SAR profiled Vector Arms in the September 2000 issue, (Volume 3, Number 12) detailing the sale of fully transferable Uzi submachine guns. Small Arms Review recently took the opportunity to sit down with Rex Merrill, General Manager of Vector Arms at Vector’s production facilities in Salt Lake City, Utah to learn what new products are available and what products are being developed for the recreational shooter.

SAR: What’s the background of the Vector name?

Rex: My brother Ralph Merrill had a fixture manufacturing business and had an FFL as well. He decided to sell the business and pursue the firearms business full time. He chose the name Vector for the new company because a vector is a mathematical symbol denoting the magnitude and direction of a force, usually shown as an arrow.

Ralph attended the Group Industries bankruptcy auction in 1995 and was the successful bidder on all the remaining full auto Uzi receivers. After three years of work to find some new Uzi parts, production began. I was working in the construction industry when Ralph asked if I wanted to work for him in a less stressful job. I agreed, and was the first employee of Vector Arms. The promise of a “less stressful job” was accurate in the beginning, but it’s not that way any more!

At the time, it was just me and Ralph in the corner of our office warehouse. We wore insulated coveralls because there wasn’t any heat in the building yet. Ralph did the TIG-welding on the first guns, while I assembled and polished the guns. We built our own bullet trap so we could do test firing. From there, the company grew into the current business. I’m now the General Manager and oversee daily operations of 43 people.

SAR: Tell me what’s new at Vector.

Rex: The full auto Uzi project put us on the map and got our name into the consumer market. We sold out of transferable Uzi submachine guns in 2004. We have been producing the semiautomatics continuously since starting the company. Of all our available products, the semiautomatic Uzi is the one product that is backlogged. We currently have about 8,000 semi-auto Uzi receivers, but a shrinking inventory of parts to build them. This is mainly due to the general scarcity of Uzi parts. There are some Uzi parts still available overseas, but due to politics, they are becoming more difficult to import. If we have to make American- made Uzi parts, I don’t think we can continue to sell semiautomatic Uzi rifles at our current price.

In 2004, we started two new projects. Our first project was to start building American made AK47 rifles. We imported a number of AK47 parts kits and started building fixed stocked rifles just before the assault weapon ban expired. The timing of the decision to build AK 47 rifles was fortunate. Prior to the ban being lifted, sales of the AK rifles were ok, but as soon as the ban lifted, the rifles started flying out the door.

Once the assault weapon ban was lifted, we could start selling rifles with folding stocks. We continue to offer rifles in both configurations. Currently, about half of our AK rifles are sold with fixed stocks, with the other half being under-folding stocks. We build AK rifles with side-folding stocks, but the side-folding stock doesn’t seem to be too popular. We offer fixed stocks in wood or polycarbonate.

Recently, we added the “Yugo” or Yugoslavian style rifles to our AK line. The rifles are shorter than a standard AK, but a little longer than the carbine-sized Krinkov. It’s an intermediate size, but because the barrel is shorter than 16 inches, the rifle must be registered as a short barreled rifle. We’re planning on building the Yugoslavian kits into a pistol version so that the firearm does not have to be registered as an SBR.

SAR: Could the AK pistol be converted later to an SBR?

Rex: Not very easily. The trunnion we use on our AK receivers is intended for an under- folding stock. The back of the trunnion is flat and there is no external provision for attaching a stock. The rear trunnion is riveted into the receiver, and although there are holes in the trunnion for an under-folding stock, the mounting holes do not extend through the receiver to allow an under- folding stock to be attached. If you had experience building AK rifles, you might be able to drill the receiver and add an under- folding stock. Otherwise, the rear trunnion would have to be removed, and the receiver drilled in the appropriate location before reassembling everything back together. It would not be easy.

SAR: Do you build any exotic AK rifles?

Rex: We built rifles from Hungarian AMD- 65 parts kits for a while, but we sold out of those and can no longer get the parts kits. We also designed a semiautomatic version of the RPD belt-fed machine gun. The RPD rifle is chambered in 7.62×39. We have BATF approval on this design. We also make an RPK rifle chambered in 5.45×39.

SAR: Tell me about your other project.

