Dear Dan,

After just missing you at the Firearms Trade Expo Show in Columbus, OH, (In May), I was pleased to finally meet you at the NRA Annual Convention in Philadelphia. I realize that you don’t remember, but our correspondence dates back to your MGN Days (“Tung oil NOT TUNA Oil”). Now to the point – have you noticed the enthusiastic response to NFA displays at major gun shows recently? (especially in these “Politically correct” times?)

— Sept 1996 – The First Annual NRA Gun Collectors (Nashville, TN) Convention: The Thompson Display took 2nd place presented by Tracie Hill, Michael Free, L.J. Warren and others).

— May 1997 – The First Ohio Gun Collectors Assoc.’s Collector’s Display: The Thompson Display took 1st place as voted by the members (presented by Tracie Hill, Michael Free, L.J. Warren, myself and others)

— Sept. 1997 – The Second Annual NRA Gun Collector’s (Pittsburgh) Convention: The Thompson Display took 3rd place (presented by Tracie Hill, Robert Klein, Jim Poff, Michael Free*, and others) Michael Free also did a display of automatic weapons of the Third Reich, at the same time.

— May 1998 – The Second Ohio Gun Collectors Association’s Collector’s Display: Automatic weapons of the 3rd Reich took 2nd place (as voted by the members). (Presented by Michael Free).

— June 1998 – The NRA Annual Members Convention in Philadelphia: The Thompson Display took Best of SHOW (1st Place). (Presented by a group of eleven Thompson collectors, group photo in the latest American Rifleman).

It has been interesting to note the evolutionary development of the displays (in terms of better presentation, signage, etc) Also interesting has been the response of the crowds to the displays – at Philadelphia it was certainly a crowd stopper.

I hope some other folks inside the NFA fraternity will consider displaying their collections in the future.

B. Sutton

Dear B. Sutton

I saw several of those displays, and they were outstanding. The fact that June 1998 NRA Convention awarded 1st place to the Thompson display says a lot about their mindset. I think we are going to see an increase in NFA items as part of displays- I also noted the Browning display had a 1917, a 1919, and a Benet Mercie in it along with the proverbial BAR. We should probably get together a “Show” of our own for the NFA people….

Dan

Dear SAR,

I was reading my September SAR yesterday and noticed a potentially dangerous error in the article on “The Twin MG 42/22. California has, I believe you will find, outlawed all “trigger activator” type devices and the described weapon, along with BMF “activators” are ILLEGAL in that state. This makes the statement that this gun is, “legal in all 50 states” dangerously misleading. I was very concerned by the new bill detailed in “the legal side” in the October issue. This bill would ban all private sales of “large capacity ammunition feeding devices” regardless of when manufactured. This would essentially ban all future sales of machine guns! (Who wants to buy a MAC-10 with only 10 round magazines?) I am surprised you did not make a bigger thing of this since, it will end our hobby!

Perhaps the best way to water this down would be to have a pro-gun member of congress introduce an amendment to allow sales “with the guns these magazines are made to fit”. At least that way there would still be a market for all the transferables out there. It sounds like we are dying.

Bob

Dear Bob,

Prices are going up, but I don’t see us “Dying”, not by a long shot. Thanks for bringing up the California law glitch on these activators. It is possible that at the time the article was written, they were legal. Thankfully, that effort to ban the high capacity magazines was defeated. The MAC with the ten round magazine does sound pretty horrible, doesn’t it? Better work on the speed of mag changes… then, there is the Mexican Trejo 22 caliber machine pistol, that uses an eight round magazine. It was for use by the Mexican police forces. “Alto! Alto! Brrrrrrrp” and you are disarmed! Well, they did make a larger mag, but most were supplied with the eight rounders.

Dan

Dear SAR,

Congratulations on a terrific first year. The difference between Vol 1 #1 and Vol 1 #12 must make you, your editorial and production staff very proud. You took a very provincial topic and widened it to gather many more readers. Your intelligent approach to what could be considered “fringe” has fattened and put lots more advertising pages in the book. Keep up the good work, illigitmus non carborundum and God speed.

Chris

Dear Chris,

We are proud of the growth SAR has had, and we do appreciate our readers. Fortunately, most of us share an interest for military firearms, so we can cross over our interests between civilian, law enforcement, and military users. This gives SAR a broader base.

We get asked by many of the readers how they can help. Our stated goal is to make this a stable, long term platform for our common interests. There are three ways you can help. First- fax, mail, or email us with the things you want more coverage of, we have a list and are supplying it to the writers to work from. Second- if you see something advertised in here, and call the advertiser, let them know you saw it in SAR- we need to keep our advertisers aware of what their exposure here does. Third- if you are a newsstand buyer and have to travel to get SAR, ask for “The Small Arms Review” at your local newsstand. All of these will help us with our base building.

Dan

The inventive genius of American industry was shown to be alive and well at the fifteenth annual Tactical Resources Exposition (TREXPO) held in mid-August in Northern Virginia. The meeting was divided into three segments, namely a conference, a product exhibition and a live fire demonstration.

The conference presentations led off with The Media and S.W.A.T. during which Larry Glick of the National Tactical Officers Association took a look at the media’s perception of Special Weapons and Tactics units’ role in current community policing concepts. Guidelines for dealing with the media were given for S.W.A.T. members and/or police administrators in attendance. Lt. Jim McGinty of the Philadelphia, PA Police Department detailed Crisis Management During Explosive Incidents. McGinty’s presentation was designed to install confidence and safety measures for first responding law enforcement personnel when dealing with violent offenders who use explosives and booby traps.

The FBI’s Domestic Terrorism unit provided the latest information on domestic terrorist groups and their methods of operation. Similarly, Brock Simon, formerly of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, provided an overview of contemporary policing tactics and techniques when dealing with domestic terrorism groups. Dr. James A. King of the International Association of Personal Protection Specialists detailed how to establish effective security for an executive’s residence and office.

Other seminars included: non-deadly force training; the use of robots in high-risk incidents; aviation support for low and high risk corporate operations; and, an analysis of ways to protect executives in the U.S. and abroad.

The tactical equipment demonstrations and live-fire sessions were held at the Fairfax County Police Department firearms training range in Chantilly, VA. A variety of firms gave seminars and demonstrations on the use of their equipment. The most widely attended presentation was that put on by Heckler & Koch in which the officers’ in attendance lined up for their chance to fire a magazine or two in the full and semi-auto modes from the array of firearms produced by this innovative gunmaker.

Equipment Exhibition

Upgrading of the Personal Armor System Ground Troops (PASGT) helmet to provide threat level II ballistic protection is offered by Aetco, Inc. (P.O. Box 458, San Dimas, CA 91773). Manufactured using a proprietary process, the ballistic shell exceeds military requirements and has the ability to stop the penetration of the helmet from bullets such as the .357 Magnum.

The PASGT helmet’s retention system is also improved for tactical operations with an adjustable, integrated chin/nape strap with left and right side quick release buckles and a leather lined plastic chin cup. Manufactured of tubular nylon webbing, the retention system combines with a neoprene impact pad in the rear of the helmet to improve stability during tactical and emergency response operations.

Aetco also showed its riot face shield available in kit form for assembly to any U.S. military PASGT ballistic helmet manufactured to military specifications. The high strength .187-inch thick polycarbonate material is designed to protect the eyes from thrown objects. Two wing nuts (one on each side) allow the face shield to be quickly attached to, or removed from the helmet as required. The wing nuts also adjust the attached face shield for tension as the shield is raised or lowered.

The booth set up by Heckler & Koch (21480 Pacific Blvd., Sterling, VA 20166) attracted a lot of attention as the firm had a briefcase mounted MP5K submachine gun on display. The specially designed briefcase allows the MP5K to be fired from inside the case with trigger and safety buttons mounted on the briefcase’s carry handle.

The Wilcox Industries Corp. Night Stalker “So Smart™” modular special operations laser sighting system that maintains laser boresight when moved among weapon platforms, was shown by DeMilt Associates (P.O. Box 731, Olney, MD 20832). The factory calibrated laser sight is furnished in a modular mounting bracket unit to fit a variety of commonly used military and police handguns, rifles and shotguns. The bright red laser is coupled with both an infra red illuminator lamp unit as well as an incandescent flashlight. The unit has both blink rate and power indicators and contains a selector switch to set its mode of operation. The sight is waterproof to 66 feet below sea level and is corrosion resistant to facilitate use in salt water applications.

Image Stabilizer binoculars were shown by Canon, U.S.A., Inc. (One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, N.Y. 11042). Available in configurations of 15×45, 12×36, and 10×30, the image stabilizing technology has already been proven highly effective in Canon video camcorders and professional lenses. The system employs a novel vari-angle prism that instantly and continuously makes adjustments to maintain a steady image.

The eyepiece lenses on Canon’s Image Stabilizer binoculars employ a Doublet Field Flattener, working to dramatically reduce curvature of field so there is none of the image distortion and blurring at the periphery typical of high-magnification binoculars. The design also provides long eye relief, which enables eyeglass wearers to view the entire field without vignetting. The binoculars work without the aid of a tripod and can even be used from within moving vehicles.

Less Lethal Devices

Several firms displayed devices intended for use in ending confrontations without killing the perpetrators. It should be noted there is always the chance that such “less than lethal” devices can produce a lethal result depending on their method of employment and the physical condition of the subject. Mace Security International (MSI) of 160 Benmont Ave., Bennington, VT 05201) showed its new 37/38mm Thunder-Bolt™ diversionary device shell that can be launched to a distance of 50 yards. The shells produce a brilliant flash and loud report with very little smoke. At 5 feet the sound level is rated at 175db while the flash level is measured at 2,500,000 Candela. The shells are intended for outdoor use only as they may cause fires if directed into buildings.

MSI also showed its rubber ball cartridges that are available in a variety of configurations. Rounds containing either one rubber ball or nine balls are available for use in 12 gauge shotguns. Rounds containing either 120 or 200 rubber balls are available for 37mm launchers. The rounds are designed to be skip-fired in a ricochet fashion to strike subjects. These progressive munitions can be used for a variety of police, tactical, and correctional response team applications including crowd control, hostile inmate clearing from yard areas, and in riot control.

MSI’s 37mm Baton rounds are loaded with the purchaser’s choice of one to five wooden or rubber batons. The Han-Ball™
pyrotechnic grenade loaded with CN or CS gas, is configured to ‘skitter’ along the ground when thrown, minimizing the possibility of being thrown back. Its spherical shape makes it easy to grasp and throw, and is activated by pulling a ring with a 0.7-2.9 seconds fuze delay time.

A rubber ball gun with the capability of firing 70 rounds per minute was found at the booth of Royal Arms International (P.O. Box 6083, Woodland Hills, CA 91365). These lightweight (at 3 lbs.) units fire 69mm balls from a 140 shot magazine hopper and are powered by a rechargeable CO2 tank. Target grade accuracy can be achieved up to 35 yards and the balls (which travel at 350 fps) can cause severe pain to the struck subject and thus end the encounter without deadly force.

“The master key for every door,” was shown by Fenrir Industries, Inc. (P.O. Box 2027, Stamford, CT 06906). The In-Forcer works to prevent busts from going bad because cops get shot and evidence gets destroyed. While successful raids rely on surprise, if the cops have to hit the door more than once they are, in effect, telling the unseen suspect on the other side two dangerous pieces of information: (1) where you are, and (2) you are not friendly! In the process, the suspect is thus handed two dangerous options: (1) flush and run, or (2) lock and load!

The In-Forcer ram system is designed to deliver 3 to 5 times the power of conventional door rams and with an optional power head, can boost its power up to 12 times the power of most other ram systems, according to company reps. Measuring just 30-inches in length allowing it to be used in narrow hallways, the unit weighs just 45 pounds. Its patented 16 pound internally sliding shuttle is powered by a 33 pound spring resulting in no recoil as the unit delivers all its power against the door. The unit’s delivered force can be boosted by the addition of an accessory unit powered by a .45 Win. Mag. shell.

