who has been following the development of the design ever since the 2003 edition of EXA – it would really be a pleasure to see it finally come to fruition.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Not many shooters will be familiar with the name “Sino Defense Manufacturing”, or SDM for short, at least not outside of Europe. SDM is a market-specific brand under which a major Italian importer – Prima Armi S.r.l., headquartered in a suburb of the city of Turin – distributes a European line of firearms manufactured in the People’s Republic of China by companies such as EMEI (itself part of Chongqing Jianshe Industries Group Co., Ltd.) and others that are mostly part of the NORINCO or China South conglomerates.

The SDM line of products, today, includes numerous semi-automatic variants of the AKM platform in 7.62×39mm and 5.56×45mm, as well as several AR-15 variants; .22 rimfire carbines; handguns – chiefly clones of the SIG Sauer P226; lever-action and pump-action shotguns (including some clones of the Remington 870 design modified to feed from proprietary detachable magazines); and the M77 Commando, a unique semi-automatic bull-pup rifle chambered in 5.56×45mm and based on the QBZ-97b assault carbine with a barrel extended to 14.4 inches in length.

In 2014 and 2015, for a limited amount of time, the SDM line also included the SMG9 semi-automatic short barrel rifle, a civilian version of the CS/LS5 sub-machine gun. Back in the day, the author had a chance to privately purchase one of the very few samples ever imported in Europe. Today, as a satisfied customer, it is still amazing to realize how the SMG9 represents a missed occasion for the importer and for European shooters.

Short barrel rifle or handgun?

It should be specified that while the firearm in question will be addressed as a short barrel rifle for better understanding by the American reader, in Italy – where the author resides – and in Europe in general, the SMG9 is classified as a pistol. Yes, even if it has a stock.

American laws classify any firearm that is originated to be fired from the shoulder as a long gun; on the other side of the Big Pond, a rifle is any firearm that is longer than 23.62 inches (60cm) overall and is equipped with a barrel longer than 11.81 inches (30cm). Anything shorter is considered a pistol. Italian rules on firearm classification specify that, if such a firearm has a folding or collapsible buttstock, the overall length has to be measured with said stock in the folded or fully collapsed position. It is clear that, for the local lawmaker, the chief factor to take into account was not the position the firearm was meant to be fired from, but rather its concealability.

An attempt to regulate – or ban – such a category of firearms Europe-wide was made in 2017 with the 853 European Firearms Directive. Something the European anti-gun crowd really went to town with, and utterly failed. That directive created a new “prohibited firearms” category (more specifically, Category A8) that encompasses “all long guns whose overall length can be reduced under 60 cm through a folding, collapsible, or easily removable buttstock.”

The issue being, the definition of a handgun as any firearm with a barrel shorter than 30 cm, regardless of the presence of a stock, has been established by Annex 1 of the first ever European Firearms Directive (91/477/CEE), and that definition has not been changed. As a result, said restriction remains so far disapplied, and not applicable by the European Commission’s own words dating back to 2018.

As a final legal quirk, the sample hereby pictured for your viewing pleasure is not chambered in 9mm Luger but rather for the quintessentially Italian 9×21 IMI. Also known as 9 Italian, 9×21 IMI was invented in 1980 by Armando Piscetta and first produced by SAMSON (small arms ammunition division of IMI – Israel Military Industries, Ltd., hence the name) as a workaround to the longstanding nominal ban of 9×19mm for the Italian civilian market. Said ban was first eased in 2011, when 9mm Luger was legalized for long guns (pistol-caliber carbines), and then completely lifted for handguns in late 2021. As you read this article, both handguns and long guns in 9mm Luger are finally widely available on the Italian civilian market, although 9×21 IMI is likely to stick around for a while.

A standard design… or not?

First showcased at the 2012 edition of CIPATE expo in Beijing, China, the CS/LS5 submachine gun is a quirky firearm to begin with: originally conceived for internal military and law enforcement use, it found no acceptance in China outside of some provincial Police units, but has been offered for export. Chambered in 9mm Luger, the CS/LS5 was also meant to fire China’s own 9×19mm DAP92-2 high-pressure, armor-piercing cartridge, as well as a variety of less-than-lethal 9mm low-pressure loads with rubber bullets – something largely unheard of elsewhere.

In order to ensure reliability with such a wide variety of loads, the original CS/LS5 submachine gun features a unique gas-assisted blowback operation, where a portion of the gases generated by the combustion of the propellant bleeds from the barrel through a port located in the front sight tower – similar in concept to an AR-15 gas block – and helps the bolt gain rearward momentum regardless of the pressure generated by the round used at a given time. The system is reportedly adjustable to ensure compatibility with sound suppressors.

When converting the design to semi-automatic only for commercial sales, EMEI engineers decided that such a system would be redundant given the pressure range of 9mm loads available on the civilian market. As a result, the gas system adjustability feature has been eliminated, and very little – if any – gas bleeds from what remains of the port on the front sight tower, making the SDM SMG9 essentially a straight blowback, closed bolt semi-automatic short barrel rifle.

The firearm consists of essentially three components: the upper receiver, made out of steel; the lower receiver, made out of synthetics; and the bolt group. With the focus of the CS/LS5 project being essentially export, it was clear that the submachine gun had to integrate some of the most popular features of the best-in-class competitors, and thus both the CS/LS5 and the SMG9 do boast some pretty familiar aspects in terms of ergonomics and controls.

Part AK, part MP5

The most distinguishable feature of the SDM SMG9 short barrel rifle is the MP5-type cocking handle located over the barrel, with its manual hold-open cut. The charging handle is non-reciprocating and secured to a tubular piece of metal that runs within the top portion of the black polymer handguard. It can be locked forward but is not easily removable and not reversible for left-handed users. Both halves of the handguard can be removed by extracting a captive front pin from underneath the upper receiver. A set of short Picatinny rail segments are secured to the lower portion of the handguard at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions, and can be removed at will with a hex key.

The upper receiver is a single piece of blued steel and is strikingly similar to that of the Chilean FAMAE SAF submachine gun; the barrel is firmly secured at the front, and a MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny rail for optics is integrally machined on top. The upper also includes the front sight tower – a hooded post adjustable for elevation – and the adjustable peep-hole rear sight. Also integral to the upper receiver is a fixed extractor.