Rex: The Heckler and Koch type rifles are the latest addition to our product line. We started building the Heckler and Koch style rifles in 2004, about the same time we started building AK47 type rifles. Again, this was before the assault weapons ban expired, and we were limited to the ban restrictions.

We found a number of HK 93 rifles overseas, and imported 6,000 parts kits. We developed an American made receiver and started assembling rifles. As far as we know, we are the only one making HK style rifles in .223 caliber.

We started by building the V-93, a fulllength copy like the HK 93, chambered in .223. We later introduced the V-53; a US made copy of the HK 53 carbine, which is an SBR. We currently build the .223 caliber rifles in three additional configurations. The V-53 carbine can be purchased as a Title 1 rifle with a 16-inch barrel called the V- 53L, or with an 8.75-inch barrel and a barrel extension which is called the V-53.

Shortly after the expiration of the assault weapons ban, we started building pistol versions of the V-53 carbine. The pistol version is nearly identical to the V-53 carbine except that there is no buttstock. Due to the large number of registered HK conversion sears, the V-53 pistols have become very popular. When the full auto sear is removed, the gun reverts back to a pistol for storage, saving an SBR tax.

SAR: How is Vector responding to the Federal ban on imported parts kits and rifle barrels?

Rex: We have had to make our own barrels chambered in .223, and .308. We make our barrels out of 4140 chrome-moly steel, the next best alternative to hammer forged steel. Let me also add that because we make our own barrels, we have flexibility in how to configure the 16-inch barrels. If a barrel extension is used to extend the barrel length, the extension is pressed over the threaded barrel. As a result, if a customer buys a V-53 carbine with a barrel extension, the customer can later remove the extension without replacing the entire barrel. The threads for a flash suppressor will still be there.

SAR: Tell me about your other products.

Rex: Based upon the success of the V-53 project, we expanded production to the V-51, a carbine version of the HK 91 rifle. Like the V-53 carbine, we sell the V-51 carbine in five configurations. The V-51L rifle has a 16-inch barrel. We had several customers request a long barrel, similar in appearance to an HK 94 rifle. I initially thought the long barrel would defeat the purpose of buying a V-51, but there has been a demand for this configuration. The customer usually intends to slide their own suppressor over the long barrel. We offer the V-51LS, with a 16-inch barrel with a dummy suppressor slipped over the barrel. We offer the V-51 which has an 8.75-inch barrel with a barrel extension that looks like a long ported compensator. The V-51L, V- 51LS, and the V-51 are Title 1 guns, and do not require any registration with ATF. We also offer the V-51 SBR with an 8.75-inch barrel, which requires registration as a short barreled rifle. Finally, we offer the V-51P which is the pistol configuration just as the V-53 above.

Heckler and Koch never made a carbine chambered in 308, but many aftermarket gunsmiths did. Bill Fleming, Fred Vollmer, Tim La France and Terry Dyer and others made versions of the HK 51 carbine. We based our V-51 carbines upon a model developed by Fred Vollmer.

The last configuration is the V-51P, or pistol. Of the V-51 product line, I’d say that 75% of our sales are of the V-51 pistol, while the other 25% being the other configurations.

SAR: How challenging was it to build the V-51 rifle?

Rex: It was very challenging to get the rifles to work reliably. We developed our own locking pieces for the V-51 and V-53. The HK rifle uses rollers to lock the bolt to the barrel during the firing sequence. Getting the rollers to unlock the bolt at the right time is a big part of getting the rifle to operate reliably. The locking piece is the part of the bolt that affects the timing and allows the bolt to unlock. Changing the geometry of the locking piece will allow the bolt to open earlier or later in the firing cycle. This can be good and bad, depending upon the situation.

Because of the shorter barrel length on the V-51 and V-53 carbine and pistol, we couldn’t use the standard locking piece used in the HK 91 or HK 93 bolt mechanisms. Due to the shorter barrels, we had to make the guns unlock earlier than the longer barreled rifles. On the V-53, we re-grind an HK 93 number 8 locking piece. The number 8 locking piece has a 58 degree angle. We regrind the locking piece to more closely mimic the locking piece used in an HK 53 carbine.

With regards to the V-51, Heckler and Koch never built a .308 carbine, so we had to create our own locking pieces. We experimented with various geometries to make the V-51 run reliably, and now grind our own locking pieces for the V-51 carbine.

