The MPS3, shown here mounted to US Ordnance’s new M2A2 QCB machine gun, is a very effective, very fast sight for machine guns. A new mount has also been designed to be used with the MPS3 – the Aimpoint MG Mount. The MG Mount contains a user friendly 3-step ballistic compensator for a preset zero at 200, 800 and 1200 meters (220, 875, 1310 yards). The ballistic compensation can quickly be changed without losing eye contact with the target, and can be accomplished even while wearing gloves. The Aimpoint MPS3 is a non-magnifying sight with unlimited eye relief allowing a rapid speed of target acquisition. The MPS3 features manually adjustable reticle brightness for all light conditions. Thanks to its NVD compatibility, the MPS3 can be used 24 hours a day. Aimpoint’s revolutionary ACET technology gives the Aimpoint MPS3 an improved LED and an impressive battery lifetime of many thousands of hours of active use.

MPS3 FEATURES:

• • 1X (non-magnifying) parallax free optic.

• • Compatible with every generation of NVD.

• • ACET technology combined with a AA battery gives 80,000 hours (over 8 years) of typical usage on one battery.

• • 500,000 hours of use on NVD setting.

• • Designed to stand up to recoil of heavy weapons.

• • One Function Principle for simplicity of use in field.

• • Manually adjustable reticle brightness.

• • Accessory rails on sight allow for mounting IR or visible lasers.

• • Multi Purpose Sight for use on land, air and at sea.

• • 7 night vision compatible settings, 9 day settings of which one extra bright.

• • 2 MOA dot size for long distance engagement.

• Can be used with any AA size battery.

TECHNOLOGY: ACET Advanced Circuit Efficiency Technology

OPTICAL DATA:

• • Reflex collimator sight Red dot sight

• • LED (Light Emitting Diode) Totally eye-safe

• • Red dot size 2 MOA*

• • Parallax-free No centering required

• • Eye relief Unlimited

• Magnification 1X

ELECTRONIC DATA:

• • Battery- One AA-battery, accepts 1.5-5V

• • Battery life- 80.000 hours

• • Battery life, in hours, NVD position** 500.000 hours

• • Switch- Manual rotary switch

• Settings- 7 NVD & 9 DL of which one extra bright

MECHANICAL DATA:

• • Material – housing Extruded high strength aluminum

• • Surface finish- Hard anodised, matte

• • Color- Carbon black

• • Material, lens covers- Rubber, black, matte

• • Adjustment- 1 click = 50mm at 100 meters = 2” at 100 yards

• Mounting solution- Optional MGMount

ENVIRONMENTAL DATA:

• • Temperature range- -45°- +71° C, -50° – +160° F

• • Water resistance- Submersible to 3 ft., 1 m.

• Radioactive components used- None

DIMENSIONS:

• • Length- 175 mm, 6.9”

• • Width/height- 84 x 81 mm, 3.3 x 3.2”

• Weight- 720 g, 25.4 oz

Aimpoint AB
www.aimpoint.com
Jägershillgatan 15
SE-213 75 Malmö
Sweden
Phone:+46 40 671 50 20
Fax: +46 40 21 92 38
E-mail: info@aimpoint.se
US Ordnance M2A2 .50 Caliber

Machine Gun:

When the MPS3 sight came in from Aimpoint, we at SADJ were considering what would be a good host weapon for the sight. Later in 2015, we’ll be doing a full MilSpec test on the US Ordnance M2A2 machine gun, and we thought we would try the MPS3 on this for the New Product spread. We’ll be using several machine gun optics designed for heavy use during our MilSpec test, doing shock testing for the manufacturers.

US Ordnance has been an innovative company for many years, and has a strong reputation for quality built machine guns. SADJ has performed several MilSpec tests for them, including the 50,000 round M240 test done last year, and the recent M60E6 50,000 round test done in November 2014. This feature will be in an upcoming issue of SADJ. (If you’re a serious manufacturer of military weapons, don’t forget SADJ offers this service, designing and implementing MilSpec testing). The search for a reliable Quick Change Barrel version of the venerable “Ma Deuce” has been an ongoing challenge. There are a variety of manufacturers offering their version now, with as much a variety of differences in how they accomplish this. The largest problem is the headspace, of course. US Ordnance’s unique solution has been living up to the requirement quite well, and we look forward to our test. We plan to test on a factory M2A2, and rebuild an existing M2HB with US Ordnance’s M2A2 upgrade kit for a test as well. A few quick words on the new M2A2 offering- it’s new, yet well tested- over 50,000 rounds in one dedicated test gun so far to prove the headspace principle works. They’ve delivered combat production guns, and are looking for more projects. This seemed a perfect time to test the Aimpoint MPS3 as well as others.

• • Fixed headspace and timing eliminate safety concerns associated with barrel changing and improper timing

• • Common barrel thread interchanges with existing M2HB barrels, and non-QCB parts are interchangeable with M2HB machine guns, which eliminate logistics concerns during fielding

• • Improved barrel handle simplifies hot-barrel changing with better barrel alignment, and the retention system assures the barrel is securely locked and aligned

• • Can be fitted to all types of armored, light and heavy vehicles; patrol boats; helicopters; and other aircraft

• • Fires all types of NATO ammunition: Ball, Tracer, AP, API, APIT, AP Hardcore and Multipurpose

• • Sustained automatic or single-shot firing from the closed bolt for single-shot accuracy

• • Simple, durable and rugged design for easy maintenance and conversion capacity from left hand to right hand feed

• Various mounting applications, for manual or solenoid firing

US Ordnance

www.USord.com

TEL: 775.343.1320

FAX: 775.343.1331

SALES: sales@usord.com

MARKETING:marketing@usord.com

SUPPORT: support@usord.com

TRAINING: training@usord.com

U.S.ORDNANCE,INC.

300 Sydney Drive

McCarran, NV 89434

United States of America

The Modular Small Arms System 5.56mm (Polish: Modulowy System Broni Strzeleckiej 5.56mm, MSBS-5.56) was initiated in December 2007, as a joint R&D program of the Warsaw-based Military Technology University’s (WAT) Department of Special Technologies with Radom’s Fabryka Broni.

The project aimed to develop, build and test a modular 5.56mm family of rifles within four years, up until 2010. Perhaps for the first time ever in the history of Polish arms design, the creators of the rifles polled a very wide circle of experts and end-users, both military and civilian, including the shooting media, for opinions concerning both the general layout and design details of the future Polish Army’s battle rifle.

A complete moving assembly of the MSBS rifle: bolt carrier with bolt, return assembly with the spring and guide rod (note the cut-out profile to clear the internal tungsten weights compartment) with a base plate complete with polymer bolt bumper.

The tactical and technical requirements (TTR) and initial design were ready by the end of 2008, as well as mock-ups of the Technology Demonstrators (TDs). In 2009, the actual functional model TDs were built, and tested in early 2010, after which they were first publically presented (earlier presentation were media-only) at the September 2010 MSPO defense fair in Kielce. The remainder of the time was used for test results analysis. At that point readers of the Polish STRZAL gun magazine were polled to come up with the name for the new rifle, and the winner was Radon – hinting at both Radom and the tradition of using chemical elements as names (radon, Rn, is a radioactive gas, atomic number 86).

Unfortunately, the Polish military, seemingly the most concerned entity, in fact proved to be the least interested in the new rifle. They dragged their feet at every stage, and merely tolerated the MSBS project as a tool to extract money from the government to finance the military R&D centers involved. In the brass’ expert opinion, the Beryl rifle was still going strong, and the fact that it was based on a 60+ year old design was the least of generals’ worry. Their view was, “Yes, it might be getting a tad obsolescent, but we’re going to retire before it turns obsolete – so why bother?” When most of them were Lieutenants or Captains, the army was already ‘not winning wars with mere rifles’. That mindset started to change with the influx of young blood with first-hand asymmetrical warfare experience of Iraq and Afghanistan – but alas, the junior officers from Divaniya or Ghazni, sorely aware that in the new Millennium the rifle is again the infantryman’s main tool of trade, are still a long way from the
General Staff.

Classic configuration MSBS field-stripped. Illustrated is the ‘dash R’ but the ‘dash K’ strips exactly in the same way.

New Opening

The TDs were ugly. Being just what they were called – technology demonstrators – they were to be efficient rather than eye-catching, like lab appliances. After the innards were more or less sorted out, now came the time for the looks. This was about to change a great deal, as the industrial design panel was organized at the WAT. The result was far from a simple paint job; the rifle was in fact redesigned from scratch. Hardly a part of the rifle survived intact from the initial design. Several months of hard work and several dozen mock-ups later, the final, much more pleasing to the eye and less offending to human ergonomics Radon mock-ups were justifiably proudly presented in August, 2010. The immediate reaction was mixed – some reviewers found it too much resembling the ACR for comfort. When you feed the same requirements to the same design-support software, they tend to come up with designs much like each other.

Inside the new design was as distant from the old TDs as they were on the outside. To accommodate the new design, many internals were reworked from the start. The bolt carrier morphed from a SCAR-style big, long affair with integral operating rod and fitted with dual cams for changing the ejection direction into a compact box with a single cam path for operating a cam pin – on whatever side the empties fly.

Comparison of the two configurations of the Polish MSBS-5.56 rifles, the MSBS-5.56K and bull-pup MSBS-5.56B.

The MSBS-5.56 project was to spawn a total of 11 variants, five in classic configuration (standard rifle, grenade launching rifle, carbine, LMG, DMR) and five bull-pup equivalents, plus MSBS-R, a fixed-stock ceremonial rifle for the Polish Army’s Honor Guard Battalion. For the grenade launching rifle, or 5.56 / 40mm combo, a new MSBS-specific grenade launching module, conforming to the MSBS design was created. Additionally a 12-ga military shotgun based on the MSBS-5.56 is contemplated, but so far still on paper – or rather, computer screen stage.

This duality of configuration is mirrored by dividing the design team into two centers: the ‘dash K’ team at the WAT under Col. Miroslaw Zahor and the ‘dash B’ team in Radom, headed by Krzysztof Koziel and Norbert Piechota.

How the Radon Functions

Although there seems to be little revolutionary stuff in the MSBS (as with most recent assault rifles), it’s the small details that make up the masterpiece. The designers applied for 7 patents and 11 utility models in the process. This article is the first time we are able to come up with any details.

Norbert Piechota of FB heads the Radom design team developing the bull-pup variant explaining the finer points of the MSBS-5.56K fire control group.

The 5.56mm MSBS-5.56 Radon rifle is an individual selective-fire, gas-operated weapon, in two basic configurations, the MSBS-5.56K/Radon-K (classical) and MSBS-5.56B/Radon-B (bull-pup). The Radon-K with its side-folding LOP-adjustable stock is the basic variant of the family. The bull-pup Radon-B shares the complete upper receiver with the K, substituting the B-specific lower receiver. Both rifles have the same internal design, while of course the B rifle is much more compact. Thanks to the modular design, each K rifle can be converted to a B rifle (and vice versa) in seconds as the barrels are exchangeable for different length or contour, and ejection direction can be changed at field-strip level. So far, that seems redundant, as even with the right side ejection, the bull-pup rifle can be safely fired from the left shoulder. The brass flies downwards and to the front.

The Radon’s gas system uses a short-stroke piston traveling just 17 mm (.67-in). An operating rod transfers the impulse to the bolt carrier, which starts an automatic cycle, familiar to anyone who ever fired an external piston-driven AR platform. The main difference is that the return spring is placed within the upper receiver – enabling the stock to fold. The bolt locks always turning to the right, regardless of ejection direction.

The ambidextrous bolt catch paddles are placed on either side of the trigger guard, acting on a vertical bolt hold open shaft. The magazines are STANAG 4179-compatible, but in the most recent version an extended flared magazine well mouth would conflict with the Betamags – even though quad-row SureFire 60s and 100s would fit it for LMG work. The barrels are 6-groove, 1:7 inch RHT, as they are chambered for the STANAG 4172-compatible rounds. They easily change in the field (as opposed to QCB) thanks to a clever barrel vise installed inside the trunnion. That consists of two parallel wedges, set on the shared Roman-screw – no matter on which side of the trunnion it is turned (by hex key), the wedges move in reciprocating directions at the same time and rate, freeing or latching the barrel (actually held by the trunnion, the wedges just hold it there) without the need for torque-wrenches and all. How’s that versus the FN SCAR with eight screws to be turned in exact order and to exact torque? Several different profiles of the barrels were tested, in two lengths, 16 inches for the rifle and 12 inches for carbine, fluted and plain, with a thicker contour plain barrel planned for DMR or LMG variants.

Bolt head with lugs, extractor and ejector. Note the semi-circular opening for the spring guide-rod cut down at the front end.

Totally Ambidextrous

The MSBS-5.56 is totally ambidextrous. All controls are doubled, or placed as to allow actuating with either hand (Radon-B bolt catch). The cocking handle is non-reciprocating, but allows manual bolt assist. It is placed inside the upper receiver, with triangular ‘winglets’ slouching to clear the top-rail mounted sights. Brass may be ejected to either side, by a clever arrangement of the bolt. The cam pin channel in the bolt is perpendicular to the extractor – ejector plane. To change the ejection direction all one has to do is rotate the bolt by 180 degrees. To accommodate the upper receiver to that change, you have to use a hex key (Torx blade to be precise) to unbolt the active brass deflector and exchange it for cover, blocking the other ejection opening. The new bolt carrier has only got one cam path, and the cam pin head is beveled to allow it to clear the return spring running on the top.

The bolt is rather AR-ish than the old AK-based bolt of the Beryl. It has 7 lugs with an eighth being a stump on the extractor. The ejector is a typical AR spring-loaded one.

The return spring is captive – held semi-contracted on a hollow spring guide and comes off as a single unit, making field stripping easier.

The first boxy MSBS-5.56K and -B Technology Demonstrators were anything but graceful – even though they effectively provided necessary experience.