The bolt of the SDM SMG9 comes straight from planet AK. All it takes is a glance to find the similarities between it and the bolt groups of Russian 9mm SMGs of AKM descent, such as the PP-19 “Bizon” or “Vityaz”, albeit extremely simplified, with no side charging handle. The return spring is captive to its guide rod and seated right behind the bolt; given the architecture of the SDM SMG9, the rear dust cover latch typical of AK designs is nowhere to be seen here. Since the adjustable gas system of the CS/LS5 sub-machine gun has been removed from the SMG9, the front tube – where the gas piston on the AK would be – here exists only to give leverage to the charging handle to push the bolt rearwards.

The lower receiver is a solid plastic component that hosts the trigger group – visibly, a scaled-down version of the AK trigger – and basically all other controls. A two-position safety is located above the grip on the left side, at easy thumb reach. The safety blocks both the trigger and the charging handle, meaning the bolt can’t be manually cycled when the safety is engaged.

The grip is integral to the lower receiver and has storage space accessible from a sliding door at the bottom for tools or spare batteries. Two magazine release catches are provided; a paddle release on the right side, and a button-type release on the left. Both are easily accessible by the user’s thumb or index and can be operated with the right or left hand alike.

The SDM SMG9 feeds from a curved, double-stack polymer magazine, whose only metal component is the follower spring. The magazine normally holds 30 rounds, but versions riveted to hold only 15 rounds were made available for those European jurisdictions with magazine capacity restrictions at the time.

The magazine is probably the weak link in the gun: as reliable as it has proved to be, it also tends to crack at the feed lips and become unusable if dropped when full. Just like in the Heckler & Koch MP5, there is no last round hold-open capability. The magazine is proprietary, but compatibility with other magazines (e.g. MP5), albeit with modifications, could be explored.

The stock of the SDM SMG9 is hinged to the lower receiver by a metal plate and held in position by a spring-loaded button catch, meaning that the release button must be pushed to both fold and extend it; it folds to the right side, and doesn’t interfere with the ejection port or the controls when folded. The metal plate also integrates the rear sling loop; a second loop is located on the front sight tower. Both are on the left side only.

Great on target, a missed occasion

With its no-frills, no-nonsense, extremely simple working system and architecture – all it takes to fieldstrip it is the removal of a captive pin – and its 8.5-inch barrel with a conventional rifling, the SDM SMG9 is also extremely accurate for a gun of this make and category. It is by no means impossible to dump an entire magazine into the center ring of an ISSF 25m target. The SDM SMG9 is lightweight, it’s comfortable to shoot, the polymer folding stock provides a very good support, and when the trigger is pulled, the SMG9 will just work. Every. Single. Time.

Unfortunately, the importer didn’t seem to believe in the potential of the design as a competitor to more highly regarded, highly priced designs such as the CZ Scorpion EVO, the MP5, and other popular civilian-grade short-barrel rifles. The grand total of SMG9s ever imported in Europe doesn’t exceed twenty units, with maybe five sold in Italy, where now they rake up to 2000 Euros and up on the used guns market.

That’s a crying shame, because the SDM SMG9 had a lot going for it, even with the downsides of its proprietary magazine. The legal classification as a handgun opened a pretty wide and receptive market for it, even in Europe. And since, in most of Europe, private security personnel not only have to buy their own guns, but often resort to this kind of SBRs for cash-in-transit, the price point – which, back in the day, was almost half that of a CZ Scorpion EVO, and literally planets away from that of a B&T APC, or an MP5 clone – could have made it a winner.

As of today, the author wholeheartedly sticks to his SMG9 for training, leisure shooting, and home defense. Those who overlooked it back in the day, frankly, don’t know what they’re missing.

Specifications

By Tom Murphy –

The Galil family of small arms was designed by Yisrael Galil and Yaacov Lior in the late 1960s and produced by Israel Weapon Industries Ltd. (formerly Israel Military Industries Ltd.; now IMI Systems Ltd.) located in Ramat HaSharon, part of the Tel Aviv District. The Galil is basically a clone of the Finnish RK-62, a copy in itself of the ubiquitous AK-47. The weapons system is chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO round or the 5.56x45mm NATO.

There are four variations of the Galil: Standard rifle with a 21.1-inch barrel, the SAR, a 13-inch barrel carbine, ARM light machine gun and the MAR, or compact carbine, also known as the Micro Galil. The MAR is a reduced- size version of the SAR. It is equipped with a folding tubular aluminum stock and can be easily fitted with a suppressor and still keep its overall length below that of the SAR. It was popular with the Israeli Police and Special Forces.

JAXX Industries, located in Henderson, NV, builds their own version of the MAR—the Micro Galil .300 AAC Blackout as a Short Barreled Rifle, or pistol. Basically, it’s the IMI Micro Galil with updates and is chambered for the .300 AAC cartridge. It’s built on a milled, not stamped, receiver and has a suppressor-ready 9.5-inch barrel. A very rare left-hand charging handle kit completes the picture.

The barrel is made from 41v50 steel which is 4145 steel with vanadium added to increase toughness (and that makes it harder to machine).

The JAXX Micro Galil is primarily intended to use a suppressor and may not cycle completely with subsonic ammunition if one is not fitted. It’s shipped with a 13×1 RH to 5/8-24 thread adaptor which will allow many different 30-caliber suppressors to be fitted. What would really set this SBR off visually would be a Russian PBS-1 suppressor screwed onto the end of the barrel. Dead Air Armament (deadairsilencers.com) manufactures the Wolverine PBS-1, a vastly improved copy of the Russian version.

JAXX builds all their Micro Galil SBRs using parts kits off of used weapons. The one tested here had very little evidence of prior use. Mostly what could be seen was some cosmetic wear. However, bear in mind, this rifle is JAXX’s test gun. I have no idea as to how many rounds have been down the barrel. IMI is known for building weapons slightly more reliable than anvils, so there’s no concern about operation, or longevity. This Micro Galil was finished in what JAXX calls Midnight Bronze which gave it the look of a battlefield implement—I found it pleasing.