Ammunition

The Sauvestre SHOCKWAVE shotgun slug, billed as the most advanced (and expensive) such projectile in the world was shown by its importer, Keng’s Firearms Specialty (875 Wharton Drive South West, Atlanta, GA 30336). The slug employs many of the same design principles used in modern tank munitions such as fin stabilization, a gas flow chamber to promote longer combustion, and use of aerospace-quality polymers. Shaped similarly to an aerodynamic flechette arrow, its narrow cross-section is designed to focus kinetic energy in a concentrated area, thereby creating deep and wide wound channels. With virtually all its weight oriented near the front, the slug is less sensitive to brush and other obstructions in its path and less susceptible to ricochet.

Keng’s also handles the Hirtenberger ammo line. Among the offerings is a 7.62 NATO-match load utilizing the 190gr. Sierra MatchKing HPBT bullet. A subsonic version for use with suppressor equipped rifles is also available. Hirtenberger 9mm rounds include the 124gr. Defender +P, developed for European police agencies. With its dual core construction, the Defender provides consistent tactical penetration in such materials as heavy clothing and angled automotive glass. The Hirtenberger 9mm EMB-MonoBlok +P round employs a 77gr. solid-copper alloy bullet with a radial cavity to deliver expansion with moderate penetration. Low mass and a ball-like ogive give the EMB unmatched cyclic reliability and accuracy and is ideal for use in compact 9mm autos, such as the Glock 26 and the Kahr MK9.

Thompson Emertac Vehicles (1245 Bridgestone Blvd., Lavergne, TN 37086) displayed its tactical civilian HUMMER chassis featuring the Thompson personnel body. A multi-purpose vehicle designed to transport and support an eight member SWAT team or emergency search and rescue unit and their gear, it is furnished with internal weapon-mounts and ammunition compartments.

MAC-Waffle Cook Off at Knob Creek

The second semi annual SAR/NFA list, MAC-waffle cook off at Knob Creek was an unprecedented success. The grand prize (dinner for two at Mark’s Feed Store) was hotly contested by no less than TWO entrants, in contrast to only one entry last spring. The two contestants could be seen early in the evening tuning up their MAC- waffle irons for the final cook off. A little digression here would be in order to enlighDr. Ed Weitzmanten the readers as to the origins of this, the “Creedmore” of the MAC-waffle competitions.

About a year or so ago, a thread was being bandied about the Internet regarding the public sale of unfinished MAC frame flats. There was a question raised as to the suitability of the use of MAC frame flats for anything other than making an illegal or an equally useless, post 86 MAC. One astute participant in the exchange pointed out that the MAC frame flats could, in the hands of a skilled Class 2, be transformed into a perfectly legal MAC waffle iron, thereby making their sale perfectly legitimate. At that point in the discussion the eminently distinguished editor of SAR and world renowned waffle connoisseur, Dan Shea, spoke up and offered a prize to the person creating the best MAC waffle at our traditional KC computer geek Bar-B-Que.

At the spring cook off, Mark the Serbu unceremoniously snatched the coveted award out Dan’s hands. His lone entry was determined to be a real MAC waffle iron only after a rather pancake looking thing came out from between the frame flats. In deference to Mark, however, it must be noted that the thing did actually taste something like a waffle (with a slight Hoppes #9 aftertaste).

At the fall cook off, two magnificent MAC waffle irons were entered to compete for the coveted award. David Wigands entry was a MAC shaped waffle iron accompanied by a pre ban LCFD waffle iron. The other equally impressive entry by Jay Lottaguns was a massive quatro-waffle iron hinged together by MAC frame flats. After a suitable inspection by the contest officials, to ensure that actual MAC frame flats were used in the construction of the irons, both irons were preheated to the proper temperature on the grill, then a prepared waffle mix was poured into each MAC-waffle iron. Without any further coaching or assistance the contestants proceeded to the cook off. After what seemed like an eternity, Dave was the first to remove his entry from the grill, followed in about 2 minutes by Jay’s iron. Both MAC-waffle irons were opened to reveal (to everyone’s surprise) waffles. The waffles were then coaxed out of their grids and presented to the chief judge, Edward (doc) Weitzman. Who, at great personal risk, actually tasted the first entry. After rinsing out my mouth with some handy home brew, the second entry was tasted. Unable to decide on one entry over the other and their being only one prize, an alternate judge was called in. Jos. Faggiola, the world renowned Epicurean, after being made an offer he couldn’t refuse, agreed to cast the tie breaking vote. After tasting both MAC-waffles in turn, Joe proclaimed Dave Wigand the winner. The only visible flaw in Daves MAC-waffle was that the rear end of the MAC was broken off as it was removed from the iron (Serbu, did you have a hand in this?). However, cosmetics were not a factor in this contest, only taste counted.

Dan’s note: This obscure cult of machine gun geeks who simultaneously exist in cyberspace and IRL, very seldom physically meet. When they do, it is usually at one of the Class 3 world’s shoots. There are several of these groups…and most participate in Bar-B-Que’s similar to the above described NFAlister event. The gauntlet has been thrown down, that at the April Knob Creek Shoot, there will be an “open” class as well as the semi-annual MAC-waffle cookoff. This open class will allow other entries than the MAC flats, as in the talented individuals who create something out of these peculiar items, ie. Sten tubes, MAC flats, or any other “Unfinished dummy receivers” creating something of exquisite or at least interesting culinary design, will be eligible. Let your creative juices flow! SAR will bring more reporting from the cutting edge of small arms as it happens.

AR STOWAWAY PISTOL PLUG FROM DPMS

DPMS, Inc. is proud to present their new AR Stowaway Pistol Plug. You can now convert your existing AR-15/M-16, A2 pistol grip into a Stowaway Pistol Grip. Their new AR Stowaway Pistol Plug allows you to store your extra firing pins, springs, etc. and is a less costly option than the Stowaway Pistol Grip. The new “plug” is made of 70 durometer rubber and is friction fitted into the bottom of your existing A2 pistol grip. The AR Stowaway Pistol Plug fits snugly and removes easily. For more information or to place an order, contact Defense Procurement Manufacturing Services, Inc., Dept. SAR, 13983 Industry Avenue, Becker MN 55308. Phone: 1-612-261-5600. Fax: 1-612-26-5599. On the web at www.dpmsinc.com.

CRIMSON TRACE LASERGRIPS FOR THE SIG P228 AND P229

Fresh from Crimson Trace Corporation is the newly developed LASERGRIPS for the Sig Sauer P228 and P229 pistols. The internal circuitry and electronic components that power this masterfully engineered laser gunsight are housed within both grip panels, with a sturdy link completing the electrical connection. Within the left grip panel, a pressure sensitive activator switch is perfectly positioned for instinctive, instantaneous activation with either hand. The switch rests directly beneath the tip of the middle finger of a right-handed shooter, providing optimum control. A brilliant, continuous laser beam emanates from high and to the rear of the slender and perfectly contoured right grip. A master on/off switch at the base of the grip allows complete system override. The laser equipped weapon fits easily into holsters that are designed for the Sig pistols. Overall size of the grips is virtually indistinguishable from stock grips. In addition to the Sig model, LASERGRIPS are available for the S&W J-Frame, Beretta 92/96, 1911 Government Model and Commander as well as the Ruger MKII. As many as thirty other LASERGRIP models are planned for the near future. For more information contact Crimson Trace Corporation, Dept. SAR, 1433 NW Quimby Street, Portland, OR 97209. Phone: 1-503-295-2406. Fax: 1-503-442-2406. On the web they can be reached at www.crimsontrace.com.

SPEEDWELL INTRODUCES WEBSITE

Speedwell, the leading provider of targets and range equipment for law enforcement and civilian sport shooting markets, presents its website, entitled WWW.SPEEDWELL-ROCKWOOD.COM. Check out this site regularly for great specials and new product offerings. Speedwell offers over 700 high-grade products at reasonable prices through its catalog, or by calling directly toll-free, at 1-800-243-8274 for those who can’t get online. Speedwell, Dept. SAR, 136 Lincoln Boulevard, Middlesex, NJ 08846.

“LONGBOW” T-76 TACTICAL RIFLE FROM DAKOTA ARMS

Dakota Arms, long known for manufacturing some of the finest, most durable and accurate hunting rifles in the world, has brought its expertise to the law enforcement and military arenas with the introduction of its new “Longbow” T-76 engagement rifle. The Longbow was developed from the ground up at the request of the world’s most sophisticated governments, seeking a tactical rifle of unprecedented accuracy, power, and flexibility. Based upon Dakota Arms’ renowned 76 hunting action, the Longbow offers range and power vastly superior to .30 caliber tactical rifles, without the weight and bulk of .50 caliber weapons. The Longbow is available in .338 Lapua Magnum, .330 Dakota Magnum and .300 Dakota Magnum. Dakota Arms guarantees 1/2 MOA in any caliber. The T-76 weighs less than 15 pounds, has a matte finish and is stocked with an ambidextrous A-2 McMillan fiberglass stock in either black or olive green. The rugged action features Dakota’s controlled feeding, 3-position firing pin block safety, a claw extraction system, positive mechanical ejector and a Model 70-style trigger that will not seize from dirt or freeze in rain. The barrel is a high integrity LW-50 stainless steel design, proprietary to Lothar Walther. It includes a high efficiency tuned muzzlebrake. The Longbow comes with a Picatinny one-piece optical rail installed and a complete deployment kit, including bipod, case and tool kit. Retail price for the rifle is $4250. For more information contact Dakota Arms, Inc., Dept. SAR, HC 55, Box 326, Sturgis, SD 57785. Phone: 1-605-347-4686. Fax: 1-605-347-4459. Their web site is at www.dakotaarms.com

NEW LINE OF PREMIUM-PLUS AMMUNITION FROM TRITON

Triton announces the release of the QUIK-SHOK=99 Premium Plus line of centerfire ammunition. QUIK-SHOK features a patented, high velocity hollow point bullet developed by Tom Burczynski, the designer of the Hydra-Shokr and Star-Firer bullets. The QUIK-SHOK round was designed to provide controlled fragmentation on impact. During penetration, the bullet expands very rapidly and then splits into three sections, which continue to penetrate in three directions over an over-widening area within the target. This dynamic terminal action results in maximum energy distribution and multiple wound channels. This unique bullet technology provides extreme accuracy and delivers a new level of stopping power, which far exceeds that of conventional hollow point ammunition. The QUIK-SHOK ammunition is packaged in boxes of twenty and features nickel-plated cartridges cases. Triton also announces the release of the Lite series of Hi-Vel ammunition. Hi-Vel’s Lite ammunition is designed specifically for shorter barrels where recoil is a problem. Through the use of rapid-expanding bullets you get all the ballistic performance expected from the Hi-Vel name without excessive recoil. Hi-Vel Lite is available in .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .45 ACP. For more information on this and other innovative ammunition contact, Triton Cartridge Corporation, Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 50, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590. Phone: 1-800-861-3362. Fax: 1-914-896-4607. Visit their web site at www.triton-ammo.com. SAR

H&K’s Navy Silencers: Part I

As the U.S. Navy gained experience with the Mark 3 sound suppressor on the 9x19mm Mark 3 Mod 0 pistol after the system’s introduction to the SEAL Teams in 1967, it became obvious that the so-called Hush Puppy suppressor and modified Smith & Wesson Model 39 pistol had some notable shortcomings. Qual-A-Tec in Oceanside, California, developed a suitable replacement in the 1980s. By this time, the Navy had a requirement for a suppressed pistol that could be fired immediately upon exiting the water or even underwater. The new suppressed weapon from Q (as industry insiders refer to Qual-A-Tec), which employed the Heckler & Koch P9S pistol with extra-length threaded barrel, was the only system that could meet this requirement. After the Navy procured a limited number of the silenced pistols from Q (which was an R&D firm with extensive prototyping but limited production capabilities) and the Navy decided to buy this system in quantity, Qual-A-Tec licensed Heckler & Koch GmbH to manufacture the suppressor.