Fire Control Group

The hammer mechanism is generally along the lines of the AR-15, with the exception of a different automatic sear. The mechanism itself is encased in a metal container inserted into the polymer lower receiver to avoid setting hard steel pins directly in soft plastic to give them ample support and to prevent key-holing the pin sockets. The FCG packet is held inside lower receiver by safety-selector axis and magazine catch. This kind of modular design of course invites the civilian-legal semi-only modifications, basing on existing parts. The semi-only civilian FCG has not yet been designed (the military model is a priority) and it is the opinion of the design team, that civilian FCGs should be rather directly along the AR lines, both to encourage use of COTS tuning components and to avoid legal problems with selective and semiautomatic mechanisms being fully exchangeable. The recent iteration of the lower receiver has a fully exchangeable pistol grip, to allow individualization with the use of the COTS components.

Stock

The length-of-pull stock adjustment should satisfy most shooters whether wearing ballistic protection or not. The stock itself offers a very good positioning on the shoulder, stable, with a much purchase and cheek weld, as well as an adjustable cheek pad. The rifle can be fired with the stock folded as the controls and ejection opening are cleared. The rifle is very stable, both in semi and auto mode.

The new side-opening, DAO-trigger 40mm Grenade Launching Module designed to conform the MSBS-5.56 rifle system. The fin inside the trigger guard is a barrel latch, the lever on the side – a manual safety.

The adjustment period to the ‘dash K’ rifle may vary in length, the shortest one would probably be from AR platform – but still the bolt catch is very different. The bull-pup is so much a different weapon, that the period of adjustment seems more obvious than in the case of the MBSB-K. Fortunately, the handling isn’t that complex, and the new skills are quite easy to acquire even though sometimes the muscle memory kicks in. What’s interesting, the shooters without deeply ingrained habits are actually found to master the Radon-B quicker than the Radon-K. The bull-pup is as pleasant to shoot as the classical rifle, powder gases or noise are not as bothersome as in some other rifles.

The bull-pup rifle FCG is identical, but with the trigger actually actuated a foot apart from the hammer, they have to be linked by a set of levers and pulleys. Same goes for the magazine release controls, which remained in their respective places in reference to the trigger while the actual magazine catch is at the side of the magazine well. Only one control had to be repositioned – or rather, the only one remained in the same position relative to the magazine well: the bolt catch. It now has a single flapper behind the Radon-B magazine well, remaining ambidextrous, and allowing the bolt to be latched open using the same hand that retracts it – which is a unique capability.

The rifle has no fixed sights. Instead, the upper receiver has a full-length dorsal 1913 (now: STANAG 4694) rail to accommodate any combination of mission-specific sighting equipment. Red dot sight is considered a standard, with image magnifier or NV attachments. The excellent Aimpoint Micro was the red dot sight of choice by the design team, but in reality, the EOTech 552 has
become more or less Polish Army standard; which is bulky by today’s standards, and the cocking winglets provide just enough clearance for the fingers.

Adjustable stock of the MSBS-K rifle. Note the hinge, extendable (LOP adjustment) part and the adjustable cheek pad. The rigid stock of the MSBS-R lacks it altogether.

Bayonet

With the rifle comes the new bayonet, replacing the 6H4 of the AKM and Tantal/Beryl rifles. The classic bayonets sometimes happened to resemble knives, but were usually dull and the size of a small saber. The Radon bayonet is anything but that. It’s rather a combat/field knife that happens to fit the muzzle. It has a handy drop point blade with partially serrated edge, and has an opening in the blade, allowing it to be hinged on the scabbard post to form wire-cutters – the AKM style. The sheath is placed inside a polymer scabbard with 3 MOLLE/PALS loops formed in the back, allowing it to be worn anywhere on the soldier. The bayonet latch is placed on a ring set on the barrel and the end of the pommel has a lug to fit the latch. The front attachment is a hook at the end of the guard, fitting a slot cut in the birdcage muzzle compensator. On early rifles these were hung underneath the barrel, but were reversed to the barrel top (HK G3 style) to avoid interfering with the 40mm grenade launcher. The regular bayonet blade is blued, while the MSBS-R has a chrome-plated ceremonial one. The latter would also retain the underbarrel attachment.

Recent lower receiver with COTS exchangeable pistol grip, new safety-selector lever, better-fenced-in magazine release button and smaller bolt-catch flaps alongside the trigger guard. Note the brass bumper at the rear edge of the ejection opening.

Bolt carrier and bolt stripped. Note a beveled head of the cam pin and the side cut out for inserting the cam pin into the cam path.

Bolt carrier and bolt stripped. Note a beveled head of the cam pin and the side cut out for inserting the cam pin into the cam path.

With rifle length barrel (16-inch) the bayonet is now going to be attached in reverse position to clear the GLM if mounted beneath the barrel. Note the guard hooked into the flash-hider.

Until recently, Russian small arms were famous mostly for their ruggedness, durability and reliability, even under the harshest of conditions. Outstanding accuracy was rarely mentioned in relation to Russian (and before that, Soviet) small arms, but this has changed several years ago.

In 2010, a small group of precision shooting enthusiasts, led by experienced benchrest and precision shooter Alexey Sorokin and backed up by several private investors, bought an abandoned manufacturing building in Moscow. Less than a year later, this building became the home for a unique Russian small arms manufacturer, known as ORSIS.

ORSIS is the first privately-owned Russian small arms manufacturing company that can mass-produce firearms that are compatible, if not superior, to products of the world’s most famous brands, such as Sako, Accuracy International, Steyr, Remington and others. The primary goal, set by the founders of the ORSIS factory, was to build custom-grade precision rifles for civilian shooters and law enforcement, using the most modern mass production technologies – most notably CNC machining. Right from the start, great emphasis was put on self-dependence and quality control during all stages of production. Also, being run by the shooters, the company was built to be as much customer-oriented as possible, which is a most welcome change in the Russian gun industry. Within just a few years, ORSIS built itself an enviable reputation within the Russian
shooting community.

ORSIS factory: Bolt and receiver manufacturing area.

At this time ORSIS rifles are in the process of test and evaluation in several Russian elite law enforcement units. ORSIS also did excellent service in replacing worn-out barrels with new precision barrels of its own manufacture on imported sniper rifles, used by Sniper teams of Russian FSO (Federal VIP Protection Service) and several other agencies. Civilian shooters also bought hundreds of ORSIS rifles in great variety of models, from lightweight hunting rifles to African-caliber elephant stoppers, as well as tactical precision rifles and various varmint-style rifles.

With undisputed success in the domestic precision rifle market, ORSIS is now looking for export markets. Despite political tensions between Russia and the West caused by the Ukrainian crisis, ORSIS seems to be unaffected by Western sanctions against Russia, as it is not connected to the Russian government or any of its officials. It already works with several respected partners from the USA and Europe to assemble hunting and sport guns for Russian markets, including American ArmaLite AR-10 and AR-15 semi-auto rifles, Italian Marocci Si12 shotguns and Austrian Glock pistols.

ORSIS factory: CNC stock cutting machine.

ORSIS’ main and most successful product is a line of precision rifles, built on the classic bolt action and offered in a wide selection of calibers, stocks and other options. Their precision rifles are available in three major lines. Two lines are magazine-fed; these are ORSIS T-5000 tactical sniper rifles and ORSIS Hunter rifles. Both systems are based on the same receiver with detachable magazine and trigger system with the major difference being in the stock. The T-5000 uses an aluminum alloy chassis with side-folding shoulder stock, while the Hunter models are offered in a variety of traditional stocks, made from wood (laminate or walnut), plastic or carbon. The third line includes Benchrest and F-class rifles for target shooting. These rifles are based on a single-shot action of the same basic design.

ORSIS makes everything in-house, including actions and barrels. They buy premium stainless steel in bars and rods, and make barrels in almost any conceivable caliber (between .22 and .50), profile and length, plain or fluted. Barrels are manufactured to very high tolerances using old and proven cutting techniques, implemented by a CNC machine. Each groove is cut in 60 to 80 passes, and it takes up to two and half hours to completely rifle one barrel. Each rifled barrel blank is lapped and polished, and then inspected using gauges and a borescope. Barrels are chambered and contoured on separate CNC machines, providing highest possible quality through all steps of manufacture.

All ORSIS-made bolt action rifles are based on the same action of more or less traditional design. Tubular receivers are made from stainless steel on CNC electro-erosion machines, stainless steel bolts with dual opposite front lugs are CNC machined and then individually fitted to their receivers.

ORSIS factory: T-5000 rifles awaiting final QC inspection.

Barrels are installed into receivers using simple screw-in interface, which allows for simple replacement of worn-out or damaged barrels using a minimal amount of tools. In fact, many domestic customers prefer to order their ORSIS rifles with a spare barrel or two, which is convenient due to complications of Russian gun regulations.

Barreled actions are then set into appropriate stocks, also made in-house. Hunting rifles are normally set into wooden or carbon stocks; tactical rifles are assembled onto proprietary aluminum alloy chassis-type stocks.

Finalized rifles are then test-fired for accuracy. All ORSIS rifles, with exception of some African big-game calibers, are not allowed to leave the factory unless they can shoot 100 meter 3-round group not larger than 0.5 minute of angle (MOA). Each rifle is shipped with its own proof target, often showing groups as small as 0.3 MOA.

Over recent years, the ORSIS T-5000 rifle proved itself as a dependable tack-driver in hands of elite Russian law enforcement units and target shooters. Russian sniper teams armed with T-5000 rifles have won the Police and Military Sniper World Cup in Hungary in two consecutive years (2012 and 2013), and are looking forward to participating in the same event in 2014.

Author at the range with the T-5000 rifle.

Description of the ORSIS T-5000 Sniper Rifle

The ORSIS T-5000 is a manually operated, rotary bolt action, magazine fed rifle. It uses a stainless steel receiver of round shape, with a single massive recoil lug at the front. The recoil lug is a separate part that is tensioned between the barrel shank and receiver. The stainless steel bolt has dual locking lugs at the front that lock into the receiver body, and a plunger type ejector. The bolt body has spiral grooves to decrease weight. Bolt actions are available in two sizes – Standard, designed for 7.62×51 NATO / .308 Winchester and similar cartridges, and Magnum, designed for .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges and also available in .300 Winchester Magnum.

The trigger unit is fully adjustable with two alternate versions that allow setting trigger pull weight between 1,000 and 1,500 gram or between 500 and 900 gram. Early T-5000 rifles were designed to use widely available box magazines made by Accuracy International of the UK, but these magazines were found to be a bit short for some loads. For this reason, T-5000 rifles were redesigned to use proprietary single stack box magazines of composite design. These magazines have rugged polymer bodies with stainless steel feed lips and inserts, and are long enough to reliably feed all available factory-made ammunition in respective calibers.

Barrels are made from stainless steel and threaded at the muzzle to accept various muzzle brakes and other muzzle devices. The standard ORSIS muzzle brake is highly effective and is said to decrease felt recoil roughly by half. Typical barrel lengths are 66 centimeters for .308 Winchester and .300 Winchester Magnum and 70 centimeters for .338 Lapua Magnum.

T-5000 rifle in .300 Win Mag, complete.

Chassis type stocks are machined from aluminum alloy and feature steel bedding inserts and steel shoulder stock hinge and lock. The shoulder stock folds to the left, and allows the rifle to be operated when folded. Cheek rest and buttplate are adjustable, and optional rear monopod can be installed, if required. By default, T-5000 rifles are supplied without iron sights; scope mounting interface is provided by a Picatinny rail, securely bolted to the top of receiver. Optional forward rails can be bolted to the stock chassis to accept night vision adapters and o
ther accessories.

All rifles are finished with Cerakote finish. Standard color for T-5000 is black, and other colors are available on
special order.

Personal Observations from Range Trip with T-5000 rifles

First of all, I must admit that I am not an experienced target or sniper shooter, and my results are not completely indicative of rifles capabilities. However, my humble results show that these rifles are capable of very good accuracy even with an average operator.

During my range trip I was allowed to shoot two T-5000 rifles: one in .308 Winchester and another in .338 Lapua Magnum. Both rifles were set up with Harris bipods and Dedal NV 5-20x telescope sights. Supplied ammunition included .308 Winchester cartridges by Lapua with 185 grain FMJBT bullets and .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges by Hornady with 250 grain BTHP bullets.

Due to time restrictions, most shooting was done at 100 meters at an outdoor range with a light crosswind. All shooting was done from sitting position, using bipod and my own left hand for rear support.

T-5000 at sniper competition in Russia.

I enjoyed shooting both rifles. Felt recoil was very mild even with the powerful .338 Lapua Magnum; although muzzle blast was quite noticeable especially when trying to make photos from the side. The trigger was the best I ever tried – short and crisp, breaking cleanly at 1000 gram. Bolt operation was smooth and fast. Both rifles were fitted with similar Dedal DH 5-20×56 scopes of Russian manufacture, set into ORSIS-made rings and mounts.

I shot both rifles in strings of 5 rounds, and my best groups were similar for both calibers, measuring 24-25 millimeters across. This translates to slightly less than 1 minute of angle accuracy, and this was my first ever attempt to shoot a real precision rifle (my previous “sniper rifle” experience was limited mostly to a Russian army issue 7.62mm Dragunov SVD semiautomatic rifle). With more experienced shooters firing these rifles, 0.5 MOA or better accuracy is a norm. Over the entire course of fire I encountered zero malfunctions or any other issues.

After about an hour with the T-5000, I also got a little trigger time with .308 Win ORSIS / ArmaLite AR-10 rifle, which also proved to be a real tack diver. Recoil was almost negligible, and using the 5-20x Dedal scope and bipod I first shot 30mm 5-round group and then 40mm 10-round group in a rather rapid tempo – much better than my best results with Dragunov SVD rifles. Unlike the T-5000, ORSIS / ArmaLite rifles are offered only as sporting / hunting weapons, and I found them as much fun to
shoot as T-5000.