SAR: You’ve spoken at length about the V-51 carbine. Do you produce a full sized .308 rifle?

Rex: We do not build full sized .308 rifles. PTR-91 Enterprises supplies us with receivers to build the V-51 carbines. PTR-91 Enterprises builds an excellent version of the HK 91 rifle, and we have no desire to compete with them. As a result, we refer customers who desire a full sized .308 rifle to PTR-91 Enterprises.

SAR: Do you have any plans to build a .22LR caliber conversion or a belt fed?

Rex: We are interested in building a belt fed rifle, but have no plans to do so at this time. We know that it would be a great product to offer, but we have many pending projects at this time. We have two recent additions to our product line, the V-11 and V-13 rifles, versions of the HK 21 and HK 23, respectively. Both rifles are built with quick change heavy barrels and very closely resemble the HK version. Although not belt fed, the V-13 rifle is chambered in .223, and is compatible with 100 round C-Mag drums made by the Beta Company. The V-11 rifle is chambered in .308 and is built using the updated HK “E” series design. We plan on the V-11 rifle to be compatible with the .308 C-Mag drum being recently offered by the Beta Company.

SAR: Tell me about your MP5 clones.

Rex: We’ve sold a number of HK MP5 type firearms in six configurations and four calibers. In terms of configurations, we offer an SP-89 type pistol, a full sized MP5 type pistol (with no butt stock,) a full sized HK 94 type rifle with an 8.75-inch barrel and extension, an MP5 type carbine that is registered as a short barreled rifle, a PDW SBR with a 5-inch barrel and a PDW rifle that has the 5-inch barrel and extension. During production, we found that customers preferred a permanently attached dummy suppressor to mimic the look of a suppressed weapon. As a result, we use a barrel that measures 8.75 inches in length that is combined with a permanently attached barrel extension to achieve the 16 inch barrel length requirement.

In terms of calibers, we offered firearms in 10mm, .40 S&W, .357 SIG, and the traditional 9mm. We no longer offer guns in .357 SIG, 10mm, or 9mm. We learned that the .357 SIG cartridge does not work well with the unsupported chamber typically used in HK barrels. Certain ammo in .357 SIG might rupture when fired. Although we test all weapons before releasing them into the market, we did not discover this issue until after a number of the guns were released on the market. We no longer produce guns in .357 SIG.

We also sold guns chambered in 10mm, but we are phasing them out. We learned that there is a huge variation in 10mm ammunition available on the market. As a result, the guns chambered in 10mm did not always function reliably. In an effort to make the guns more reliable, five different locking pieces were made in an attempt to match the gun’s performance to different pressures of 10mm ammunition. The locking pieces had to be changed as different brands of 10mm ammunition were used. Most consumers were unwilling to go through the trouble of disassembling their bolt assembly every time a new brand of 10mm ammunition was used.

Our 9mm project sold well and sold out and we can’t get more parts. We are looking for a source but at this point have not been successful.

We continue to sell MP5 variants chambered in .40 S&W. We’ve recently produced integrally suppressed carbines, similar to the MP5SD model. In all outward appearances, the gun looks like an HK MP5SD. The suppressor is our own design, with looks similar to the original Heckler and Koch suppressor design used in the suppressed HK guns. We just completed production of the guns chambered in .40S&W, and by the time this goes to press, we hope to have produced the suppressed 9mm guns. The difficulty in building MP5SD clones is sourcing the SD hand guards. There are domestically made hand guards, but they are very expensive and not readily available to us. If we are unable to find a reliable source of SD hand guards, we’ll use tactical rails with rubber coated hand guards instead of the traditional SD hand guard.

SAR: What are some of the challenges Vector has experienced?

Rex: All the original manufacturers of our guns have ceased making the guns we now build, so getting good parts is an increasing problem. Import laws are also becoming more restrictive requiring us to source more and more parts from the domestic U.S. market. Also because of scarcity, parts are becoming more expensive, so it is difficult to continue to produce these guns at reasonable prices. We face a shrinking labor pool making it ever more difficult to find qualified people who are willing to work for wages we can afford. Inflation is also an issue driving the price of all raw materials ever upward. Vector is doing its best to meet these challenges and still offer excellent quality at a reasonable price.