The Teams adopted the H&K P9S pistol with novel suppressor designed at Q but manufactured under license by H&K in Virginia. Simultaneously, the Navy also discovered that the otherwise outstanding aluminum silencer built in Germany for the MP5SD integrally silenced submachine gun was subject to severe saltwater corrosion. So Qual-A-Tec developed a stainless steel suppressor for the MP5SD-N, which H&K also built under license. This is the story of the Navy’s silenced P9S pistol and the special silencer developed for the Navy variant of the MP5SD submachine gun.

The story really begins with the Navy’s experience with the MK 3 suppressor and MK 3 MOD 0 pistol, which were manufactured by Smith & Wesson from 1967 through the early 1970s. The suppressor was based closely upon contemporary German silencers designed by Siegfried Huebner of Carl Walther Waffenfabrik in Ulm-Donau.

The MK 3 suppressor and MK 3 MOD 0 pistol were commonly used in Vietnam by SEALs for quietly eliminating noisy village dogs, hence the weapon quickly became known as the Hush Puppy. The point man on a Navy patrol might also carry the Hush Puppy so he could quietly eliminate a hostile contact. Some of these silenced pistols may have seen anti-personnel service with Project Phoenix.

While the Mark 3 suppressor was remarkably small and light for a centerfire pistol suppressor, it achieved these qualities with the use of elastomer wipes. The act of the bullet pushing through the wipes—which closed behind the bullet and trapped combustion gases normally perceived as a gunshot—adversely affected accuracy and limited the effective range of the suppressed pistol. This was an important consideration because the 158 grain (10.3 gram) FMJ round issued with the pistol would not reliably put down a hostile human or noisy dog with a center of mass shot. A CNS (Central Nervous System; i.e., brain) shot was necessary to instantly incapacitate a target. This is a tough shot to make with the limited accuracy delivered by the Mark 3 suppressor. Furthermore, this round would not always reliably cycle the suppressed Smith & Wesson pistol. Therefore, many operators employed the pistol with its slide lock engaged, the lever locking into notches cut on the sides of the slide. While using the slide lock made the Hush Puppy much quieter and avoided jamming the weapon with a partially extracted fired case, this practice had several distinct disadvantages. It eliminated the ability for a quick follow-up shot despite the potential usefulness of a follow-up shot when using FMJ pistol ammunition. The repeated recoil of a notched slide against a slide lock quickly cracked the slides at the notches, requiring a replacement slide after as few as 150 rounds.

Despite these liabilities, the Hush Puppy remained popular among the SEALs operating in Vietnam. But missions and technology moved on. The rise of global terrorism expanded the mission of some elite military units into the realms of counter-terrorism and hostage rescue. Since the Mark 3 suppressor used wipes, it could not be employed with the new high-performance hollow point rounds being developed in the mid-1980s. Clearly, a more robust pistol and a wipeless suppressor were needed to provide improved accuracy for the maturing tactical doctrine related to close quarter battle and hostage rescue. And a system was also needed that could use subsonic hollow point ammunition in order to achieve improved terminal ballistics for in extremis missions. Finally, the suppressed pistol had to cycle more reliably than the Hush Puppy with its original 158 grain ammunition. The innovative P9S pistol developed by Heckler and Koch proved to be a worthy successor to the MK 3 MOD 0 pistol.

The P9S Pistol

Introduced by Heckler and Koch GmbH in 1968 as an improved variant of the P9 pistol, the P9S might be viewed as a “delayed blowback” pistol, although H&K doesn’t like this term. A roller locking mechanism derived from H&K’s G3 rifle was used to provide a brief delay upon firing, until the chamber pressure dropped to a safe level. The P9S pistol was also noteworthy in its day for the weapon’s polymer frame, fixed barrel, double/single-action trigger, and extensive use of stampings in its fabrication.

Operation of the P9S is relatively novel for a pistol. Two rollers on a two-part breech block engage recesses in the barrel extension when the slide is closed. The heavy rear portion of the breech block pushes against the light forward portion, forcing the rollers outward. Upon firing, expanding combustion gases push the base of the fired case rearward against the light forward portion of the breech block. The slide’s inertia slows inward movement of the rollers, which must disengage from the recesses in the barrel extension before the breech block can begin to move rearward and begin the extraction and ejection sequence.

When a round is chambered, the extractor stands out and serves as an indicator. When the hammer is cocked, a pin protrudes from the rear of the slide. Both indicators can be seen easily in daylight or verified by touch in the dark. The internal cocked hammer can be released be depressing the decocking lever on the left side of the grip behind the trigger. Polygonal rifling provides a tighter gas seal between the projectile and bore (which produces slightly higher projectile velocity than conventional rifling), reduced bullet deformation (which should enhance accuracy at least in theory), less barrel fouling, and longer barrel life.

The standard commercial 9x19mm variant of the P9S pistol is 7.6 inches (19.2 cm) long, has a barrel length of 4.0 inches (10.2 cm), weighs 1.9 pounds (880 grams) empty, and features a nine-round single column magazine. A .45 ACP variant was made for commercial sales chiefly in the United States, but the Navy did not use this variant. While Heckler & Koch GmbH assembled the last P9S in 1989, Hellenic Arms Industry (EBO) SA of Athens, Greece subsequently manufactured the weapon under license, as recently as 1996. The Greek variant is called the EP9S pistol.

The Navy variant of the P9S with extra-length barrel was 8.2 inches (20.8 cm) long without the suppressor and 15.4 inches (39.1 cm) with the suppressor fitted. With the suppressor, the unloaded pistol weighed 3.2 pounds (1.7 kg). A loaded magazine would add 0.45 pounds (200 grams). All of the H&K P9S pistols delivered to the U.S. Navy included two standard barrels and one extra-length barrel threaded 1/2×32 TPI for mounting a suppressor. This latter barrel was issued with a thread protector. The Navy pistols also featured the target sights used on the Target and Competition Models since these sights were higher than normal and would extend above the suppressor. Fitting the suppressor to a P9S pistol with standard sights required a different sighting strategy. Since the suppressor was a grit-blasted matte stainless finish and the pistol sights were black (albeit with colored inserts), there was generally enough contrast to align the front and rear sights against the pale suppressor. Then with both eyes open, the operator could superimpose that sight picture over the target, rather like using an occluded gunsight. This strategy is neither as fast nor as accurate as using sights that see over a suppressor, which is why the Navy pistols featured the higher sights.

The fixed barrel design of the P9S is ideally suited for mounting a suppressor, since the silencer’s length and weight will not adversely affect the reliability of the weapon’s cycling. The typical semiautomatic pistol of centerfire caliber is hard to silence because the weight of the suppressor retards the rearward movement of the barrel, which provides energy to cycle the slide. Thus, the Smith & Wesson Model 39, its incarnation as MK 3 MOD 0 pistol, the Beretta 92F, or any other pistol that depends on the rearward movement of its barrel is more likely to malfunction with a suppressor than the H&K P9S, which does not require barrel movement.

The P9S is also well suited for amphibious operations since it features both a fixed barrel and a single-column magazine. A swimmer, for example, can lock out of a submarine with the Model P9S suppressor mounted and the single-column magazine loaded in the gun. The swimmer then rotates the gun until all the air bubbles disappear, and then chambers a round. The operator could then shoot the gun underwater or poke the suppressor out of the water if, for example, he needed to take a target off a boat, platform or beach. The single-column magazine of the P9S is crucial when the operator must traverse the surf zone off a beach, where suspended sand in the water works its way into the pistol. The P9S will cycle reliably in semiautomatic after being immersed in surf; the Beretta M9 (92F) will not.

As far as I know, the P9S is the only 9mm pistol suitable for amphibious operations. The Navy, for example, tested the H&K P7 pistol before selecting the P9S. The P7 did not work well when carried though the surf and sand zone, since sand that worked its way into the mechanism would prevent the cocking lever from moving freely. The double-column, single-position feed magazines of pistols such as the Beretta, SIG and Glock jam, so the swimmer only gets to use the round that was manually racked into the chamber. A second magazine may be inserted, but it will also cease to function after the first round is manually racked into the chamber. While the H&K P9S magazine design provides much of its reliability in this environment, the gun itself is also toleranced very nicely for this application.

The U.S. Navy SEALs usually issued the H&K P9S pistol with the H&K “Stainless Steel Suppressor, Small, 9mm”, which was referred to by H&K personnel simply as the Small Suppressor to distinguish it from the “Stainless Steel Suppressor, Large, 9mm” which Qual-A-Tec designed and H&K manufactured for the MP5SD-N. The Small Suppressor was designed to work with the MP5-N and MP5K-N submachine guns as well as the P9S pistol. The P9S pistol and Small Suppressor system became standard issue in the 1986, replacing the MK 3 suppressor and MK 3 MOD 0 pistol. The older suppressed pistols were retained, however, in reserve. Production of the Small Suppressor and Large Suppressor continued until 1992, when H&K began to develop a relationship with the Knight’s Armament Company for suppressor technology.

H&K’s Small Suppressor

Designed by Qual-A-Tec but manufactured by H&K, the Small Suppressor was based on the patented designs of Charles A. “Mickey” Finn (U.S. patent 4588043). Finn also holds patents on these designs in Europe, Australia, and South Africa. Manufactured entirely of stainless steel, the Small Suppressor measures 7.75 inches (19.7 cm) long and 1.38 inches (3.5 cm) in diameter. The suppressor weighs 19.7 ounces (1.23 pounds; 558 grams).

While originally designed for the P9S pistol, the unusually robust and effective Small Suppressor proved to be an effective submachine gun suppressor as well. Therefore, the Navy did not purchase the Small Suppressor specifically for the P9S pistol. A given Navy purchase order might specify, for example: 1,000 MP5-N, 1,000 MP5K-N and 1,000 MP5SD-N submachine guns, plus 800 P9S Navy pistols and a quantity of Small Suppressors. The Navy did not purchase suppressed pistols per se, but rather would issue suppressors with one of the aforementioned H&K weapons when needed. The versatility of the Small Suppressor meant that the Navy needed fewer cans in inventory to meet their requirements.

The P9S suppressor incorporates baffles of the slanted sidewall type, which are welded together in a sealed unit. The slanted sidewall is a diagonal slot of similar radius to the bullet passage, centered on the bullet passage, that creates a diagonal channel at a 45 degree angle to the bore going from one side of the rear surface to the opposing side on the front of the baffle. Each slanted sidewall baffle creates a gas jet to push against the stream of combustion gases following the bullet. The gas jet dumps significantly more energy inside the suppressor than the same number of similarly spaced conventional baffles.

An unusual feature found on the 5.56mm prototypes of this basic design is that the slanted sidewall is used in the front end cap of the silencer as well as in its baffles. While one might think that a slanted sidewall would be counterproductive on the front end cap, this feature does actually enhance the sound reduction delivered by this can. The slanted sidewall was not used in the front end cap of either 9mm suppressor, however.

Finn’s patent includes three very different slanted sidewall baffles. Finn’s Type 3 baffle (called the “Third Embodiment” in the patent) is used in the Small Suppressor. Each of the six rearmost baffles in the Small Suppressor features an integral conical spacer in front of it with the apex pointed rearward. The conical spacer features a mouse-hole in its apex adjacent to the forward edge of the slanted sidewall, which directs its gas jet into the coaxial expansion chamber, formed by the spacer. The patent shows a second hole at the front (wide part) of the conical spacer, which directs gases back into the gas stream following the bullet. This hole at the front (wide part) of the cone has two functions: (1) the vent allows gases directed into the outer coaxial chamber surrounding the conical spacer to continue forward through the suppressor, and (2) the release of gas pressure from the front of the coaxial chamber prevents the buildup of back pressure that would neutralize the effectiveness of the coaxial chamber by preventing more gas from entering the rear of the coaxial chamber. Deflecting the gases away from the central axis of the suppressor slows the expansion process within the suppressor and provides additional surface area for cooling the gases. This reduces the amount of energy that would be perceived as noise. The seventh (front-most) baffle does not have a conical spacer.

