• Dismissal of a suit filed by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, attempting to hold firearms manufacturers liable for the costs of gun violence.
• A decision by the California Supreme Court that firearms manufacturers cannot be held responsible for the criminal misuse of a legally sold and non-defective product.
• A decision by the Louisiana Supreme Court dismissing a suit against gun makers by the City of New Orleans and its mayor, Marc Morial.

Setback in New Mexico

At presstime, about half of the 30 some municipal lawsuits against the industry have been dismissed. However, anti-gun groups are continuing their legal assault. The New Mexico Court of Appeals recently ruled that Bryco Arms, a manufacturer of semi-auto pistols, and its distributor, B.L. Jennings, Inc., each have a duty of care to make the handguns they manufacture and sell safe from foreseeable misuse by minors. The decision in Smith v. Bryco Arms, reverses a March 1999 trial court decision granting summary judgement, and sets the stage for a jury trial of plaintiff’s claims.

The case involves the accidental shooting of a 14-year-old, who was injured when a friend handed him a Bryco J-22 pistol without the magazine. The friend did not check the chamber and thus thought the pistol was unloaded. In handing the pistol over he pulled the trigger, causing the round in the chamber to discharge.

In reversing the lower court’s dismissal of the case, the appeals court found plaintiffs’ claims were “well within existing New Mexico products liability and negligence law.” The court noted that patents going as far back as 1912, and a 1958 article in a National Rifle Association magazine, indicated the value of magazine-disconnect safeties. The New Mexico appeals court also rejected a common claim made by firearms makers that gun safety must be mandated by legislatures. “We do not perceive anything so unique about handguns that they cannot or should not be subject to normal tort law concepts, norms, and methods of analysis. The distinctive aspects of handguns as a type of firearm can be reasonably accommodated and accounted for under our existing law without ‘outlawing,’ or otherwise restricting handgun manufacture and sale. To the contrary, application of our tort law can be expected to enhance ownership by tending to increase the safety of handgun use,” the court said.

Bryco’s attorney, Jennie Behles of Albuquerque, said she would file a motion for rehearing as there were substantial matters of law overlooked in relation to the children’s acquisition and use of the gun. Consideration of the case should turn on whether the gun was used in the manner in which it was intended to be used, she said. Plaintiffs in the case are represented by attorneys from the Legal Action Project of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, formerly known as Handgun Control, Inc.

Sturm, Ruger Sued

In late July, the Brady Center filed suit against Sturm, Ruger & Co., the retailer of the gun involved, and other parties, over the accidental shooting of a 13-year-old by a playmate in Maryland.

In announcing the suit, Daniel Vice, a Legal Action Project attorney, said, “Sturm, Ruger knows that unintentional shootings occur regularly. Yet it has consistently refused to add common sense, feasible safety devices and warnings to its handguns. Even a $10 camera indicates how many ‘shots’ remain in it, yet a Sturm, Ruger handgun does not even reveal whether a bullet is hidden in the chamber.”

Author’s note: While two of the cases cited above (in Mexico and Maryland) involve suits over the lack of a magazine disconnect device in handgun design, conversations with attorneys representing industry firms have revealed that the anti-gun side would not be satisfied if magazine disconnect safeties were incorporated in every handgun sold. Accidental shootings would still occur no matter how many safety devices are installed on handguns, and the Brady Center would continue to file suits on other grounds. The suits are really about attempting to end handgun ownership by the civilian population.

NICS Data

The recession the firearms industry has been in during the last couple of years is reflected in data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, administrator of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

From November 1998 (when the NICS system was begun) through February 2001, just under 20 million background checks were performed on gun buyers. In 1999, the first full year of the system’s operation, some 9,138,123 checks were performed. In 2000, this figure dropped to 8,543,037.

The majority of the delays in record checks occurred during the hours of 12 noon and 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, according to the FBI. These are apparently the peak gun buying periods.

A felony conviction is most often the reason found for the denial of the gun purchase, followed by domestic violence convictions, and drug abuse offenses. Some 168,830 persons were denied by the NICS during the 28-month period studied.

The author publishes two of the small arms industry’s most widely read trade newsletters. The International Firearms Trade covers the world firearms scene, and The New Firearms Business covers the domestic market. Visit www.FirearmsGroup.com. He may be reached at: FirearmsB@aol.com.

One of the “Household Names” in the AR15/ M16 parts group is J&T Distributing of Winchester Kentucky. They are a regular at Knob Creek as well as many other shows, and have been shakers and movers in parts for many other military type firearms, surplus and new items.

J&T recently supplied SAR with two models of “the Expedition” complete uppers they are offering. These AR-15 upper receivers are high quality with match grade barrels. These are for post ban guns, no dreaded bayonet lug, and there is an excellent muzzle brake that is built into the muzzle so there is no threading. Bullet exit has been kept very crisp and clean for accuracy, and the muzzle brake is very effective- it delivered just enough to keep the barrel steady, not overcomping like many on the market today. Finish was even and the lines of the rifle keep a “Lightweight” look, while delivering that match grade accuracy shooters desire. These are available in either a 20” or 16” version, priced at $329.95 without bolt carrier, but at $474.95 for a complete kit without the lower receiver.

J&T Distributing
Dept SAR
Box 430
Winchester, KY 40391
Phone: (859) 745-1757
Fax: (859) 745-4638

Mark Brown Custom

Mark Brown from Mark Brown Custom out in New Mexico is what we refer to as an “End user”. He has the background with the military use of small arms, and has been an armorer involved with the Department of Energy defense forces for many years. In his experience, he has come up with some interesting M16 parts, and tools as well. The CQB-A2 was the first mount he made in the late 1980’s on a limited scale, in response to a need for flat tops in military applications. He went into full production in 1995. The CQB-A3 went into production in 1999 and they have just completed the production run on the CQB-A1. The CQB-A1 gives an A1 upper receiver an A2 style sight on MB’s CQB rail. Brown also makes 2 Precision mounts for the AR series rifles. The Precision-A1 and the Precision-A2.

These extend the scope base where proper eye relief can be obtained when using high power optics and a proper stock/ cheek weld.

The CQB sight was requested by several personnel at various agencies. They wanted a way to use the electronic dot sights but still maintain the iron backup sight. Most people realized the benefits of the dots but still wanted the durability of the original sights. These mounts provide the shooter with a co-indexing sight system. If the dot goes south the sight transition is simple. Just look through the sights. The mount will accommodate many ring sizes to fit the shooters preferences. If a shooter wants a less-cluttered sight picture the Aimpoint Rail-Grabber ring will raise the scope to place the iron sights in the lower third of the scope picture. The Aimpoint rings that come with Aimpoints will place the iron sights in the middle of the scope picture. Because of the way a human eye works you can ignore the iron sights or look slightly above them. The transition is very fast if you need to use the irons this way. All the mounts are machined from bar-stock aircraft grade aluminum and hard anodized. The CQB-A3 is approved for use by the FBI. (a limited # are currently in use in CA.)

The Carbon Scraper is made of stainless steel so it cannot damage the interior of the bolt carrier. It is used when a large amount of carbon is present in the expansion chamber between the bolt and the bolt carrier. The tool will scrape off the carbon “stalactite’s” inside the bolt carrier. For armorers who have a high volume of M16/AR15 series rifles to deal with, this is a real time saver. For the casual shooter, this tool will make a difficult task much easier. Big thumbs up on this.

The gas tube wrench is made of anodized aluminum. It is designed to grab the gas tube to remove/assemble it. It will not damage or crimp the gas tube when used properly. We have worked on thousands of M16 and clone style firearms, and the gas tube removal and replacement has always been a pain. This wrench is outstanding. We are keeping these on our bench as well.

The contacts for purchasing the Mark Brown mounts and tools are:

Brownells, Inc.
Dept SAR
200 South Front st.
Montezuma, IA 50171
(515) 623-4000

Gunsite Academy, Inc.
Dept SAR
2900 West Gunsite Road
Paulden AZ 86334
(928) 636-4565

Bushmaster
Quality Parts Co.
Dept SAR
999 Roosevelt Trail
P.O. Box 1479
Windham ME 04062

Stan’s Gunsmithing Services
SAR readers are familiar with Class 2 Gunsmith Stan Andrewski and his innovative work. Stan has recently become involved in some importing, and as one of his first offerings is this interesting Madsen LMG Anti Aircraft sight set, in original leather pouch. These were Argentine in origin, and are in excellent- like new condition. If you have a Madsen LMG, you need one of these, or if you collect militaria, they are very novel and in great shape. At $50 per set, they are a bargain.

Stan’s Gunsmithing Services
Dept SAR
741 Battle St
Webster, NH 03303
Phone: 603-746-4387
Fax 603-746-6817

In addition to all of this is an extensive collection of artillery and armor, several aircraft, and even a German one-man submarine. The submarine, called the Molch (Salamander), is an 11-ton one-man boat. All electric and designed for coastal operations with a small range of 40 miles at 5 knots they look like a large torpedo. These boats were designed to travel submerged only and carried two torpedoes slung underneath. The first of 393 such boats was delivered on June 12, 1944, all the boats were built by A G Weser in Bremen. The Molch on display is #391. The Molch were used in the Mediterranean in a desperate action against the Allied invasion of the French Riviera coast. Twelve Molch were part of the K-Verband 411 flotilla and on the night of 25/26 September 1944 they attacked, sinking or damaging nothing for the loss of 10 out of the 12.

Bernie Mueller, a German pilot and close friend, was very pleased to see a ME-262 — the German Luftwaffe’s first operational jet fighter of World War II. It was fitted with radar as a night fighter. Also on display was an ME-BF 109 F-2/Tropical of the III Gruppe Jagdeschwader 72, captured at Marble Arch in the Libyan Desert by No. 7 Squadron SAAF in 1942. The aircraft displays also include another Messerschmit 109, a Focke Wolf 190, a Hawker Hurricane, a De Haviland Mosquito, a Supermarine Spitfire, a Dasault Mirage III, a De Haviland Buccanneer, a Tiger Moth, and planes from World War I — all in pristine condition. And ready to shoot them down is a 2cm Flugzeugabwehr Rahone (Flak) 30 gun.

The armor displays included a wide variety of tanks and armored vehicles. Particularly interesting was the Carro Leggero 3/35 Italian Light Tank. This two-man tank was developed from the British Carden-Lloyd series of ‘tankettes.’ It was bolted together with no rivets. Armament was twin 8mm machineguns — adequate for use against infantry in the WWI or against spear-carrying Abyssinian tribesmen, but useless for combat in World War II. The planes and tanks were all “cool,” but what I was here for was the small arms collection. And in that regard, the museum’s collection was definitely worth my ticket price. The development of South African small arms is traced from the early 1840’s using approximately 100 weapons on display including the first models of both the R1 and R4 assault rifles used by the South Africa armed forces.