During the 1970s, Brazil’s Fábrica de Itajubá (Itajubá Factory), part of the Government-owned IMBEL – Indústria de Material Bélico do Brasil S.A. conglomerate, investigated a number of 9x19mm submachine gun designs in different configurations, none of them having passed the prototype phase. Although those early guns, in general, worked properly, the engineers of the Oficina de Protótipos (Prototypes Workshop) were also aiming at a design that not only performed adequately, but one that would also be economical to be series manufactured. In early 1979, it just so happened that IMBEL had already reached full nationalization of the Fabrique Nationale FAL rifle production in Brazil, with over 200,000 examples of the locally-designated Fz 7.62 M964 (solid stock) and M964A1 (foldable stock) versions of the well-known Belgian rifle having already been manufactured at the facilities located in Itajubá, Minas Gerais State. So, it was only a matter of short time until they came up with the idea of using off-the-shelf FAL parts (unchanged and/or slightly modified) in their subgun designs so that development time could be abbreviated and production costs reduced.

The first of such ventures was designated in-house as the M979 from the year the project began and the prototype emerged, but it was generally known simply as the “Falzinho” (Little Fal). Its more evident external physical relation to the rifle could be seen in the use of the same synthetic pistol grip, trigger guard and the trigger itself, but a closer look at its insides would reveal some other minor parts of common use. In addition to that, the upper and lower receiver (firing mechanism housing) swung open FAL-like to initiate the field stripping process. The method of operation was conventional blowback firing from the open breech position with the firing pin machined on the bolt head. The external portion of the 215 mm barrel that extended out of the upper receiver was fitted with a perforated metal jacket to act as a protection against possible burns to the shooter in case of overheating. Typical of the Number 1 prototype was its right-side folding stock, a straight, thin metal tube with a simple synthetic buttplate. The non-reciprocating aluminum cocking handle, right on top of the gun, was machined into a U-shape so as not to interfere with the use of the protected iron sights.

Author firing an MD2A1, which had a cyclic rate of fire of around 700 rounds per minute.

The M979 was subsequently re-designated Sub Mtr 9 IMBEL MD1 (solid FAL stock) and Sub Mtr 9 IMBEL MD1A1 (reshaped metal folding stock), and received gradual design changes here and there, while maintaining the basic fixed firing pin bolt. The earliest prototypes employed a machined upper receiver with a pressed steel cover on it, but following examples adopted a single stamped receiver with 1.2 mm thick walls. This resulted in an overall empty gun weight reduction of 300 grams to about 3.6 kg and a cut from 43 to 19 workshop operations to make it. The wooden handguard was reshaped in contour and received wider longitudinal grooves instead of the earlier, narrower transversal grooves. Overall length was 730 mm, reduced to 495 mm with the stock folded. At least one MD1 prototype featured a small button-type cocking piece. This earliest FAL-based submachine gun performed pretty well, to the point that IMBEL decided to submit it to official Brazilian Army product (not acceptance) certification tests at the Campo de Provas da Marambaia (Marambaia Proving Grounds), in Rio de Janeiro, where it was approved.

The primary aim of the Itajubá Factory people was to employ as many FAL components as possible so as to reduce development time and eventual series production costs of their gun as much as possible. So, in 1981, the Sub Mtr 9 MD2 (solid buttstock) and the Sub Mtr 9 MD2A1 (foldable metal stock) appeared. The new experimental guns employed 90 parts (or about 80 per cent of their components) common to the FAL, with emphasis on the whole lower receiver, including the firing mechanism and the three-position fire selector. This turned them into the closed-breech weapons, which was a bonus when it came to more precise semiautomatic fire. Two lengths were available for the hard-chromed barrels (four grooves, RH rifling, pitch 1:254 mm), 160 mm (muzzle velocity: 360 m/s) and 211 mm (muzzle velocity: 400 m/s), mounted to the gun via a screw-on nut. The longer barrel was usually fitted with an external perforated sleeve and a flash hider, this having the same external dimensions of that of the FAL and, thus, allowing the fitting of the rifle’s bayonet. Although the practical usefulness of such an item to an SMG is open to question, the manufacturer stated at the time that this was actually a requirement from one of the potential costumers (apparently for guard duties), so this accessory was made available. Another visible FAL-related item was the protecting structure for the fixed (100 m) aperture rear sight. The front sight was a post well protected by large steel ears, radius being a generous 310 mm. Also coming from the rifle was the non-reciprocating cocking piece, that small variant that lies flat under spring tension when not pulled out by the operator.

The Number 1 prototype of the M979, the first Fábrica de Itajubá submachine gun to employ FAL components, such as the pistol grip and trigger group, minus the firing mechanism. The blowback weapon still had the firing pin machined to the bolt head and fired from the open breech position.

The MD2A1 could be termed as the ‘compact’ variant, with its plain 160 mm barrel with no thermal sleeve or flash hider barely protruding past the mounting nut. Overall length was 680 mm, and this was reduced to 435 mm when the simple metal buttstock was folded to the right side. Empty weight without magazine was 3.2 kg. The fixed-stock MD2 with the 211 mm barrel had an overall length of 600 mm and weighed 4.2 kg without magazine. Twenty- and thirty-round magazines were available with loaded weights of 420 and 600 grams respectively, these being of the two-position feed type and featured inspection windows at the 10-, 20- and 30-round positions. As both SMGs had the same basic components, their modular design allowed, of course, that ‘hybrid’ models were configured, such as an MD2 with the shorter barrel or an MD2A1 with the longer barrel. Another option was the use of the more robust standard PARA-FAL foldable stock, though this was heavier and more expensive to manufacture.

A semiautomatic carbine version with a longer barrel (401 mm) was also made, this being intended to eventually enter the U.S. commercial market. Called the Ca 9 IMBEL MD1, it was particularly smart-looking due to its perforated thermal jacket and flash hider. The gun was 940 mm long and weighed 3.9 kg. Another viable option for law enforcement agencies that used semi-auto, pistol-caliber carbines would the fitting of the 211 mm barrel. Although the longer barrel gave a higher muzzle velocity (439 m/s) than that of the MD2’s (400 m/s), the difference in terminal velocity became smaller as the range increased, mainly so passing the 100 meters, a more than reasonable range for the caliber involved.

The widely redesigned MD2 employed about 60 per cent of parts common to (and interchangeable with) the FAL and fired with the bolt in the closed position with the rifle’s hammer/striker mechanism. Note the small cocking handle that lay flat on the left side when not in use.

Field stripping of all models was straightforward and pretty much the same as that of the FAL rifle, requiring no tools as it should be expected. After removing the magazine and checking that the chamber was unloaded, the take-down lever on the rear left side of the body was rotated down and anti-clockwise, the lower and upper receivers swinging away from each other, opening the gun. The 530 g hard-chromed bolt and the return spring, together with its guide rod, could then be slid out of the receiver. The barrel was removed from the receiver forward end by unscrewing its mounting nut; no further disassembly being required for basic cleaning/maintenance, although the two main structures could easily be fully separated by the removal of a single mounting pin.

All in all, all of these FAL-based 9x19mm weapons performed adequately and could well be placed in series production with no great efforts at IMBEL’s facilities. It just so happened that in the early 1980s the international market was already somewhat crowded with submachine gun offerings, and the eventual local orders from the armed and police forces did not seem to justify the full go-ahead for this unique and little-publicized program carried out by a bunch of creative
Brazilian designers.

A field-stripped MD1 semiautomatic carbine.

MD1A1 showing the iron sights (fixed aperture and post) and the large characteristic non-reciprocating aluminum cocking piece. The wide U-shaped center allowed unrestricted use of the sights.

Comparative view of an MD1 (top) with a later MD2A1, this one fitted with a PARA-FAL foldable stock and a slightly longer (222 mm) barrel with no perforated thermal sleeve or flash hider. Its rear sight assembly, though of a different shape, also comes from the rifle. For the record, the Belgian gun also uses different, unprotected rear sights (sliding U-notch, aperture or rotating disc.)

The Ca 9 IMBEL MD1 9x19mm semiautomatic carbine.

Two MD2 and MD2A1 prototypes. The gun on top has a 211 mm barrel and a perforated sleeve with no flash hider that extends past the muzzle, while the example below, using a PARA-FAL folding stock, is fitted with an a longer (222 mm) barrel with a re-shaped mounting nut. Both rear sight structures are FAL-originated.

Author testing the Ca 9 IMBEL MD1.

In the world of high quality military ammunition, the name Black Hills Ammunition is on top of the list. Not for building standard issue ammunition but for the specialized ammunition used by Special Forces and SEAL units. Jeff Hoffman is the one on the speed dial for the U.S. Special Operations Command when they need a custom load for a specific purpose.

Small Arms Defense Journal was granted an interview with Jeff Hoffman, the man behind the highest quality ammunition in the U.S. arsenal. His story is of an industry practitioner who worked his way up by his bootstraps from working a Dillon press as an employee to him and his wife Kristie owning one of the most successful munitions manufacturing companies in the U.S.

SADJ: What was your first experience with firearms?

Hoffman: The first one that I remember, specifically firearms as in burning gun powder and not with things like BB guns was my grandfather and father taking me to the range and teaching me to shoot a .22 rifle that was a Winchester Model 74. And I remember it being just magic to be able to be in one spot and create an effect in another spot with that rifle. I was hooked right there.

SADJ: You have a background in law enforcement, can you tell us a little bit about that?

Hoffman: I made friends with the local cops when I was in high school and it was interesting. I was more interested in walking uptown and hopping in a patrol car and going on patrol then I was on going out to drink beer. I spent a lot of time in a patrol car and thought that this was fun. I didn’t know what to do for a profession so for lack of something better I thought I really enjoyed what I had seen of law enforcement, so when it came time to go to college by default I took up criminal justice. I graduated with a degree in criminal justice and got hired by the Rapid City Police Department in 1979. Actually, prior to that, I had interned in my home town when I was 19 years old.

I believe I was the youngest cop in the history of South Dakota. I had to get a special dispensation from the Standards Commission to be a cop at 19. I wasn’t even old enough to be in a bar except by wearing the uniform. It was kind of funny when I went in front of the Standards Commission the Chief of Police from my hometown went with me and vouched for me so that I could get hired with him. His recommendation said “Jeff’s good in a bar fight.” That was a long time ago and I don’t think that same recommendation would get you hired as a cop now, but at the time my primary recommendation was that I was good in a bar fight.

As a Deputy Sheriff sniper, Hoffman trains with various weapons depending on the conditions. Here he uses a telescopic stock version of the Mk12, Mod1 he designed his Mk262, Mod1 ammunition around.

But after interning and getting my degree I came to Rapid City. I was hired by Rapid City Police Department and worked for them from ’79 to ’82 and then had an opportunity to get into business – the predecessor to this business. And so then I switched to the Rapid City Police Department Reserves, because once you’re a cop it’s hard to quit being a cop, so I stayed on as a reserve. And then a year later I switched to the Sheriffs Reserves. I served in that capacity until earlier this year when they made me a regular deputy. So basically I’ve been doing law enforcement for something like 35 years.

SADJ: Did you have any particular specialty in law enforcement?

Hoffman: Yup, I’m a sniper. I’ve been on the Special Response Team since 1989 as a sniper. For the past eight years or so I’ve been the sniper element leader for the Special Response Team. In 1989 my sergeant on the Sheriff’s Department stopped down to work and said – when I say “work” I mean Black Hills Shooter Supply, which was the company that was a predecessor to this. It started as Black Hills Shooter Supply. He stopped down to the work and said, “Hey Jeff, we’re starting up the warrant service team, do you want to be a part of it?” And I said, “Certainly, that sounds like fun. I’ll do anything. I’ll carry gear or whatever you need me to do. I spent my life on the phone negotiating things, I could be a negotiator.”

At the time I was a competitive pistol shooter and I said “I could be an entry guy. I’m pretty good with a handgun.” And my sergeant looked me in the eye and said, “You’re not listening to me. I want you to be a sniper and you’re gonna be my sniper.” And I said “okay.” And at that point I dedicated myself to studying sniping, becoming a real student of sniping in the martial arts sense, you never master it you’re always a student. So that’s what I’ve done for the past 25 years.

SADJ: When did you enter the gun business?

Hoffman: Black Hills Shooter Supply started in September of 1981. Kristi and I bought in to that company in March of 1982.

When I had joined the police department they found out in pretty good order that I could shoot pretty well – my grandfather taught me to shoot – and I could shoot a pistol pretty well and never had any problems qualifying. They asked if I wanted to join the pistol team and I said “sure”. I hate losing, so since I was then on the pistol team I had to win, and to win you had to practice, and to practice you had to buy ammo.

And so, I was buying ammo from our local range master who was making it on a progressive machine in his basement. And this range master one day in 1981 said, “I’m tired of police work. Do you think I could make a living making ammo full time?” I said “No.” He didn’t listen to me, fortunately, and he started the company that became Black Hills Shooter Supply. And I started working for him immediately cranking a Dillon. That was my third job. I was a police officer, also I was working security at the Hilton Hotel, and my third job was making ammunition. And as much as I cranked that Dillon along with all the other part-time officers that were doing it, we could never catch up.

I would make ammunition during the day and at night I would ship ammunition, and I realized that I was wrong and there is a big market for this. And I remember clearly thinking that I wished I had a piece of this and then later on like most businesses, that business needed some additional cash flow, so Tom, the principal owner of Black Hills shooters Supply, offered to let Kristi and I to buy into the business. To make a long story short, in March of ’82 we bought into Black Hills Shooter Supply, and we ran along in that business until October of 1988. At that point the business had two primary product lines: we sold components, brass, bullets and powder and we also sold loaded ammo. At that point a business decision was made to split the sheets. Kristi and I took the manufacture of ammunition and our former partner took the sales of components and we split the companies, and now we became Black Hills Ammunition.

SADJ: When did Black Hills Ammunition open their door?

Hoffman: Black Hills Ammunition was formed in October of `88. And since then we’re still sole owners and we’ve grown and done pretty well.

SADJ: What was your first major contract?

Hoffman: That would be the Army Marksmanship Unit in 1996. We had a gentleman by the name of Mike Harris call up and suggest that we bid on this bid. I said “I don’t know anything about military business.” And he said “I do. I’m a retired Lieutenant Colonel. I know all about this and I can help you win the bid.” And I said, “Well what do you want out of it?” He said, “I want 3%.” And I thought that was a pretty good deal, 3% of some business that we didn’t already have. And so we bid on it and surprised ourselves by winning the bid. By winning the bid it wasn’t just saying that you could do it, but you also had to provide samples. They tested our stuff. They had impossible specifications.