The production variant of the Type 3 baffle incorporated into the H&K Small Suppressor eliminates the hole at the front (wide) part of the conical spacer. The cut-off chord in the rear face of the baffle (discussed later in this manuscript) indirectly serves the same function, so this hole could be eliminated in the final design.

A portion of the gases passing through the slanted sidewall in the center of the baffle is directed outward along the inner surface of conical spacer. Designing the conical spacer so its radius is less than the radius of the slanted sidewall facilitates this process. Gases flow from the inner surface of the spacer’s apex, forward at an acute angle from the central axis of the can, until striking the rear face of the next baffle. The rear face of the baffle generates more turbulence, robbing the gases of some energy. Two long slots milled perpendicular to the cut-off chord (one slot on either side of the bullet passage) vent combustion gases from the central core of the silencer through the rear baffle face into the annular expansion chamber milled into the outer edge of the baffle. These slots are 0.75 inch (19.1 mm long) and 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) wide.

The rear face of the baffle is machined to a slightly smaller diameter than the front face, enabling the front lip of the conical spacer to slip outside the rear two-thirds of the next baffle, abutting against the front rim of that baffle and forming the outer wall of the annular expansion chamber cut into the edge of the baffle. Gas from the outer coaxial expansion chamber formed by the conical spacer vents into the annular expansion chamber via a cut-off chord milled into the rear face of the baffle. Gas from the cut-off chord runs into gas from the two slots, creating turbulence that robs the gases of energy that would be perceived as sound. These commingled gases from the silencer core and the outer coaxial expansion chamber vent from the annular chamber through three outlets into the slanted sidewall bullet passage. These outlets have a diameter of 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) and are created by drilling radially inward from the annular chamber toward the geometric center of the baffle. All three outlets vent gases into the bullet passage at right angles to the gas stream following the bullet. The central of the three outlets is oriented 180 degrees from the cut-off chord that vents gases into the annular chamber. These three outlets add energy to the gas jet created by the slanted sidewall to push across the gas stream following the bullet. The diagonal gas jet is directed into the mouse-hole at the apex of the conical spacer (which is integrally machined in front of the baffle).

During fabrication of the unit, six baffles with integral conical spacers are welded into a single unit with each mouse-hole aligned with every other mouse-hole. A single (i.e., seventh) Type 3 baffle minus its integral conical spacer is added to the front of the baffle stack, which is welded to a cylindrical spacer that forms a coaxial chamber around the primary expansion chamber at the rear of the suppressor. Here the cut-off chord communicating between the annular groove and the slanted sidewall works in inverse fashion to the rest of the baffle stack. Gas vents from the bore, into the annular chamber, and then out the cut-off chord milled in the rear face of the baffle into the coaxial chamber surrounding the primary expansion chamber to the rear of this first baffle. A very short cylindrical lip on the front end cap fits tightly against the outer suppressor tube and holds the front-most (seventh) baffle in place.

The entire baffle stack is welded together and then inserted into the outer tube as a unit. Then the end caps are welded to the suppressor tube. Finally, the suppressor is line-bored to assure a perfectly aligned bullet passage.

In the next issue, we’ll wrap up the discussion of H&K’s Small Suppressor and conclude with a look at the Large Suppressor designed for the MP5SD-N integrally silenced submachine gun.

The recent introduction of Steyr’s Scout Rifle has created a great deal of interest in the world’s firearms community, mostly among firearms aficionados. The fact is, however, that the rifle has definite capabilities for use by military scout-sniper teams and for law enforcement. In this article, SAR evaluates Steyr’s new rifle and its military/law enforcement potential.

The scout rifle concept dates to the Second World War when the German Wehrmacht introduced the Karabiner 98k mit Zielfernrohr 41 (Model 98k Carbine with Model 41 Telescopic Sight -Kar98k-ZF41). The ZF41 telescopic sight was not intended to be a precision sight, but rather a sight for quick shots in combat. Its magnification was only 1.5 power and the rifle-telescope combination was very popular with the German military; nearly 90,000 were produced and plans called for 370,000 more when wartime exigencies caused telescope orders to be canceled. After World War II, the scout rifle idea lay dormant until it was resurrected by one of the firearms fraternity’s legends, Col. Jeff Cooper. Col. Cooper set the requirements for the modern scout rifle which differ somewhat from the WW II original. Before examining the scout rifle concept, however, we must understand the advantages of an intermediate eye relief low powered telescope mounted on a lightweight rifle.

Shooting a rifle well is a true challenge, especially when using open sights. Traditional “V” or “notch” rear sights are especially challenging because the shooter must concentrate on three points at once – the rear sight, the front sight and the target. The aperture or diopter sight ameliorates this problem somewhat, but the challenge of achieving correct sight alignment and sight picture remains. Sight alignment, particularly, is critical when using open sights of any type. Optical sights eliminate the need for obtaining correct sight alignment and picture, but introduce another set of problems all their own. When using optics of any magnification greater than approximately four power, target acquisition is slowed, with the difficulty of target acquisition in direct proportion to the degree of magnification. Probably the best of both worlds are “collimator” or “red dot” sights, such as Aimpoint, which have no magnification whatsoever. Many of these require batteries for power, however, and thus do not fit within the guidelines for a scout rifle because of the propensity of batteries to fail at the worst possible time as a corollary of Murphy’s Third Law. (Anything that can potentially go wrong, will – at the worst possible time!) Low power optics require no external power source, however, and thus are as reliable as such a device can be. From a shooting standpoint, their effect is to decrease the target acquisition time of the shooter while enhancing his accuracy. The method of using such sights is easy to learn and essentially requires only that the shooter keep both eyes open and on the target as he brings the rifle to his shoulder. As he shoulders the rifle and attains his shooting position, the crosshairs of the optic fall almost directly onto the center of the target, essentially where the shooter’s eyes are focused. This system is far superior to open sights in this respect. The sole disadvantage to the use of an intermediate eye relief, low power telescope is the fact that it is more fragile than open, or “iron” sights. Most quality modern optical sights are fairly rugged, however, and unless dropped directly onto a hard surface they can be expected to weather most exigencies. The scout rifle is envisioned as a general purpose rifle, suitable for any use from sport to combat and thus must be of a caliber suitable for killing any living target up to about 1,000 lb, eliminating current military calibers of 5.56x45mm (.223 Remington). The scout rifle will thus be chambered for a “full-power” 7.62mm (.30 caliber) cartridge, which for military use virtually mandates 7.62x51mm (.308 Winchester). Other points with regard to the ideal scout rifle are as follows:

A -The rifle should be a “repeater.” It should permit successive shots to be taken without reloading. The rifle will probably be a bolt action, as semiautomatic rifles tend to fall above the established weight limitation.

B -The rifle should be handy. That is, it should not be excessively heavy or overly long. Length should be no more than one meter (approximately 39 inches) and weight should be no more than about 3.1kg (seven pounds), the weight that most persons in relatively good physical condition can comfortably carry in one hand for an extended period. Rifles beyond these parameters are considered too cumbersome.

C -The buttstock of the scout rifle should not be too long, which renders the rifle slow and unwieldy. An adjustable stock is not mandated in Col. Cooper’s requirements for the scout rifle, but it is clear that an adjustable buttstock would be ideal.

D -The rifle should be “friendly.” Essentially this implies good ergonomics, with a line of sight as low as possible over the bore and the position of the shooting hand when ready to fire no more than three inches below the bore axis. A third component is the relationship of the bore axis to the stock. If the bore axis is above the stock, recoil forces are directed down, increasing felt recoil and making follow-up shots more difficult. Thus, the bore and stock should be as close as possible to straight line alignment.

E -The rifle should have a functional sling, preferably a “Ching Sling,” probably the best of its class due to its three-point attachment.

F -The rifle should not be intimidating. This implies that recoil is manageable and muzzle blast not overly loud.

G -The trigger should break like a “glass rod.” That is, there should be no perceived movement in the trigger as the sear is released. This is not to say that there should be no “slack” as is the case with all two-stage triggers. Once the slack is taken up, however, the trigger should release the sear without the shooter feeling any movement whatsoever.

As the military established a requirement to meet a perceived shortcoming, we have explored the perceived shortcoming and what qualities a scout rifle should have to fill it. This begs the question of how well Steyr’s new rifle meets the need and Col. Cooper’s vision. To preclude suspense, and so the reader can avoid slipping to the end of this article, we will go straight to the heart of the matter. This writer can think of only one word to describe the Steyr Scout Rifle – excellent, with one reservation. Now, let’s see what attributes justify such high praise from one who was a true skeptic about the entire scout rifle concept until he actually shot Steyr’s latest product.

First, the Steyr meets or surpasses all of Colonel Cooper’s requirements. It is light at only 3.1kg (7 lb) with telescope. It is handy, with its 748mm (19 in) barrel and overall length of just over one meter (39.57 in). The trigger is two-stage military style and once the slack is taken up there is no “creep” whatsoever and it truly breaks like the proverbial “glass rod” at 1.7kg (3.75 lb) on SAR’s test rifle. An English saddle leather “Ching Sling” accompanies each Scout and the rifle is set up with ambidextrous quick mounting points, so the sling can be quickly mounted and dismounted as desired. And finally, the recoil and blast of the rifle in 7.62x51mm (.308 Winchester) are not at all intimidating, at least not to this writer. This is attributable to the rifle’s design as much as to the cartridge, as we will presently see.

Other attributes of the Steyr that surpass the original concept are the detachable box magazine that has a double detent which allows it to be positioned so that single cartridges can be fed while maintaining a full magazine of either five or optional ten rounds. A spare magazine is carried in a buttstock well for quick reloading. Although the 2.5x Leupold telescope is mounted forward of the receiver ring, there is provision for accommodating a conventional telescopic sight using standard NATO mounting. Backup open sights are folded down out of the way until they are required. The cold hammer forged barrel is fluted for extra stiffness. The non-slip Zytel buttstock features spacers for adjustment of the length of pull to suit shooters of any conceivable size and has an integral fold away bipod, plus an accessory mounting rail beneath the forearm. Fit and finish of all parts is excellent, although it must be noted that this rifle is made for hard use, not to decorate the gun case of an admiring collector.

Recoil is managed in several ingenious ways. The 7.62mm NATO cartridge does not recoil excessively and can be handled by most shooters, but many smaller framed shooters might find the recoil of any full-power cartridge excessive, so the Steyr Scout incorporates a virtually “straight line” design which aligns the barrel and stock in such a way that recoil forces are directed straight back to the shooter’s shoulder. This not only reduces felt recoil, but facilitates quick recovery for successive shots. The trigger guard is “faired” at the rear to ease the forces on the shooter’s middle finger and the butt incorporates a recoil pad. Atop the receiver, controls such as bolt handle and ambidextrous safety are placed so that they will not impact the thumb of the shooter in recoil, regardless of how the rifle is held. The rifle comes ready to shoot upon delivery. It is pre-zeroed at the factory and although this writer was very skeptical, we found the Scout to shoot nearly at point of aim at 100 meters using Black Hills or Remington 168 grain and Cor-Bon 125 grain match ammunition. Bringing cross hairs of the Leupold telescope to the exact center of the target required only one click adjustment in windage and elevation. The shot groups were within minute of angle (MOA) at 100 yards using all three brands of ammunition in the (unfortunately) limited firing time that we had available in preparation of this evaluation.