Antique Arms

There were some great historical pieces here including several matchlocks, percussion lock muskets dating from the 1825 -1860 era, 1865-1875 era breechloaders, a Westley-Richards falling block carbine, a Swinburn’s Patent 1875 rifle, a modified Peabody-Martini caliber .450 rifle made by V & R Blakemore of London, a Colt Revolving Rifle from the 1850s, and something you’ll probably never see anywhere else: a Naval Model, seven-barrel volley gun, 2nd type circa 1787 handcrafted by Henry Nick. Only 655 of these “deck-clearers” were made for the British Admiralty.

The Boer War

Prominent in the museum’s firearms collection were two weapons used extensively in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. In 1899, the British Army adopted the Maxim Automatic Machine Gun (later, variations were known as the Vickers). It was a water-cooled .303 caliber weapon with a rate of fire of 450 rounds per minute. When filled with water and loaded, it weighed about 70 pounds. A converted Maxim machine gun, firing a one-pound percussion-fused shell, was adopted for service by the Boers. Known as the “Pom Pom” (from the sound the gun made when firing) it was the first use of automatic light artillery in land warfare. The Pom-Pom was simply a large caliber, belt-fed machine gun firing explosive rounds. Relatively light caliber it “did little damage” but the sound of the gun and the shell burst tested the nerve of soldiers (it indicated more rounds still incoming). It was hard to locate on the battlefield as the smokeless ammunition (some of the first of its kind) produced little or no firing signature. Canvas belts held 25 brass-cased rounds carrying explosive charges with their percussion fuses. The first line of ammunition of 12 belts was transported in containers on a limber. First-hand accounts describe the Pom-Pom as being very effective; standard artillery, mostly, could still be avoided by quickly taking cover in the interval between the flash indicating the firing of the shell and its arrival. The Pom-Pom, on the other hand, could keep up a continuous stream of fire, to devastating effect. On display in front of the museum entrance is a German “Pom-Pom” surrendered to General L. Botha at Khorab, South West Africa, 19 July 1915. Markings (3.7cm Masch. K Nr. 543) identified it as a “Maxim” made by the “Deutsche Waffen und Munitions Fabriken, Berlin 1909.

The Boer War was definitely “the war of the rifle” as two very well known bolt-action, magazine fed military rifles made their combat debut during the conflict. The British Army, which had seen plenty of action against native tribesmen in Africa and the Near East, hadn’t faced a professional standing army since the Crimean War. But in the last days of the 19th century they squared off against a determined foe accustomed to the rigors of the bushveldt, fighting on their home ground, and armed with probably the finest rifle of its age… the Mauser M1896 7 x 57mm Carbine. The Mauser M1896 carbine used stripper clips making it much faster to load than the British Lee Metford rifles. It’s a lightweight and dependable weapon. The front sights are the standard pyramidal without guards and the rear is a V-shaped open sight. The rear sights could be adjusted from 400 to 1,000 meters (this was the age of long range massed rifle fires). I’ve been told that with the rifle set on 400 meters the round will strike about two feet high at 100 meters. The Boer Mauser was definitely not designed for snapshooting at close range. I think it would take some practice to hold low at near targets, especially if they were charging you and/or shooting at you. I would guess that the sights were modified or adjusted for use in the bushveldt. Several of these rifles are on display at the museum including a 7mm Mauser (1895) supplied to the Orange Free State and Transvaal made by Deutsche Waffen Munitionsfabriken, Berlin and Ludwig and Loewe & Co. The Ludwig & Loewe rifles are referred to as the Mauser Model 1896 but according to experts are actually 1895 Mausers. These weapons are in a display titled “Mausers and Mannlichers” and had this Boer quote on a placard: “United in the Fight for Freedom and Justice — God and the Mauser. Greetings from South Africa’s Battlefields”

While not equipped with the Mauser, the British had an excellent battle rifle as well. In 1887, the British Army issued the .303 Lee-Metford Mark I Rifle as a replacement for the .45 Martini Henry Mark III issued in 1871 and the .402 Enfield Martini Rifle issued in 1886. [The British Army had been slow to adopt the breach-loading designs being developed in Europe and America, though eventually by the time of the Zulu War of 1879 the standard issue rifle was the famed, breach-loaded, single- shot Martini Henry. The main problems with the Martini Henry were its weight, its length, and its single-shot action.] The Lee Metford was shorter, had a smaller bore, a bolt action, and a magazine holding eight rounds loaded separately. The Lee-Metford rifles used the turn-bolt action developed by James Paris Lee, a Scots-born American inventor, and the barrel and rifling designed by William Metford. Firing a relatively smaller cartridge than the .45 or .402 Martinis the Lee-Metford was a drastic change for the British Army at that time.

The Lee-Metford’s accompanying bayonet had a 12-inch blade and weighed 15 ounces and the rifle’s magazine held eight rounds; the .303 round then in use having a brass cartridge and being filled with 70 grains of fine black powder. In 1892, the Lee-Metford Mark I was issued and in 1898, the year prior to the Boer War, the Lee-Metford Mark II Rifle was issued to the British Army. The latter two rifles had cordite filled rounds. In 1900, the Lee-Enfield Magazine Rifle Mark I was produced. It had a detachable 10-round magazine box. It was made available for colonial troops fairly readily but as the British Army had been re-equipped with the Lee-Metford Mark II, the latter was the individual weapon for the British infantry soldier in South Africa. In 1897, the British cavalry were issued with the .303-inch Lee-Enfield Carbine Mark I. The carbine weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces against the 9 1/4 pounds of the Lee-Enfield Rifle; the rear sight was scaled to 2,000 yards against the 2,800 yards maximum range of the rifle. The .577/.450 inch Martini-Henry Mark I Rifle was also still in service and a nice example of this rifle is on display.

Meanwhile, in 1889 in Germany, the Mauser Rifle superseded the converted Mauser in use at that time. Weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces, it was fitted with a 5-round magazine filled by pressing the rounds from a clip. On display was a good example of a Boer leather waistcoat with clip pockets — the “web gear” of the Boer War. With one of these functional garments on they could carry a good basic load of ammunition with ease. We’ve now come almost full circle with the usage of “combat assault vests.” Experience in the Boer War led Britain to adopt the European system for loading in bundles of five rounds. The Lee-Metford Mark II Rifle was converted to this system in 1902 and in the same year the Lee-Enfield Rifle using the same technique was issued.

The commando laws of the Boer Republics required all able-bodied males between 16 and 60 years of age to possess a rifle and the necessary ammunition. In 1888 General Piet Joubert, a Boer leader, decided Boer citizens were still inadequately armed, and the government began importing large numbers of Martini-Henry rifles that could be bought for four pounds sterling. In the three years prior to the outbreak of the war the Boer’s South African Republic (ZAR) known as the Transvaal, bought a total of more than 33,000 Martinis from the Birmingham firm of Westley-Richards. Throughout this period Boer burgher were still able to buy firearms privately, and this was why the Boers were armed with such a wide variety of weapons when the Boer War broke out. The 8mm Austrian Guedes rifle, similar in design to the Martini-Henry, was one of the last single shot rifles developed for a European power and were obsolete before they were delivered to Portugal as ordered. Portugal had already placed orders for the new M1886 Kropatschek repeating rifles before the Guedes were shipped. Seeing an opportunity, the Steyr factory sold the unwanted Guedes rifles to South Africa’s Boers. In total, 13,000 Guedes rifles were ordered in the two years prior to 1890. In 1893 General Joubert took a liking to the Guedes rifle, and an additional 5,305 of Guedes rifles were bought before the end of 1895. With the growing inevitability of war with Britain, the first few weeks of 1896 saw a frenzied search ensue throughout southern Africa for all available Guedes and Martini rifles. Eventually a further 2,200 Guedes rifles were acquired. The Norwegian Krag-Jorgensen rifle was brought to General Joubert’s attention around this time, receiving a favorable reception. But owing to supply difficulties only 300 of these were bought, along with 20 carbines. Also in 1896 the general’s attention was drawn to the model 1893 Spanish Mauser. This also found favor with the Transvaal forces and an order was placed for 20,000 Mauser rifles and 5,000 Mauser carbines. In the following year an additional 10,000 rifles and 2,000 carbines were ordered by the Boers. A total of 500 Mauser sporting rifles also were acquired in 1899, but a final order for 4,000 Mauser rifles could not be delivered owing to the British blockade of Laurenco Marques. One of the reasons for the size of these orders was the ability of the Berlin-based manufacturer to deliver.

Obviously, Boer small arms varied considerably. In addition to the aforementioned Mausers, Martini-Henrys, Guedes, and Krag-Jorgenson rifles a variety of personal hunting rifles and other weapons were employed as well. Boer forces also used shotguns; this is entirely likely, given that recruiters advised Boers to bring their own “…Rifle, ammunition, Horse, saddle and bridle, [and] food for eight days” to their mustering point. Throughout the war, of course, and especially during the guerilla phases where re-supply was no longer a possibility, many Boers took to using captured British weapons. Ammunition for these weapons could be stolen or captured, and although the weapons themselves were less than ideal, they were better than none at all. Weapons in the museum collection that were a long way from home included a Winchester ’76 .45-60, a Winchester 1895 box magazine rifle in .405, and a 30-40 Krag 1898 (Springfield Armory version). These weapons may have been used by the Boers or any of the American adventurers fighting alongside the British (the most famous of these was Major Frederick Russell Burnham, who was awarded the DSO while serving as chief of scouts for Baden-Powell.)

Other bolt-action rifles on display in the Johannesburg Museum include the relatively rare 6.5 mm Mauser-Vergueiro. Because southern Africa’s Union Defence Forces badly needed weapons during World War I the British bought 20,000 Model 1904 6.5 mm Mauser-Vergueiro rifles plus 12 million 6.5mm cartridges from Portugal. Portugal, while not of a mind to get itself involved in World War I, was certainly prepared to profit from it by selling these lackluster rifles to Great Britain. The British issued these Mausers to the First, Second, Third, and Fifth Mounted Brigades. They saw extensive service in the German South West Africa campaign. Hence both combatants were issued Mausers. The 6.5 mm Mauser-Vergueiro rifle, unlike the Lee Enfield, required considerable care in the field. It was not “soldier proof” and was withdrawn in 1909.

Boer War Machine Guns

The Boer War saw the widespread use of not only bolt-action magazine fed rifles but also belt-fed machine guns. Multi-barreled machine guns of the type invented by John Gatling in 1862 had become common in the years leading up to the Boer War, but by 1899 these cumbersome weapons had been replaced by single-barrel, belt-fed machine guns such as the Vickers-Maxim and the Colt-Browning Model 1895. As early as 1869 it was known that machine guns could duplicate or even exceed the effects of aimed volley rifle fire. At one test, held in Germany in 1869, a cumbersome Gatling gun showed better results over a minute of continuous firing at paper targets over 800 yards than a company of 100 riflemen firing aimed shots. Machine-guns, therefore, had become highly effective tools of war, and by 1899 their use had become common by most major world powers. Machine guns also multiplied the amount of firepower that a small force could bring to bear and excelled at sweeping open ground and laying down suppressive or harassing fire over trench lines. Their use in the Anglo-Boer War was to be both offensive and defensive.