Jeff Hoffman is not your typical business executive. He is a master of his craft and can be seen any day on his 1,400 yard range in South Dakota honing his long range shooting skills.

The specifications, ballistically, were impossible to meet, and I told them that. We provided the samples and I explained to them that you can’t get that kind of velocity with that bullet in this cartridge without exceeding pressures. This ammunition meets your specifications for performance but it’s over the specified pressure. And they said “Yeah, we know but we wanted to see what we could get.” And we were able to save them 10,000 pounds of pressure plus provide a very accurate round that was designed for 600 round target shooting.

We provided the round that gave them the desired accuracy at an acceptable price to them and that was our first contract with the U.S. Government, the Army Marksmanship Unit in 1996. From that we didn’t realize how significant that was but we later learned that the rest of the world, all of the military units, watch the AMU to see what they do because they’re the best funded and they have very good shooters. So about three years after that all of the other Marksmanship Units have come to us and said “You do the Army stuff, would you also do stuff for us?” So by ’99 we had the Navy, Army and Marine Corps were all buying from us, and I believe also the Air Force was also buying from us.

SADJ: At the time that you did this how many people did you have working for your company?

Hoffman: Probably 25 or 28.

SADJ: Can you tell our readers about the development of the Mark 262?

Hoffman: We can. In about 1999 the Navy came to us and said “We’re designing a new 5.56mm precision rifle. It’s basically an M16A1, accurized, scope sighted, suppressed, and we need ammunition that’s accurate and effective at 600 yards.” And I said “We could do that. I know that we can meet your accuracy requirements because we’re already doing that for AMU. I don’t know anything about the performance levels – the combat effectiveness of 5.56mm at 600 yards, but I know that we meet the accuracy requirement. So we started working with them.

We submitted the ammunition that we’d been making for the AMU and then we set about making it a combat hardened cartridge, instead of .223 Rem brass we went to 5.56mm brass. We increased the charge. We modified the propellant. We’ve also modified the projectile. The brass has been modified to make it better. And ultimately, the result of that is what we have now the Mark 262 Mod 1. I’ve greatly condensed a decade of development and refinement in the cartridge in that short recital. But we went from AMU ammunition to Mark 262 Mod 1.

SADJ: Can you explain the differences between the Mark 262 mod 0 and the Mark 262 mod 1?

Hoffman: The primary difference is the addition of the cannelure, that’s what distinguished mod 0 from mod 1. We also, along the way, have gone through several generations of propellant, and mod 0 has a different propellant than mod 1 does.

SADJ: With the amazing popularity and success that the Mark 262 has had, can you tell our readers about how you were able to bridge the gap between combat reliability and match accuracy in a combat rifle round?

Hoffman: When the military came to us to produce this the primary requirement was an accuracy round, and we knew how to make accuracy. Primarily you get accuracy by careful selection of components well suited to the task. In this case the bullet that we ultimately ended up with was a Sierra 77 Matchking, a very accurate bullet. And then you assemble those carefully selected components with extreme care. For example, in Mark 262 mod 1 it has one lot of brass – for every ammo lot it’s composed of component lots that are single lot of product. One lot of primers, in one lot of brass, with one lot of propellant and one lot of bullets assembled on a single line machine in one continuous run. What we’re doing there is eliminating variables, and by eliminating variables you end up with very uniform ammunition, and carefully tested at every stage of production. So if you’re using good components, good accurate bullets, assembling them with extreme care, that’s what will give you the accuracy and the
uniformity required.

And then along the way we’ve had to do things to combat harden it like we had the brass specially produced, we had to modify the brass to do what it does from the original Winchester brass to the brass that we later went to. We had to have the brass modified. We had to have a cannelure added to the bullet, which Sierra was reluctant to do. We went through several generations of powder, ultimately ending up with a propellant that was designed specifically for this application. Those things combat hardened a
marksmanship round.

SADJ: Can you tell our readers the difference between a boat tail match hollow point and an open tip match?

Hoffman: Primarily it’s terminology, but it’s terminology that means something. Most people, when they look at a boat tail hollow point they say that you can’t use that, it violates the Geneva Convention. First it’s not the Geneva Convention that they mean to be talking about, it’s the Hague Convention. Secondly, the U.S. is not a signatory to the Hague Convention; however, we abide by its terms in accordance with the U.S. Government’s interpretations of it.

The Hague Convention basically says that you cannot use a bullet which unnecessarily deforms or is intended to cause unnecessary harm or suffering. The U.S. Judge Advocate General (JAG) has addressed these concerns specifically with this bullet and with some prior open tip match bullets to answer those concerns. Basically open tip match is the U.S. Military terminology for a boat tail hollow point that’s designed for accuracy purposes. The hollow point is not there in any way to cause the bullet to deform, fragment or do anything.

The bullet is designed specifically for accuracy, and the design of it is there only because that’s the most accurate way to produce an accurate bullet. In the case of the Mark 262, that hollow point does nothing to enhance terminal effect. When you recover any bullet fragments from a gelatin test you can find that little nose, which some people would call a hollow point, still perfectly closed shut in the recovered gelatin, which demonstrates the JAG ruling in this regard is absolutely correct. The “hollow point” does nothing towards terminal performance. Rather than argue about types of “hollow points,” JAG uses the term OTM, Open Tip Match to denote a bullet that has the core inserted from the front and the tip then formed to create a superior bullet from the
accuracy standpoint.

SADJ: Do you manufacture a civilian version of the Mark 262? And, if so, what are the differences between the commercial Mark 262 and the military version?

Hoffman: After word got out about us making the Mark 262 there was an extreme civilian demand for it. It was incredible. But the only way that it was available to the civilian market was the ammunition that we would pull from our military runs. We have a very detailed inspection process; every round of ammunition is hand inspected. And we would pull off ammunition that had the slightest cosmetic defect, and it would not go to the military. That ammunition was functionally perfect, would perform exactly the same in every performance category but it just wasn’t quite as pretty because it might have a very slight scratch or a very slight dent on it. We would sell those as cosmetic seconds.

Black Hills Ammunition produces ammunition of the highest quality for the nation’s most elite warriors. Shown is 5.56mm Mk262, Mod1 ammunition being manufactured and then off to the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana where it will get deployed to Special Forces anywhere in the world.

There was always an incredible demand for those. People would call up and say, “When are you going to run more seconds?” Well, we don’t run seconds; it’s a byproduct of production and inspection. But there was such a demand for it that we cleared it with the military, talked to them and they said “Jeff, this is your product that you designed and you can sell it if you want.” And I said, “We won’t use the Mark 262 name but we’ll sell it.” That’s the reason why our commercial ammunition doesn’t say Mark 262. Legally, we would be entitled to because we produced the ammunition but I didn’t think it was right. I considered it a military term. So we sold it as 556-77 and we started offering the exact same product. The only difference is it’s not subjected to all of the military acceptance testing, because it’s not going to the military, but all the same care in production is there.

Just recently we’ve had to make one other slight change because there’s an international powder shortage going on right now – a propellant shortage. Part of it is due to the extreme demand in the industry, and part of it’s because one of the overseas plants had a minor explosion. Nobody was hurt but that plant happened to be our Mark 262 propellant. We had to give priority at that point to the military so we had to use a substitute propellant recently for the commercial 5.56mm. It gives the same performance but we believe in being absolute transparent. The current production commercial ammunition does not use the standard military Mark 262 propellant, but it gives the same performance levels.

SADJ: Can you tell the readers about your involvement with the M118 LR PIP program?

Hoffman: Some years ago a military unit came to us and said, “Jeff, we want you to improve the M118LR.” And I said, “What do you mean improve?” And they said, “You know, make it better.” At that time I didn’t have a specific task on how to improve it, so I started looking at it and seeing how you could improve it. Could you give it a longer range, higher velocity, better BC bullet, push it faster? And in our testing with the weapons supplied with that unit, I really honestly couldn’t find a way to make it better at that time. It was shooting minute of angle out of a semiautomatic weapon. It was performing very well. I couldn’t find a way to make it better.

Every time that we tried to improve the performance by shooting it faster or using heavier bullets we would run into some sort of a problem. And one thing I learned is there are some semiautomatic weapons out there that will drop primers even with ammunition perfectly within proper pressures, so there was a limitation there. You couldn’t simply increase the pressure and have it work. And so, I told them at the time that I don’t see a way to improve it. This is good ammunition.

And then a civilian trainer working with one of the top military units came to me and said, “Jeff, you need to know where to look. You need to improve temperature insensitivity, because at difference ambient temperatures the current M118LR provides too much variation and velocity, and at long distance that’s a problem for the snipers.” And he said also that lot to lot uniformity needs to be improved. So I did some testing and confirmed what he said. I learned that the propellant really could be better, and I submitted a letter to that effect to Naval Service Warfare, Crane, Indiana, and they started on a program to improve it.

And that program ultimately resulted in AB39, which is produced by Federal and it’s a much better product than the original M118LR. We competed on that contract. We didn’t win that one and that’s okay. We feel a certain amount of satisfaction in being a part of a program that improved the performance of the ammunition for our warfighters. We don’t have to win all of them. We’re happy just to be able to contribute. And if we win them then we’ll take that too.

SADJ: As of 2014, who would you say is your biggest customer?

Hoffman: The U.S. government.

SADJ: What sets Black Hills Ammunition apart from the rest of the manufacturers? What makes you guys shine above the rest?

Hoffman: We are responsive, agile in responding, very precision oriented, willing to take on R&D projects for things that, frankly, other people look at and think it’s a real pain in the ass. We’ll take those programs. At last count we have something over ten different national stock number items where we’ve developed them for the U.S. Military, because the DOD came to us and said we need something that will do this. So we set about trying to do that particular task. I think that and the absolute dedication to quality.

One thing we like about military businesses is the military has high standards and they don’t care whether you make a profit on something as long as it’s the best value for the government, as long as you’re providing them something that is better than anybody else would give them and it’s a fair price. They don’t begrudge you making a profit on it. You contrast that with law enforcement – you know I come from a law enforcement background and I love cops, but frankly most law enforcement agencies don’t have good specifications but they buy on low bid. What that means is they constantly get the cheapest thing that’s offered to them, and that’s why we’re not real strong in law enforcement. But that’s why we are real strong in the military. The military has very high standards and we don’t have to compete against the cheapest thing that anybody can make.

SADJ: How does Black Hills diversify its product line?

Hoffman: We sell direct to gun shops. We have avoided the distributor dealer marketing simply because ammunition is a competitive market. We find it works best for us to sell direct to the dealer so we sell direct to the various gun shops. We also sell direct to law enforcement agencies. We sell a lot of ammunition to the U.S. gun manufacturers and some of the foreign gun manufacturers for their function test ammunition and for their proof test ammunition, which some readers may not know what proof is. Proof is ammunition that is intentionally overloaded by a certain amount, and the gun manufacturers will fire one of these rounds through every weapon with the thought that if there’s a flaw in the weapon then it will be discovered early before that weapon is shipped from the plant.

It’s very high specification and it falls in the category of one of the niches that I enjoy, stuff that other people think is too much of a pain in the ass. It’s very high specification. It has to be done right. We’ve adopted that market and we make a large amount of the proof ammunition that the gun manufacturers in this country use. So we have those three categories: the dealers, the law enforcement agencies, the gun manufacturers, and then finally the U.S. Military.

SADJ: For your commercial line you have hunting ammunition and you have cowboy action ammunition. So you have other types of ammunition as well rather than just standard, military and law enforcement type ammunition?

Hoffman: Right. We try to provide something that in any of the categories there is significant demand for. We have training ammunition, self-defense ammunition, long range precision ammunition, premium ammunition for the big game hunter, marksmanship unit ammunition for the military and combat ammunition.

SADJ: Do you do much international business?

Hoffman: Some. Our exports are handled by APEX – Austin Sheraton and he does handle some export business for us. It’s not huge but that’s okay, because we’re extremely busy doing the U.S. business. Frankly, a lot of our export business goes to friendly foreign nations where our special forces will go train with those units and those units look and say, “What do you have there? I need some of that. How do I get that?” And then those units will come to us. A lot of advertising for export sales is actually through U.S. Special Forces contacts.

SADJ: Does Black Hills manufacture any of their own components?

Hoffman: No, we’re an assembly plant. We don’t manufacture any of the components. We don’t make brass, primers, powders or bullets; but we have very good relationships. We’ve got relationships that go back two and three decades with companies. It’s interesting in this business because so many people look at it and say, “How can you be good friends and industry partners with other people that should be your competitors?” This is a very close-knit industry. We’ve got relationships going back with Hornady all the way to 1981, personal relationships. We’ve got relationships with Sierra that almost go back that far, with Hodgdon, with Ramshot Powder Company. We have relationships that are decades old and there’s a lot of trust there. And those companies will work with us.

We have no engineers on staff. We know how to make ammunition. But when we need something special, a change in projectile, for example the Mark 262, when we needed a different brass, we went to Winchester and told them we needed a brass that will put up with this, and they went to work on it, and gave us that brass. When we needed a special propellant we went to Ramshot Powders and they went to their manufacturer and had that manufacturer specifically manufacture a powder that would do exactly what we needed done.

When we needed a cannelured Sierra MatchKing bullet, they didn’t cannelure MatchKing bullets. MatchKings were thought of as a perfect accuracy bullet, and by adding a cannelure the fear was they would damage the accuracy of it. We convinced them to put a cannelure on it. We didn’t lose any accuracy. The actual specs are not releasable to the public, but I can tell you that we shoot 300 yard groups of ten shots that are always sub-minute angle. You can’t damage accuracy very much and maintain that kind of an accuracy standard. We’re not talking three shot groups, we’re talking ten shot groups; and I’m not talking a hundred yards, this is at 300 yards. I think we’ve eliminated that concern that you’re going to damage the accuracy by adding a cannelure to the bullet.