JAXX offers an almost unlimited number of finishes, engravings and coatings on their products. Call them to discuss your wants and needs (jaxxindustries.com / 702-485-4722).

The Micro Galil comes with three different magazines: TAPCO, IMI and ProMag. Only the TAPCO and IMI magazines were used. Both functioned as expected. Personal opinion—the SBR looked better with the original 35-round IMI magazine.

The left-side cocking handle reciprocates when operated, and a spring-loaded dust cover keeps the larger bits and crud out. The right side of the receiver has the typical Kalashnikov-design safety that when in the “fire” position, leaves an opening about 3 inches long and 3/8 inch wide where the hammer and the back of the bolt are clearly visible. This doesn’t seem to be much of a problem with dirt accumulation in any of the multi-millions of AK-types floating around the world, so it’s good to go here.

Disassembly is similar to an AK platform. Remove the top cover by depressing the lever marked “B” on the rear of the operating spring carrier. Push the spring rod forward and lift out the spring and rod. Then the bolt can be withdrawn to the rear. Assembly is the reverse.

This prototype came with no selector markings. JAXX can replicate the Israeli selector markings on top of the button safety on the left side of the receiver to go along with the military style of the Micro Galil.

Anyone who has field stripped a Kalashnikov design rifle or pistol will have no trouble disassembling this Micro Galil. Pop off the receiver cover, remove the return spring and strip the bolt out of the milled receiver. This is as deep as you need to go for field cleaning. Assembly is the reverse.

This is an interesting rifle. With the stock folded, it and three magazines easily fit into a small backpack. Totally invisible. I’d probably get a backpack with some small rabbits on it, but I have a strange sense of humor.

As with all SBR weapons, all NFA laws must be followed. The lawful transfer of an NFA firearm generally requires the filing of an appropriate transfer form with ATF, payment of any transfer tax imposed, approval of the form by ATF and registration of the transferee. Approval must be obtained before a transfer may be made.

.300 Blackout Ammunition

The .300 AAC (Advanced Armament Corporation), also known as the 7.62x35mm, is a cartridge developed for use in the M4 carbine. The idea behind its inception was to develop a cartridge with ballistics similar to the Soviet 7.62x39mm in an AR platform and use the standard AR magazine at its normal capacity. It’s based on the .300 Whisper developed in the early ‘90s by J.D. Jones of SSK Industries. It was envisioned as a multi-purpose cartridge using both light bullets at supersonic velocities and heavier bullets over 200 grains at subsonic velocities.

AAC began development of the .300 Blackout in 2009 but completed most of the work in 2010. It was designed with a specific shorter range focus to equal or surpass the 7.62x39mm Soviet, while working through a suppressor. A standard AR-platform bolt will work; the only change needed is the barrel.

With the increasingly uncertain supply of ammunition, not to mention ever rising price, especially for rifle calibers, it is prudent to diversify any collection of long arms. Most personal defense or military style collections include chambering such as 7.62x51mm (.308Win), 5.56mm (.223Rem), 7.62×39, and 5.45×39. An alternate caliber worthy of consideration is the ubiquitous 9mm pistol cartridge chambered in a semiautomatic carbine. Century International Arms’ recent introduction of their Uzi carbine, the UC-9, serves as further impetus to obtain a 9mm carbine. The advantage of choosing the Century UC-9 Centurion is twofold in that it allows one to explore the pistol chambered carbine concept along with the chance to experience a historical weapon design.

Uziel Gal designed the Uzi with a telescopic bolt. The bolt travels over and around the barrel during operation. This allows for a more compact weapon with the barrel moved back into the receiver and magazine well placed in the handgrip. The concept is first noticed on early Czech designs such as the ZK 476 and vz23. The Uzi is simple and economical to manufacture taking full advantage of stampings and plastics to create receiver, cover, trigger housing, and folding metal stock with only the bolt and barrel requiring machining. Uziel Gal began designing the Uzi in 1948 with a prototype finished in 1950. Israeli special force units began use of the Uzi in 1954 with general issue to other IDF units in 1956 including officers, rear echelon troops, artillery, tank, and elite light infantry assault units.

The square shaped bolt reciprocates in the sheet metal trough formed in the receiver. The top cover seals off the bolt pathway to minimize exposure to the elements. Tolerances are relatively loose for better reliability with grooves incorporated on both sides of the receiver to increase reliability in dirty environments. Any accumulated debris is given a path out of the way of the bolt. The bolt is operated via centrally located handle on top of the receiver; thus it is ambidextrous. One of the Uzi’s greatest qualities is its simple operation and maintenance. User friendliness was a high priority for a citizen army like the IDF. Field stripping procedures typifies this simplicity with no tools required. After double checking the weapon is empty, unscrew the barrel nut and remove the barrel, followed by removing the top cover allowing for the bolt and striker assembly to lift out of the receiver. The Uzi is now field stripped for easy cleaning.

For many, the first urge for a 9mm carbine is a short barreled rifle (SBR). The reasoning being if one must use a 16 inch barrel you might as well get a full-sized AR or AK. However, many will not want to undergo the paperwork and cost for a SBR or may live in jurisdictions that disallow such classified weapons. Another advantage enjoyed by the Century UC-9 Uzi is a price point well below the current AR 9mm platforms on the market. MSRP for the Century UC-9 will be in mid $700 range.

Century produces the Uzi carbine in house and is modified to fire from a closed bolt versus the open bolt design of the original select fire model. Century Arms is an innovator of adapting military select fire weapons to BATF standards enabling firearms that would normally be out the reach of civilians to be experienced. The Uzi is considered a premier example of a 3rd generation SMG utilizing blowback method of operation where cartridge pressure is used to overcome the bolt’s mass pushing it to the rear and action springs returning it into battery stripping a fresh round from the magazine to operate the weapon. The Century Uzi carbine variant uses a floating firing pin as opposed to a fixed firing pin found in the select fire version. Other changes consist of the receiver not allowing for the drop-in installation of a SMG fixed firing pin bolt as the firing pin of the semiautomatic only Century UC-9 is incorporated into the bolt group. The semiautomatic bolt group also features a different extractor design versus the SMG version. The fire control assembly is modified as well since three-positions are not necessary as with a select fire version. The sear on the UC-9 is smaller since it is not under the same stress as the SMG version. Top covers are different between the semiautomatic Uzi and SMG version. The SMG version is ratcheted in case the charging handle is inadvertently released before the bolt is fully locked open. Lastly, barrel installation methods are different as the original Uzi barrels will not work with semiautomatic weapons due to differences in welding patterns associated with the front trunnion.