Widely fielded by the Boers, the 8mm Schwarzlose MG M07/12 was invented by Andreas Wilhelm Schwarzlose of Charlottenberg Germany in 1902 and first produced by Steyr in Austria three years later. The Austro-Hungarian Empire used these guns in several models. In addition to being used in Austria it was used in 6.5 mm caliber in Sweden as the Model 14, in the Netherlands as the Models 08, 08/13, 08/15. Czechoslovakia used it in 7.92 mm and the Italians would later make great use of it, having large stocks they confiscated from the defeated Austrians after World War I. Another crew served weapon on display is a 37mm Maxim-Nordenfeldt MG (1885).

The museum has a very nice Maxim MK I (brass) used by the British Army, a Model 1895 Maxim [British] in .303, and a tripod mount MK IV designed for the Maxim. The Maxim was first used in Matabeleland (present day Zimbabwe) in 1893.

There is also a .303 Vickers/Maxim 1901 that was the forerunner of the famous Vickers machine gun of World Wars I and II. It weighs about sixty pounds (without water) compared to the thirty-four pound Vickers. Later modifications were minor, mostly to reduce the great weight. The bronze water jacket was replaced with a pressed steel jacket . This gun played a prominent part in the ‘civilizing’ of the British colonial empire. A famous bit of doggerel was “What ever happens/we have got/The Maxim gun/and they have not!” The Maxim was used on India’s northwest frontier during the Chitral Expedition of 1895, during the Sudan Campaign (1896), against the Matabele (1897), and again during the Boer War (1889 – 1902). It didn’t perform as well against the Boers (who used cover and concealment and employed open formations).

World War I

Visitors to the National Museum of Military History can learn about the causes, the various threats and campaigns and the results and consequences of World War I. An imaginative, life size reconstruction of a section of a typical trench and a description of life in the trenches is also included. On display here is a Lewis gun. The Lewis gun was the first successful light machine gun to be adopted and used in significant numbers. It was the standard South African light machine gun until 1940 when it was superseded by the Bren. The Lewis used either 47 round or 96 round detachable drum magazines and fired 550 rounds a minute. It was also used extensively in the aircraft role and at least one of the WWI aircraft in the museum mounts a Lewis gun. A Lewis gun aka “the Belgian Rattlesnake” was the LMG that, according to some accounts, Australian machinegunner Cedric Popkin used to shoot down the Red Baron. Gas-operated and air-cooled the Lewis gun is fed by a rotating drum containing either 47 or 97 rounds. The Lewis gun was initially designed by Samuel MacLean and was then developed and perfected by Isaac Newton Lewis of the US army. Unable to interest the US army in the weapon, Lewis took the gun to Belgium and set up a manufacturing company there in 1913. In 1914, at the outbreak of World War I, most of the staff fled to England where they were able to continue manufacturing the gun in the Birmingham Small Arms Company factory. The gun was subsequently used by the British, Belgian and Italian armies in great numbers, both as a ground weapon and as an aircraft gun. Though generally replaced by more modern weapons in the 1930’s, the Lewis gun was still in action during World War II. I have long been an admirer of the Lewis gun, but not until recently did I learn that the cooling jacket which makes it so readily recognizable is absolutely worthless, does nothing to cool the weapon, and merely adds 4 pounds of weight to this infantry weapon. Lewis, to prove his own “genius,” added the cooling jacket to the design he stole from MacLean.

World War II

Beginning in the late 19th century and ending 65 years later there are displays of seven Lee-Metford and ‘SMLE’ rifles that make for a nice comparison of the different variations and innovations, a good display of seven Mausers and Mannlichers (1886-1943) with bayonets, and another of seven Mausers (1871-1896). All these weapons figured greatly in South African history. There are four different anti-tank rifles covering the 1914-1945 period in the same display. This is the first I’ve seen the Mauser 13mm, the Maroszek 35 7.92mm, the PZB 38/39 7.92mm, and the Boys MK I .55 inch all together. A really fine comparision. There’s a pristine example second version of the FG-42 7.92mm — a weapon I’m always fond of examining.

For machineguns there are of course a Vickers .303 and for the Germans an MG42 and an MG 34, a tripod mounted “Lafette 34” with pads on front leg to reduce pressure on the carrier’s back. You can compare them to the horribly designed Italian 8mm Fiat- Revelli (mitragliatrice sistema revelli) that was prone to frequent stoppages (especially in north Africa) as the cartridges were oiled via a fluted chamber. The 8mm Breda Model 37 heavy machinegun however, also used oiled cartridges lubricated by an oil pump and its spent cartridges were re-inserted into a 20-round strip to allow recovery of empty cases. Unlike other Italian machine guns the Breda 37 was very reliable — large numbers were captured and used by the Allies and the German Army in Western Desert and Italian campaigns.

There is a comparative display of submachine guns and assault rifles (1940s-1950s) with magazines and cartridges that includes an MP-40, a STEN, an AUSTEN, an Owen, an M-3 “Grease Gun,” an MP-44, an AK-47, and an FN-FAL. The STEN, AUSTEN, and Owen, hang over top of each other in descending order so the 9mm sub guns with a common design heritage can be compared.

Other weapons from the era include US .30 M-1 Carbine, M-1Garand, M91/30 Russian (made in US), Russian Tokarev 40 7.62 mm rifle, and basically any WW2-European theatre military weapon I haven’t mentioned.

The Modern Era and “Integration”

Three South African small arms representing the adoption of foreign weapon designs over the last forty years include the R-1 7.62mm rifle, which is the South African version of the FN-FAL that entered South African service in the early 1960s; the.M-79 40mm grenade launcher (known in South Africa as a snotneus) which was adopted by the SADF in the early 1980s, and the UZI 9mm submachine gun (the Israelis weren’t squeamish about violating the arms embargo against South Africa.) Of course the most well known is the R-4 rifle, the South African produced copy of the Israeli Galil assault rifle. The standard general purpose machine gun in use by the SADF was the FN-MAG (mitrailleur a’ Gaz). The FN MAG combines the gas piston bolt mechanism of the BAR with the feed mechanism of the MG-42. There is a mannequin dressed as a member of the elite 32 Battalion – the SADF special operations unit formed from Angolans and other Africans. Clad in foreign camouflage he carries a captured AK-47.

One exhibit is marked “Umkhonto we-Sizwe (MK)” and a comment in the museum literature notes “Find out how and why the armed wing of the African National Congress came into being.” The ANC/MK were the indigenous insurgents during a long war of terrorism and guerrilla warfare against the SADF. We won’t get into details or personal opinions in this article, but for those interested in the history of the MK until its integration into the South African National Defence Force in 1994, there are some key exhibits: various weapons, landmines and hand grenades, insignia and medals, and the uniform worn by Joe Modise, the former Commander-in-Chief of Umkhonto We Sizwe (“Spear of the Nation”) aka MK who became South Africa’s Minister of Defence in 1994.

Museum hours are 9:00am – 4:30pm every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Admission fees are R5 per adult, R3 per pensioner, R2 per scholar. Meetings of the Military History Society are held at the Museum. The Military History Journal is produced in collaboration with the S.A. National Museum of Military History. The Museum complex also houses an Information Center. The Information Center holds the reference library archives (books, diaries, maps, periodicals, and oral histories, etc.) and the photo archives (stereographs, photos, films, and videos). The Information Center is open to the public and visiting scholars from 9am to 1pm and from 1:30pm to 4:30pm, Mondays to Fridays, except on public holidays.

SANMMH Contact Information:

Information Center,
The South African National Museum of Military History,
P.O. Box 52090,
Saxonwold 2132,
Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
TEL: +27 (011) 646 5513 EXTS. 206,207,208,221
FAX: +27 (011) 646 5256
EMAIL: milmus@icon.co.za

Anyone interested in making a parachute jump with SANDF paratroopers (or other foreign militaries) should contact Rob via Military Parachuting Tours, Int. POB 1573, Olean, NY 14760; email: para6@hotmail.com

All Russian rifles in the AK-100 Series have folding stocks and are select fire. The US versions have neither of these features. Otherwise, though, the US versions of the AK-100s are virtually identical to their Russian counterparts and cannot be distinguished from them except under close inspection. All Kalashnikov USA rifles in the AK-100 Series have U.S. manufactured furniture of black polymer and are finished in black powder coat. Barrels are chrome lined with four grooves with right hand twist. While Russian rifles in the AK-100 series are shipped with four 30 round magazines and a bayonet, the American version is provided only with two five round magazines and no bayonet lug, much less the bayonet itself! The American AK-103 that we received for evaluation does, however, accept standard 30 round AK magazines.

Izhmash did not pick the AK-100 designation “out of the blue,” so to speak. Most readers are aware that “AK” stands for Avtomat Kalashnikova, while past practice generally has used a number indicating the year of classification for military service, as with the AK-47 and AK-74. The AK-100 designation, however, is derived from a Soviet-era code for the Izhmash Armory, Production Nr. 100. From the information at Table 1, the reader will note that there are a variety of rifles and carbines in the AK-100 series in not only 5.45x39mm, 7.62x39mm, but also in 5.56x45mm. The AK-107 and AK-108, while included in AK-100 series, are quite different rifles than any of the others in that they incorporate a “balanced” operating system derived from the experimental AL-7 rifle of the early 1970s. This operating system essentially eliminates felt recoil, but bears little resemblance to the original AK system.

Kalashnikov USA’s AK-103 begins life as a Saiga 7.62x39mm carbine. Saiga carbines are imported by Kalashnikov USA and then contracted out to a custom gun shop for conversion to AK-103 configuration. We actually were sent evaluation AK-103s from two different Kalashnikov USA contractors. The firm that converted our initial AK-103 will remain nameless for reasons that will soon become apparent. The rifles converted by this original shop did not meet quality standards and Saiga carbines are now being modified by DGS, Inc. of Fort Myers, Florida. The original Kalashnikov USA AK-103 rifle that we received for evaluation was disappointing in terms of overall fit and finish, which was rough and uneven. The powder-coated dust cover and receiver were different texture and shade and the overall finish felt like fine sandpaper to the touch. The finish was apparently not very resistant to abrasion, as there were several scuffs and scratches and the safety selector had already worn a deep scratch entirely through the receiver finish. This can be expected after lengthy use, but not in a new rifle. There were several significant assembly flaws, as well. For example, the AK103’s stock retaining screws both had “buggered” slots where the screwdriver had slipped, flared the edges and removed some of the finish. This usually is the result of using the incorrect size screwdriver or overtightening by an amateur gunsmith and we find it hard to accept in a new rifle, particularly one that has a suggested retail price of over $700. The cleaning rod retaining boss, part of the front sight base, did not properly retain the cleaning rod. The rod was loose, rattled and slid back and forth between the retaining boss and the guide on the barrel when the rifle was fired. The receiver cover was also extremely difficult to remove and replace. We have disassembled literally hundreds of AKs over the years, and this is the first instance we have encountered where the cover was difficult to remove. The disassembly button required two separate and distinct motions to free the cover. One first had to push in very hard and then down. Even after this, the cover was difficult to lift. Replacing the cover was slightly less difficult than removing it, but still was more difficult than any AK we have ever seen.