Our sole complaint about the Steyr Scout is that our test rifle initially produced several misfires with each brand of ammunition we fired in it. We queried Steyr’s US. representative regarding these unexpected malfunctions and found that it was the fault of the factory striker spring setting. The striker tension was lightened because some members of the American firearms press complained about excessive resistance when lifting the bolt handle of pre-production models of the rifle. Rectifying the problem was very simple and involved no more than removing the striker assembly, which is covered in the operator’s manual, and then adjusting the striker spring tension. After tightening the striker spring, we found no discernable difference in effort required to lift the rifle’s bolt handle and the misfire problem disappeared. Those who encounter misfire problems should contact their Steyr representative to obtain exact procedures for making the adjustment. This was our sole complaint about the rifle’s performance while we had it for evaluation. It would also be welcome for a left-hand version to be made to accommodate the approximately 20 per cent of the population who are forced to operate an otherwise superb rifle essentially backwards.

What is the military or law enforcement usefulness of the bolt-action Steyr Scout in this day of fully automatic military firearms? Colonel Cooper claims that one of the primary roles of this rifle is its use by a military scout, although the traditional lone military scout has been replaced by reconnaissance teams, long range patrols, or scout-sniper teams, however it should be noted that some snipers occasionally operated alone during the Vietnam Conflict. Lone snipers would not, however, arm themselves with a scout rifle, but with a purpose-built sniper rifle. The long range patrol or reconnaissance team will have a variety of fully automatic weapons available should it encounter enemy forces of any size and be forced to fight. For such missions, the Scout Rifle is clearly not suitable. It is for the spotter member of a scout-sniper team that Steyr’s Scout Rifle is suited. It is the same caliber as most standard military sniping rifles and has the requisite accuracy to serve as a scout-sniper team’s “backup” rifle. Two man scout-sniper teams move by stealth and avoid firefights at all costs. Even if they were armed with fully automatic weapons, a two man scout-sniper team caught in enemy territory would be quickly overwhelmed. Indeed, current military thinking is for the spotter member of the scout-sniper team to be armed with a semiautomatic 7.62x51mm rifle, sometimes termed a “Designated Marksman Rifle” (DMR) while the sniper is armed with a heavy precision built bolt-action rifle. The role of the spotter is to back up the sniper and provide covering fire if necessary using a rifle of somewhat less accuracy and range than the sniper’s high – precision rifle, but capable of delivering a higher rate of fire. The Steyr Scout with optional 10 round magazine could fill that role and would be as reliable as any semiautomatic rifle of equivalent accuracy. Indeed, some military forces have already purchased the Steyr Scout rifle, although they have not disclosed the purposes for which the rifles were purchased.

For law enforcement, the Steyr Scout is a very viable option as a patrol carbine, although we would recommend either frangible or limited penetration ammunition if it is used in this role due to the possibility of overpenetration and ricochets in an urban environment. Typical police encounters are at under 150 meters and at this range 120 grain frangible bullets would be more than adequate for use against any perpetrators, even those wearing body armor. At the same time, frangible ammunition such as that manufactured by Longbow does not overpenetrate or ricochet. Limited penetration ammunition is also an option for urban use in a 7.62mm NATO rifle such as Steyr’s Scout. Limited penetration 168 grain match grade 7.62mm NATO ammunition such as that manufactured by Black Hills will typically penetrate body armor and then break up in the target without exiting. In fact, such ammunition will not overpenetrate a target without body armor. In addition, the attributes of the Scout Rifle’s optical sighting system that simplifies target acquisition and sighting while enhancing accuracy should be a major attraction to law enforcement officers whose opportunities for regular shooting practice are almost nonexistent.

We can sum up, then, by stating that the Steyr Scout Rifle we tested was a very pleasant surprise, save for the easily corrected misfires. It is light, accurate and appears to be sufficiently robust for consideration as a scout-sniper backup rifle and for use in law enforcement. Military customers will probably wish to add some modifications, such as camouflage buttstock and perhaps a flash suppressor, but Steyr’s little Scout Rifle is excellent as it is. Although we were initially skeptical about the entire idea of the scout rifle, the Steyr product convinced us of the concept’s efficacy. We believe that the Steyr Scout Rifle deserves consideration as a candidate for the spotter member of any military scout-sniper organization and by law enforcement as a patrol carbine in combination with the appropriate ammunition.

It’s RKI Quiz Time.

1.) What looks like a fat, oversized zip gun?

2.) Although less than 2800 were produced, what handgun killed far more German officers in WWII than the millions of our 1911A1 .45s?

3.)What ancient originals are the UK’s SAS lads still using to “quietly operate” in Northern Ireland?

A. THE WELROD!

That’s not some modern soldering technique, it’s the name of this heavy, ugly, silenced single shot pistol of WWII vintage that has been accountable for the demise of a lot of Britain’s enemies, in war, peace and semi-war. Although primarily a British weapon, the Welrod was also used by our OSS people in WWII.

The OSS description of the 9mm Welrod was delightfully enigmatic, calling it “a silent single shot pistol intended for use by specially trained operators for specific tasks”. According to the British product literature, i.e, their user’s manual, their Welrod is quite the special mission pistol:

This weapon…is silent, reliable in action and easy to conceal. It is accurate up to 30 yards in daylight or 20 yards on a fairly light night, but is most effective when fired in contact with the target.

The last line, gentle reader, means in direct contact with the target, as in an ultra close-up assassination.

Their user manual goes on to instruct, “..with the muzzle directly against the target…there is no question of any special training.”

A colleague of mine with dirty war credentials introduced me to an elderly British Para who knew the Welrod well, having used it during WWII when he was an SOE operative in Yugoslavia, then later when he was with SAS during the unpleasantness in Malaysia.

“It’s a killer’s pistol, nothing very glamorous or exciting. You get in close to your target, tight as you can, and let him have it,” he said with blunt reality.

“The farthest I ever hit with one was 10 meters, but the old Welrod worked fine. People could hear the bang, but it never gave me away. That sound moderator is a good disguiser of where shots come from. Never any ball-ups; it’s a good, simple, workable rig.”

So, what is this over-aged pistol all about? The Welrod is a manually operated single shot, WWII pistol built around a baffled, integral suppressor unit and magazine.

The suppressor itself is a series of self-sealing metal, plus fiber, leather or rubber washers. The non- metallic washers close after each round passes through, effectively delaying the passage of noisy gases. Although the sound reduction system is very effective, somewhere between 25 and 35 dB, the efficiency of the original system deteriorates quickly after twenty shots or so due to the enlargement of the washer holes from the rounds passing through.

The pistol is designed for replacement of the worn-out parts or the entire weapon can be discarded. According to operational stories, though, that latter case is very rare.

“When I was in Northern Ireland in 1980, our section had a Welrod that dated to field use in 1944,” says one former SAS officer. “The original baffles had been replaced by a newer composition material and there’s no way of telling how often that had been done. We used that weapon and it still worked very effectively.”

According to the international ordnance expert, consultant and icon Jack Krcma, who has extensive experience with the Welrod, “On being fired, the gun produces a report about equal to a .22 short being fired from a rifle. This report is followed either by a prolonged hissing sound as the gas escapes through the cork in the suppressor, or by a more rapid, duller hiss when the gas under pressure remains trapped in the suppressor and escapes upon opening the bolt.”

A WWII brainstorm of Winston Churchill’s so-called “Black Toy Box” special warfare scientists, the Welrod was produced both in 9mm and .32 caliber, with the 9mm version known as the Mk I and the smaller model, the Mk II. The physical dimensions of the 9mm Welrod include a 14 3/8-inch length with a weight of 42 1/2 ounces. The suppressor unit is 5 inches long, with a 1 3/8-inch diameter. The weapon has a magazine containing six rounds of 9mm ammo. This pistol’s muzzle velocity is 1000 fps.

The Welrod Mk II is a .32 caliber model with an overall length of 12 1/2 inches and weighing 32 ounces. Its magazine holds five rounds, and the weapon has a muzzle velocity of 920 fps. According to British data, the accuracy of this model is sufficient to give 5-inch groups at ranges up to 10 yards. According to the manual, the recommended operational range is 5 to 7 yards.

There was little about the Welrod that was fancy, Jack Krcma says, “The rifling is five groove with a left hand twist. The unit I first examined had a fixed square notch front sight with luminous centerline and a rear sight with a fixed blade and luminous spot. The standard finish for all Welrods is a Parkerized one.”

Each Welrod’s sights were coated with a radioactive paint for night use, while the silencer’s muzzle endcap was hollowed to a depression to further reduce sound signature when the weapon was fired in direct contact with the target.

The only major external differences between the 9mm and 32 caliber Welrods are the smaller physical size of the .32 and the fact that it does not have a trigger guard. Internally, the two pistols are quite different, though, as the 9mm model has a two-part suppressor barrel section, while the .32 has a single section.

The 9mm original production Welrod’s suppressor contains two rubber baffles, while the .32 model has three. Internally, these are beyond the pistol barrel. The barrel has a series of 20 holes drilled around its periphery, which are positioned in the five rifling grooves and vent to the surrounding expansion chamber. This chamber is separated from the front suppressor section by a baffle that has 12 holes. The suppressor section, extending beyond the barrel muzzle, is 4 inches long and contains a series of intermittently spaced metal and rubber baffles.

The 9mm Welrod suppressor consists of two sections, front and rear. The rear portion contains the gun barrel, which has sixteen bleed holes at its breech end. The gun barrel is surrounded by a tube that, together with the threaded front bushing, forms an expansion chamber for the gases escaping through the bleed holes. The front portion of the pistol barrel is essentially the weapon’s suppressor, attaching to the pistol by means of a threaded bushing. The inside of this suppressor section contains a series of metal, rubber and felt baffles separated by a perforated spool-like steel spacer.

The initial washers for the WWII suppressors were stamped from oil-soaked leather. However, this was soon stopped as tests showed that oil heated by the weapon firing produced smoke. Later washers were made of rubber, cork or of bronze screening.

One of the purposes of the Welrod was to be a weapon that could be issued to indignant local resistance fighters on assassination missions in occupied territories. Thus, the weapon’s basic operation had to be uncomplicated, which is why the Welrod is a simple, bolt action, single shot pistol.

To operate the weapon, you insert a loaded magazine all the way home. Twist the knurled knob at the breech a quarter turn to the left and pull it back. When you push this knob forward it tips a cartridge from the magazine into the chamber. Lock the Welrod’s bolt by turning that knob one quarter to the right. The closing stroke of the bolt also cocks the weapon. After the Welrod is fired, you withdraw the bolt, which extracts and ejects the fired case through the top of the weapon. Repeat the simple process, and that’s how it works.

Generally, a professional will use two hands to fire the Welrod, except for extremely close-in targets. One hand grips the outer silencer tube as far forward as is convenient or comfortable, while the pistol grip is held in the firing hand, just tightly enough to compress the safety catch. For distances beyond 10 yards the manual suggests the operator tuck the outer arm elbow as close to the body as possible.

That’s the what, the why, and the how. The rest is a bit more complicated. The actual ancestry of the Welrod still remains buried in the classified murk of British wartime security, even now, nearly 60 years of history later. Possibly, though, this is because these antique weapons are still killing people, e.g. in northern Ireland.

Efforts to research the genesis of this classic piece of military ordnance mostly arrive from personal contacts rather than official records, which remain “sealed, destroyed, or lost.” In a conversation some years ago with Major Frank W.A. Hobart, a retired British officer and premier ordnance scholar, he told me “The original models were produced in one of our factories near Wells, and since your OSS was going to use them as well as our chaps, someone tagged the American slang word ‘rod’ (meaning gun) on the end of it. Thus, the Welrod.”

The term Welrod also has a genesis with England’s Welwyn Herts Laboratories, where many nasty weapons and gadgets were developed for the SOE. The Welrod’s designer was a British ordnance officer who was assigned the wartime code name of “Major Dolphin.” Neither Frank Hobart nor Jack Krcma knew the real name of this man.