SADJ: You’ve spoken previously about your quality control process. Can you explain what your quality control process is and how it exceeds what you would find in the industry?

Hoffman: Our quality control is a process. It’s not one step. At every point in production, as you saw earlier in your tour, we have an inspection process at every step. When we order product it’s from someone that we trust in the industry. We don’t shop around and jump around to what’s cheapest in the market. We’ve got long term suppliers who have standards, and we receive certifications from them with our shipments showing that the product meet those standards. And then when it shows up at the door, we pull samples. We have inspectors that start sampling it. As soon as the pallet shows up they start tearing stuff apart, sit down with their calipers and gauges checking stuff, because even the best vendor can make a mistake, so we check it there. And as you saw when the operators are running the machine they’re constantly inspecting the product that’s going in, as well as inspecting the ammunition that’s going out. And then everything that we shoot and produce is shot every day for pressure and velocity. And then in addition to that it goes to a hand inspection process where every round is hand inspected. We have a lot number system. Here’s one more example, the lot numbering system will allow us to track what machine produced it, what operator was running the machine, who the inspector was, and the date. And from that we can go back and see who set the machine up, who double checked it, how often was it checked during the run, what were the components used, what was the pressure and velocity of that ammunition and were there any changes made during the run.

So at any time if someone calls up and says, “Jeff, I have a round that didn’t perform the way I expected it to,” I can go back and access all of our records right down to the day that it was produced and tell you everything about that ammunition. That degree of quality control and responsibility leads to quality. Everybody that touches that along the way knows that their signature is on that box of ammo because of that lot number. It allows us to go back to who inspected it, who produced it, who set the machine up. Everybody shoulders the responsibility for making sure that the ammunition is as good as it can be.

SADJ: How many people do you have working for you today?

Hoffman: 76 I believe.

SADJ: Where do you see Black Hills Ammunition in the next decade? What are your future goals?

Hoffman: We will continue producing ammunition that is good as we can make it, and selling as much as the market wants to the extent that we can. Ever since 9/11 of 2001 we’ve been in a backorder situation except for one year. So it’s hard to meet the market demand but we’re doing the job as best we can.

SADJ: Thank you very much.

SIG Sauer means quality and performance. Their level of engineering and execution has never really been challenged. Their reputation was earned on merit having secured their prestige based on performance and result. For the individual or agency in search of a premium firearm for defense and duty, there is a short list of choices and SIG Sauer is on that list.

It is impossible to predict where and how a sidearm will be employed. The potential “Area of Operation” can range from a harsh desert to the complexity of a metropolitan city to the confined and treacherous space of a home. A job may require a covert subcompact, or may allow for the presence and power of an exposed full-sized pistol. As such, there is likely no “best” classification for a fighting sidearm so one must use caution when assigning such an absolute title as “best” to a handgun. Considering that, these are carefully chosen words: in this author’s opinion, the P320 could prove to be the best sidearm SIG has ever made. It’s convertible, adaptable, modular, and upgradeable. It’s engineered to be safe, yet instantly ready in any situation. It’s a departure from the classics – new operation and new lines – and no hammer. SIG Sauer has not changed its goals; just followed a new path to achieve the same goal of creating the most rugged, reliable, and capable pistol on the market.

Here you can make out the area where the hammer used to be. Keep in mind the grip module of the P320 must also work with the P250. Also note the right side slide catch and the cutaway areas for forced magazine removal.

SIG’s “bread and butter” lineup of pistols that includes the P220, P226, P228, etc., will be a hard act to follow. They have literally “saved the day” too many times to ever be proven outdated or insufficient. No, they will never be fully eclipsed by the P320. Law-enforcement, military, and civilians alike know and trust these “two-hundred” series guns. These are the guns that put SIG Sauer on the map. They represent sound concept, solid engineering, and flawless manufacturing. These “classics” have been offered in seven calibers, and beyond the basic model designations, they have been offered in well over one hundred different variations and trim levels to suit most any role. The basic design of all the “two hundred” guns (except the P210 and the Colt clones) features the simple double action/single action operation, with a hammer de-cock lever (no safety). This fire control configuration ensures that the pistol can be carried in a completely safe condition, until such time that the gun be deployed to fulfill its role. The act of firing the gun requires no special maneuver or preparation: just a trigger pull. SIG Sauer has maintained that “instant readiness” and is a distinct tactical advantage. SIG pistols are always safe and always ready (including the P320). SIG has lately released single action only (SAO) variants of the P220 and P226 models, presumably for competition and target shooting. These offer supreme trigger control in the SIG lineup.

Nothing is perfect and there are advantages some other brands can claim over the old SIG Sauer pistol. One is an internal working mechanism; that is, no exposed hammer. Another may be advanced ergonomics by offering user customizable size and fit in the form of snap-on grip panels. Other brands may claim superiority by utilizing advanced materials and processes in their construction. These claims are all legitimate. The old SIG was crafted entirely of metal and was heavier and more expensive than the competitors’ offerings (a P226 weighs about 32 ounces). The old SIG could never brag of its advanced ergonomics as the frames had to be cut from a solid block of aluminum or steel and used a conventional exposed hammer; a centuries old means of ignition. It is effective, but demonstrably inefficient in terms of its size, weight, and the energy required to move the hammer. It also creates a potential entry point for debris. The old SIG could certainly never claim to be convertible and adaptable and completely serviceable without tools. The improved ergonomics afforded by a molded frame, and the cost advantages of such construction suggest that this method is the way forward in design and manufacturing.

In the first step in disassembly the slide is locked rearward, the magazine removed and the takedown lever is swung clockwise.

In the early days of “plastic guns” there were skeptics of the technology. The doubts have been quelled and today we see healthy commercial and professional demand for a half-plastic pistol. SIG’s first stab was the SIGPRO series, introduced in the late 1990s. The “Pro” featured a plastic frame with a magazine release that could be flopped over for left-handed use. The operation was conventional SIG: SA/DA with a decock lever. The SIGPRO carried a bargain price tag and could be had for under $400 dollars. The gun was accepted in the U.S., but was not an overwhelming success. It met heavy competition from other makers; some U.S. domestic firms, but mostly from SIG’s European neighbors. In the world market however, the SIGPRO continues to enjoy real success among military and law-enforcement departments. SIG has produced something in the ballpark of a quarter million of these pistols on a single contract with the French. And the SIGPRO is good enough for the U.S. Army’s tank crews. TACOM keeps 5,000 SIGPROs on hand. The latest revision is called the SP2022. It’s still available at retail for $500.

The 250 was SIG’s next step into the polymer frame market. In 2007, SIG engineers took a new approach to their formula. The P250 is an economical gun; half its parts are either injection molded or formed sheet metal. The genius behind it is its modular arrangement. The actual serialized “firearm” component is nothing more than a trigger-pack that can be removed from the plastic frame for service, repair, or to be fitted into a different grip frame. The gun can be configured as a compact carry piece, or a full sized duty piece. The frames can be had with differing girth as well. To support true convertibility, SIG has offered accessory slides and barrels as caliber conversions, and the components are cheap enough to justify this program. The only thing missing for any die-hard fan of a SIG pistol is the decock lever. The P250 has a hammer, but it is spurless and rests concealed within the slide. It fires in double action only. The hammer is always down, thus, always ready to fire. The pistol features an internal “passive safety” that prevents against accidental ignition until the trigger is pulled. This action requires 5 1/2 pounds of force, and a long, deliberate stroke of the index finger to pull the trigger through its motion.

The slide assembly is removed from the distal end of the grip module without pulling the trigger. The barrel, guide rod and slide are arranged in a familiar fashion.

Six more years would pass before SIG would drop the hammer from the P250 recipe to create the P320. The P320’s design and construction are founded on the P250; this time with an internal striker to do the job of the hammer. An enclosed ignition system promises ultimate reliability as there is less chance for particulate and fouling to get into the works. Also, the striker is a very light structure so much less force is required to move it at the necessary speed to ignite a primer. A striker system does away with the elaborate links, levers, struts and springs found on a hammered gun. There are fewer bits, and less motion to impart. The positive side effect is illustrated as a very light, short, and crisp trigger break. When compared to other striker-fired pistols of today, the trigger of the P320 is unmatched.

The P320’s external form has been streamlined when compared to the P250. The slide lacks the lines of the classic SIG Sauer pistol. Instead, the slide has been given facets on the sides and corners, but retains the familiar round top. The slide features aggressive front and rear cocking serrations – a feature previously reserved for premium trim packages on the “200” guns. In their wisdom, SIG’s designers have maintained reverse compatibility with aftermarket and OEM sight options as all aftermarket sights made for the P226 will fit the P320. Furthermore, this pistol includes a decent “SIGTac” holster in the package. If the included rig were unsuitable for concealment or duty purposes, any holster meant for the P250 or the other “200” series pistol of the “R” variety will fit the P320.

The takedown lever is forced out the side, allowing the frame to slip out of the grip module.

The frame of this pistol comes with an integral Picatinny style accessory rail to accept most weapon light or laser devices. The magazine latch can be reversed for left-handed operation. The slide catch mechanism is also fully ambidextrous. And it’s not just ambidextrous control as the slide stop is mirrored on each side of the gun as the stop engages notches in both sides of the slide. The only control surface that is not available to left and right-handed shooters is the takedown lever. The P320 does revive one feature that should never have been forgotten: the base of the grip is cut away to allow positive access to the magazine’s floorplate. The manual of arms for clearing a feed-related jam requires the magazine to be forcibly removed as a jam of this sort may “lock” the magazine into the gun. All the attention to enhanced reliability and rugged simplicity fails to account for a single bad ammunition cartridge that can render a pistol useless. So it’s there if it’s ever needed. The basic numbers of the full sized P320 are: 4.7 inch barrel, weighs 29 ounces, holds 17 rounds of 9mm and includes two magazines. It can be purchased for under $600.

The gun is easily broken down into its major subassemblies: the slide, barrel, and frame, by conventional means. The slide is locked rearward, the magazine removed, and the takedown lever is rotated clockwise. The slide can then be removed without the necessity to pull the trigger. This is an added safety measure created at the request of law enforcement. The frame can then be disassembled further to facilitate maintenance or to effect a frame swap. The plastic outer shell that is the grip, trigger guard and accessory rail is referred to as the “grip module. The frame is actually the internal subassembly that houses the fire control group and bears the weapon’s serial number. The takedown lever is pushed through and out the side of the grip module to free up the internal frame. The frame is lifted straight up as the tail end unhooks from a socket at the rear of the grip module. This is the extent of disassembly required to effect a thorough cleaning or grip or caliber conversion.

This is the heart of the P320 and is the serialized firearm component.

The P320’s ergonomics and balance leave little to be desired. The design of this gun has forced SIG to be efficient with their use of material; the polymer grip modules only weigh around 3.5 ounces, and the frame comes in about 4.5 ounces. The full-sized P320 weighs 5 ounces less than a comparable P226. The feel and natural point of the P320 is superior to most others on the current market. The grip’s shape, angle, and location relative to the gun’s balance point contribute to instinctive hold and pointability. The contour of the grip and web encourage a high and snug hold on the gun to enhance control. The grip module can be replaced to match various slide lengths: full size, compact, and sub compact. The grip size can also be selected – small medium or large to fit different shooters’ hands. In the case of a standard caliber P320 (not .45 auto) the user can adapt a single frame assembly to seven different grip modules, and nine slide and caliber combinations. Barring incompatibilities with differing slide and grip module lengths, there are – by all calculations – many possible combinations. The P320 is nothing if not full of potential. Cross your fingers for a competition module with a high-sweep beavertail and an integral flared magazine well. Or even an ultra slim single stack grip module.

In action, the P320 is beyond expectation considering the role it was created to play. Recoil and muzzle flip are slightly greater than a comparable yet heavier P226. Proper form, technique and stance are all that’s required to fix that. Accuracy has improved based solely on the short, consistent trigger pull compared to the P226. When we compared the accuracy, handling, and performance of some other striker-fired service pistols, we awarded yet higher marks to the P320. One common negative characteristic of any pistol incorporating lightweight plastic and striker ignition is that it can feel like what it is: a plastic gun with a spring loaded striker inside. Common reasoning from opponents of guns like these usually includes some reference to how the gun “feels” cheap, or that the trigger “feels” like a toy gun trigger. It’s evident that SIG heard the cries and cured the condition. This pistol feels like a solid tool-of-the-trade – it feels like a SIG Sauer. It’s fast on target, it points naturally; operation is instinctive, the trigger is responsive, and reliability is perfect.

The P320 will have its fans and its detractors. It’s expected that the professional market will readily assimilate the P320 for its capability and durability. Others who prefer a match-grade single action may not share the enthusiasm. And there are still those who think polymer on a gun is complete hokum. However, if you can subscribe to the notion that you need a workhorse pistol that is on-the-job and always ready, you can appreciate where SIG has gone with this one. It’s the product of years of development by some of the world’s brightest firearms engineers, and built on feedback from the world’s top gun-toting professionals. It has got everything a sidearm needs and fills that bill without compromise. This pistol could be a big “period” to end the current discussion on combat handgun design and development.

From the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, Argentina, like many of the world’s countries, was primarily equipped with bolt-action Mauser rifles acquired directly from DWM (Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken) beginning with the M1891 (about 180,000 units) and followed by the M1909 (about 130,000 units purchased in the 1909-1911 period), all in the 7.65x53mm chambering, the so-called Argentine Mauser round. The local Arsenal Esteban de Luca (a.k.a. Fábrica de Fusiles de Buenos Aires) started producing replacement parts for the rifles, including barrels, in 1915. Between 1947 and 1959 or so, state-owned Fabricaciones Militares locally produced about 20,000 shorter (556 mm barrel) Engineers/Cavalry carbine variants of the standard rifle (this had a 740 mm barrel) at its Fábrica Militar de Armas Portátiles “Domingo Matheu” (Domingo Matheu Small Arms Military Factory), in Rosario, Santa Fé Province. For the record, the different Mauser models remained in Argentine Army use until gradually replaced by the 7.62x51mm FN FAL from mid-1957. Following the delivery of initial Belgium-made batches, local manufacture at the Domingo Matheu Factory started in 1959, when 500 examples were completed, but production output would eventually reach about 10,000 units per year. It is estimated that 120,000 FALs were manufactured in Argentina before production finally stopped in the mid-to-late 1990s.