When we called Kalashnikov USA to advise them of our assessment, we were told that this was unfortunately typical of the original contractor’s rifles. Kalashnikov USA further advised us that they had switched to a new firm, DGS, for conversion. The first of the new rifles would be ready for shipment in approximately a week. We were offered a DGS converted AK-103 to replace the earlier rifle and upon receipt, found it to be significantly improved over the original. The powder coating was a slightly lustrous black and was applied uniformly to the all of the rifle’s surfaces. Disassembly of the replacement rifle was typical Kalashnikov, and should need no explanation to the readers of SAR. We should note that the DGS conversion had a 14.5-inch barrel, while the original rifle we received had a 16-inch barrel. The nondetachable muzzle brake of the 14.5-inch carbine brings the overall barrel length to legal specifications, but there is no 14.5-inch barrel in the AK-100 line offered by Izhmash, although a 12.5 inch version designated AK-104 is catalogued by the parent firm. Kalashnikov USA’s rifle retains the AK-103 designation, however, despite its shorter barrel length. We actually prefer the “look” of the rifle we evaluated to the longer barreled version, but a completely “proper” clone of an AK-103 would have a 16-inch barrel not including the muzzle brake.

The AK103 conversion is packed in a hard polymer padded case along with sling, soft canvas field carrying case, oil bottle, pouch for four high capacity magazines, cleaning kit, manual and two Saiga five round magazines. As mentioned, the rifle will also accept the widely available and inexpensive East German and Bulgarian 30 round magazines. Sufficient US manufactured components are included to make the AK-103 legal in its pistol grip configuration. These include pistol grip, stock, gas tube, fire control components and operating rod gas piston. The AK-74 style muzzle brake is fixed in place by drilling and welding. The small spot where this was accomplished is visible at the top of the brake and was the only flaw we noticed in the DGS rifle’s finish. Actual AK100 Series muzzle brakes are, of course, removable. The detent at the top of the brake that normally mates with a spring-loaded retaining pin in the front sight base is not present on the DGS rifle that we received. The AK-103’s muzzle brake is well known as one of the most efficient in the world, and although we did not directly compare it to one of our AKMs, felt recoil was approximately that of a 5.56x45mm rifle, although there was a notable increase in muzzle blast. The AK-103 type muzzle brake is also noted for reducing muzzle rise under full automatic fire.

We should note that conversion from the Saiga to AK103 lookalike did not consist of simply replacing the stock and adding a muzzle brake. The barrel had to be cut two inches, crowned, the front sight relocated and perfectly aligned and a muzzle brake adapter permanently fixed in place. Accommodation also had to be made for the pistol grip, which is not present in the Saiga carbine. This does not merely involve adding a pistol grip, but actually relocating the entire fire control mechanism because the trigger of the Saiga carbine is in the place normally occupied by the pistol grip on an AK carbine. All in all, the DGS conversion was well executed.

The AK103’s receiver is very well made, with heavy-duty rails and internal components and quality welds. Fit of bolt, bolt carrier and overall operation of the reciprocating components was excellent. The bolt carrier and bolt are serially numbered to match the rifle and moved smoothly back and forth with no binding. The two-stage trigger had an initial take-up pull of four pounds with release averaging seven pounds. There was a small amount of backlash, but it should be kept in mind that this is not a precision rifle, but a short to medium-range carbine derived from an assault rifle.

The AK103 functioned flawlessly. We tried the rifle with Wolf full metal jacket and hollow point ammunition, with “Tiger” FMJ and JHP and with Black Hills 123-grain soft point. Tula Arsenal manufactures Wolf, while Barnaul JSC produces Tiger ammunition. These represent two of the three major Russian small arms ammunition manufacturers. Kalashnikov USA is now importing Barnaul ammunition under the Tiger brand name. It is appropriate to note that some domestic producers have ceased manufacture of 7.62x39mm ammunition because of recent low cost imports like Tiger and Wolf. This is not to disparage Wolf or Tiger ammunition; we have found Wolf ammunition to be of excellent quality, reliability and highly accurate in every firearm in which we have used it. Although this was our first experience with Tiger cartridges, we found them to be every bit as accurate as their competitors. For a rifle like the AK103, Russian ammunition seems ideally suited, as both Wolf and Tiger are produced to Russian military standards.

The AK-103’s rear sight is carried over from the Saiga carbine and is graduated only to 300 meters, with range marks indicated by a “1,” “2” and “3.” The remainder of the sight where the longer-range graduations usually are found is simply blank, and while the notches for locking the elevation ramp for longer distances are present, the sight cannot be elevated beyond the 300 meter mark. While graduating the sights of the military version of the rifle to 1,000 meters is wildly optimistic, we believe that having original-type sights would be appropriate to a rifle such as this, as the blank spaces on the rear sight simply do not look “right.” Most purchasers of the AK-103 will probably replace the AK-103’s rear sight with one from an AKM, which we expect should work. The Saiga sight may also be responsible for the fact that the rifle shot extremely low at 100 yards, hitting in the dirt in front of the target frames. This ultimately required that the threaded front sight post be removed and cut off at the base so that it could be screwed down sufficiently to raise the point of aim and zero the rifle’s open sights at 100 yards. Using open sights at 100 yards, we shot groups of approximately three inches using Black Hills, Tiger and Wolf ammunition, perfectly acceptable for a rifle of this class. Using the optional “Cobra-3” reflex sight for rapid fire, squeezing off rounds as quickly as we could fire and reacquire the target, we placed 30 shots inside a 4.5 inch circle at 100 yards.

The AK-103 also came with two optional extras that transform the rifle in our estimation. One option was the venerable PSO-1 4×24 telescopic sight that has been in production for over 30 years and continues to soldier on in Russian service. The PSO-1 that came with our rifle was graduated to 400 meters to accommodate 7.62x39mm ballistics. The other was a “Cobra-3” reflex or “collimator” sight. Both sights are current Russian military issue. All recent Kalashnikov manufactured rifles and shotguns are shipped from the factory in Izhevsk with the Russian military type rail mounting system on the left side of the receiver. This system is quite different than the MIL-STD-1913 rail used by NATO, but functions extremely well. Accessories are attached via a lever and cam system that positively locks the optic in place and ensures return to zero each time the accessory is replaced.

Kalashnikov USA is presently offering a Russian-manufactured side rail that can be mounted to any AK-type rifle, regardless of receiver type. We recommend this type of rail mount for any individual who wishes to equip his AK-type rifle with optics. It is a positive mounting system, identical to the original, so it will accept any Russian manufactured optic. The rail must be precisely placed on the receiver, however, so we recommend that it be installed by a gunsmith.

The Cobra-3 reflex sight is powered by two “AA” batteries and is slightly larger in size than some similar Western sights, but it has capabilities that are not present in most such devices. First, the Cobra-3 returns to the last intensity setting when switched off and back on, rather than to a low or intermediate setting. The Cobra-3 also has four reticle patterns that can be instantly changed by the user by simply pressing a button. These are a “Open T,” inverted red chevron and dot, inverted red chevron only and red dot only. The red dot subsumes less than 1 MOA and is advertised as the smallest red dot available. The Cobra-3 has ten different intensity settings. While the version we received utilizes a Russian side rail mount, a MIL-STD-1913 mount version is also available. Like all such sights, the Cobra-3 is parallax free. For shooters whose eyes cannot focus well on open sights and those who are right handed, but left eye dominant, the Corba-3 is a godsend! We found that both sights hold zero when detached and remounted.

The AK-103’s PSO-1 4×24 telescopic sight is manufactured in Belarus to Russian military specifications, and includes the standard illuminated reticle for use in low light conditions. Unlike the Russian version of the PSO-1, this sight utilizes a single AA battery for power. As mentioned, this version is graduated only to 400 meters with a bullet drop compensator matched to 7.62x39mm ballistics. The PSO-1 sight makes shots at longer ranges much easier and as we mentioned, transforms the AK-103 by offering the shooter a much higher degree of flexibility with his carbine.

The AK-103 is the only true Russian AK available in the United States. While it is a converted Izhmash hunting carbine and not an actual AK103, it captures the essence of the original and is as close as the American shooter, collector and enthusiast can come to owning the real thing in today’s milieu. For that reason alone, it is a worthwhile and desirable firearm. Moreover, the little carbine is fun to shoot! The extremely effective muzzle brake reduces felt recoil to a negligible level and enhances the ability to shoot quickly and accurately. The AK-103 is also an “in your face” statement to the “Barbara Fineslimes” and “Chuckie Schumers” of the world, another cogent reason for owning the AK-103, or for that matter any AK-type rifle. At the same time, the AK-103 offers the traditional AK values of utter reliability, ruggedness and long service life, not to mention the AK’s panache. This replica is also the only such rifle at the moment that offers the Russian receiver side mount that will accept a variety of Russian optics and night vision devices, most of which are commercially available. In addition to the traditional AK merits, the AK103 also inherits all the AK’s disadvantages. These include noisy, cumbersome controls totally lacking in ergonomic design and a length of pull that is best suited for heavily clad short statured troops from one of Russia’s far eastern districts like the Yakut or Chukchi republics. And finally, one has to consider the rifle’s suggested retail price of over $700. Is the AK103 worth its price? That is something that the reader will have to decide, but the fact is that if one seeks a quality AK that was manufactured by the original manufacturer, Kalashnikov USA’s AK103 is the “only act in town!”

Kalashnikov USA
1019 Holbrook Ct, C-3
Port St Lucie, Florida 34952
Tel: (561) 337-3398
Fax: (561) 337-0258
www.weapons-russian.com

But, while FN holds an enviable place among leading small arms manufacturers for conventional land conflict, it has not until now been competitive in the arena of what is euphemistically called “less lethal.”

Police and Peacekeepers

Today’s news headlines trumpet involvement by military and paramilitary police deployed worldwide in various operations and missions that require incredibly restrictive rules of engagement. From seemingly endless ethnic strife such as Arab-Israeli or Irish-British, to the ongoing mess in the Balkans, to a hundred other lesser known places and causes, these forces most often find themselves hobbled by geo-political realities. To avoid giving the television newsmen dramatic pictures of bloody armed confrontations becomes a first priority. Thus, their ample numbers of conventional weapons such as assault rifles and grenade launchers are rendered nearly useless.

Similarly, domestic police forces charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order have the unenviable task of putting their lives at extreme risk from the actions of determined and often ruthless protesters, provocateurs and other criminals. Woe be to the “insensitive” cop who is observed by reporters and cameramen as he responds to threats against life and limb with an old-fashioned nightstick or a blast of shotgun pellets.

Kinder, Gentler Response

There are many non-lethal options available now and some of these have been around for decades. Tear gas, pepper spray, stun guns, “rubber bullets,” water cannon and the like are tried and true tools when the situation gets ugly but not ugly enough to justify terminally perforating the miscreants. Each of these has both capabilities and limitations that must be carefully balanced. None can be considered ideal in itself for the endless variety of situations presented now or steadily evolving. What to do?

Less Lethal

Taking the initiative, FN has recently introduced some interesting new tools in the category of “Less Lethal” (henceforth known here as LTL), a nomenclature formalized by gurus in law enforcement to set this stuff apart from old fashioned handguns, shotguns, rifles and the like.