In his well researched book THE PUMBER’S KITCHEN, Don McLean reports, “They (the British) had a Station IX where they established a rather large machine shop for the purpose of carrying out research and small scale production of a number of silent weapons. From this group a notable silent gun was forthcoming, namely the Welrod.”

Jack Krcma also confirmed that Station IX was located in Wells, just as Frank Hobart had said.

The actual tooling, production and assembly of the Welrod pistols was performed under great secrecy at the Birmingham Small Arms Company factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. There are no specific identification marks on the weapons except for a 5 pointed star and small square which indicated the BSA firm. The small marks are located at the rear bottom end of the cylindrical receiver portion along with the weapon’s serial number.

A British military critique of the Welrod during field trails at BSA concluded, “The weapon is excellent…having been designed around the silencer unit it eliminates much of the objectionable noise. It does require two hands for operation as it is a heavy weapon, also it is cumbersome in the reloading, and subsequent shots cannot be taken rapidly.” On the whole, the evaluation was good, concluding, “It is felt that his weapon has a great deal of merit to organizations such as the commando units and the SO(E).”

Although the Welrod was a British weapon, the U.S. did purchase and use some quantity of the pistols. There is no consensus as to when the first Welrod was brought into the States for trials, but there is some evidence it was early Spring of 1943. The Welrod did not appear in official U.S. reports until that Summer, when it was tested in July at H.P White’s Research Laboratory near Aberdeen Proving Ground. An excerpt from the report for that day notes:

Following a delicious lunch of goat, the group adjourned to a firing range and the same weapons used at Aberdeen were demonstrated again.. Major Fairborne (sic) and Commander Bird were most impressed.. The silencer cut the sound down by about 35 dB.

“Fairborne” was the famed British Major W.E. Fairbairn of police and commando reputation who had more than a passing interest in silent weapons. According to the British military historian William Leathers, “Fairbairn was most likely the high ranking British government courier for the weapon… a man who could understand it, use it and probably sell it to your people (the OSS).” Leathers reported that a test Welrod was brought to the USA in April or May of 1943 by “a field grade officer of some repute.” Fairbairn?

The official American record, though, picks up when this British contribution to special warfare weaponry is noted. In the OSS, responsibility for the acquisition of silenced weapons was assigned to Division 19, headed by Dr. Harris M. Chadwell. Dr. Chadwell was Chief of the National Defense Research Committee, the official cover name for the folks who provided the nasty killing weapons.

On 16 August 1943, a meeting of the British liaison and American OSS researchers held at the Maryland Research Laboratory covered silenced weapons, and the Welrod rated high in the minds of all participants. The report concluded, “It was felt that for that special type of mission, it was the best available design and the U.S. should proceed with purchase of production model Welrods rather than trying for a home-built version”.

Most of the operational responsibility for these weapons was held by Vannevar Bush and Stanley Lovell, an OSS legend in his own right. Given the silenced pistol need, Lovell had been working with an old Army friend. Col. R.R. Studler, a noted small arms authority, on silenced weapons procurement. Although Bush, Lovell, and others had been working on obtaining silencer-equipped weapons since early in the war, this was the first official “blessing” for the particular search…a quiet assassination weapon.

A large scale, formal test was made at MRL late that September. According to unofficial reports, the Welrod did very well in the competitive firings and a limited procurement was ordered, as Bush, Chadwell and Lovell had requested weeks earlier. Always the practical engineer, Lovell wrote. “There seems little sense in wasting time or effort as the British obviously have a superior design here…(The Welrod)…Suggest we provide funds for additional experimentation on our .22 silenced pistols and on the submachine gun models.”

In a memo dated 18 September 1943, Dr. Bush wrote, “Welrod very satisfactory as silenced weapon… British have 1000 in production.” He requested immediate procurement of 200, followed by a run of 50 per month by the U.S. Bureau of Ordnance. He asked that these future U.S. produced weapons be modified to .45 ACP. He also noted it would be satisfactory to purchase the modified weapons from the British if production would be more efficient there.

However, as other OSS Division 19 scientists were already at work on several projects involving modified .45 caliber pistols, e.g., “The Bigot,” that modification request was dropped.

On 8 October 1943, the British Security Co-Ordination’s Engineering officer, Maj. W.M. Fox, arranged orders for “hand delivery to Doctors Bush and Chadwell by safe, armed courier” of a copy of “description and operational instruction for the Welrod, which my be of interest and use to you.” The model involved was the .32 caliber MkII, which the OSS was testing.

Chadwell, Bush and Lovell praised the test Welrod and its performance over other units, including three OSS models. They reported, “A completely independent line of investigation has been carried out through Dr. King on silencing guns… You will notice that the Welrod is mentioned on page 3. The model fired at that time was furnished by Colonel Studler of Army Ordnance.”

Indeed, the Welrod was tested, re-tested and continues to be tested, even years later, as seems to be SOP with silenced weapons. In one 1943 test, conducted by Division 19 personnel, under the supervision of Stanley Lovell and Col. Studler, their Welrod recorded a 118 dB pulse. A 1965 test of a rebaffled Welrod by officials at Aberdeen Proving Ground recorded a 115 dB reading, a drop of 35 from the unsilenced model. The lowest figure I have noted was conducted with a rebaffled Welrod Mark I in 1977. The reading was 110 with the 9mm model. The lowest reading I have noted for the .32 caliber Mark II is 103 dB.

According to a U.S. Army report on a Welrod test in 1985, “On one unit was recorded a drop of 30 dB.”

In a less scientific but reliable field test, the effectiveness of the suppressor is such that at 50 meters from the weapon, I could not readily identify the sound as a gunshot when my associate fired the Welrod some 30 feet over my head and down range. Also, we tested a vintage WWII model in 1980, replacing the original packing with as nearly the same baffling material (cork) as we could utilize. The result was a 35 dB drop.

When the Department of the Army scientists tested another totally original Welrod at the Frankford Arsenal in 1968, their report noted a maximum sound pulse of 122 dB, then described the sound signature as “a sharp, snappy crack.”

I asked an OSS veteran who had used a Welrod in Europe about this, and he said the rubber baffles in the Frankford test weapon were probably old and brittle with large blow holes, instead of having a tight wipe fit. “I’d have to describe the operational Welrod of that period (WWII) as having a sound signature more like the primer ignition of a .22 short followed by a slight hiss,” he said.

Back in 1943, when it really mattered to the special mission hungry OSS, the Welrod passed all its official tests easily. The OSS officials concluded that silenced weapons had a definite role in their arsenal. In England, this conclusion was academic, considering that both SOE and the various British Commando units had already been using these silenced pistols in the field for nearly six months.

The only rap the American officers who used the Welrod leveled at it was that it required two hands for ranges over 10 yards, plus the slow, manual reloading. Lovel’s response noted, “Please consider what missions the user of the Welrod is assigned and at what ranges he will be firing. It is not an ordinary combat gun; it has special mission use where some limitations exist to allow for other advantages. Please think this through operationally.” Bush was more pithy when he wrote to Chadwell, “This (the Welrod) is a nice weapon for gangsters. Think about that.” He knew, of course, of its murderous intent.

Because the missions in which silenced weapons are used generally are not the types of action personnel, units, or countries desire to share in the public spotlight, it is rare that cameras, reporters, or other talkative sources are around to record these deadly moments. Action photos of silenced weapons in the field are rare. Only somewhat less rare are the war stories of their use.

“The mortality rate is awesomely high among people who go on the types of mission in which silenced weapons are used,” says former Special Forces NCO Ted Bell, a two-tour Vietnam vet who has done attached service with other organizations and has a personal appreciation for these jobs.

According to the military historian Maj. Frederick Myatt, there are situations, missions, and times when relative silence is not only desirable, but also deadly. As Maj. Myatt writes about WWII, “…special operations people..sometimes need a silenced pistol and it was for their use that the Welrod was produced.”

The men and women who used the Welrod had praise for it. A man who knew many of these users, the last Canadian intelligence operative, John A. Minnery, noted, “The favorite weapon of the day was the silenced Welrod in .32 caliber and 9mm. Both these weapons were quite effective and took their toll in France and the low countries.”

Len Jameson was an SOE officer in Europe during 1944-45 and knew the Welrod well. Now retired in Australia, he writes, “We used crossbows and quieted rifles mostly for sentry work. The Welrod was a fine weapon to send into town with an agent if you wanted to bump off a German officer or a Gestapo bully. Our Resistance allies made good use of the ones we gave them.”

One Jameson story involved the elimination of an informer, whom they took out in a crowded inn in German-occupied France. “We’d given a Welrod to one of our most loyal boys and he smuggled it into the inn at great risk to himself,” Jameson told me. “A bunch of his mates crowded around talking, then bellied up to the bar, surrounding the mouthy mark we were hitting. The lad stuck the Welrod right up into the collaborator’s chest and put a round through his heart. Honest to God, they said nobody heard a sound. They propped the body into a chair and left by ones and twos during the next ten minutes. The Herberts (Germans) didn’t notice anything was wrong for hours.”

Another Welrod pistol, now in the collection of the Nationalmuseet of Denmark, was used by a Danish underground group to liquidate Nazi officials and local collaborators during the war. Code-named Holger Danske, the group was very successful in their use of arms dropped by the British. One of their foremost leaders during the highly dangerous and deadly Welrod missions was Capt. Ole Geisler, an SOE agent who carried the British code name “Axel.” His personal Welrod, a MkII, is on display in the Danish museum today. It took out nearly two dozen German officers and officials in 1944 and 1945.

A former OSS agent, Col. John S. Wood, said he had carried a Welrod in France and used it to eliminate several German officers.

In this line, the OSS supply list is interesting. The “normal” OSS ordnance materials issued to OSS agent William J. Morgan for his assignment behind German lines included the following; A .32 Welrod pistol; an M1911A1 .45 pistol; a .22 caliber silenced HD pistol; an ordinary blackjack; a spring-snapper cosh (blackjack); a lapel dagger; cameras and lots of film; two sleeping bags; a large box of time pencils and other detonating devices; an army blanket; a switchblade knife; a commando knife; a plastic pouch to cover explosives, and condoms to cover the detonators.

According to cogent military officers, Welrods are still on active duty in the continuing dirty little wars. Retired SAS Sergeant Brian Sykes told me, “I know for a fact they were used in Ireland and Korea because I was there and saw them. I know some of our observers in Vietnam had second-generation, locally made Welrods when they went on the black missions with your Special Forces people”.

Yet, according to two sources in Britain, the Welrod has not been operational for years. Noted ordnance research Colin Greenwood wrote in the 80s. “The Welrod is not in use today”. Another source, a weapons expert from the Imperial War Museum in London says, “I don’t think the Welrod has been used ‘officially’ for some considerable time, certainly not in Ireland or the Falklands. It is relatively obsolete compared to recent, more sophisticated weapons.”

By contrast, though, that combat veteran of WWII, the OSS, CIA, and only God knows how many other operations, Jack Krcma notes, “I am certain Welrods saw action in Korea, Malaysia, Ireland, Vietnam and in the Falklands. It is still a very fine, very effective weapon.”

It is also a very rare collector’s item, as few as 30 may still exist outside of museums and special mission armories. According to Krcma, “There are very, very few original Welrods on the market today, even for official collection curators to purchase. The prices will range from $4000 to $25,000 for each weapon”.

With that in mind, did you wonder about the price to produce each Welrod during WWII? Estimates range from $15 to $25 per weapon. Today, that pistol sells for up to $25,000.

That’s not bad price appreciation for an ugly, old pistol.