Shortly after World War II, when the U.S. M1 Garand, the Soviet SVT series, and the German G43 and StG44 had shown the new shape and fashion of the infantryman’s rifle, the Argentine Army thought it was also about time to follow suit, if possible, involving local manufacturers. Since the country lacked the basic technical knowledge involving the design and production of semi-auto weaponry, external inspiration was required. This came in the form of the German StG 44 assault rifle that somehow found its way to that South American country in around 1947. Using a reverse-engineering process, personnel from CITEFA – Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de las Fuerzas Armadas (Armed Forces Institute for Scientific and Technical Research) in association with those of Fábrica Militar de Armas Portátiles “Domingo Matheu” produced their local clone of the Sturmgeweher, which received the designation CAM 1. At the same time, Army’s Fábrica Militar de Cartuchos “San Lorenzo” (San Lorenzo Military Factory of Cartridges), also in the Santa Fé Province, tooled up for the production of the 7.92x33mm round used in the rifle, and some test batches came out for use in the unknown number of CAM 1 prototypes that eventually emerged from the Domingo Matheu Factory. For unknown reasons, however, plans for the full-scale manufacture of the rifle gradually came to an end in about 1953-54.

Rare photograph of the Argentine CAM 1 rifle, the reverse-engineered clone of the German StG 44 assault rifle made by FMAP-DM in Rosario, Santa Fé Province. The 7.92x33mm round seen on the detached 30-round magazine was locally produced by Fábrica de Militar de Cartuchos “San Lorenzo”, also in Santa Fé.

Another attempt also dating to the early-1950s apparently came from the Argentine Navy with the reported technical support of H.A.F.D.A.S.A. – Hispano Argentina Fábrica de Automóbiles S.A., a small Buenos Aires-based manufacturer of submachine guns and semiautomatic pistol-caliber carbines. This eventually materialized in the form of a modified M1 Garand rifle in 7.65x53mm caliber, of which at least one prototype was completed by Fábrica Militar de Armas Portátiles “Domingo Matheu” in 1953. The most noticeable external features of what was simply called the Fusil Semiautomático (Semiautomatic Rifle) were an elaborate aluminum handguard with vertical ventilation openings lengthwise and revised, slimmer contours for the shoulder stock.

It is also reported that the Argentine Air Force had earlier played around with the idea of a local manufacturing program of Melvin Johnson’s M1941 semiautomatic rifle, some mention of a so-called M1947 (a semi-auto carbine derived from the M1941 machine gun) for Argentina having occasionally emerged. It would take about two decades for a new move towards an indigenous rifle project to get started in that South American nation.

Dimensions and head stamp of the Argentine 7.92x33mm cartridge made by FMC-SL for the CAM 1 assault rifle.

In 1975, the Estado Mayor General del Ejército (Army General Staff) sent to the FMAP-DM the preliminary technical requirements for a 5.56x45mm FAA (Fusil de Asalto Argentino, or Argentine Assault Rifle). Design responsibility was given to a team headed by Enrique Chichizola, and by 1977 the basic parameters of what was called “Proyeto Código 10.0187” had been defined. In mid-1979, after about seven months of actual building work, the first of five test prototypes was completed.

With numerous modifications dictated both by the early test program and by consecutive changes in the official requirements, a pre-production batch of approximately 50 units was completed at the Domingo Matheu Factory; the guns being subsequently delivered for actual evaluation and field testing by Army units, with emphasis on those so-called “special” outfits such as airborne, commando, and mountain troops. This took place in the 1982-1983 period. After having been called the FAA, the gun was later named FAA 81 and, finally, FARA 83 (Fusil de Asalto República Argentina 1983). It is estimated that, all in all, only a few hundred examples of the rifle were completed before the program was cancelled by the President Carlos Menen administration in the mid-1980s because of insufficient funds available.

Enrique Chichizola headed the design team that created the FAA/FAA 81/FARA 83 rifle. He is seen here holding one of the prototypes at FMAP-DM in February, 1990.

Along its evolutionary period, the modifications applied to the Argentine assault rifle resulted in numerous technical specifications changes. Basically, it was a selective-fire weapon (about 700-750 rounds per minute in full auto) and was gas-operated with a pretty conventional piston/rod/bolt carrier configuration, breech locking being provided by a two-lug rotating bolt. The 452 mm long barrel (six RH grooves, pitch 1:9 in) was adequate both to the common M193 round of that time and to the new SS109 cartridge that was finding its way into the military market. Feed was provided by proprietary steel-made 30-round magazines, but it was planned to have them replaced by AR-15/M16 models for future large-scale production weapons.

The rifle’s body was made primarily of steel stampings, the upper and lower receivers articulating away from each other at about half way the length. The first prototype had a foldable wooden stock, but this subsequently gave way to a synthetic unit with a small internal compartment that housed cleaning material. However, most weapons made for the troop evaluation program were fitted with a tubular metal stock based on that used in the Para-FAL rifle, plus the addition of a plastic cheek rest in which the cleaning kit was accommodated.

A FARA 83 partially stripped for field maintenance. The plastic hand guard incorporated a perforated metal jacket for external ventilation of the barrel and thermal insulation.

The final FARA 83 specifications are as follows: length overall, 1,000 mm; length with the stock folded, 745 mm; height over magazine, 260 mm; weight with empty magazine, 4.16 kg; weight with full magazine, 4.52; weight of optional foldable bipod, 0.4 kg.

As a postscript, in 1989-90 Fábrica Militar de Armas Portátiles “Domingo Matheu” made another attempt to give the Argentine Army a 5.56x45mm rifle. This took the form of a modified 7.62x51mm Para-FAL rifle re-barreled for the new round and fed by 30-round Steyr AUG plastic magazines. Although this worked adequately, the program did not mature enough to enter production. Maybe because the resulting rifle was too heavy for the caliber involved.

Prototype Number 00015 sporting a cylindrical plastic hand guard and the cocking piece to the right side. The foldable metal bipod doubled as a wire cutter, adding about 400 grams to the gun’s weight.

Comparative drawings of the first FAA prototype (top) with a later development model. Significant changes will be found in the shape of the upper receiver, the position of the cocking handle (from 90 degrees left to 45 degrees right forward), the shape of the hand guard, etc.

About two years ago, Salvadorian military intelligence was preoccupied with reports that the brutal MS-13 gang had obtained around 100 M72 Light Antitank Weapons (LAW). Fortunately, the rockets have not been used against any targets within the country. The weapons most likely have been passed over to the Mexican cartels as it is reported that the MS-13 has forged a partnership with Mexican organized crimes syndicates. MS-13 is said to have supplied the Mexican Zetas with advanced weapons. Central American gang member have attended military-style training, and have acted as middlemen between regional militaries and drug traffickers.

A few rockets could have come from the ill fated ATF Castaway Operation in Honduras, the little known sideshow of the Fast and Furious debacle, which ended up supplying weapons to MS-13 and other Central American criminal organizations. The weapons could also come from local arsenals as well. What is certain is that around 2007, a number of M72 rocket launchers had gone missing from the elite Honduran 2nd Infantry Battalion (parachute). Some of the rockets were recovered in Mexico and Colombia 12 months later. The LAWs belonged to a lot of 50 examples delivered to the elite TESON (Honduran Ranger) training unit in 1992; of the fifty, 26 could not be accounted for. The Hondurans were also missing a number of M433 40mm cartridge high-explosive dual purpose (HEDP) grenades from a stockpile transferred to Honduras in 1985.

Salvadorian soldier with a M67 RCL. These are obsolete and worn out weapons still used as main Infantry AT weapon. (J. Montes)

The M72 is useful against light armor at very short range, and often used to soften up stronghold positions. The U.S. delivered in excess of 700 examples to the Salvadorian Army, so it was used widely by Salvadorian forces fighting the FMLN guerrillas during the 1980s. Several hundred were also delivered to the Honduran counterpart. Dozens were lost and captured by guerrilla forces, and many others were lost to the Contras in Nicaragua. M72 LAWs and M16s came from Vietnam to the hands of revolutionary groups in the region. It is used today by the Salvadorian and Honduran Army in quantities, and also found in smaller quantities in Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala.

Well known to anyone who has spent any time in the U.S. Army, the M72 is a 66mm rocket contained within a double fiberglass tube. When the outer tube is extended, the firing mechanism is activated, and the extended tube length becomes the launching platform. The rocket is retained in the inner tube, along with the firing pin itself. When fired, the rocket extends stabilizing fins to slide the warhead to its target. The launcher tube is then discarded. The rocket weighs 2.5 kg and gives a 250 mm armor penetration at 200 meters. The LAW has evolved in several improved versions, and has also inspired a number of other similar rockets. The AT-4 is one example inspired by the M72, but it is not a common weapon found in the region; however, the Soviet RPG-18 equivalent has been. The 64mm rocket, with a 200 m range, could defeat up to 375 mm armor, and found favor with the FMLN guerrillas, Panamanian Defense Forces, and Sandinista Army. The last variation of the original LAW is the M72A7, adopted by the U.S. Marines, and introduces several improvements over the earlier models. However, only the M72A2 and A3 variants are found in Central America. The M72 lacks the punching power to destroy an MBT, but has enough power to destroy any vehicle, door, and small position.

The LAW is a compact and light AT weapon. Salvadorian Special Forces pack three tubes in their rucksacks. (J. Montes)

Although the M72 is highly sought by criminal enterprises given its light weight, powerful warhead, and easy handling, its Russian somewhat equivalent, the RPG-7, is even more common. Unlike the M72 or the RPG-18, the RPG-7 is not a disposable tube, but a reusable and reloadable recoilless rifle firing more powerful ordnance. Numbers of them are being acquired by cartels; many coming from military warehouses in Central America and others have become available in the black market from former guerrilla holdings. For instance, in early 2012, it came to light that two years earlier the Honduran Army had lost 22 RPG-7s from the Army Logistical Support Command. Quantities of anti-tank missiles and launchers have been confiscated in Mexico and Guatemala, to include seven RPG-7Vs and three RPG-7Bs captured in El Zamorano in 2004, and 72 RPG-7 grenades in Olancho, both in Honduras, in 2007. In March 2011, Honduran authorities seized 25 RPG-7 launchers, along with several assault rifles, in a home in San Pedro Sula, some 240 km from Tegucigalpa. In February 2013, another RPG-7 was found in Olancho. In October 2013, Guatemalan authorities seized 11 pistols, 1 Mini Uzi, two M72A1s and one M72A3 LAW, 1 RPG-7, grenades, rifles, ammunition, and more.

The RPG-7 was used extensively by guerrilla movements in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala, and it is said that Israel supplied the Contras with over a hundred RPG-7s recovered from PLO camps in 1982. The CIA supplied in excess of 200 examples, and Chile seized a load of 114 Bulgarian RPG-7s in mint condition destined to Central American guerrillas. In September 2006, Panamanian forces seized 50 grenades for RPG-7s that were travelling through Costa Rica in route to Colombia. The attributes of the weapon make it ideal for guerrillas and soldiers alike. In El Salvador, the Special Forces Command has exchanged its M67 for the more versatile RPG-7. Aside from Nicaragua, where the RPG-7 inventory could be in excess of 8,000 copies, Guatemala is said to hold some 2,200 RPG-7s in its inventory since 2010.

Abundant M72 and RPG-7 launchers in the hands of Salvadorian forces. (J. Montes)

This weapon, as its name suggests, is a portable antitank grenade launcher- it is a recoilless rifle firing rocket assisted grenades. It is effective, reliable, light, easy to maintain, cheap, and cost-efficient. It has been in service since 1961, but its design is derived from the RPG -2, which in turn traces its lineage to WWII models. The weapon can launch rockets with the help of a standard PGO-7 optical sight, which has a 2.7x magnification, and an UP-7V telescopic type. The RPG- 7 consists of rechargeable cast steel tube launcher, 955 mm in length. The tube diameter is only 40mm since the thickest part of the grenade, the warhead, which can be up to 105mm, is retained outside the tube, and only the propellant cylinder goes inside. The grenades are loaded from the front of the tube instead of the rear. Since the warhead is not limited to the diameter of the launcher, a gunner can choose between a variable-size of grenades to engage diverse targets. Half the tube has a wood cover sheathing, but more recent examples have been observed with polymer or hard plastic replacing the wood, and folding bipods. The use of composite materials ensures durability and lightness. Normally, the weapon weighs 16.9 lbs (7.66 kg) unloaded, and grenades can weigh between 2.5 and 4.5 kg, having a range between 10 and 500 meters. The grenade can fly up to 1,100 meters, but the fuze limits its reach to 920 meters. The rockets are equipped with folding fins that provide stabilization and slow turning to the grenade on its way to the target. It has been used from within confined spaces, such as building interiors (taking the care to have a space of at least 2 meters to clear the blackblast) however, more than 20 meters/60ft long are recommended for safe operations. The weapon has been used against all sort of targets, and even used in the anti-aircraft role against helicopters. The RPG-7 fires PG-7VL HEAT projectiles, PG-7VR (HEAT
tandem) rounds, TBG -7V thermo-baric rockets and OG- 7V antipersonnel type. Given the present budget realities, it would be wise for all three countries that conform the northern Central American triangle (Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador) to adopt the RPG-7 to replace the M67 RCLs, and any other light portable weapon; this could even be accomplished with U.S.-made examples, which would be easier to trace if they fall into the wrong hands.

It was a few years back, during DSEi in London, where I saw for the first time a U.S.-made RPG-7. The Airtronic USA RPG-7 launcher was developed under a request from ARDEC, and Airtronic was named as sole source of the American-made RPG by TACOM. This version weighs 14 pounds (6.35 kg), and features Mil-Std 1913 quad Picatinny rails, M4 style collapsible stock, AR-15 type pistol grip, a Picatinny fore grip, flip up backup iron sights and support for red dot sights. Some examples have been observed with an EOTech sight mounted on the top rail. The more modern MK777 variant consists of a 4140/4150 machined steel tube made to U.S. military standards. Its weight has been reduced to some 7.77 lbs (3.52 kg), and its tube is wrapped with carbon composite material as replacement of the wood heat shield.