Small Arms Review was recently invited to cover FN’s American LTL premiere for law enforcement and the military, held at CRUCIBLE Training Center, near Fredericksburg, Virginia. CRUCIBLE is a major player with federal, military, police and security personnel and its facilities are well located in close proximity to concentrations of big name organizations in the Washington, DC area.

Louis Dillais, a former officer in French special operations, is FNH USA’s director and served as host for approximately twenty attendees each day with a program that including classroom instruction and an opportunity to view and participate in live fire of three LL systems that are now offered by his parent company, FN Herstal, also known as Herstal Group.

Paramilitary Paintball

The first system shown by FN was the FN303, a strikingly configured assault rifle style launcher that owes much to commercial paintball technology but with a distinctive twist. Design engineer Jim Brunette of FN Manufacturing was up from South Carolina to showcase his exciting new creation, enthusiastically explaining its why’s and how’s, then fielding questions.

As presently configured, the FN303 is essentially a 12 gauge size smoothbore semiauto that can be locked under most assault rifles such as the M16, or fitted with a slide-detach stock as the “stand alone.” It uses regulated compressed air to pump a variety of custom-designed 8.5-gram projectiles out to a maximum effective range in excess of 100 meters. Two sizes of on-board air tank are offered, with the smaller giving about 60 shots and 100 from the larger. The tanks have standard fittings that will allow quick refilling at any fire station or scuba shop with appropriate adapter.

Its quick detachable fifteen round drum magazine has a clear plastic cover facing the shooter, allowing an instant status check of remaining shots as well as anticipation of what type of cartridge is next in line for firing when mixed loads are employed. Larger capacity mags may be in the works for fielding later.

The distinctive ergonomic layout of the gun is reminiscent to me of the BATMAN school of design, with angled grip surfaces of high strength matte black polymer that are ribbed for fingers with no prejudice toward right handers or lefties. Although seemingly robust enough to survive most operational and tactical mishandling or abuse, the weight of the gun module itself (called the “undercarriage version”) is a modest 4.2 lbs/1.9 kg, comparing favorably with an M203 grenade launcher. Overall length of the gun is a handy and quick-pointing 29 in./74 cm. in what is called the “stand alone” version with quick attach buttstock.

A Picatinny Rail interface is mounted on the top of the launcher, which allows clamping on just about any type of sight that customers may prefer. The test guns we handled had both rudimentary flip-up iron sights and the excellent new EO holographic target tickler.

Stinkin’ Ammo?

Another real beauty of this launch system is the clever design of its ammunition. Where ordinary round paintballs are severely limited in range and accuracy by the immutable laws of physics, the 303’s ammo is fin stabilized and relatively heavy. While the barrel is a smoothbore 12 gauge size, the projectile is a stubby, domed plastic cylinder with a series of slightly angled fins molded into the sides. On firing, wind drag causes the projectile to spin, giving it much greater stability than is possible with a ball. For consistency of aim and trajectory, their weight is standardized at 8.5 grams each, regardless of the payload. Velocity is necessarily limited by LL considerations when people are downrange so as to avoid potentially fatal blunt trauma.

Just about any kind of liquid, powder or solid payload is a fair candidate for loading and launching, but right now the field includes six main categories. As previously mentioned, the system will shoot ordinary commercial paintballs (just think about how the guys at the local game field will react when you show up with your FN303) for cheap fun and short range practice.

Best performance comes, of course, from the specially configured ammo. Low velocity impact rounds come in black or white one piece plastic housings and don’t burst on impact. These are used for both marksmanship training/function verification as well as in situations when it is desirable to “sting” troublemakers. This is the round that punched big holes in the thick cardboard “E” silhouettes set up at 50 yards as seen in the accompanying photos.

Another category is marking rounds and this includes both washable and permanent dyes as well as a type that shows up only under ultraviolet light. These have many uses including identification of leaders or other key persons in mobs and demonstrations. Illuminating rounds carry the same type of chemical mix commonly used in break and glow lightsticks, both visible and infrared. They are particularly useful in illuminating interiors to assist operators wearing NVG’s (night vision goggles).

Choking and tear agents are the fifth ammo category, filled with the customer’s choice of such classic irritant powders as CS or CN. Yes, it takes a bunch of them to really get the air fouled inside a room, but that’s another reason for the fifteen round magazine and rapid semiauto delivery.

The last category is my personal favorite and probably that of every other high school jokester. Malodorants are a jolly group of super stink bomblets that spray on impact their gag-inducing payload. It should be great fun to pop a few into the middle of a room filled with angry protesters or individually apply “aroma de skunka” to leaders of any sort of antisocial mob. Sorry ‘bout that…

Not surprisingly, given the system’s capabilities, FN plans to offer the FN303 only to bonafide law enforcement and military users. The basic package of launcher, detachable buttstock, a couple of mags, plus hoses and air tank is being offered.

SAMOURAI

For such situations when the rather small 8.5 gram payload of the FN303 isn’t nearly enough, a team from the French firm of Lacroix was also on hand with their formidable SAMOURAI launcher, available through the FN organization. This manportable mini cannon is in French military service now and is used for lots of pretty spectacular tasks like blowing up bunkers, knocking down brick walls and delivering heavy smoke generators. It throws 600 grams of whatever you care to load, from high explosive to choke or stink, out to about 300 meters.

While there are similar weapons in use elsewhere such at the US Marine Corps’ SMAW, the French SAMOURAI is distinct in having nearly zero backblast and resultant firing signature. This can be particularly important in urban warfare where engagement of targets must routinely be done from inside buildings or in closely confined alleyways.

Taking a cue from existing smoke and flash-bang rounds already being used, Lacroix engineers have developed other payload transporters containing irritants like CS and CN. According to spokesman Hugh Williams who conducted their part of the program at CRUCIBLE, the possibilities are endless for other specialized munitions.

The firing demonstrations that followed were an eye-popping exercise in seemingly brutal recoil that was – in reality – simply a thoughtfully engineered solution to the challenge of kicking a big and heavy round way downrange from a shoulder mounted mortar. A close look at the accompanying photos should show that shooters and onlookers were uniformly unharmed by the experience of firing the SAMOURAI, and usually described the effect as being “more like a strong push than a kick.” Well, they ran out of time and practice ammo before I could get a chance to try it myself. I wasn’t disappointed…

LC23-1

Somewhere in between the big SAMOURAI and the little FN303 is Lacroix’s LC23-1, a hand-held projector that is capable of firing a variety of specialized payloads as dictated by the situation. This single shot palm pistol is, according to Hugh Williams’ briefing, “especially appropriate in routine situations requiring the control of individuals or the occupants of vehicles or buildings.”

Translated from bureaucratic-speak, this is a handy single shot pocket projector that can be loaded with a bunch of different cartridges to take care of a bunch of different situations without killing anybody foolish enough to be in the line of fire. Echoing the lineup of the FN303, choose paint markers, malodorants, or irritants. Formidable!

Serious Inquiries Only, Please

For more information on FN’s expanding line of LL systems or traditional weaponry, contact Louis Dillais at FNH USA, Inc., 1364 Beverly Road, Suite 303, McLean, VA 22101, or FN Manufacturing, Inc. at www.fnmfg.com.

FN303 Tech Specs

Device: FN303 Less Lethal System
Operation: Compressed air, semiauto
Weight: 5 lbs. for Stand Alone version, 4.2 lbs. for Undercarriage version
Length: 29 in. for Stand Alone, 16.7 in. for Undercarriage
Feed: Detachable 15 round rotary magazine
Number of Shots: 60 with small air bottle, 100 with large
Maximum effective range: 100 meters
Ammunition: Standard paintballs, irritants, malodorants, impact/training, marking, Illuminating

Each baffle of the Impuls IIA suppressor indexes with a spacer (made from aluminum alloy in pistol caliber suppressors) using a tongue and groove arrangement possibly inspired by the tongue and groove indexing structures used in the cast baffles with integral spacers developed for the Vaime suppressors in Finland during the 1980s. The B&T design uses tongues on the front and back faces of the baffle base, which mate with grooves cut on each end of the spacers. This feature ensures that asymmetric structures on the baffles align properly for optimum performance.

The metallurgy used in the B&T designs is unusual. The baffles are now machined from an exotic steel alloy not available in the States. This steel has its atypical structural and harmonic properties because of the rather surprising elements that are added to the alloy. Originally, the baffles were machined from an esoteric aluminum alloy with an Inconel blast baffle, but HK (Oberndorf) wanted a suppressor that would give a longer service life to the HK pistols than the original military requirement of 5,000 rounds. B&T changed the material used in the baffles, and redesigned the Nielsen Device for the new suppressor mass, producing a silencer that now gives a pistol and silencer service life of 10,000+ rounds.

What’s the actual lifespan of the suppressor itself? I don’t know of anyone who has tested one to destruction yet. One user has 14,000+ rounds through the system. The rearmost baffle sustained enough sandblasting by unburned powder and primer particulates after about 8,500 rounds that the user moved the rearmost baffle to just behind the front-most position. Since five of the suppressor’s six baffles can be rearranged, this implies a baffle life for the system of 5 x 8,500 = 42,500 rounds. Unpublished data from Europe suggest the suppressor tube should have a minimum lifespan of 15,000 to 20,000 rounds.

The suppressor tube is made from an exotic aluminum alloy not available in the States, and it requires a proprietary heat treatment to provide an unusual mix of strength and elasticity. It appears that, if either the baffles or the suppressor tube were made with the aluminum and steel alloys commonly used in the U.S. firearms industry, these components would experience structural failure. The lifespan of the tube might be increased dramatically by reheating the tube to the aforementioned proprietary temperature to “normalize” the work-hardened alloy every 10,000 rounds (thereby removing the brittleness that slowly accumulates with use). This is an area that has received no research to date, however, and there would appear to be little financial incentive to conduct such a study.

Since the requisite steel and aluminum alloys are not available in the States, CCF/Swiss goes to the significant expense of air-freighting its tube stock and bar stock into the country from Switzerland to ensure the necessary durability of these critically engineered systems. CCF/Swiss manufactures these baffles to very close tolerances on a $0.312 million six-axis CNC indexing machine and the complex fluted structure requires considerable machine time per baffle.

The basic Impuls IIA suppressor is available for pistols in the following calibers: 9x19mm, .40 S&W, 10mm Auto, and .45 ACP. A variety of impulse or Nielsen devices are specifically engineered to the timing and force requirements of the following pistols: Heckler & Koch Mark 23, USP (Universal Self-Loading Pistol), and USP45 Tactical; Glock 17, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 29, 30; SIG 226, 228, 229; and SIG Pro. Nielsen Devices are also available for the 9x19mm and .40 S&W variants of HK’s USP Tactical Pistol, which are not available in the United States at this time.