The lack of automatic fire capability on any weapon originally designed for selective fire operation means less for most than the handling benefits lost when forced to employ 16 inch barrels to comply with Federal laws defining what a rifle is. Fortunately, the 16 inch barreled UC-9 Uzi still retains the handling characteristics of its military predecessor. The telescopic bolt design aids in minimizing the effect of equipping the Uzi with a 16 inch barrel compared to the standard 10 inch. The Century UC-9 is similar in overall length to a SBR 9mm AR with a 7 inch barrel due to the telescopic bolt permitting the barrel to be moved back into the receiver.

Many will question the utility of employing a pistol cartridge in a shoulder fired weapon. Others would argue that most engagements happen well within a 100yd range, especially in a civilian setting, and that handling and reliability play more of a factor in quick, reactive engagements than specific caliber used. However, less experienced shooters will find the lower recoil pulse and muzzle blast of a pistol caliber fired from the shoulder easier to manage, which often times will translate into better accuracy potential. Will a rifle hit with more authority than a 9mm? Yes. However, the advantage of carrying a handgun and carbine using the same, easy to acquire, and relatively inexpensive ammunition should not be underestimated.

The Uzi can be considered a niche weapon here in the U.S. with a devoted group of followers. This limited market has led to few aftermarket accessories being available. The Uzi design does not permit easy installation red dot style optics as it was designed in an era before red dot style optics were commonly used. While optic mounts are available, most users stay away from their use for a variety of reasons usually related to mounting methods. If a red dot or similar optic is considered a necessity then another weapon system will need to be consulted.

However, from the Uzi’s birthplace, comes an interesting forearm modification discovered via the Mako Group’s website. The U3R Tri-Rail manufactured by FAB Defense is designed to replace the Uzi’s forend with a Picatinny-style rail system. The U3R Tri-Rail is machined from solid billet aircraft aluminum and hard anodized for a durable surface. This is a unique solution to bring your Uzi up to speed tactically and take advantage of Picatinny rail accessories. The Mako Group’s Tri-Rail enhances the Uzi’s capability facilitating mounting of lights, lasers, and a vertical foregrip. Dimensionally, the Century UC-9 had no problems accommodating the Tri-Rail. A Crimson Trace MVF 515 Green Laser/Light combination vertical foregrip was mounted on the UC-9 Uzi. Some may doubt veracity of vertical foregrips in general and even more so on the Uzi Carbine. However, the Uzi is not light at 9 pounds with this accentuated by the 16 inch barrel; the increased leverage and control offered by the Crimson Trace MVF 515 is worth it; not to mention the integral high intensity tactical light and green laser that accompanies the vertical foregrip. Due to the distinct Uzi profile with magazine fitting in the grip housing, the Crimson Trace MVF 515 does not significantly impact its outline. Lower profile vertical grips are available, but few offer the multiple uses of the MVF 515.

The Uzi 9mm Sporter weighs approximately 9 pounds and features a 16 inch barrel giving the Uzi a length of 24 inches with stock folded and 31.5 inches with stock deployed. The barrel uses 1:10 twist rate that allows the user to utilize the full range of 9mm loads, including 147rg bullets. The double hinged rear stock folds neatly and securely under the weapon’s frame. While many consider the stock as overly complicated, it is simple to operate efficiently after a few tries. The sights on the Uzi were somewhat crude combining a rear aperture and front sight post each protected by metal ears. Nevertheless, the sights permitted head shots out to 35 yards with center body mass aiming used as distances stretched back to 100 yards or beyond. The Crimson Trace MVF 515’s green laser was clearly visible at 25 yards even during bright daylight conditions. The Uzi’s rear sight is a flip leaf aperture with 100 meter or 200 meter settings. The sights on the Century UC-9 are of Model A Uzi type with the both windage and elevation adjustment made with the front sight. Hits on large steel targets such as manhole covers were very possible with the Uzi out to 200 yards. Paper targets, plate racks and steel popper targets located at various locations and groupings were engaged with some drills conducted behind simulated cover and with mandatory magazine changes.

The Century UC-9’s non-discriminatory handling of several types of 9mm ammunition was a pleasant surprise. Winchester 9mm NATO loads were purchased based on experience with other 9mm SMG designs requiring the higher pressure NATO loads to operate reliably. The Uzi functioned flawlessly with not only the Winchester 9mm 124gr NATO FMJ loads, but also with Winchester 9mm 115gr FMJ, Wolf 115gr FMJ 9mm, CCI Speer Lawman 124gr TMJ, Black Hills 124gr and Winchester 147gr JHP 9mm. The ability to feed the JHPs was a totally unexpected bonus and a credit to the Uzi weapon design. The Century UC-9 had over 800 rounds fired through it for this T&E during several range visits to Echo Valley Training Center located near Winchester, VA. A handful of malfunctions were experienced during initial session. This problem was eliminated once two suspect magazines were indentified and culled. One positive of the faulty magazines was that malfunction drills were tested. The closed bolt UC-9 Uzi does not have a bolt hold open device, thus the most practical method discovered was to strip out the magazine and run the bolt a couple of times to clear the offending malfunction and then re-insert a fresh magazine. T&E was aided by acquiring several extra 32-round magazines via a kit that is offered by Century that comes with magazine pouch, sling, and cleaning kit. Five 32-round magazines come with the Century UC-9 Uzi. Extra Uzi magazines are currently plentiful and relatively inexpensive to purchase.