Carl Gustav in Chile, during FIDAE 2012. The large variety of ammunitions available is evident. (J. Montes)

Northern Central American FS-AT hardware

The U.S. supplied some 379 M67 RCLs to El Salvador. Its destructive power was used with great effect by Salvadoran forces during combat in San Salvador in November 1989, and particularly where other weapons could not be used against guerrilla strongholds due to the urban nature and heavily populated areas of the fighting. Same as Vietnam, the M67 was primarily used against personnel and fortifications in combat; although a reliable and effective weapon, the M67 came in for heavy criticism, as in Vietnam, due to the weapon’s weight and length, particularly given the small size of most Salvadorian soldiers. No doubt that its backblast also attracted fire during the firefights with the guerrillas. The M67 was declared obsolete long ago. After the civil-war, the Salvadorian’s paratroopers chose the lighter and more versatile RPG-7 that had been seized from the FMLN to replace their M67 RCLs. Although elements of the Special Operations Group (GOE) and the Anti-Terrorist Special Commando (CEAT) had access to Barret anti-material rifles, they followed suit and have adopted the RPG-7 as well. Honduras also acquired a number of RPG-7 recoilless launchers to complement the Carl Gustav.

In addition to the RPG-7, Honduras has more than 100 Carl Gustav in use. According to a local source, these are not exactly the M2 type, but a variant made in Israel. This is interesting since it is reported that the IDF acquired only about 100 of them before the 1973 war; these were used by the Israeli Navy on patrol boats, and by the paratroopers; the manufacturing of the type in Israel has not been verified, but the Hondurans are supposed to have some 120 of them – perhaps the entire inventory of the weapons acquired by the IDF in the 70s. In any case, the Israeli model would be based on the M2. This refers to an 84mm portable multipurpose recoilless rifle produced by Bofors. It is a reusable, shoulder-fired multi-role recoilless rifle that is normally operated by a two-man team. Its design goes back to 1946, and was adopted by the Swedish Army in 1948, under the designation 8.4 cm Granatgevär m/48 or Grg m/48c for short (or 84mm Model 1948 Rifle grenade launcher). The Carl Gustav uses a rifled barrel to stabilize its projectiles, and uses the same principle as the mentioned M67. The M2 version entered production in 1964, and this would be the variant attributed to being manufactured in Israel. By comparison to the M67, the M2 weighs 14.2 kg unloaded, but it has been infinitely more versatile than the U.S. counterpart, to the point that remains a reliable, robust, accurate, and modern weapon. With a length of 1,065 mm, the Carl Gustav is shorter than the M67, which has a length of 1,346 mm. Like the M67, the rear part of the tube has a divergent nozzle which directs the blast from the venturi. The standard sight has a 3x magnification, but the weapon can accommodate a number of targeting systems, and some of them allow for accurate fire up to 1,000 meters away; other sights assure that shot at all times, day and/or night, even in adverse conditions. Saab indicates that the, “M3 system offers the soldier various types of ammunition, ranging from armor penetration and anti-personnel, to ammunition for built-up areas as well as special features like smoke and illumination. The M3 version of the launcher features significant weight reduction and improvements for urban operations. Several different types of ammunition allow soldiers to rapidly respond to a wide range of ground threats in all environments.” The M3 version was introduced in 1991, using a thin steel fluted barrel, reinforced by an outer sheath of carbon fiber, and other advances that allowed reducing the weight to 8.5 kg unloaded. So effective is the weapon that the U.S. Rangers threw out their M67 in favor of the M3 in 1993, designating it M3 RAWS. The manufacturer recommends a barrel life of 500 shots, but in Ranger Service it has been reported that some weapons have reached a 2,360 round life until erosion problems arise. As of November 2011, the U.S. Army began distributing the M3, under the designation MAAWS, to regular units in Afghanistan. It also distributed ammunition that gave the ability to engage enemy positions up to 1,250-1,300 meters away. Saab is said to be working on a more compact and lightweight model, with a range of 1,500 meters. The gun is expected to enter service in 2014. It is unlikely that Honduras would complement or replace the M2s for M3s.

LC90 made by Instalaza, Spain as presented at LAAD in Rio de Janeiro. (J. Montes)

Comparing the three mentioned weapons, the M67 (90mm) launches a 3.06 kg HEAT warhead to destroy up to 350mm of armor at 400 meters using a 3x magnification optical sight; the M2 (84mm) takes a 1.70 kg HEAT warhead to penetrate 400mm of armor at a distance of 450 meters using a 2x magnification sight; and finally, the RPG-7 (85mm) throws a 2.25 kg HEAT round to destroy a 320mm plate to 500 meters using a 2.5x magnification sight.

In El Salvador, a few C-90 training tube portable launchers have been observed. It is not known how many of them have been received or are in stock. The C-90 is a disposable, shoulder fired, light support and anti-tank weapon. As the M72, it consists of a preloaded 90mm rocket in a launch tube with a pyrotechnic firing mechanism. It weighs 4.2 kg (9.26 lbs), and its C90-CR (M3) warhead is able to penetrate 400 mm of armor at 300 m while the C90-CR-RB (M3) can penetrate 480 mm of armor. The weapon can be fitted with a VN38-C night vision sight.

As with Guatemala, Mexico received a few M72s, but preferred the RPG-7 for its Special Forces. A light portable FS-AT weapon has been observed in Mexican hands that appear to be either the Instalaza LC-90, the IWI Matador, or perhaps the Bazalt RPG-32. The weapon has not been identified yet.

A U.S. soldier examines what appears to be a chinese made RPG-7 variant in Iraq. The weapon appears to have a composite material heat shield in place of the wooden one, and the rear grip is the folding type. The weapon also appears to be lighter than the standard RPG-7. No details provided with the picture. (DVIC)

Mexico has been the recipient of a few other exotic fire support and antitank portable weapons that are rather rare outside
Russian-influence.

Mexican FS-AT hardware

The MATADOR stands for Man-portable Anti-Tank, Anti-Door. It is a 90mm disposable rocket made in Israel (Rafael) with assistance from Dynamit Nobel Defense, and best described as an updated Armbrust, with little blackblast. This allows for use in confined spaces. Its ammunition consists of a preloaded warhead that can be used in the High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) or the High Explosive Squash Head (HESH) mode.

The unidentified rocket observed in the hands of the Mexican paratroopers could also be a RPG-32 Hashim. This is a portable light anti-tank weapon developed by the state-owned FGUP Bazalt. Like the RPG-7, the RPG-32 is a reusable launcher tube. It consists of a grip, trigger, and sight unit with a disposable preloaded container. It is basically a new weapon, and it is indeed reported in use with the Mexican Army. It weighs 3 kg unloaded, and 10 kg loaded. The diameter of the rocket varies from 72mm to 105mm, which also determines the length of the launch from 900 mm to 1,200 mm. It can fire PG-32V tandem HEAT and TBG-32V thermobaric / FAE rocket types up to 700 m. The 105mm PG-32V can penetrate up to 750 mm of armor.

Mexican paratroopers riding a 6x6 Supacat. One of the troopers handles a LC-90, MATADOR or RPG-32. (J. Montes)

When this author noted that the Mexican Army used the Israeli B-300 in 1995, it caused a complete uproar and denial from the Mexican Defense Secretariat. However, the weapon is now widely accepted in Mexican military service. The B300 is a reusable man-portable anti-tank weapon with a range of some 400 m. As with the RPG-32, it consists in two parts, a forward unit with a front tube with the grip, firing mechanism, and optics, and a prepackaged 83mm rocket in a fiber-glass cylinder. The U.S. Marines use a variant denominated Shoulder-launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) it is said to have a range of 500 meters. The blackblast is lethal out to 30 meters.

The Mexican Army also uses the Belgian Mecar RL-83 Blindicide. This is also a man-portable antitank weapon similar to the M20A1 Bazooka. This is an older type of shoulder fired portable weapon that fires a 83mm rocket to an effective range of 400 meters and a maximum of 900. The HEAT round can penetrate up to 300 mm of armor, and there are different types of ammunition that range between anti-personnel, smoke, incendiary and illumination. The RL-83 weighs 8.4 kg and it has a length of 1700 mm.

Mexican Marine AT team armed with the B300. (J. Montes)

The RPG-29 Vampir is also used by the Mexican Army in large quantities. As the others here presented, it is a portable shoulder fire anti-tank weapon. It consists of a reusable tube equipped with a 2.7x 1P38 optical sight, but a 1PN51-2 night sight can be fitted. The tube can be breech-loaded with either a PG-29V tandem HEAT or a TBG-29V Thermobaric AP rounds. It is rated with a range of 500 meters.

The RPG-75 is also mentioned as part of the Mexican arsenal. It is a single-shot rocket similar to the M72 LAW, and firing a 68mm rocket to an effective range of 300 m, and a maximum of 1,000 m.

Punching holes

In March 2011, the Mexican Defense Secretariat warned that the Zetas were acquiring heavy weapons to fight the Mexican Army. Sources from IV Military Region, responsible for Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí, warned that criminal organized syndicates were acquiring antitank weapons in Central America to fight back those military forces after them. When in October 2012 Mexican Marines hunted down Heriberto Lazcano, leader of the Zetas at the time, he fell with an
RPG-7 nearby.

Mexican Army RPG-29 and its ammunition. (J. Montes)

In November 2009, Tegucigalpa was shaken by four attacks with anti-tank rockets, and it is mentioned that an RPG-7M
grenade was found undetonated. The grenades appear to have missed the intended targets. It is not clear if that referred to the actual launcher and not the grenade; in any case, accurate firing with the RPG-7 is difficult at ranges over 300 meters since the grenade in flight is influenced by cross winds.

What is certain is that organized crime south of the border has the funds and the connections to tap inventories of military grade hardware. The Mexican paramilitary cartels, in particular, are incorporating hundreds of portable antitank weapons to confront military and police forces. To back up their arsenals, they either hired former soldiers or attend their own military training. In many ways, they have transformed from bandits to combatants.

Zastava Arms is currently located in the city of Kragujevac in Serbia. Prior to 1851 it had been in Belgrade, but by moving to its present location it was able to provide the Principality of Serbia with its own arms and equipment manufacturing facility. Before World War Two the factory employed over 12,000 workers and 10,000 machines. After the war, production was shifted to sporting arms like the M48 rifle.

Today the factory produces artillery weapons, anti-aircraft guns, assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers and sporting arms for civilian use. We know the company mostly for its Mauser-based M70/85 series of rifles and its
CZ 99 pistols.

Zastava also manufacturers the M93 Black Arrow anti-material rifle. Chambered in 12.7x108mm (Warsaw Pact) or .50 caliber BMG (NATO), it is based on the Mauser 98 rifle that’s been around since 1898, but in a much larger size. It is a bolt action with a five-round magazine. Operation is controlled-round feed. The square receiver stretches 14 inches long, three inches high and two inches wide. The bolt weighs three pounds and has a one inch diameter. Bolt handle length is 3.5 inches, sufficient to cam open the action with ease. It’s been said, though, that a soft rubber hammer must occasionally be employed as a persuader to lift the bolt. The safety is in the trigger guard, behind the trigger and locks the trigger.

Zastava designed the M93 action after the Mauser, which has proven itself over 100 years of combat. Like most large caliber sniper/anti-material rifles, its main purpose is the interdiction of material targets at long range. It proved its worth in Serbia and Macedonia during their recent unpleasantness. What’s somewhat unusual, though, is that the buttstock is not adjustable – you must adjust to the rifle.

Because of the powerful recoil of the DShK cartridge, the stock is fitted with two spring buffers and the heavy, free-floating barrel is capped by a large muzzle brake. The carrying handle mounts on a bracket above the barrel that also mounts the bipod that can be used to raise the barrel to clear obstacles. The nine inch legs extend to an overall length of thirteen inches. Both feet have flat plates welded on the bottom to prevent sinking into sand or loose soil. Weight, including scope and wooden carry box is in the neighborhood of 70 lbs.

Because the rifle is intended for long range operation only, it’s not fitted with iron sights. The standard scope is a Zrak 8 power, which is a little light for work out at 1,800 meters, as stated by the factory. It would do much better with a scope of at least 12-14.5 power, and the mount will accept Leupold, Nightforce, and others. In actual operation, the Zrak scope showed parallax, the elevation and windage knobs had a coarse action and each click produced slightly under 3 MOA movement. A Nightforce NXS is much better suited.

The M93 is not currently imported due to some manufacturer’s export license issues. However, a few rifles have been sold in the USA and sometimes are available through the usual outlets.

Grenade launchers and their ammunition are currently experiencing the fastest and most dramatic period of development of any small arms. This article will provide a summary of shoulder-fired and crew-served grenade launchers, concentrating on developments in ammunition types.

NATO 40mm Systems

NATO is currently focused on the 40mm caliber for under-barrel or stand-alone shoulder-fired launchers and also for crew-served automatic launchers. However, while the caliber is standard, there are now four different performance levels to choose from. Two are long-established, dating back to the Vietnam War: the 40mm Low Velocity (or LV) which uses 40x46SR (Semi-Rimmed) ammunition in shoulder-fired or underbarrel launchers, and the 40mm High Velocity (or HV), which fires 40x53SR rounds from crew-served automatic launchers.

40mm LV ammunition is currently made by about 25 different companies in 18 countries, in a wide range of lethal, less-lethal and other natures. Apart from conventional HE and HEDP these include thermobaric HE, HE Jump (a low-cost airburst, in which a small nose charge fires on impact, kicking the grenade a couple of meters into the air before it explodes), and HE anti-diver, designed to explode underwater. Non-explosive loadings include shot loads, smoke, illuminating and signal flares, a huge range of less-lethal ammunition matching that available in 37mm riot guns and including both impact and chemical types (the latter for non-military use), and even reconnaissance projectiles – the SPARCS from STK has a
parachute-borne camera.