As designed for the HK Mark 23 pistol, the Impuls IIA is 7.83 inches (19.9 cm) long and has a diameter of 1.38 inches (3.5 cm). With six proprietary steel baffles, the .45 caliber Impuls IIA weighs 14.9 ounces (421 grams). Steel components are finished in a matte black oxide, the aluminum spacers are anodized, and the suppressor tube, Nielsen tube and front-end cap are finished in a black hardcoat anodizing. The rear of the suppressor tube is knurled, as are the Nielsen Device tube (attached to the rear of the suppressor tube) and the rear end cap of the Nielsen Device, so the both the suppressor and impulse device can be fully disassembled for cleaning or servicing, although this is not required very often. At the insistence of HK (Oberndorf), B&T’s Nielsen Device incorporates the alignment indexing system developed at Knight’s Armament Company, although the different manufacturing techniques and specifications used to build the Impuls IIA make any such adjustments unnecessary.

Cleaning and Maintenance

While the Impuls IIA suppressor comes with a disassembly tool and manual, I do not recommend disassembly for routine cleaning and maintenance. After a shooting session, simply unscrew the rear end cap and remove the Nielsen Device piston with its captive spring. Place the suppressor with the rear end down in a metal tennis ball can or similar vessel filled with WD-40. Soak along with the rear end cap and piston for one hour. Drain and blow-dry with an air hose. No other routine maintenance should be required. If you have a Dillon CV-2001 Vibratory Case Cleaner, an acquaintance informs me that you can transform a pair of metal tennis ball cans into a poor-man’s ultrasonic suppressor cleaner in a few minutes. You’ll need a hole cutter for your electric drill sized to the cans, a board wider than a can and as long as the diameter of the vibratory cleaner’s lid, a roll of picture hanging wire, and some dry wall screws and screw eyes. Drill a can-sized hole in the middle of the board and then one on each side of that hole equidistant from the center hole. Remove the lid from the vibratory cleaner, and screw it onto the board with drywall screws so that the central hole gives clearance for the lid’s wing-knob. Set the cans in the two outlying cutouts in the board and secure with guy wires wrapped several times around the top of the cans (leaving enough room to fit the can lids), securing the guy wires to screw eyes appropriately spaced in the board. Buy a gallon can of WD-40, place suppressors in the cans and then fill with WD-40. While this may not be as effective as a $3,000 ultrasonic cleaner, it’s a whole lot better than a simple soaking on the workbench.

Performance

The milspec version of the Mark 23 (engraved “MK 23” on the slide) features a match-spec chamber, enabling it to deliver 2-3 inch groups at 50 yards using Black Hills 230 grain FMJ ammunition (with or without a CCF/Swiss Impulse IIA suppressor installed). The commercially available version of the Mark 23 pistol (engraved “Mark 23” on the slide) features a looser SAAMI-spec chamber, which might be a contributing factor as to why these pistols seem to deliver somewhat less accuracy than the milspec “MK 23” pistols. That said, the SAAMI-spec chambers make more sense for civilian end-users because they will digest a wider range of ammunition.

The Mark 23 barrel is threaded 16x1mm RH, while the barrel on its smaller sibling, the USP45 Tactical, is threaded 16x1mm LH. Left-hand threading was used by HK on the 9x19mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP variants of the USP Tactical as a simple way for organizations or individuals fielding both the Mark 23 and USP45 Tactical pistols to avoid accidentally installing a recoil enhancement module designed for the Mark 23 on the smaller pistol, or vice versa. This is a consideration because the same Impuls IIA sound suppressor can be used for either the Mark 23 or USP45 Tactical pistol by changing the piston in the Nielsen Device. Simply swap out the piston with its captive spring for the piston required for a particular pistol. It’s easy to keep track of which piston goes with which gun. The piston without holes in its side is used with the Mark 23 (either the milspec or commercial variants), while the piston with large holes drilled in its side must be used with the USP45 Tactical.

To evaluate the performance of the sound suppressor, I tested CCF’s Impuls IIA on HK’s Mark 23 pistol and USP45 Tactical pistols using Black Hills 230 grain FMJ ammo (Black Hills Ammunition, Inc., Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 3090, Rapid City, SD 57709-3090; phone 605-348-5150; fax 605-348-9827; URL http://www.black-hills.com). The Impuls IIA can be used as a dry can for maximum convenience or as a wet can for maximum sound suppression. When using in wet mode, the Impuls IIA uses a tablespoon of water as the coolant medium. To add coolant, simply pour some water from your canteen into the rear of the Impuls IIA, shake a few times to distribute the water, and allow any excess to drain. This entire procedure takes about five seconds. Then mount the suppressor on the gun. The Impuls IIA will retain this water for about a day at moderate temperatures without shooting or for at least a full magazine of shooting.

The sound pressure levels of suppressed and unsuppressed pistols are reported as decibels in Table 1, and net sound reductions appear in Table 2. The Black Hills ammunition averaged 829 fps using the HK Mark 23 pistol and 821 fps using the HK USP45 Tactical pistol. All tests were conducted on the same day at a temperature of 72 °F. When fired dry, the Impuls IIA produced a mean (average) sound signature that was just above the pain threshold of 141 dB on the Mark 23, and just below the pain threshold on the USP45 Tactical. If maximum stealth or hearing protection is required, adding a bit of water to the rear of the can drops the mean sound signature by 11-13 decibels, which is a bunch when you recall that the decibel scale is logarithmic rather than linear. The CCF/Swiss Impuls IIA fired wet provided a net sound reduction of 29 dB on the Mark 23 and 30 dB on the USP45 Tactical.

This is very good performance. What the numbers don’t show is the butter-smooth operation of the CCF/Swiss Nielsen Device. It is perfectly tuned to the force and timing requirements of the Mark 23. When this smoothness of operation is combined with the fact that the suppressor eliminates about half of the perceived recoil, placing rapid follow-up shots is addictively easy. The elevated sights on the Mark 23 and the USP45 Tactical provide excellent sight pictures over the suppressor, so the speed of target acquisition and precision of shot placement are outstanding. Whether mounted on a Mark 23 or an HK USP45 Tactical pistol, the Impuls IIA from CCF/Swiss operates more smoothly than any Nielsen Device I’ve ever used on a .45 ACP sound suppressor. This makes me a better and a more confident shooter. The Nielsen Device is also very well designed to tolerate the grit and grime encountered during military operations in the real world.

It is also interesting to note that the Impuls IIA was quieter on the USP45 Tactical than the Mark 23. The fact the Impuls IIA was quieter on the pistol with the shorter barrel implies that the baffle design “likes” higher velocity gases. This, in turn, suggests that the suppressor might actually be more effective if it were redesigned to a smaller diameter so the asymmetric baffles could work the gases even harder.

Final Thoughts

It is safe to say that the Impuls IIA is a tough, user-friendly suppressor that provides acceptable sound suppression when fired dry and very good sound suppression when fired wet. If you count all caliber variants, the Impuls IIA is probably issued in greater numbers to elite military, security and law-enforcement units outside of the United States than any centerfire pistol suppressor in history. Thanks to CCF/Swiss Inc. (Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 29009, Richmond, VA 23242; phone 804-740-4926; fax 804-740-9599; URL http://www.ccfa.com), agencies and qualified individuals within the United States now can obtain this impressive technology for their own demanding applications. Mounting the CCF/Swiss Impuls IIA suppressor on the Mark 23 or USP45 Tactical pistol provides an accurate, quiet, and robust system that should satisfy both the armed professional and the qualified civilian.

Conventional wisdom also has it that a precision rifle’s trigger guard must be a solid steel piece with a hinged steel floor plate to ensure accuracy. FN’s Special Police Rifle has a four round detachable box magazine and an aluminum trigger guard. We like the quick reload capability that the box magazine offers, despite the fact that it will be used only upon rare occasion. One can make the argument that in a rifle such as this one, a detachable box magazine really isn’t necessary, but if it doesn’t detract from accuracy, why not have the capability? Again, is 1/2 MOA 100 yard accuracy good enough? Of course, we have all heard the rumors of detachable box magazines of competitor’s rifles dropping out of the magazine well under recoil, but we experienced no such problem with the FN rifle The magazine release is a large spring loaded component that should hold the magazine in place regardless of recoil level.

When FN Manufacturing (FNMI) initially offered us the opportunity to visit their Columbia, South Carolina facility and fire several of their law enforcement and military products, we were skeptical as to the company’s capability to manufacture a precision rifle with so many unconventional features at such a low cost. We were especially leery of the claim that the rifle would deliver sub minute of angle accuracy “out of the box.” After firing the Special Police Rifle, however, we have become believers.

We were unable to evaluate the rifle using different brands of ammunition, so we fired several groups at 100 yards using only Federal Gold Medal 168 grain match ammunition. The results speak for themselves. Our three round groups averaged 0.75 MOA, with the best group through a warm barrel a solid 1/2 MOA.

How does FN accomplish their “magic” with this rifle? FN begins with a “pre 1964” type Winchester action, with Mauser type claw extractor. FN-owned Winchester is once again manufacturing this action due to popular demand. Many shooters feel that the “pre -64” Winchester action is the best available. While we do not wish to touch that “third rail” of shooting belief, the fact is that the “Pre-64” Winchester action has some very desirable features. First is the three-position safety that can be used to lock both the bolt and striker or only the striker, allowing the shooter to manipulate the bolt with the safety engaged. Second, we appreciate the ability to remove the striker mechanism from the bolt body for cleaning and maintenance without the use of tools. Whether or not the Winchester action is superior to its competitors, we will leave to the judgment of the reader, but the fact is that this rifle shoots, despite a factory trigger pull that is far too heavy, as we will presently see.

Although in an innovative way, FN does apply several traditional accuracy techniques to the Special Police Rifle. Barrel, bolt and receiver are hand fitted and individually numbered. Each action is trued to the breech face and chamber and the bolt face squared to the barrel axis. The barreled action is mounted in an H-S Precision Pro Series synthetic stock using aluminum bedding blocks. The barrel is free floated. The Mauser-type extractor is made of stainless steel and is Teflon(r) coated to ensure smooth operation and to prevent binding. This also assists in controlling the cartridge throughout the cycle of operation from feeding through ejecting. The rifle is finished in manganese phosphate.

We found the fit and finish of the Special Police Rifle to be essentially flawless. The rifle is not intended for esthetic good looks, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this rifle is a functional tool. There are no machining or tooling marks visible and the fit of all components is excellent. The muzzle is deeply crowned and recessed to protect it from inadvertent damage. The test rifle was fitted with an MWG long range MIL-STD-1913 rail mount, MWG military spec rings, a Leupold Mark III 10x fixed power telescope, and a Harris bipod.

Our sole complaint regarding this rifle is its trigger – the only element that detracts from an otherwise excellent rifle. The trigger comes from the factory set at 4 – 5 pounds, which is on the high side for a rifle such as this. The rifle’s trigger had no discernable creep or backlash, and the example that we fired had already been reset by FN’s gunsmiths to three pounds. Every Special Police Rifle purchaser will probably take the rifle to the nearest gunsmith before he ever heads to the range for the first time to have the trigger readjusted to a more realistic three or so pounds. We believe that manufacturers should provide their rifles with a trigger already set to precision tactical levels, rather than forcing the customer to take his new rifle to a gunsmith before he uses it. Indeed, we have been informed that all law enforcement purchasers of Special Police Rifles so far have done exactly what we have stated herein – reduced the trigger pull to three or 31/2 pounds. Why did FN opt for the heavy trigger? We were informed that it was due to liability considerations, but we believe that if small specialist manufacturers can manufacture their precision rifles with three-pound triggers, so can large manufacturers.