SAR: Where do you see the firearms industry headed in the future?

Rex: A lot of customers have asked what the Democrat success in the 2006 elections means to gun rights. I don’t think it meansa lot so far. We see an introduction of a new assault weapons ban and some other gun legislation, but we still have President Bush in office to veto it. And, just because the Congress is run by the Democrats, I don’t think we’re going to get a bunch of new gun laws passed right away. We have Democrats that believe in gun rights. I don’t think we’re going to see big pieces of legislation passed; I think we’ll see little additions to existing bills, and we’ll die by a thousand cuts. I think we’ll see small restrictions get passed one by one. As a result,

I don’t think we’ll see a lot of legislation passed before the next Presidential election. If a Democrat wins the Presidential election in 2008, then we need to watch out! We will see an acceleration of anti-gun legislation. Since we (at Vector) are confident of additional restriction in the future, we’re gearing up to get sufficient amounts of product made for sale in the event that another assault weapons ban is passed.

SAR: Thank you for your time speaking to me today.

Rex: You’re welcome.

Vector Arms is known industry-wide for their Uzi line. In the last few years, this company has added several products to their repertoire, most noticeably their line of HK style weapon designs. Their innovation in this area continues.

In the March, 2005 issue of Small Arms Review (Vol. 8 No. 6) we tested the Vector V53 SBR as well as a few other exotic HK clones. We were quite impressed with this .223 and were anxious to request a sample of the big brother in the .308 NATO caliber (7.62x51mm) V51SBR for evaluation as soon as its addition to the production line was announced. Upon their initial production release we received this sample for testing.

Built on the receiver of an original PTR-91 by J.L.D. Enterprises, the Vector Arms V51 looked promising right out of the box. Expectations were very high on this rifle because of the extreme satisfaction encountered by the V53 we tested. Vector Arms did not disappoint. The V51SBR sent for evaluation was fitted with a 3-position metal lower for aesthetics, even though it only supported a semiautomatic trigger pack. The ears have been left intact giving a look similar to a swing down gun, and with the users addition of a few front pin parts and the tactical application of some strong glue, the look can be completed. A paddle magazine release has also been added, easing the change of magazines and also contributing to the more traditional look of the factory H&K full automatics.

The furniture shipped on the V51 is a standard MP5 length front handguard and what appears to be a standard full-length rear stock. A quick peek inside the stock will reveal that the bolt return spring is far from stock or standard and is a highly modified proprietary upgrade of the Vector V51. One of the necessary modifications to the 51-length guns was the shortening of the recoil spring guide rod to accommodate the shortened action of the recoil system. A negative symptom of this necessary modification was often the weaker return power of a now shortened return spring. Vector has solved this by designing and including a retractable, piston style spring guide rod, allowing a full length spring to be utilized, therefore providing the necessary force to strip rounds and lock up properly.

The finish on the V51 is a dark, black powder coat, matching perfectly between the receiver, the trigger group and the metal on the stock. Everything looks like it belongs together, not simply assembled from an inventory of spare parts.

Smooth Operator

The action is smooth to operate and the camming action of the non-reciprocating cocking handle completely unlocks the locking piece in the bolt, making rearward travel effortless compared to several others we have tested in the past. The heart of the recoil system of the H&K guns and these similar designs is the locking piece. The system of operation in these guns is a delayed blowback, roller lock bolt system. The locking piece is manufactured with different angles that determine how long the action stays locked up, before allowing the rollers to unlock the bolt, and start the action opening and rearward travel. The angles on the locking piece are determined by several factors, including the ammunition used and the length of the barrel. If the locking piece allows the action to open too quickly after firing, the recoil is often quite excessive and can be heavy enough to actually damage the firearm. If the action is allowed to stay locked up too long and open later than necessary, it can result in a short stroke and create problems with ejection and feeding. If you have fired a firearm in the HK family and noticed either of these undesirable symptoms, utilizing the correct locking piece may have possibly been the cure – or at least a large part of it. Vector has done a lot of trial and error testing in respect to the correct locking piece angles and it was obvious the first time we squeezed the trigger. The recoil is minimal, the gun is controllable and the function is excellent. They are using a custom ground locking piece in their V51 with a non-standard angle they developed particularly for this system. This is a basic explanation of the function of this complex system and if you would like to read a little more about locking pieces and their uses, the January 2001 issue of Small Arms Review had a very thorough article and pictorial including a chart of known angles we have encountered.