The universality of the ammunition means that there are numerous stand-alone and underbarrel launchers made to fire it. The M79 was the classic single-barrel stand-alone type but this has largely been replaced by underbarrel launchers such as the M203, which is itself being replaced in the US and other armies by more modern underbarrel launchers like the M320 from Heckler & Koch, which can fire a wider range of munitions and can be fitted with a stock and sights for the stand-alone role. When more firepower is required, six-shot revolvers such as the USMC’s M32 are also available from several companies, at the cost of significant bulk and weight.

Apparently a version of the QLZ87 chambered for NATO 40mm HV ammunition, shown in a poster display at Eurosatory.

40mm HV ammunition is made by some 15 companies in a dozen countries. It fires grenades that are typically 30 percent heavier than the LV at three times the muzzle velocity, increasing the maximum ballistic range from 400 to over 2,000 meters (although the effective maximum is significantly less in both cases). Recoil is several times greater, which means that attempts to design shoulder-fired weapons for this cartridge have so far been unsuccessful, although NORINCO of China recently announced one. The ammunition is therefore used in crew-served, tripod-mounted, belt-fed launchers generally known as automatic grenade launchers or AGLs. The original launcher was the MK19, which is still very much in use, although more recently a wide range of competitors has emerged, most notably the GMG (Grenade Machine Gun) from Heckler & Koch, in service with fifteen countries. There is much less variety than with LV in the types of ammunition available, owing to the requirement to fit into the ammunition feed and to develop a certain level of recoil to operate the launcher, so HE/fragmentation or HEDP are the standard natures.

In recent years two new performance levels have been introduced for shoulder-fired launchers. The first of these is the Medium Velocity or MV ammunition, intended to provide a greater effective range than LV plus a larger and more destructive grenade. Cartridge case lengths vary from 46 to 51mm. The first of these were from Martin Electronics (now part of the Chemring Group), with Rheinmetall also developing MV rounds. The heavier grenades fired at a higher muzzle velocity result in a maximum ballistic range in the region of 700-800 meters, and when fired at shorter ranges have a much flatter trajectory and shorter flight time than LV rounds, considerably improving their hit probability. However, the additional recoil can be considerable, especially in lighter weapons, so this ammunition is currently best suited to the solid and heavy six-barrel revolver type launchers; in fact, the Rheinmetall rounds have a modified case rim to prevent their use in
unmodified LV launchers.

As a result of the recoil problem, some manufacturers, namely Arcus of Bulgaria, STK of Singapore and Rheinmetall again, have introduced what is usually called Low Velocity Extended Range ammunition (LV-ER), which sits in between the low and medium velocity types and is specifically intended for under-barrel or single-barrel launchers. These typically have maximum ballistic ranges of 600+ meters.

While the performance of HV and to some extent LV rounds is standardised, that’s not the case with MV and LV-ER ammunition, to which different manufacturers have different approaches. The first MV rounds used new grenade designs but Rheinmetall has adopted a simpler solution with their Velan range, which fires their standard HV grenades from a lower-powered cartridge. In contrast, all of the LV-ER makers combine their standard LV grenades with higher-powered cartridges, but the muzzle velocity and range vary.

So far, there seems to have been much interest but few contracts for MV and LV-ER ammunition, but that may change
in the future.

Other Grenade Systems

Beyond NATO, the main supplier of grenade launchers is Russia, although China is catching up. The Russian equivalent to the NATO low-velocity round is the VOG-25 series, another 40mm of similar performance, but differing technically in being caseless – the propellant is contained within a small element attached to the back of the grenade that travels with it. As with the NATO LV, a very wide range of munitions is available for it. The muzzle-loading GP-25 and GP-30 are the standard launchers, but there are also six-shot revolvers and an interesting three shot Arcus repeater with the tubular magazine in the shoulder stock.

The Russian equivalent to the high-velocity round is the VOG-17 series that uses a conventional cartridge but differs in being of only 30mm caliber. However, the projectile is unusually long and similar in weight to the NATO 40mm HV. The maximum ballistic range was originally a few hundred meters less than the NATO HV, but recent ammunition developments have seen this increase to more than 2,000 meters. Apart from the automatic belt-fed AGS-17 and AGS-30 launchers from Russia, Slovakia offers a shoulder-fired magazine-fed bipod-mounted weapon using this 30x29B (Belted) round, the RAG-30, which offers an interesting level of portable firepower as it weighs only 26½ lbs.

Apparently a version of the QLZ87 chambered for NATO 40mm HV ammunition, shown in a poster display at Eurosatory.

Russia also produces some oddities, including two different 30mm captive-piston under-barrel systems for special forces which are virtually silent when fired. The BS-1 uses a conventional blank cartridge to drive a captive piston forward in the launcher (the trapped gases need to be bled off before the launcher can be reloaded). The BMYa-31 uses a special blank round that incorporates its own captive piston (the blank containing the sealed-in gases can be ejected and the launcher reloaded immediately). Effective ranges are 300-400 meters. Also in use in Russia is the 43mm GM-94 stand-alone launcher that resembles an oversized pump-action shotgun and fires VGM-93 ammunition at ranges of up to 600 meters. The ammunition is mostly less-lethal but includes a thermobaric HE round, presumably for the more emphatic dispersal of rioting crowds.

Russia has reportedly introduced into service, apparently for special forces, the 40mm Balkan AGL that fires unique caseless grenades, much bigger and heavier than the VOG-25 series. These rounds weigh 450 g and contain 90g HE which, in conjunction with the 2,500m maximum range, amounts to a better on-paper performance than the NATO AGLs.

China initially adopted Russian equipment but has now developed its own in 35mm caliber. There are three different, incompatible series of 35mm grenades and associated launchers. Two of them are low-velocity types for underbarrel grenade launchers: the caseless low-velocity 35mm DFS10 round for the army’s QLG10 launcher, which is like a slimmed down VOG-25 and has a similar performance, and the Type 91 UBGL firing plastic-cased ammunition, which is mainly used with less-lethal grenades for riot control.

The best-known Chinese grenade is the conventional 35x32SR high-velocity DF87 series ammunition that has a ballistic range of 1,750 meters. The HEDP grenade, which is slightly heavier than NATO’s 40mm HV, is claimed to penetrate 80mm armour plate as well as having a lethal radius of 11 meters. It is used in a pair of automatic launchers, the belt-fed, tripod mounted QLZ04 that weighs 55 lbs including tripod (about half that of the MK19) and the even lighter, magazine-fed QLZ87 that is available bipod or tripod mounted and weighs only 44 lbs with a tripod or 26½ lbs on a bipod.

The most interesting weapon using the 35x32SR round is the lightweight semiautomatic QLZ87B (now known as QLB06), which has a 1,000m range against area targets and 600m against point targets. This offers a combination of firepower, range and light weight (only 20 lbs empty) not approached by anything except the RAG-30. Much is said about achieving “overmatch” over potential opponents, and this weapon provides an example of what that means in portable grenade launchers. The QLZ87 and QLB06 seem to have been widely distributed to third-world countries since they have been spotted in Africa (in Sudan, Chad and Uganda) and the Middle East (in the hands of Syrian insurgents) as well as South America, so NATO troops may well be on the receiving end of their fire in future conflicts.

In 2014 NORINCO advertised two new weapons for the export market, which appear to be versions of the QLZ87 and QLB06 modified to fire 40mm HV NATO ammunition, although no further details were available at the time of writing. Chinese companies often make products in western calibers for export only, for example the NORINCO LG6, which offers some unique capabilities not available in western systems. It is a multi-shot 40mm LV launcher weighing less than 11 lbs, but has a gas-operated selective-fire mechanism capable of emptying the standard five-round magazine in one second.

Finally, it is worth mentioning a different approach that is not strictly a grenade launcher but doesn’t really fit in anywhere else: the South African Neopup PAW 20 (Personal Assault Weapon). This semiautomatic gun fires standard 20mm cannon shells at subsonic velocity from a small cartridge case and, given its compact dimensions and weight of 12½ lbs, is claimed to be usable as a personal weapon when firing inert steel slugs, as well as for supporting fire with HEI shells. Effective range is 1,000 meters for area fire, 600m against point targets; at a range of 300m the mid-range trajectory height is 4 feet compared with 85 feet for the 40mm LV.

The Future

The future of 40mm grenade rounds has been under threat for several years due to the rather protracted development in the USA of two different rounds in 25mm caliber: the 25x40B for use in the XM25 self-loading shoulder-fired launcher that has been tested in combat and which the Army plans to introduce into service, plus the 25x59B round that was originally
conceived for the now-cancelled GD XM307 crew-served belt-fed launcher, but is still being offered as a private venture for the externally powered ATK LW25 Chain Gun. Both of these rounds were designed around a new concept in small arms: a time-fuzed airburst HE fragmentation grenade designed to strike at personnel hiding behind walls or in trenches. The fuze is in the middle of the grenade meaning that equal quantities of fragments are hurled to the rear of the burst point as to the front. The launcher requires a sophisticated sighting, fire control
and fuze-setting system.

The XM25 has a maximum effective range of 700 meters against area targets or 500m against point targets. The ATK LW25 fires a heavier grenade at a much higher velocity for an effective range of 2,000m (at which distance the mid-range trajectory height is about 330 feet compared with 1,300 feet for the 40mm HV). The LW25 ammunition has also been offered in the XM109 Barrett Payload Rifle, a modified version of their self-loading .50 caliber rifle, but without the
airburst facility.

Two other shoulder-fired launchers using precision airburst fuzing come from South Korea and China. The Korean K11, which is in service, combines a 20mm grenade launcher with a 5.56mm rifle, so is similar in concept to the abandoned U.S. XM29, although the launcher uses a manually-operated bolt action. It weighs 13½ lbs and has a maximum effective range of 500 meters. The Chinese ZH-05 similarly combines a 20mm grenade launcher with a rifle in their standard 5.8mm caliber and looks very similar to the Korean gun, but rather surprisingly the launcher is a single-shot type with no magazine; this does help to keep the empty weight down to a reported 9.4 lbs (11 lbs loaded with a full 5.8mm magazine and a grenade). Effective range is claimed to be 800 meters, achieved at an angle of elevation of 7 degrees, but the grenade is relatively light.

The unique selling point for these new systems – precisely-timed airburst – is already spreading. A similar capability first appeared in four different 40mm high-velocity systems from three different manufacturers: STK, with a fuze-setter fixed to the muzzle (a system based on the Oerlikon AHEAD cannon system); Nammo, with two systems: an inductive fuze setter in the chamber for closed-bolt launchers like the Striker MK47, and a radio-frequency setter, independent of the gun, for open-bolt guns like the HK; and Rheinmetall with an infra-red fuze setter, which is also independent of the gun. More recently, 40mm low-velocity systems have also appeared, from IMI of Israel using inductive fuze setting in a modified launcher as part of their MPRS (Multi-Purpose Rifle System), and another from STK using remote fuze setting. Rheinmetall has also announced precision airburst rounds for their Velan medium-velocity system, using the same infra-red fuze setting and grenades as their HV ammunition.

There do not seem to have been any reports that precision airburst systems are being applied to the Russian 30mm or the Chinese 35mm systems, yet it is surely only a matter of time before they appear. The capabilities of such systems in a portable weapon like the 35mm QLB06 would potentially be impressive. Furthermore, the addition of rangefinding sights would considerably enhance the effectiveness of conventional ammunition.

Clearly, the 40mm systems have an advantage over the 25mm of being able to use low-cost ammunition from a wide variety of manufacturers as well as the costly precision airburst grenades. Most low-velocity systems are more flexible than the self-loading XM25 because they can fire a wide range of munitions of different lengths, weights and pressure characteristics. On the other hand, the 25mm systems offer a much better hit probability because their higher muzzle velocity gives them a much flatter trajectory and shorter flight time, providing some compensation for their smaller grenades.

Perhaps the most interesting Western launcher project is from Rheinmetall, who have developed a recoil buffering system that enables their powerful 40mm medium velocity Velan ammunition to be fired from lightweight guns. This is being applied to two launchers; the single-shot Cerberus in either under-barrel or stand-alone form, and the magazine-fed self-loading Hydra which is expected to weigh around 9 lbs and is intended to fire both LV and MV ammunition including precision
airburst rounds.

Finally, Metal Storm. Their system of stacking several rounds in one barrel to be fired in sequence is particularly well-suited to the relatively short, wide and low-pressure grenade rounds. It achieves multi-shot capability with far less bulk and weight than either a self-loading or revolver mechanism. Development costs were reduced by reaching an agreement with STK to use their 40mm LV grenades as the basis for the ammunition, which could also provide access to precision airburst technology. While the Australian parent company went into administration in July 2012, the U.S. branch continues to operate with the Canadian Army taking an interest in their products.

The Implications

Assuming that the current enthusiasm for precision airburst grenade systems continues, what will be the implications of their general use. They necessarily require automatically-adjusting sights linked to a laser rangefinder, a ballistic computer and a fuze setter, and preferably should also have thermal imaging and/or image intensifying capability for 24-hour use. Such sights also provide far greater precision in firing ordinary grenades, so will see increasing use in some form anyway. But while simple rangefinder sights are already in use, the sophisticated systems are currently large, heavy, complex and very expensive. For shoulder-fired launchers, it therefore makes sense to fit these sights to a stand-alone bipod-mounted weapon rather than an underbarrel type to achieve the necessary accuracy (implying a specialist grenadier as a part of the squad); to give it some rapid-fire capability; and to fire long-range ammunition to extract the maximum effectiveness from the costly system. In terms of current western projects, that means the XM25 or medium-velocity 40mm ammunition fired from a six-shot revolver or something like the Rheinmetall Hydra. Further up the performance and weight scale, China has an advantage in starting with the portable QLB06, with the new version firing 40mm HV ammunition being potentially able to use existing western
airburst systems.

(Anthony G. Williams is an independent ammunition consultant and Editor of IHS Jane’s Weapons: Ammunition. His website is at www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/consultancy)