Magazine changes proved an awkward affair at first. This is more an indictment of previous experience manipulating AR or AK based weapon systems than a criticism of the Uzi. The magazine removal, replacement, and bolt manipulation must be done in a stout/firm manner. The Uzi’s blowback operating method translates into a stiff action spring. It is best not to rush manipulating the Uzi during reloads to ensure that your hand does not slip off the cocking handle or not bring the action back far enough to strip a fresh round from the magazine. The magazine well in the pistol grip allows for reloads without having to look. The magazine release is paddle-like and located at the bottom of the grip allowing for the offhand to depress and rip the empty magazine out in one movement making room for insertion of a fresh one. The safety selector switch is incorporated into the pistol grip and can be operated with the dominant hand’s thumb with minimal effort. The grip safety is an important feature further maximizing one hand use. The selector switch can be left on fire, yet removing the hand from the grip provides for a safe weapon if having to sling the weapon and perform other tasks. Range experience indicated that the “hand-to-hand” method works efficiently in getting a fresh magazine inserted into the weapon’s pistol grip, especially under pressure of time constraints and wanting to keep eyes downrange during the reload. The combination of the heavy bolt and magazine placement in the center of the weapon grip serves to balance the Uzi and minimize any recoil or muzzle climb. The 9 pound weight of the Uzi contributes here as well. Accurate strings of fire consisting of multiple rounds sent downrange had no problems keeping rounds smacking steel due to minimal muzzle climb and muzzle blast.

Some will be lured to the Century International Arms Uzi Carbine for its potential as a weapon, while others will find it the closest opportunity they will have to own a working replica of a historical firearm. Many will argue that there is no defensive value in any semiautomatic pistol caliber chambered carbine; just use a full size assault rifle. Would a Century UC-9 be a first choice of firearm for personal defense for most? No, but it in the same breath it would be far from the bottom of the list as well. The Uzi design would not have been used by agencies such as the Secret Service or over 90 countries if it did not perform better than most other available weapons. It is not being represented that this same performance is being offered in the UC-9 configuration, but nice to know what kind of heritage it is spawned from.

The pistol caliber carbine represented by the Century Uzi makes far more sense than relying strictly on a handgun for defense, especially in rural areas. Accurate hits are possible out to 100 yards after only minimal practice. Another benefit is round capacity as compared to handguns. Double column Uzi magazines can be found with 20, 25, and 32-round capacities. The 32-round Uzi magazine is the most commonly found. Many will find the UC-9 Uzi Carbine easier to shoot accurately than a shotgun or a rifle due to it compact nature and less recoil.

The Century UC-9 Uzi is an interesting new introduction of a weapon with lots of history attached to it. Century is planning on producing over 2,000 UC-9s. Is the UC-9 Uzi a weapon worthy of competing with other pistol caliber carbines such as the HK, Sten/Sterling, Kel-tecs, MAC, Beretta, and ARs or is it the closest thing many will get to a firing replica with design history dating back to 1950? The Century UC-9 did not handle or perform like a design that is over 50 years old. It is still a viable weapon. It will hold its own no matter what the individual decides to use it for.

Century International Arms
430 South Congress Ave. Suite 1
Delray Beach, FL 33445
(800) 527-1252
www.centuryarms.com

Mako Group
1 Lenox Ave
Farmingdale, NY 11735
(866) 753-9444
www.makosecurity.com

The state of Israel was established in May of 1948. The years since Israeli independence have been marked by conflict with neighboring Arab states as well as the Palestinian-Arabs. Though there have been many negotiations and peace talks, seems that Israel appears to be in a constant state of conflict. They have survived under difficult circumstances and the country seems to have prospered despite war, religious conflict, boycotts, mass immigration and terror attacks. Because of these conflicts, Israel has produced several well thought out firearms and tons of accessories that are on the cutting edge. This has been based more on need than just to make a profit in the weapons market. Now the Israelis have come up with a firearm accessory that solves an age-old problem: how to hit long range targets with a handgun.

Handguns of today are extremely accurate. In fact they are capable of far better accuracy than most shooters are able to achieve. The problem is not the gun itself but holding it steady enough to make a shot at 100 yards or beyond. This is now not only possible but can be done with relative ease. The Israeli produced, EMA Tactical RONI is not a firearm but rather an accessory that turns a handgun into a deadly long range carbine.

The RONI is an innovative chassis that a handgun fits into. It gives the handgun a telescoping shoulder stock, an extended sight plane and a foregrip. This all adds up to a lightweight pistol caliber carbine with extended hit capability. Many think you can’t put a stock on a handgun, but it can be done as long as it is done the right way. The “right way” involves registering the host handgun as an SBR (Short Barreled Rifle). This is done by filling out an ATF form 1, sending it to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and waiting for it to be approved and sent back. The key words here are “waiting for the approval to be sent back.” A few words of caution here. Do not put the RONI on your handgun or even have it in your possession until the paper work is approved. This constitutes a felony and could very well buy you a hefty fine as well as some jail time.

The RONI is a clamshell device that is made from polymer and aluminum with a weight of just 3.26 pounds without the handgun. It features a five position telescoping stock with an adjustable cheek piece, a flat-top Picatinny rail across the top and short rails on the bottom and both sides. The top rail is a generous 9.5 inches long with room for sights, optics or a combination of optics and night vision. The side rails are positioned just right for using the off-hand thumb to activate a light or laser. It also is equipped with an extra magazine holder. The RONI comes with no sights but they are available as an optional accessory. As SAR received one of the first RONI’s available for testing, the optional sights were not yet available so a set of the excellent MagPul MBUS (MagPul Back-Up Sights) were installed. These low-cost sights are color injection molded from a high strength polymer. The front and rear sight both fold into a very low profile and snap into an upright position with a touch to their spring loaded release levers. The MagPul MBUS are fully adjustable and fit all 1913 Picatinny rails. Although designed for the AR-15/M16 family of rifles, they worked perfectly on the RONI. Another option that is available is a folding foregrip. In the author’s opinion the folding foregrip is a must as it allows for a solid forward holding point, folds cleanly out of the way and can be used in either the folded or extended position. A brass catcher is also offered as an accessory but was not yet available when this article went to press.