One of the best aspects of FN’s new Special Police Rifle is its price – $940 suggested retail, Law Enforcement Officers with Department letterhead $740. As with most rifles of this type, even those costing much more, the Special Police Rifle is sold without mounts or sights. Other than the trigger pull, we could find nothing to complain of on FN’s new rifle and can see no “cut corners” on it. Costs are reduced by using “off the shelf” components and by CNC controlled manufacturing processes at FN’s Columbia, South Carolina plant. It is difficult to believe that a rifle such as this can be made and sold at such a low price, but the proof is in the shooting, and this rifle shoots! The rifle has already been adopted by several South Carolina law enforcement organizations and if all Special Police Rifles perform up to the standard of the one we fired, it is going to be difficult to keep these rifles on dealer’s shelves. What is best is that the Special Police Rifle is available not only to law enforcement officers and agencies, but also to civilians, as its accuracy and rugged construction makes it an ideal competition or hunting rifle. Even when the cost of having a “trigger job” done by a qualified gunsmith is taken into account, FN’s Special Police Rifle is a bargain.

FN Special Police Rifle Specifications

Caliber: 0.308 Winchester (7.62x51mm)
Empty Weight: 9.88 lbs. (4.47 kg)
Overall length: 45.75 in. (1116 mm)
Barrel length: 26 in (660mm)
Twist rate: 1:12 in (305mm)
Magazine capacity: 4 (+1) rounds
Stock: H-S Precision Pro Series
Trigger pull: 4 -5 lbs. (1.8 – 2.2 kg)

Despite its ability of working with a new 5.45 cartridge, it was evident the AK74 could not improve accuracy to the extent the military initially wanted. The reason why they agreed to a compromise was the fact that AK74 appeared to be the cheapest way of introducing a new round. The Army would not have to change existing field repair workshops and the inventory of spare parts. They would not have to re-train soldiers – the technique of firing the AK74 was to a great extent similar to that of AKM. The design of the new weapon was also similar to the one soldiers were used to.

The degree of parts commonality of AKM and AK74 was a strong factor in favor of the Kalashnikov’s development. In this case, to change from one model to another, the industry would not require large investments, which the Soviet economy could not afford so easily any more.

Soon after the war in Afghanistan broke out in 1979, the Ministry of Defense once again raised the issue of developing a novel small arm, more accurate and hence more effective, in caliber 5.45x39mm. GRAU, in cooperation with TSNII TOCHMASH – a most influential military-technical research institution, outlined several probable plans for a future weapon; balanced automatics and the so-called principle of a Blowback Shifted Pulse being among them. The declared design contest was given the type name of “Abakan”. The number of participating design groups was 12. Izhmash had two teams in the contest: one had Victor Kalashnikov as a project engineer, while Gennadiy Nikonov headed the second one.

Several competitors, among them G. A. Korobov of Tula, V. M. Kalashnikov from Izhevsk and A.S. Konstantinov from the city of Kovrov, the Vladimir District, produced three assault rifles based on the balanced automatic mechanics.

Nikonov, on the other hand, gave his preference to the delayed (shifted) blowback impulse or BBSP – blowback shifted pulse. Nikonov is a serious and knowledgeable engineer, who perhaps has a better command of subtleties of fire arms mechanics than many in the field. Nikonov believes that “balanced mechanics” is limited to only relatively small calibers and ammunition with relatively low energies. In any event, balanced mechanics does not eliminate the recoil. It simply modifies the kick, dividing the impulse into several sub-phases. In the full-auto mode, a weapon with balanced mechanics alters the recoil impulse and makes it look graphically more like an impulse of a single shot firearm.

In the “Abakan” project Nikonov was able to look into the future of small arms. Like his prominent predecessors Vassiliy Degtyaryov and Mikhail Kalashnikov, Gennadiy Nikonov realized that an ideal weapon should be capable of modernization into a full spectrum of combat small arms: machine pistol, assault rifle and machine gun. The latter, with a heavier cartridge, if it had a balanced mechanism, would not work as well as the weapon with a smaller round. He also understood that even the BBSP is not a panacea and does not eliminate the recoil as such at all. His partner, if we may say so, was the factor of time. In a high rate of 1,800 rpm, the gun fires two cartridges, the barrel plus the receiver with the bolt group performs a rearward motion. With the two bullets heading down range towards their target, the moment when the gun slams against the operator’s shoulder is yet to come! When the kick does come, it does not affect the accuracy. Unlike the balanced mechanics, this principle will provide high effectiveness of fire with practically all types of small arms.

On the way to designing a final version of his weapon Nikonov produced more than 20 intermediate prototypes. We were able to discover 12 of them – that’s all that is left.

Prototype 1. NA-2.

Year of manufacture: 1979
Caliber: 5.45×39 mm
Weight, empty and without magazine: 3.88 kg
Overall length: 755 mm
Modes of fire:
– Semiautomatic
– Burst of three rounds in high rate of 1,800 rpm
– Variable from high rate of 1,800 rpm to 600 rpm.

From the very beginning of his participation in project “Abakan,” Nikonov made the weapon totally different from the Soviet issue AK-74M assault rifle. It is a short submachine gun in a bullpup configuration. When asked, why he decided to create a bullpup, Nikonov describes his choice as a “vanguardism of youth” as well as a desire to show off. He also added that like Mikhail Kalashnikov’s AK47 that has certain resemblance to the German MP43 and MP44 submachine guns, his NA-2 rifle was created under the influences of the same models.

The steel buttplate is retained in place with the locking lever located on top the rear part of the stock. To fieldstrip the weapon, open the top lever and swing the buttplate to open. The entire integrated firing mechanism comes out from the carrier-stock.

Prototype 2. NA-4.

Year of manufacture: 1981
Caliber: 5.45×39 mm
Weight, empty and without magazine: 3.83 kg
Overall length: 750 mm
Barrel length: 415 mm
Modes of fire:
– Semiautomatic
– Burst of three rounds in high rate of 1,800 rpm
– Variable from high rate of 1,800 rpm to 600 rpm.

The next prototype in this series also has a bullpup configuration.

The barrel is made from stainless steel. Again, the front portion of the barrel features several drilled side holes, which perform the role of a muzzle brake. The sights are similar to those of the NA-2 model. The sheet metal, spot welded receiver is that of the lafette type, which functions as an integrated slide for the firing unit – a barrel plus receiver plus bolt group assembly.

The front sight is borrowed from the AK system, taken along with the standard 30-round plastic box-type two-row detachable magazine and its locking latch. That is all there is in common between the two constructions. The dioptrical rear sight with a sliding tangent is placed on top the carrying handle, which is located above the front of the receiver.

The barrel protrudes from the carrier-stock and has side openings for a muzzle brake. Under the front part of the barrel there are two bayonet mounting lugs. The pistol grip and the handguard are made of laminated plywood. For greater ergonomic comfort, the fire mode selector is located on the right side above the pistol grip. As shown in photo, the selector moves anti-clockwise and has four positions: Safe, Semiautomatic, Three-shot burst, Fully automatic.

Prototype 3. AS-1.

Year of manufacture: 1982
Caliber: 5.45 mm
Weight, empty and without magazine: 4.18 kg
Overall length, with buttstock unfolded: 980 mm
Modes of fire:
– Semiautomatic
– Burst of three rounds in high rate of 1,800 rpm
– Variable from high rate of 1,800 rpm to 600 rpm.

At this point Nikonov abandons the bullpup configuration. In our private conversations he explained that after extensive tests of the two previous modifications, he found that the bullpup creates serious discomfort to a shooter – there are too many fumes in the area right in front of the shooter’s face. Combustion gases sometimes are so thick that an operator has to drop the gun and run for fresh air. In addition, the bullpup poses a problem for a left-handed soldier. Empty cases being ejected and evacuated through an opening under the top cover on the right side come flying in the immediate environment in front of the shooter’s face, distracting his or her attention from aiming. According to Nikonov a bullpup is good for Special Forces, not the Army.

AS-1 has a short L-shaped folding buttstock made from laminated plywood. Its pad is made from rubber. The stock attaches to the receiver by means of an original hinge. The receiver and upper handguard are manufactured from stamped and spot welded sheet steel and coated with black phosphate. The laminated foregrip is rather long compared with the AK series. The barrel in fact is almost completely covered with a handguard. Only a short portion of it with a flash suppressor comes out from the stock to accommodate a bayonet by means of bayonet mounting lugs located under the muzzle.

It might be of interest to note the reverse location of a peep-type rear sight. Such a position looks quite logical from the ergonomics point of view – the buttstock is too short to provide sufficient space for an aiming operator. The front sight is also Nikonov’s original.

Prototype 4. AS (OA-222).

Year of manufacture: 1984
Caliber: 5.45×39 mm
Weight, empty and without magazine: 3.18 kg
Overall length, with extended stock: 940 mm
Modes of fire:
– Semiautomatic
– Burst of three rounds in high rate of 1,800 rpm
– Variable from high rate of 1,800 rpm to 600 rpm.

It is the most unusual of the Nikonov’s earlier prototypes. At first glance it produces an impression of being totally asymmetrical. Rather short, it is not a bullpup yet and features a folding buttstock borrowed from the AK74S. The sliding firing unit is located inside the carrier-stock made of stamped and welded sheet steel. The handguard is made of laminated wood for better heat insulation. The sights are similar to those of the previous AS-1 model. It is the only model which has no bayonet mounting lugs. In our opinion, a bayonet is a relic of the “positional war”. A good multi-functional dagger or a knife would be of a greater use for a soldier in modern warfare. Does AS (OA-222) mean that Nikonov tried to change the attitude of the military towards a bayonet?

The magazine is located at an angle in regard to the receiver like in the later “Abakan” versions for the purpose of providing additional room for the return spring. Very lightweight, AS (OA-222) provides exceptional comfort during firing.

Prototype 5. AS (VS-229).

Year of manufacture: 1985
Caliber: 5.45×39 mm
Weight, empty and without magazine: 3.90 kg
Overall length, with buttstock extended: 992 mm
Modes of fire:
– Semiautomatic
– Burst of three rounds in high rate of 1,800 rpm
– Variable from high rate of 1,800 rpm to 600 rpm.

By way of experimenting, Nikonov manufactured the integrated carrier stock of AS (VS-229) assault rifle from the aluminum alloy. This model made it possible to carry out extensive tests on the durability of such a construction. Some of the later prototypes feature carrier-stocks made of a similar material. Like in the above versions, AS (VS-229) has a moving magazine and a 3-round burst option. The under-barrel rod is made available to provide additional support for a bayonet.

Prototype 6. AS (PU-192).

Year of manufacture: 1986
Caliber: 5.45 mm
Weight, empty and without magazine: 4.07 kg
Overall length, with stock extended: 992 mm
Modes of fire:
– Semiautomatic
– Burst of three rounds in high rate of 1,800 rpm
– Variable from high rate of 1,800 rpm to 600 rpm.