Bigger Is Not Always Better

The V51 is a much smaller package than the full size rifle it started life as. In this case, the full length PTR-91 as manufactured by JLD Enterprises comes in with an overall length of 40 inches with a 22.52-inch sight radius and weighs 9.17 pounds, empty. Compare those numbers with the Vector V51SBR at 31.5 inches in overall length with a 16.5-inch sight radius. Unloaded weight is still 8.07 pounds so it still carries some of the heft that allows a rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm to be as controllable as possible. The overall length of either of these firearms can be reduced drastically with the addition of the A3 collapsible stock instead of the full-length stock. The most noticeable difference between the stock PTR-91 and the Vector V51 is the length of the barrel. The PTR-91 comes with an 18-inch barrel and a 16-inch barrel on the PTR-91K. The vector V51SBR sports a 9.5-inch barrel. For those individuals who can not own a short barrel rifle, a 16-inch version is available at no additional fee.

Performance

While it is obvious that a barrel as short as those in the V51 lose some muzzle velocity compared to their full-length counterparts, we decided to find out exactly how much difference there really was. It seems that the number of 2,500 to 2,600 feet per second seems to be the benchmark when discussing 16-18 inch barrels with standard 150-grain .308 NATO ammo. With those numbers in mind, we setup a PACT MKIV Chronograph, 8-feet in front of the muzzle of the Vector V51 and recorded several data strings with several types of ammunition. The complete chart is shown, but as a summary of the four types of ammunition used, the average velocity was 1,964 fps with a consistency averaging 59 fps in variance between extreme high and extreme low speed. The best consistency we recorded was using the new 150-grain WOLF Gold SP ammo with an extreme spread of only 21 fps. It beat the second best, which was M118 Lake City Special Ball ammo, which had an extreme spread of 52 fps – double that of the WOLF Gold. The fastest we recorded was with the M1A2 Portuguese Ball ammo, which averaged 2,056 fps with the M118 Lake City Special ball coming in last, averaging 1,923 fps. All shooting was done off hand with the 4-position peep-style diopter sight at 50 yards and 100 yards. While all hits with all ammo were sufficient in placement for “kill” shots utilizing standard B27 silhouette targets, there was no noticeable difference between any of the brands in grouping. No testing was done with use of a bench rest or optics of any type.

For an attention getter, we have to recommend the Wolf 150-grain FMJ ammo. When we switched to this ammo for testing, the sound was a little louder, which a V51 is notorious for, and both the muzzle flash and muzzle blast was much more intense than with the other test ammunition. Every time a round was fired the chronograph screens would flex. This round of testing actually worked out to be an endurance test for the PACT IV Timer and Chronograph and we are extremely pleased to report that it passed with high honors and stayed in one piece.

Ready to Rock

Any configuration in the V51 series of firearms from Vector should make the owner of a registered sear or trigger pack a very nice host gun. The bolt carrier supplied with the firearm is ready to facilitate a pack or sear. The test sample we utilized for this evaluation was fitted with two different, registered trigger packs and with a minimal amount of position adjustment it ran as well in semiautomatic as it did in full automatic. Because of all the differences in trigger packs, shelf heights, and types of conversions available, it is necessary to find the right combination of trigger group and lower to properly fit the firearm at the right height to ensure the correct timing. The V51 can be currently ordered as a Short Barreled Rifle as tested, requiring a $200 transfer tax, as a pistol with no stock and no transfer tax necessary, or as a Title 1 firearm with a muzzle extension to 16 inches, also requiring no transfer tax.

Summary

The Vector V51 is going to make many shooters and collectors of these “exotics” quite happy. With a high quality fit, finish and function combined with excellent controllability and a retail price under $1,000, these guns also provide an excellent host for registered sears and trigger packs. They also make a fun gun in their original semiautomatic configuration. The noise and muzzle flash of a 51 is something not comparable with many other small arms and is one gun sure to gather attention at any shooting range. Vector did a great job with this project and their version is among the best of the best in every aspect.