The RONI has a hinge point at the bottom and can be opened up to allow the insertion of the handgun. It is then hinged closed and held that way by sliding front and rear caps that lock it shut. The handgun can be installed or removed in less than 6 seconds. The handgun is locked firmly in place with absolutely no movement. This is important as it is the main factor in the amazing accuracy of the RONI. This accuracy is also repeatable. You can remove the gun and reinstall it with no loss of accuracy. The RONI we received for testing was for a Glock but other models will be available in the coming months. These will include variants for the Beretta 92, Beretta PX4 Storm, Para-Ordnance P16-P18, Jericho, Springfield XD, SIG-Sauer, H&K USP, S&W M&P, FN 5.7 and Glock 21. There also might be other models for other popular handguns. The Glock model received for testing will fit models 17, 18, 19, 22, 31, 32, 34 and 35. Putting the handgun into the RONI requires no disassembly of the host gun; it is just a simple drop-in installation.

Our testing was done with a Glock 17 that was previously registered as an SBR. The gun was a Generation 3 Glock and fit perfectly into the RONI. Installation the first time took considerably longer than the advertised times but once it was done; successive installations were done in the advertised 6 seconds. To install the gun the RONI is first hinged open, then a two-sided, polymer charging handle is slipped onto the rear of the handgun’s slide. This is merely a slip fit. The handgun is then inserted into the RONI and its two halves are hinged back together. The sliding front and rear end caps are slid back into place and locked with 2 HK style push pins. The push pins are held captive so there is no worry about losing or misplacing them. Once the front and rear end caps are locked into place the RONI is ready to use. A recessed push button on the top of the buttpad is used to extend or retract the telescoping stock. The stock is skeletonized and holds a spare magazine positioned right below the shooters cheek. This position is the ideal place for accessing the spare magazine for rapid mag changes. The holder has a release lever that holds the magazine in place but it is not needed to release the magazine. To release the magazine you merely grab and pull. With the stock collapsed the overall length is just 19 inches. Extending the stock takes it out to 22.25 inches. There are also four sling swivel points on the RONI allowing it to be carried in a variety of ways to suit the individual shooter.

One other feature of the RONI that is worth mention is a built-in safety. This is especially handy for a Glock that relies on its safe-action trigger as its safety. The RONI’s safety is merely two ambidextrous rotating tabs that can be swung into place to block the shooters finger from reaching the gun’s trigger. It is simple, fast and best of all it works. The RONI has what EMA terms a barrel shroud. This shroud is made from aluminum and surrounds the muzzle of the pistol. It has three forward canted slots that resemble a compensator. This shroud fits on the inside of the front of the RONI and actually protects the polymer from muzzle blast. The shroud is adjustable front to back in two different positions. This allows the RONI to accommodate both the full size Glock as well as the compact model of the same gun. The shroud is also completely removable which allows the use of any suppressor up to 35.5 mm diameter. We installed a Lone Wolf Distributors threaded barrel on the test gun. These match grade barrels are pre-fit, ready to use and drop right in. They are more accurate with tighter tolerances than original Glock barrels. An added advantage of the Lone Wolf barrel is that you can use lead, plated or jacketed bullets. Along with the threaded barrel we used an AWC Titanium Abraxas suppressor. As the Abraxas is made of Titanium and is very small, it requires no recoil device to allow the host handgun to cycle reliably. The Abraxas is an exceedingly effective 9mm pistol suppressor in a size that is smaller than a lot of .22 suppressors. It weights just 3.3 ounces, with a diameter of .98 inches and a length of 5.7 inches. It proves that good things do come in small packages.

Testing of the RONI was done at 25, 50 and 100 yards. An electronic optic was chosen to get the most out of the pistol/carbine yet maintain the overall quickness. The optic chosen was the new L3 EOTech EXPS3. This tiny sight is extremely fast but also has a 1 MOA red dot for enhanced accuracy. The circle dot reticle is very fast on target and the overall length of the sight saves valuable rail space for back-up iron sights or night vision. The EXPS3 runs on one transverse mounted 123 battery and has its control buttons mounted on the side instead of on the rear. Battery life is over 600 hours depending on the brightness setting and the sight features 30 settings with 10 for night vision use.

The gun was initially sighted in at 25 yards and then the rest of the testing was done at 50 and 100 yards. A variety of ammunition was used including 115 grain FMJ, 115 grain Winchester Silvertip, 124 grain FMJ, 124 grain hollow point, 147 grain FMJ, 147 grain Hydro Shock and some Samson 158 grain subsonic. Shooting was done from a rest. Twenty five yard groups looked like large ragged holes. Groups fired from 50 yards were very surprising. Most 5-shot groups could be covered with the palm of your hand and a couple shot with the Winchester Silvertips measured just over three inches. Remember this is 50 yards with a handgun. At the 100 yard range, 5 shots could be covered with a dinner plate. Head shots on a milpark target at 100 yards were made routinely. In fact, one 6-shot group fired at 100 yards measured less than 6 inches. These groups were all fired with the Lone Wolf threaded barrel installed on the gun but no suppressor. Adding the suppressor did not change the group size worth mentioning. But the RONI with a suppressor is nothing if it is not cool. Talk about the ultimate close-quarter entry weapon.

The EMA Tactical RONI is not for everybody. It is a pricey weapon. By the time you figure the cost of a handgun, SBR registration tax, the RONI itself and optics; you are looking at around the $1,500 figure. But for operators that have a need to go from a short range handgun to a long range carbine in under 10 seconds it is the perfect weapon.

EMA Tactical
1208 Branagan Drive
Tullytown, AP 19007
Phone: (215) 949-9944
Fax: (215) 949-9191
Website: www.ematactical.com

EOTech
1201 East Ellsworth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Phone: (734) 741-8868
Fax: (734) 741-8221
Website: www.eotech-inc.com

AWC Systems Technology
1515 West Deer Valley Road, Suite A-105
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Phone: (623) 780-1050
Fax: (623) 780-2967
Website: www.awcsystech.com

Lone Wolf Distributors, Inc.
57 Shepard Road
P.O. Box 3549
Oldtown, ID 83822
Phone: (208) 437-0612
Fax: (208) 437-1098
Website: www.lonewolfdist.com

MagPul Industries Corp.
P.O. Box 17697
Boulder, CO 80308
Phone: (303) 828-3460
Fax: (303) 828-3469
Website: www.magpul.com

There are many semiautomatic variants of newly manufactured NFA firearms available to the military firearms enthusiast. Most people can live with the fact that they are operationally different due to the 1986 ban on the manufacture of machine guns for civilian ownership. Other changes, much more noticeable, also take place to meet the other Title I requirements including barrel length and overall length.