This is the last modification with a moving magazine and a 3-round burst fire mode. From this prototype on Nikonov approaches the final shape of AN-94. It has an under-barrel extension rod. The flash suppressor features a roller, which travels along the rod thus providing additional support for the sliding barrel-and-receiver assembly.

Looking at the polyamide handguard one can easily notice that it has a vertical segment that prevents the operator’s hand from interfering with the sliding motion of the magazine during firing. The unusual mechanism located under the handguard has a dual function: (a) folding solid steel monopod and (b) magazine protector. It folds rearward. The standard 30-round box-type magazine cannot be attached without unfolding this mechanism. Both the magazine and the operator’s hand are protected against slamming the walls and the firing port in an APC. The AS (PU-192) rifle features a laminated folding stock that folds to the right. The fire mode selector is located under the receiver right behind the magazine.

Prototype 7. ASM (OK-158).

Year of manufacture: 1986
Caliber: 5.45 mm
Weight, empty and without magazine: 4.26 kg
Overall length: 1,017 mm
Modes of fire:
– Semiautomatic
– Burst of two rounds in high rate of 1,800 rpm
– Variable from high rate of 1,800 rpm to 600 rpm.

The rifle features a non-folding laminated buttstock, a plastic pistol grip and a handguard. The integrated carrier-stock is made from aluminum alloy, while the handguard is manufactured from a thermosetting synthetic material. A most striking detail of the rifle’s exterior is an impressive muzzle device, consisting of an integrated front sight and an adjustable two-chambered flash suppressor. The suppressor has three vertical slots on each side. The sliding firing unit is incorporated with the barrel and has an additional front support. The plastic cap in the rear of the handguard indicates that this model features an internal spring buffer, which reduces recoil pulse.

Prototype 8. ASM (MA-49).

Year of manufacture: 1988
Caliber: 5.45 mm
Weight, empty and without magazine: 4.21 kg
Overall length: 1,000 mm
Modes of fire:
– Semiautomatic
– Burst of two rounds in high rate of 1,800 rpm
– Variable from high rate of 1,800 rpm to 600 rpm.

This weapon has a modified adjustable flash suppressor, a guiding extension rod, two internal buffers, an integrated carrier-stock made from aluminum alloy and a plastic handguard. On top of the rear side of the bolt cover there is a non-detachable optic scope. At the time this prototype was designed, the military sent instructions that from that time on, all small arms had to have optic scopes, not iron sights. Later developments revealed that such an approach held no water. In a number of situations the lenses were damaged in the operation and the weapon could not be used since alternative sights were not available. Later developments had a possibility of using both iron open sights as well as optic devices of daytime and night vision types. The laminated non-folding buttstock is integrated with a pistol grip. The bayonet attaches to the right side of the barrel, in a horizontal position.

Prototype 9. ASM (MA-50).

Year of manufacture: 1988
Caliber: 5.45×39 mm
Weight, empty and without magazine: 4.26 kg
Overall length: 1,007 mm
Modes of fire:
– Semiautomatic
– Burst of two rounds in high rate of 1,800 rpm
– Variable from high rate of 1,800 rpm to 600 rpm.

The ASM (MA-50) is in principle a version similar to ASM (MA-49). The differences are as follows:
– The integrated fixed scope is replaced with an open rear iron sight;
– The post-type front sight with protective ears is located on top the front part of the carrier-stock;
– The barrel guiding rod is additionally equipped with an under-barrel grenade launcher mount;
– The usual base plate for a scope mount is located on the left side of receiver.

Prototype 10. ASM (PA-33).

Year of manufacture: 1989
Caliber: 5.45×39 mm
Weight, empty and without magazine: 3.75 kg
Overall length: 946 mm
Modes of fire:
– Semiautomatic
– Burst of two rounds in high rate of 1,800 rpm
– Variable from high rate of 1,800 rpm to 600 rpm.

This version is another closer step towards the present shape of the AN-94. It is the first modification that features a novel asterisk-shaped rotary peep sight. The AK-type front sight again is located on the barrel. The flash suppressor is very laconic and has two side openings at the muzzle. The bayonet lug is placed at an angle on the front left side of the barrel. The angle is calculated in such a manner that the bayonet never interferes with the line of aiming. The barrel slides along the guiding rail of the stock extension rod, which looks almost exactly like the one in the AN-94. The lever located on the right rear side of the carrier-stock is a release mechanism for a detachable trigger mechanism. The knob located above the pistol grip behind the receiver is a retainer for the above lever.

Prototype 11. 6P33.

Year of manufacture: 1991
Caliber: 5.45×39 mm
Weight, empty and without magazine: 3.80 kg
Overall length:
– with buttstock extended: 943 mm
– with buttstock folded: 728 mm
Length of barrel: 405 mm
Barrel: chrome plated, 4 RH rifling of one turn in 195 mm.
Modes of fire: – Semiautomatic
– Burst of two rounds in high rate of 1,800 rpm
– Variable from high rate of 1,800 rpm to 600 rpm.

The 6P33 is in fact the prototype that passed all technical and field-tests and received the approval as the assault rifle qualified for adoption as an issue firearm of the Army. Nikonov won the competition! In 1992 Nikonov received personal congratulations from Boris Yeltsin. The Governmental cable came to the Izhmash’s Department 1, the service that handles classified materials, saying that the President had instructed the Government to allocate the funds required for prompt transfer of production at IZHMASH from AK to Abakan. The Army was still in hesitation whether to give this weapon a full “GO”. The AN-94 was a really novel model. In terms of production, it needed much more sophisticated equipment and technology than the current AK-100 series. The question was how many rifles per year the military would want to buy? Will it be feasible to invest substantial funds and order only a limited number of rifles? Meanwhile, Nikonov and his team kept on working on the weapon, giving it “a finishing shine.” For the most part the work on the weapon was dedicated to adapting its construction to the requirements of mass production. It took him three more years to get the approval from the Russian military. In 1994 the GRAU registered Nikonov’s “Abakan” as an issue assault rifle under the new type-name of “AN-94”.

The design of the guiding slide of the stock extension rod deserves special attention. Moving back after the shot is delivered, the barrel is invariably subject to the phenomenon which is known as “barrel climb”. As one of the means of reducing the climb the slide has a rearward slope. The slope in conjunction with a recoiling barrel creates a dynamic moment, which pushes the whole construction downwards thus reducing the barrel jump.

As one can see it from the above photos, Nikonov changed configurations and envelopes from a compact bullpup to a full-sized rifle. The Nikonov “Abakan” had different stocks made from spot welded sheet metal, laminated wood and reinforced thermosetting polyamide. He was extensively experimenting with sights, pistol grips, buttstocks, scopes and accessories. His first versions had a mode of 3-round bursts, while later weapons were changed to a 2-round burst possibility. In the case of the modifications with a 3-round burst, the rifles had a rather unusual feature – a moving magazine. In fact, the magazine is a typical 30-round construction, made of plastic. What’s unusual is that it moves. Later, under pressure from the Army, Nikonov made a fixed magazine and reduced short bursts from 3 to 2 rounds. Soldiers thought that a sliding magazine creates certain discomfort during firing. Also, they said, with a 3-round burst in the high rate of fire ammunition runs out quickly. Thirdly, two bullets fired in a standing position with accuracy 13 (!) times better than that of the Russian issue AK74M assault rifle are more than enough to destroy a target. Why waste the third round then?

It is important to note that the change from a three-round burst – a concept that the conservative Army inspectors and representatives involved in the project were so stuck on, to two rounds is a sure recognition of the weapon’s extremely high effectiveness. According to the late Dr. David Bolotin, author of numerous books on the Russian small arms and an authority in this field, the entire effectiveness of the AN-94 is two-fold greater than that of the Russian AK74 and 1.5 times more effective than the American M16A2. At the same time there are several basic features that remained intact in all modifications of the gun. These are as follows: – 1,800 rounds per minute in a high rate of fire, 600 rounds per minute in a standard rate, Blowback shifted pulse, Sliding barrel assembly (firing unit).

It would be fair to say that AN-94 is a complete departure from the existing AK-type scheme of a small arm. It wouldn’t be less fair to say that the statement, which we came across in some sources regarding Nikonov as one of the Kalashnikov’s students, is absolutely incorrect. Nikonov says he is rather a student of Evgeniy Dragunov, inventor of the SVD rifle, and Azariy Nesterov – a key arms designer at IZHMASH and a leading engineer in several experimental projects. These two persons produced a great influence on Gennadiy Nikonov in terms of professionalism and team leadership.

How it works: there are high frequency sound waves that are used to produce alternating high and low pressure waves per second. As the waves pass through the ChemCrest Firearm Cleaning Solution, microscopic bubbles form and implode at 40,000 psi. These bubbles actually “Scrub” the loose surface particles and dislodge them. In a heated cleaning solution, the dirt particles fall off and settle to the bottom of the solution bay.

Yes, you can loosen some painted finishes, so there are certain finishes that should not be put into the tanks, or if they are, they should be monitored carefully to avoid getting too much action on them. The large tanks have adjustable power. We cleaned my old AR10 lower, and it was amazing how good it looked- but we were careful to monitor the time in the tank due to the finish.

The system for cleaning is basically, strip it, put it into the tank for a preset time, rinse it, and oil bath it. We did use an air hose to blow out some of the moisture and oil. Real low intensity workload and an excellent job is done. I was impressed at the improvement in the sound suppressors that we did- some of my sealed units hadn’t ever been cleaned, and all of the years of fouling came out, the suppressors functioned just like they were brand new. My HK trigger packs were immaculate. Personally I hate disassembling those three shot packs, and dropping the pack into the cleaner kept me from having to do that.

Greg Infante showed up at the shop at LMO, and spent an afternoon showing me how the Crest Ultrasonics units worked on various firearms. Oddly enough, there were examples of almost every size of machine gun or suppressor that just happened to be dirty that day. We could quickly do almost any size machine gun, by partially placing the receiver in the tank, then rotating it to clean the other side. Greg tells me that they are working on a tank that can take a full sized MG42 or other large machine gun receiver.

I was impressed with this product, and that not only was there an excellent cleaning job done, but it was fast and efficient, doing a better job than most people can do by hand. They offer many different tank sizes, and the costs run from under $2000 up to the $6000 range for a really large, professional tank. Considering how many gunsmiths, shooters, LE Armorers, Military Armorers and high quantity collectors are reading SAR, we thought this was an appropriate item to bring to you. One of the smaller units will make cleaning the MP5s and handguns in a police department into about half the work, and sitting on a gunsmith’s bench it would save a lot of detailing time as well. Most owners of these tanks have also found they are handy for other chores around the shop or house, Crest Ultrasonic units have a lot of uses. Big Thumbs Up from SAR.

Police Products Corporation
Dept SAR
540 Ravine Court
Wyckoff, NJ 07481
Tel: 201-447-2900
Toll Free: 877-823-5410
Fax: 201-447-3829
www.policeproductscorp.com