Specifications
V51

Caliber: 7.62x51mm
Overall length: 31.5 inches
Barrel length: 9.5 inches
Barrel, rate of twist: xxxxxxxxxxx
Sights, front: Fixed post in ring
rear: 4-position, peep-style rotating diopter
Sight radius: 16.5 inches
Weight, unloaded: 8.07 pounds
Method of operation: Semiautomatic, delayed blowback roller lock bolt system
Magazine capacity: 20 rounds
Finish: Black powder coat
Manufacturer: Vector Arms, North Salt Lake, Utah
Retail price as tested $954

Vector V51 Muzzle Velocity

Ammo
Portuguese M1A2 Ball
Wolf 150-gr FMJ Ball

Wolf Gold 150-gr SP

Lake City

M118 Special Ball

Average Muzzle Velocity
2,056 fps
1,933 fps
1,944 fps
1,923 fps

Extreme Spread
88 fps
78 fps
21 fps
52 fps

Sources

V51 SBR
Vector Arms
Dept. SAR
270 W. 500 N.
North Salt Lake, UT 84054
Ph: (801) 295-1917
Fax: (801) 295-9316
E-Mail: vectorarms@bbscmail.com
www.vectorarms.com

Wolf Ammo
Wolf Performance Ammunition
Dept. SAR
1125 N. Lance Lane
Anaheim, CA 92806
Ph: (888) 757-WOLF
Fax: (714) 632-9232
www.wolfammo.com

PACT Timers
PACT INC.
Dept. SAR
P.O. Box 535025
Grand Prairie, TX 75053
(800_ 722-8462
www.PACT.com

Gemtech’s Mossad suppressor blends gracefully with the lines and proportions of the Uzi. Part of the reason is that the rear of the can duplicates the design of the Uzi’s barrel nut, so installation couldn’t be easier or more positive: simply remove the barrel nut and replace it with the sound suppressor. Part of the reason is that the suppressor extends back over the barrel to the receiver, which minimizes overall system length. And part of the reason is that the can is so light that it neither inhibits the speed of target acquisition nor adds to shooter fatigue. Clearly, such graceful integration with the weapon has significant functional as well as aesthetic merit.

Manufactured from precision CNC machined high tensile strength aluminum alloys, the Mossad has an overall length of 11.5 inches, a diameter of 1.38 inches, and a weight of just 12.5 ounces. Mounting the suppressor is very quick and requires no modification of the weapon. Simply remove the barrel nut and replace with the suppressor, which is locked into place by the spring-loaded barrel nut retention latch that engages the slanted teeth on the rear of the suppressor mount. This makes the Gemtech suppressors much safer to use than cans that simply screw onto a threaded barrel.

Performance

I tested the performance of Gemtech’s Mossad suppressor on a Group Industries clone of the Uzi submachine gun fitted with an FN bolt, using a variety of Black Hills Ammunition including 115 grain RN FMJ, 147 grain flat point FMJ subsonic, and a new specially designed submachine gun subsonic round that features a 147 grain round nose FMJ projectile. The standard 9x19mm subsonic round found in the Black Hills catalog features a flat point projectile with velocity optimized for pistols. This makes perfect sense because the vast majority of customers buying 147 grain ammo are agencies using the FMJ subsonic round as an affordable, ballistically equivalent training load to 147 grain hollowpoint duty ammo used in their pistols. This FP ammo is not desirable for use in submachine guns for several reasons. Since submachine guns have greater barrel lengths than pistols, conventional Black Hills subsonic ammo frequently generates a loud ballistic crack in subguns, negating the value of adding a silencer to the weapon if stealth is the goal. Furthermore, FP or HP ammo doesn’t feed reliably in weapons that feed like Ingrams and Uzis because of the abrupt feed ramps found in these submachine guns.

The new subgun ammo from Black Hills features a round nose for reliable feeding and a slower velocity for effective suppression in submachine guns over a more practical range of temperatures and barrel lengths. This new RN subsonic is not found in Black Hills literature but is being made available as a special service, and must be ordered directly from Jeff Hoffman, the president of Black Hills Ammunition. It is in stock as this was being written. This 147 grain RN FMJ ammo is highly recommended for all silenced submachine guns. (Contact Jeff Hoffman, 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).