While the semiautomatic mechanism is currently “written in stone” at the present time, there is no prohibition on the civilian manufacture of any other NFA category, including silencers, destructive devices (DD), Any Other Weapons (AOW), Short Barreled Shotguns (SBS), and the focus of this article, Short Barreled Rifles (SBR). While you can’t alter the function, you can certainly get it back to that look you would like, simply by registering it as a Title II firearm prior to making any modifications.

Some popular rifles that get “altered back” to their more original look by using the same barrel length as their fully automatic brethren include the AR-15 and all its variants, and the Uzi carbine. Both are quite simple by mechanical standards and only require a swap in parts with minimal tooling, if any, being necessary. The FN PS90, which seems to be growing in popularity by enormous proportions, looks great with a shorter barrel as well; just like the original P90. The physical swap, while not beyond the abilities of many serious enthusiasts, is much more entailed than those previously mentioned and is thus the subject of this article.

The Legal Stuff Must be Taken Care of First

Before altering any firearm from a Title I to a Title II firearm, it is most important that prior approval from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives be obtained. It is even necessary to obtain their approval before purchasing the parts to complete the conversion and own them in conjunction with your host firearm.

The form an individual will be using to register and “manufacture” the SBR will be an ATF Form 1 (5320.1) Application to Make and Register a Firearm. It is extremely similar in appearance to the familiar Form 4 used to transfer a machine gun to an individual. The basic information is the same, except you determine the information to be filled in regarding the firearm. If you are starting with an existing firearm, as is the case of our PS90 example, the original manufacturer and serial number is used. Any changes you propose to make will be listed in the new description, including barrel length, caliber, overall length, etc.

You will need to affix a recent passport photograph to the completed form and obtain a Law Enforcement Certification, again, just like the Form 4. It must be submitted in duplicate and accompanied by a pair of BATFE NFA Fingerprint cards (available from most local Class III Dealers or can be obtained directly from BATFE) as well as the Certification of Compliance with 18U.S.C. 922(g)(5)(B) (BATFE Form 5330.20). This form is often referred to as the Citizenship Certification. With the exception of the Fingerprint cards, all these forms can be obtained from the BATFE Website www.atf.gov or from the extremely beneficial website www.TitleII.com, formerly known as Danbrew’s PDF Document Center.

Include a check in the amount of $200 for the manufacturing fee payable to “The Department of Justice” with your package, and you can start your planning. Your approved form can show up anytime from 6 weeks to 12 weeks from mailing, and at that point you can start procuring the parts needed to undertake your project and start assembling the new configuration.

Getting to know the PS90

The FN PS90 is a compact Bullpup design with a very short overall length. This makes it even more attractive to bring through the Registered SBR process. With the short barrel, it is extremely compact and packs a big punch compared to similar sized firearms, usually available in pistol calibers. Its slim aesthetics are only exemplified by the unique, horizontal magazine, which lies flat, snapped over the top of the action with absolutely no protrusion in any direction. Basic disassembly for normal maintenance is very simple and requires no tools.

The PS90 is divided into 4 major components; the barreled receiver, the bolt group, the stock and the hammer pack. To field strip the PS90 the first thing you do is remove the magazine, inspect and clear the action and make sure no ammo is present. The next step is to pull the cocking handle rearward to cock the hammer, and than let the handle return to its forward position. Depress the barrel support lock located forward of the chamber area and slide the barrel and receiver assembly completely out the front. Next, tip the receiver down towards the front and slide the bolt group out the same opening as the receiver. Then, slide the butt plate at the rear of the firearm up, and off. The last thing to remove is the hammer pack located under the butt plate you just removed. The hammer group release lever is lifted up and the entire self-contained hammer pack is removed by sliding rearward from the stock. At this point the FN PS90 is field stripped enough for general maintenance and is quickly and easily reassembled.

SBR’ing the FN PS90

The PS90 is a very different creature from most other systems on the market. With many firearms, when factory short barrels are not an option, most people just cut the original barrel to the desired length, re-crown and thread if desired. In the case of the PS90, this isn’t the only option. The barrel on this gun is actually hidden under a much larger barrel shroud, and is blind pinned behind the flash hider. This shroud, from the barrel locking nut area, all the way to the tip of the flash hider is a one-piece unit and must be completely removed before proceeding. The original barrel is only usable again for your project if you cut it to the right length, re-crown and re-thread it for the proper barrel nut. Your other option is to procure a correct length barrel and correct barrel nut to finish your project and save the other parts for future projects or trading materials. Either way, you will need a new barrel nut as the old shroud is no longer useful in any capacity. Everything necessary to complete this project came directly from CMMG (www.cmmginc.com) including excellent directions with all questions asked. A new barrel was installed and a special barrel nut was supplied and utilized, converting the threads to the popular 1/2×28 to allow use of common muzzle accessories. The original barrel nut with the original P90 Flash Hider is also available to complete that “factory look” if that is what you are going for.

If you do wish to try and salvage your original barrel for future use or other projects you can drill out the blind pin located directly behind the flash hider. After removing this pin, the sleeve, also acting as the barrel retaining nut, can be removed and the barrel is allowed to be slid out through the rear of the receiver. If you don’t care about salvaging the barrel and sleeve for future replacement as is, you can simply cut through the barrel and sleeve behind the flash hider, remove the barrel sleeve to the front and remove the barrel through the rear of the receiver. The barrel will still be usable for a short barrel project in the future.

Special Tools & Flying Springs

No one likes flying springs, especially when we don’t know where they came from in the first place, what they looked like, or how to replace them even if we did find them. The special tools refer to some minor modifications necessary to some common wrenches to allow them to fit in the confined spaces of the barrel and the barrel nut.

We will discuss the necessary modified tools first. The two wrenches that needed to be modified for this project include a metric 15mm and a 19mm. Since the spaces they need to fit are very thin, some material must be removed from the width of most standard wrenches. This can be accomplished with a bench mounted belt sander in short order. For a point of reference, the space the 15mm wrench needed to fit in measured only .235 inches wide while the unmodified wrench dialed in at .290 inches wide.