WELROD BIBLOGRAPHY

I PUBLICATIONS

Foot, M.R.D.
SOE IN FRANCE HMSO, 1966

Huebner, Siegfried F.
SILENCERS FOR HAND FIREARMS
Paladin Press, 1976

Ladd, James and Keith Melton.
CLANDESTINE WARFARE
Guild Publishing, 1988
Lovell, Stanley,
OF SPIES & STRATAGEMS.
Prentice Hall, 1963

McLean, Donald B.
THE PLUMBER’S KITCHEN.
Normount Technical Publications, 1975

Minnery, John A.
FIREARMS SILENCERS, Vol II
Desert Publications, 1981

The Silent Canadians,
THE GUNRUNNERS,
June 1973

Joe Ramos,
AMERICAN TOOLS OF INTRIGUE
Desert Publications,
1980

Myatt, Maj. Frederick,
MODERN SMALL ARMS,
Crescent Books, 1978

Office of Scientific Research & Development Various Technical Reports, Maryland Research Laboratory. Office of Strategic Services, 1943-1945.

Skochko, Leonard W. and Harry A. Greveris,
REPORT R-1898, SILENCERS.
Department of the Army, Frankford Arsenal, 1968

Truby J. David,
QUIET KILLERS,
Paladin Press, 1973
SILENCERS, SNIPERS & Assassins
Paladin Press, 1972

Ward, Donovan M.
THE OTHER BATTLE
Ben Johnson & Co. 1946

II CORRESPONDENCE & INTERVIEWS

Correspondence between American OSS officials and British Security Co-Ordination Unit, September, October and November 1943

Memorandums between Dr. Vannevar Bush and Dr. Harrison Chadwell, Office of Scientific Research and Development, 1943 and 1944

Personal correspondence and interviews with:

Ted Bell, USA
Colin Greenwood, UK
Edward Hine, UK
Maj. Frank W.A. Hobart, UK
Leonard Jameson, Australia
George B. Jarrett, USA
Bob Koch, USA
Jack Krcma, Canada
John A. Minnery, Canada
Joe Ramos, Canada
Donald G. Thomas, USA
Col. John S. Wood, USA

Occasionally, the summers get hot down here in Georgia. Today, it’s about 97 degrees. My shooting buddies want to head out to our favorite “after work” shooting area to burn-up some ammo and relax from the day’s stress. The news on the radio says that the heat index is 105 to 110 due to the 90% + humidity. In my book, that is not what I call “relaxing” conditions for shooting. Our range is in the middle of a wide open area which has no shade, and outside temperatures can feel about as hot as your M16 barrel does from a 30-round burst. Blame it on El Nino, Al Gore, or cigarette tobacco smoke, the fact remains it cuts into our shooting time.

Class III machine gun enthusiasts in the Southeast now have a full-auto indoor range option when contemplating their next shooting excursion, and it’s air conditioned. The Firing Lane in Athens, Georgia has a full-auto approved range for any caliber running up to 4000 fps. The owner, Dudley Calfee, is a Class III dealer and manufacturer as well. He provides on-site rentals of full-auto firearms to those who don’t own their own, or for those who would like to try out a different weapon system. With fewer areas available for full-auto shooting these days, an indoor range is a convenient and viable option to enjoy testing out different guns or various ammunition in a particular firearm.

The Firing Lane is open to the general public, and is located in Athens, Georgia. It’s about a 50-60 minute drive from Atlanta. They offer a variety of safety and firearms classes, as well as league shooting. The range is open 7 days a week, with hours of 12-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1-6 p.m. on Sunday. A retail shop is also located on the premises.

I visited the Firing Lane during their grand opening celebration weekend. It was a hot Sunday afternoon in late July, and it was reported that 300+ people had visited the facility the day before. My main complaint about using indoor ranges has always been poor ventilation, so I wanted to try out theirs first-hand to see how well it handled the smoke from full auto firearms. The last time I used an indoor range was a few years ago when I was sent to the Glock Firearms Instructors course in Smyrna, Georgia. It was a three day event, and I burned about 1500 9mm rounds prior to completion of the course. Dudley’s range is very similar to the Glock range, only bigger. The ventilation was more than adequate, and no one complained about that aspect.

I fired about 200 rounds through an M16 carbine to get a feel of the range and its layout. The targets are retrievable, and allow one to practice short and long bursts as well as dumping a fully loaded magazine if one so desire. Due to the relative confinement of the room, muzzle blast concussions are obviously magnified somewhat, but are not uncomfortable. This range provides an excellent environment to experience the spectacle of full auto firepower, sight, and sound.

While I was there, Dudley’s staff provided a firepower demonstration with an M3 aircraft 50 BMG shooting blanks. This particular gun was used in the movie “Tora, Tora, Tora” and was definitely a showstopper. Range staffers Chris Neufeld and Will Frisch were on the gun. Dudley dimmed the range lights, and I positioned myself just behind the gun during firing. The muzzle flash and sound was definitely an experience I will not soon forget. On the opposite side of the range, a father was teaching his daughter the art of full auto shooting with the AK-47. He told me that she had fired his MAK-90 many times, and was there to let her experience the thrill of shooting a full auto. After firing her first magazine, the smile on her face told the whole story.

If requested, Dudley will have one of his friendly and knowledgeable employees stay with a shooter to ensure the proper safety and weapon operating procedures are observed. Once a shooter has demonstrated the proper weapons handling, they are then allowed to shoot at their leisure. Safety is the main concern, and obviously should be. People new to full auto shooting are welcome as his staff is willing to provide the proper instructional help related to all aspects of the sport. The range has a family-type atmosphere, and all types of shooters would feel welcome.

Certain nights are dedicated to different shooters. Classifications include an auto-loaders combat league, personal defense classes, a subgun league, a bowling pin league, a PPC league, and a ladies night (which includes free handgun and machine gun rental). The personal defense classes are taught two times per month, and are presented by the Chief Firearms Instructor at the Northeast Georgia Law Enforcement Academy.

It was refreshing to see a place dedicated to Class III shooting which is geared towards the new shooter, as well as the seasoned veteran. The Firing Lane provides everything needed to enjoy the thrill of shooting in a safe and fun atmosphere. Visit their web site for more information. Dudley and his crew want your visit to be an enjoyable one and they are there to help make that happen. See you on the range…

The Firing Lane

Address: 115 Mill Center Blvd., Bogart (Athens), GA
Phone #: 706-546-6111
Web Site: www.firinglane.com/
Number of Lanes: 2 rifle/10 pistol
Range Length: 25 yards
Target Types: Retrievable overhead
Hours of Operation: 12-9pm Mon.-Sat, 1-6pm Sun
ID requirements/age: Drivers license. Must be 18 or older to shoot unsupervised. 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.
Range Time (members)$3/30-minutes (non-members)$8/30 minutes
Regular Membership Rate Range Time $100/yr
Membership (Unlimited Range Time) $200/yr
Handgun Rental (Unlimited Range Time) $5
Machine Gun Rental $10/per weapon
Suppressed Weapons Rental – 22 Cal. $5/per weapon, Other Cal. $10/per weapon
Ammunition (Price depends on Caliber) $8.88-14.88/per 50 rds., Range Safe Tracer Ammunition $20/50 rd. box
(On site MG renters must buy ammo from the range)
Eye Protection $0.50
Hearing Protection $0.50
Self-Defense Class (Gun/Ammo provided) $35
Gun Cleaning $10/weapon
Scoped Rifle Sight In $10/weapon

Class III rental guns includes the following:
HK MP5, HK MP5SD, HK33, Swedish K, M3A1 Grease Gun, MP40, 1928 Thompson, M1A1 Thompson, Glock 18, M16, Uzi, MAC 11, Suppressed Ruger MkII & 10-22, American 180, M60 Belt-fed, MG42, H&R Reising, 1919 A4 Belt-fed, Bren Gun, BAR, AK-47
Owners of their own Class III firearms are welcome

Change the outcome of armed conflict. Heroic exploits against overwhelming odds. Valiant efforts versus dastardly deeds. Knights in shining armor battling dragons or saving a beautiful princess (yuck!). Cowboys and Indians in their never ending struggle for control of the west and the great battles in exacting detail of the Civil War. Marching bands, regiments passing in parade and soldiers of the two World Wars. These are but just some of the vast historical images of the toy soldier that provide hours of entertainment using just the imagination.

In simpler times, (before Political Correctness) these military figures could transform children into the true military masterminds that were really lurking in their little heads. It did not matter if the figures were two dimensional cheap cardboard or plastic soldiers that could barely stand up or heavy lead soldiers that were intricately painted and exceptionally detailed. It was the imagination that mattered: the glory and the horror of armed conflict and the ability to change historical outcome at ones whim. Over simplified? Yes! But a fertile field for any child whose only limits were the imagination. Sometimes very quiet and orderly, they would play for hours on the living room floor never thinking of turning on the TV and other times, outdoors, the child would be a willing participant in the ensuing conflagration using such effects as BB guns, firecrackers, matches, sticks and rocks to add to the realism or mayhem depending on their ever changing mood.

What modern battle would be complete without the firepower of the machine gun? Whether it was from the World War I era or a more modern day conflicts, the machine gun was an integral part of the play. As readers of this magazine are particularly interested in the real thing, it is noteworthy to look at automatic weapons as used and portrayed by the toy soldier and how it helped shape your interests of today. Sometimes depicted as a generic weapon but unmistakably automatic, to the highly detailed rendering of the actual gun, the toy soldier using an automatic weapon embodies the firepower and strength that their real counterparts possess.

Some of the examples shown here are quite old and some were made “yesterday”. But to the shooter, collector, hobbyist or historian of automatic arms they command a second look. For those that love automatic weapons, this is a side trip down memory lane that rekindles the child in all of us yet at the same time triggers an adult appreciation for the reproduction that it represents. All it takes is a little imagination!

In the first part of this two-part series on Fabrique Nationale’s FNC carbine we learned about its background, technical details and operating characteristics. Now, in this concluding episode we will go into the details of actually converting an FNC into a thoroughly reliable select fire weapon. This is done using a registered transferable sear. Yes – it can be done – and to factory standard, too!

When you consider a weapon for conversion to full automatic (fully transferable, of course) there are four critical areas to research:

* Design of the base weapon itself. Does it lend itself to conversion with few additional changes?
* Are appropriate feed devices such as high capacity magazines available in sufficient quantity?
* Is it in an available ammunition caliber? Preferably, it should be procurable in milspec surplus lots which are made on modern equipment with quality components.
* Finally, and foremost, is the BATF-registered part (sear or bolt) actually available and at a price that will not make you take a second mortgage on the house?

The FNC is an excellent candidate for transformation into a true assault rifle. It is well built with a solid design. When FN manufactured approximately 6000 semiautomatic rifles for import into the US during 1982-1988 they made few changes from the standard military version. For conversion purposes, this means intricate machining and/or parts replacement will not be necessary. Unlike conversions such as IMI’s Uzi which had numerous deviations from the full auto design (barrel trunnion, receiver bolt block, sear holes, safety block, etc.) the imported FNC remains very close to the original. This was taken to such a degree that semiauto FNC’s retained the built-in rifle grenade sight which, when activated, cuts off the porting through the gas block. Even the owner’s manual is the same as provided to military users.

Other critical areas which indicate the FNC is a superb candidate for select fire conversion include the type of high capacity magazine it employs and availability of milspec ammunition. As the mag well is built to NATO STANAG 4179 and uses milspec 20 and 30-round M16 magazines the reserve of highcaps is essentially limitless. Further, the supply of milspec 5.56mm ammo which duplicates the performance of the US M193 55gr. round is quite robust and will be for years into the future. Should you handload, the components such as powder, brass and bullet are all available in bulk lots.

Finally, the last and most important question regarding a fully transferable conversion to full auto: what does BATF consider to be the registered part and are any available? This is not an idle question given that H&K sears sell at $2500, AR15 auto sears around $2300 and Uzi 9mm bolts at $1300. Even with these stratospheric prices there remain very few available on the open market. The demand far outstrips the supply – and it will only get worse.

I knew from my research the FNC passed the first three checkpoints with no problem. Its semiauto design is extremely close to the military version and it fires the 5.56mm M193 cartridge via common AR15 magazines. So far so good. Now, what about the registered part? What was the availability and cost of this critical item?