I used a single lot of G&L 147 grain FMJ subsonic ammo for benchmark sound testing for much of the 1990s. It proved ideally suited for use in suppressed submachine guns in terms of projectile velocity, accuracy, reliable weapon function, and gracefulness when fired with a sound suppressor. This G&L round also works well in pistols. G&L ammunition is no longer available. Therefore, I began using the new Black Hills 147 grain RN FMJ as my subsonic 9x19mm reference standard when it became available in 1999. So that we all can get a feel for comparing recent with older research, this study provides comparative data using both the G&L and Black Hills subsonic 9x19mm ammo. Finally, I tested the Mossad with Israeli Samson 158 grain subsonic ammunition, which is used by the Brits for CT (counter-terrorist) operations and is imported into the States by Cole Distributing, Inc. (Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 50271, Bowling Green, Kentucky 42102; phone 270-622-3569; fax 270-622-3757; URL http://www.cole-distributing.com/).

The first thing that impressed me during the course of the testing was that the Mossad eliminated muzzle flash and muzzle climb, and it cut felt recoil in half. Furthermore, I was gratified that the suppressor never loosened during the course of the testing, unlike some suppressors that I’ve screwed directly onto threaded Uzi barrels. I was quite pleased with the satisfying sound signatures produced by the Mossad with both vintage G&L subsonic as well as the new 147 grain RN FMJ submachine gun round from Black Hills Ammunition. I was flabbergasted when I used the formidable 158 grain +P+ Samson subsonic round, for I would never have expected this much suppression from a compact muzzle can on an open-bolt gun. Clearly the advanced baffle design likes the ultra-fast powder of the Samson fodder, for this round produced far and away the quietest sound signatures (see Table 1) and the best net sound reduction (see Table 2). In fact, using the powerful Samson fodder made the Uzi with Mossad quieter than the venerable MP5SD. It is safe to say that this is outstanding performance.

Why was the Gemtech silencer the quietest with the most powerful round? The answer relates to the nature of the silencer’s design. The internal baffle structures use asymmetric surfaces to direct gas flow away from the central core of the silencer and other structures to increase turbulence. All of this is pressure driven. The higher velocity gases produced by the Samson round actually enable the structures inside the Mossad to work more efficiently.

It is also noteworthy that the Mossad dropped the SPL of supersonic ammo to well below the international safety limit of 140 dB, above which hearing damage is likely when a person is subjected to impulse sound while not wearing a hearing protection device. There are certain tactical applications, such as the anticipation of opponents wearing aramid fiber body armor, where the more slender supersonic projectiles make more tactical sense than subsonic rounds.

Final Thoughts

All of these numbers are interesting, but what do they mean in the real world? In order to see just how stealthy Gemtech’s Mossad could be in the real world, I fired a pair of Samson 158 grain FMJ rounds into the ground followed by a pair of BH 147 grain RN FMJ rounds with the selector set to R for repetition (i.e., semiautomatic), while my wife and teenager were watching TV inside a house of standard frame construction. I was three armspans outside of the back door, and they were three armspans inside. Neither lady heard a thing, so I’d say that the Mossad is sufficiently stealthy for missions faced by the armed professional in the real world or by the private individual who is simply interested in some sport shooting without disturbing the neighbors.

Gemtech’s Mossad suppressor blends gracefully with the lines and proportions of the Uzi because it was designed expressly for this weapon. Its very light weight enables rapid target acquisition. The sophisticated baffle stack delivers plenty of sound suppression and outstanding service life. By selecting the right ammunition, the Mossad can make the open-bolt Uzi quieter than HK’s impressive closed-bolt MP5SD, while delivering a much heavier projectile at a much greater velocity. The Mossad virtually eliminates muzzle flash and climb, and cuts felt recoil in half. This sophisticated suite of outstanding features makes the Uzi an effective and stealthy tool for the modern tactical and sporting environments. I can recommend Gemtech’s Mossad sound suppressor with enthusiasm.

For more information on suppressors, contact Gemtech (Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 140618, Boise, ID 83714-0618; phone 208-939-7222; fax 208-939-7804; URL http://www.gem-tech.com).