For the flying springs, it is important to know that the barrel, when in place, acts as a host for 3 captive springs. If the old barrel were to be quickly withdrawn from the rear of the receiver there would be nothing to hold the springs in their necessary position and have the potential to create a major problem. To address the spring placement concern, a range rod of a similar diameter can be used pushing the old barrel out (from front to back) with it, while capturing all the springs in their normal position. When the new barrel is inserted from the rear of the receiver, it slowly pushes the range rod out (to the front), recapturing the springs in their intended location again. With the new, short barrel in place the barrel nut was added at the front of the receiver and the barrel was tightened from the rear of the receiver while the front nut was held captive in the receiver and assisted with the 19mm wrench. With a tightening of the barrel nut, and reassembling the PS90, your SBR project is complete.

Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro?

Even though it is completely legal to manufacture your own SBR, some people choose to have a licensed Title II Manufacturer do the work for them. There are a few key reasons it may be advantageous to subcontract this work out. First, once you are approved by BATFE to complete your SBR, you must engrave your name on the receiver as the new manufacturer. Some people don’t want their own name engraved on a firearm as the manufacturer for reasons of liability or for concern about possible future sale. Others choose to have someone else do the work for them just because of time or mechanical constraints.

The process of hiring a licensed Title II Manufacturer to do this work for you is almost as easy as building it yourself on the Form 1 earlier described. In this case, the gun is sent to the manufacturer with a request to remanufacture it to an SBR, and a BAFTE Form 4 is completed to transfer the gun back to you once completed. It is the same federal tax ($200) and approximately the same time frame. The form is almost identical and the Title II Manufacturer is the one who engraves their business name on your firearm. Some manufacturers who do this work are CMMG, Inc. and TROSUSA, both well known in the FN arena.

Online Support

As the author was researching sources of information for this project, several businesses and helpful online communities were discovered. If you have any questions about the FN PS90, or are simply a new fan, you can visit either of the following websites that contain a lot of information: www.fnforum.com and www.fivesevenforum.com. Both were very helpful. For BATFE forms to complete the legal registration before engaging in the project, you will find everything you need at www.titleii.com. For general questions about NFA, the folks at “Tom Bowers Board” www.subguns.com are always happy to help out. For parts, accessories and heavy technical support we highly recommend CMMG at www.cmmginc.com.

PS90 Parts & Accessories
CMMG, Inc
Ph: (660) 248-2293
Fax: (660) 248-2290
www.cmmginc.com

SBR Conversions & Accessories
Mark McWillis
P.O. Box 680
Clackamas, OR 97015
Ph: (503) 358-3708
www.trosusa.com

In late 2006, we ran an article on the then recent investigation that the Office of the Inspector General performed on the NFRTR. In that article we asked everyone to pay close attention to the forms and the information that is contained on those forms that anyone submits to the ATF. That one article didn’t seem to hit home with a lot of people, so we are going to hit some key points on the forms and make some suggestions that will make a lot of sense to most of you.

One of the age-old issues that we all have faced is to make certain that all of the information that you complete on a new form is identical to the information on the old. While sounding like a good idea, the real problem with this strategy is not only do we pass up an opportunity to correct old problems but we increase the odds of adding new problems. Just because a form has inaccurate information doesn’t give anyone an excuse to exacerbate the problem. If something is wrong, and you know it’s wrong, then correct it. Continuing to pass along mistakes only insures that someone else will come along in a year or two and inadvertently make another mistake making a bad situation even worse. What we want to do is correct anything and everything we possibly can at every opportunity that we have. In section 4, “Description of the Firearm,” all of the information that can make a major difference in helping to correct errors in the NFRTR is contained in sections “4.a” though “4.g.” In this section we want to take every opportunity to review and correct if necessary, any and all issues pertinent to the firearm.

Section 4.a: Name and Address of Manufacturer and/ or Importer of Firearm:

In this section the requirement is relatively simple. Make certain that you review the information on the old form, or the new form, and insure that all of the information is accurate and as detailed as possible. At this stage, please make certain that you correct any errors or omissions as possible.

Section 4.b: Type of Firearm

In many of the commercial off the shelf programs, users will generally find pull down menus allowing you to select whether this firearm is one of the following categories:

• Any other Weapon (AOW)
• Destructive Device (DD)
• Machine Gun
• Short Barreled Rifle (SBR)
• Short Barreled Shotgun (SBS)
• Silencer

Section 4.c: Caliber, Gauge, or Size

Check to make certain that all of the information required for this section is complete.

Section 4.d: Model

Make certain that all alpha and numeric characters that represent the model are accurately recorded in this section. Insure that as much information as possible from the receiver of the NFA weapon is accurately depicted in this section.

Section 4.e: Length of Barrel

In this section, please insure that the barrel length on your Form 4 matches the exact barrel length on the firearm you are either shipping or receiving. We will address the ton of questions that you have concerning this issue in another article.

Section 4.f: Length Overall

In this section you want to make certain that you take exacting measurements on the total length on the firearm you are either shipping or receiving.

Section 4.g: Serial Number

Obviously this section is absolutely critical. Please make certain that you examine the NFA item in question and validate each alpha or numeric character and validate that the serial number matches exactly.

The most important issue here is to make certain that we pay attention to the details on any of the forms that we provide the NFA Branch. Today, nearly 40% of the forms that are being handled by the Branch still contain some sort of error or omission that requires the form to be returned for correction. We can all spend a little more time and attention to the detail and get it right the first time.

In addition to the time and attention issue, every dealer and collector in our community should pay attention to the details of the weapon itself. In this process we recommend that you look closely at exactly what is happening with this transfer. Use a little common sense and ask for help when you need it when something is in question. If it doesn’t seem to be right you are probably correct. Check it out with another dealer or consult with the NFA Branch for help.

In summary, we all want to work together to help clean up the NFRTR. The NFRTR follows the old technology adage of “garbage in, garbage out.” Fortunately, the problems with the NFRTR can be straightened out, but only with the help of the industry and ATF. Let’s all work together to make that happen.

Help us make a better community for the entire industry today and join successes that we are creating together. Log on today at www.nfatca.org and join the only organization that has and continues to protect your NFA rights.