Good news!

BATF considers the registered part to be the trip sear and…and…it is plentiful and available at a very reasonable cost!

Amazingly, the cost of this sear and the entire process to convert the FNC to select fire can be done to the highest standards and for as low as $800. Should you wish to convert your FNC to select fire with a three-round burst option the cost modestly increases to $1000. Now that you have recovered your breath and demand to know more, let’s see how this modern-day miracle is really performed.

Conversion Process

The conversion of the FNC to full auto follows the same basic process as used in AK and FAL conversions. This process includes:

* Lower receiver modifications
* Bolt carrier modification
* Function testing

While there are numerous nationally known C2 manufacturers who can properly convert various weapons to select fire, only one can do it for the FNC. This is Curtis Higgins of S&H Arms of OK. The remainder of this article will focus on Curtis’ work as he has consented to allow Small Arms Review into his shop and see how it is properly done.

Curtis is nationally known in the C2/3 business and has been in operation for many years. He has offered a select fire version of the FNC since 1986 which is classified by BATF as a registered sear gun. What makes Curtis’ conversion so desirable is that he uses an absolute top quality sear and and now has access to brand new factory full auto fire control parts. This conversion is then carried out with very high precision metalworking equipment and finished with a correct selector switch remarking. The end product is as close to a genuine factory FNC as you can get this side of Liege, Belgium.

Let’s now follow Curtis as he converts a semiauto FNC into a true select fire rifle. The end result will be a most interesting weapon with a very appreciative market value – and really fun to shoot!

Lower Receiver Modifications

The first thing Curtis does when he receives a customer’s FNC is to thoroughly inspect it for wear and serviceability. Any part not meeting factory specifications is noted and the customer is contacted for resolution. Due to the FNC’s reliability and escalating market value he has never received one in unserviceable condition. Further, Curtis makes very sure all parts are bagged and kept together with the same rifle. What you send him is what you get back – nothing is “swapped” out.

Next, the lower receiver is partially stripped in preparation for installation of the registered sear and selector remarking. The first thing to be pulled is the fire control mechanism. This is done by rotating the selector switch to the 12 o’clock position and extracting it to the left. Levering out the safety support cradle and its axis pin allows removal of the fire control mechanism. The hammer spring and spur are then rotated out with the use of a special tool. This tool captures the head of the spur and allows spring compression and outward rotation. Next, the hammer axis pin, SA hammer, trigger pin, trigger and trigger spring are all removed. Then, the magazine catch pin is drifted out and the catch along with its spring are withdrawn. Finally, the handgrip and buttstock have their retaining screws removed and these items are pulled off.

With the lower receiver mostly stripped – essentially the two receiver pins are all that is left – Curtis now engraves additional selector switch markings to reflect its full auto status. The markings on a semi FNC are “S-1” to show safe and semiauto functioning. The additional markings of “3-A” are then added to identify the three-burst and full auto functions. He does this by first bolting the stripped receiver onto the bed of a carbide-tipped rotary engraving machine. Positioning must be very precise as no mistakes are allowed. Once the receiver is engraved, you cannot go back and re-do it again!

After verifying with a machinist’s rule the final location of the “3-A” symbols, Curtis places the pantograph stylus into the copper scribing template and begins the cuts. After several minutes of constant work, and a final wiping away of the cutting oil, the new “3-A” symbols are revealed. He then fills in these symbols with red enamel to match the existing FN markings. The result is a four-position lower receiver (S-1-3-A) which is factory correct in function and appearance. It is simply beautiful.

With the fire control mechanism removed and the selector switch symbols added, it is time for the sear installation. The process in doing so is proprietary to S&H Arms of OK, but having observed it first hand I can assure you it is absolutely reliable and simple. Total time to install one is approximately twenty minutes and once in place is a very rugged addition to the FNC. The sear itself has a Rockwell hardness in the mid-40’s and is made of 4130 steel which has been precisely machined and hardened via an oil quenching. Its shape, location and the relationship it presents to the hammer and bolt carrier were all developed by Curtis. Further, he has never had a sear fail or wear out.

After the sear installation is completed, Curtis performs final quality checks and then begins the fire control mechanism upgrade. There are two routes he may now take: 1) safe-semi-full auto functioning, or, 2) safe-semi-burst-full auto functioning. The choice is up to the customer. The initial entry route of $800 will get you choice 1, while an additional $200 will gain you choice 2. Guys, spend the additional funds and get choice 2 as it is what makes an FNC truly factory correct!

For choice 1, Curtis notches the existing SA hammer and installs all the original fire control parts back into the FNC. A note of interest: unlike semiauto Colt AR15’s, the semiauto FNC selector switch is exactly what the military uses and already machined to support both full automatic and burst fire. One less replacement part to worry about! The conversion is now complete and when the selector switch is placed in the “burst/3” mode will continue to fire semiautomatic.

Choice 2 is much more interesting. First, he deletes the semiauto hammer and its safety support cradle and replaces them with a factory three-shot burst ratchet counter and full auto hammer. These rare parts are produced by the FN-licensed factory in Indonesia and are fully equivalent in specification to those from the European FN plant. Once unheard of in the US, these items along with a complete line of brand new FNC parts are now being stocked by Tampa Bay Military and Police Supply. If you own an FNC you need to call them.

With the necessary fire control parts replaced, the lower receiver work is completed by installing the trigger, mag catch mechanism, furniture, etc. Final quality checks are then performed by Curtis and the lower receiver conversion is now complete.

Bolt Carrier Modification

The bottom of the bolt carrier is modified by building up a sear trip shelf with TIG welding material. It is then carefully machined to correct (and proprietary) dimensions with a Bridgeport mill. This is a critical step as the timing of the full automatic process is dependent on the precise moment when the modified bolt carrier trips the registered auto sear. The sear then releases the hammer after the bolt has achieved lockup with the barrel extension. Incorrect timing of the bolt carrier could result in poor functioning, a destroyed receiver – or worse.

Sequence of Operation

When the selector switch is placed into the full automatic (“A”) position and the trigger is pulled several things start to happen. The hammer, which has been held back by both the automatic safety and secondary sears, is set free. It rotates forward and strikes the firing pin, which then impacts the primer to begin the ignition sequence. When the hot gasses from the burning propellant pass the barrel porting hole some of them are bled off to travel through the gas block. These gasses impinge on the gas piston and drive back the bolt carrier assembly. During this rearward travel a ramp on the bottom of the bolt carrier strikes the hammer to rotate it backwards. Since the FNC is in the “A” position a cut in the selector switch axle has caused the secondary sear to be rotated back and out of position. The hammer is therefore not caught by this secondary sear and is retained by just the automatic safety sear. As the bolt assembly moves forward it strips off a cartridge, which is then pushed up the feed ramp and into the barrel chamber. When the lugs on the bolt begin to lock into their recesses the bolt carrier trip shelf impacts the automatic safety sear. This sear then disengages from the hammer which in turns rotates forward to strike the firing pin…and the sequence begins again. Whew! And to think this occurs approximately 700 times per minute.

When the selector switch is in the “3” position a slightly different sequence occurs. Each time the hammer rotates forward it contacts a spring-loaded pawl which is part of the three-shot burst mechanism. The rear tip of this burst mechanism engages the secondary sear and keeps it off the hammer. When three rounds have been fired and the pawl has clicked its way through the toothed counter, a spring flips up the burst mechanism which then releases the secondary sear. This sear re-engages the hammer and holds it back. Should the trigger be released before three shots are fired the spring-loaded burst mechanism snaps back to reset itself in preparation for the next burst. Typically, a three round burst can be fired in .2 second.

When the selector is in the “1” position the secondary sear is always engaged to hold back the hammer after each shot.

Function Testing

The final part of the conversion is a live fire test. Curtis runs a magazine of either Olin or Federal “white box” paramilitary ammo through the FNC to check semi, burst (if ordered), full auto and safety functions. As the rounds are going downrange he carefully observes the timing, ejection pattern, ignition reliability and intangibles. Once the FNC passes this real world test it is carefully packaged back up and shipped to the customer upon ATF form approval. Curtis is adamant that nothing is shipped until he talks with the actual person receiving the FNC.

FNC users have reported to me the full auto FNC is sometimes partial to certain brands of ammo. While all brands function quite fine in the semi mode, Winchester and Hirtenberger rounds sometimes cause stoppages in burst and full automatic. The suspected problem area is the pressure curve generated by their powder. South African, IMI, PMC and other 5.56mm rounds work fine in any mode. Also, commercial reloaded ammo seems to work very well regardless of selector switch setting.

Shooting Impressions

Firing the FNC on full auto is very similar to that of the M16-series rifle. Recoil seems to be a little more robust due to a different buffer system which has less spring length. This may also accentuated by the very solid folding stock which transmits the recoil into the shoulder. Also, the lack of a bolt-hold open on the last shot requires a bit of getting used to as the Europeans do not view this as being necessary on a small arm. Further, given its barrel diameter/length and cooling efficiency the cyclic and maximum rate of fire should be the same as the M16A1 – 700 and 65 rounds per minute respectively. This is typical for a modern, small caliber, select fire assault rifle.

Since the cost of full auto weapons is continuing to go through the roof, the wear endured by the FNC when wringing it out should be considered. This is an area where it shines, and for several very good reasons! The barrel itself is hammer forged and then chrome lined. This results in a hard barrel with a “slippery” bore which is resistant to excess wear. Should you have someone cyrogenically freeze the barrel to eliminate internal stresses and increase its surface hardness the wear will be reduced even further.

The barrel extension (which contains the locking lug cutouts) and twin-lug bolt are cast and then machined. The bearing surfaces in these two areas have a very large amount of contact and thus further reduce the wear as impact/shear forces are spread over a sizable area. My experience with Swedish FNC’s (known as the AK5) in Bosnia indicates that wear of the barrel and bolt assembly are not an issue. Even so, TBMP is importing high quality factory parts to provide backup. Purchase two spare firing pins and perhaps one additional hammer spring to gain peace of mind.

When the FNC is fired the brass does get dented a bit. The case mouth bounces off the right side of the receiver and cocking slot cover before pitching to the side. Typically, a smoking pile of brass will build up 20-30’ to the right front of the muzzle. As the FNC can rapidly eat ammunition I save handloading time and use the excellent quality 55gr. IMI M193 cartridge which is available from Cole Distributing. Recent accuracy testing I conducted on this round (with my FNC) clearly showed it yielded 2-2.5 MOA even after extended fire – with iron sights! Finally, that nice black enamel finish on the barrel does have one weak point. After a short period of firing the area of the barrel just in front of the chamber will exhibit scorched paint. This is simply part of the FNC’s character and can be left as is or else molycoated to restore a heat resistance coating of beauty.

Conclusion

This article has described in detail the process involved in selecting and converting a semi-automatic rifle to select fire. In this case, Fabrique Nationale’s FNC carbine. The FNC meets the four primary criteria of a candidate weapon. It adheres very closely to the factory full auto weapon and requires few new parts to achieve a correct conversion…and the parts are on the market. Further, it uses the very common AR15/M16 20 and 30-round magazines while the availability of suitable milspec 5.56mm ammunition is a major plus.

Finally – and this is the most important point – high quality registered auto sears are fully available and RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE!!! Most importantly, should you desire to convert the FNC to select fire it can be faithfully done to factory standard.

Enough said.

Check out Fabrique Nationale’s FNC and its conversion to select fire… give Curtis a call…and you will become a convert like me!

S&H Arms of OK
Attn: Curtis Higgins
PO Box 121
Owasso, OK
(918) 272-9894

Tampa Bay Military & Police
Supply, Inc.
Attn: Dana Reed
501 S. Falkenburg Rd.
Tampa, FL 33619
(813) 662-9433
fullauto@gte.net

Cole Distributing
Attn: Gary Cole
PO Box 50271
Bowling Green, KY 42102-2871
(502) 843-6844