The Steyr M series pistols were first announced in 1999. Steyr M pistols, along with compact version, Steyr S, which were made in Austria by the Steyr-Mannlicher GmbH & Co, are not made any more. Since the January 1st, 2004, the Steyr M and Steyr S pistols have been replaced in production by the slightly redesigned Steyr M-1A pistols. Steyr M1-A pistols feature redesigned grip and frame shape, and Picatinny rail (instead of the proprietary rail) under the barrel. Another change from original M series pistols is that M-1A pistols are now available in two variants, with or without manual safety. There are probably some more minor differences.

The Steyr M and M-1A pistols have probably the most ergonomic grip since the Luger’s “Parabellum” pistol. The ideal 111 degrees grip angle, combined with low barrel axis, results in minimum muzzle jump and felt recoil, as well as in good “pointability”. The unusual “trapezoid” sights, while uncommon in shape, provide good accuracy and acquisition speed, once shooter gets used to it. Reliability is also very good.

The Steyr M-1A pistols are short recoil operated, locked breech firearms. The barrel is operated by Browning cam system. Barrel locks into slide via large ejection window. The frame is made from high impact-resistant polymer, with integral Picatinny rail under the barrel. The slide stop lever and magazine release button are located on the left side of the frame. The Double Action trigger controls the internal striker. The unusual safety system consists of several separate safeties, including the automatic trigger and firing pin safeties, as well as unusual manual safety and internal lock. When the lock is engaged, it completely blocks the operation of pistol. The safety is controlled with dual buttons, which are located just above the trigger guard on both sides of the frame. When buttons are depressed simultaneously, the safety button springs down from the frame, and the trigger is blocked. To turn the safety off for fire, a shooter must push the safety button up with its index finger. There also is a version of the M-1A pistol which doesn’t have a manual safety. The standard sights feature a trapezoid rear sight and a triangle front. Both sights are dovetailed into the slide and can be replaced with variety of the factory or aftermarket sights in various configurations.

Steyr M, the original version, which is no longer in production

Steyr M-1A in .40SW caliber, version without manual safety

Steyr M-1A in 9mm caliber, version with manual safety. Safety is in “ON” position (push-button with white dot immediately ahead of the trigger)

Steyr M-1A in 9mm caliber, version with manual safety. Safety is in “OFF” position (ready to fire; push-button is depressed up and into the frame). The pistol is also fitted with laser pointer.

Type: Double Action (Reset Action System)
Chamber: .40 S&W, 9×19mm Para, .357 SIG
Weight unloaded: 780g
Length: 180 mm
Barrel Length: 101 mm
Capacity: 12 (.40 & .357) or 15 (9mm) rounds

Panzerfaust 44 “Lanze” (or Pzf 44 in short) can be considered as a further evolution of the WW2-era Panzerfaust line of antitank weapons, although in greatly improved form. Development of this weapon commenced circa 1960, with grenade and launcher developed by German company Dynamit-Nobel AG. The Pzf 44 entered German service during mid-sixties and in several modifications served until mid-eighties, when it was replaced by more modern Panzerfaust 3 (Pzf 3) weapon.

Panzerfaust 44 “Lanze” (Pzf 44) consists of a recoil-less launcher which fires rocket-assisted grenade with shaped-charge HEAT warhead using Davis counter-recoil principle. The launcher is reusable, and consists of a smoothbore barrel, open at both ends. At the bottom, it has a trigger unit with shoulder rest, and the front grip. trigger unit is somewhat unusual as it uses special ignition cartridges, loaded into box magazine, to ignite launching charge in the barrel through the hole in the barrel wall. The recoilless launching cartridge consist of a black powder charge and a counter-mass, made of powdered iron.

Upon discharge, the iron powder is ejected through the rear end of open barrel, providing counter-mass for projectile and decreasing the backblast danger zone. The cartridge is carried and loaded separately, and projectile is attached to it only when cartridge is partially loaded into the launcher. The standard projectile is a HEAT warhead fitted with rocket booster and folding stabilization fins. Muzzle velocity of projectile is about 170 m/s, and rocket booster increases it up to about 210 m/s, resulting in maximum firing range of about 1000 m (accurate fire against tanks is possible at ranges up to 300-400 meters). Standard sight is telescope, with three sighting marks for ranges of 200, 400 and 1000 meters.

Panzerfaust 44 Lanze (Pzf 44) grenade launcher in ready to fire configuration

Top, Pzf 44 grenade with rocket booster and fins folded; bottom, recoilless launch cartridge

Pzf 44 grenade in in-flight configuration

German soldier prepares to fire Pzf 44

Caliber: 44 mm barrel, 67mm warhead
Type: recoilless launch + rocket booster
Overall length: 880 mm launcher; 1162 mm ready to fire
Weight: 7,8 kg unloaded with telescope sight, 10,3 kg loaded and ready to fire
Effective range: up to 300 m against moving targets
Armor penetration: 370 mm

German arms designer Andreas Wilhelm Schwarzlose patented a basic design for a machine gun in 1902. He subsequently sold his patent rights to the Steyr arms factory in Austria, which produced the first guns of the Schwarzlose pattern in 1905. After two years of trials and development, the military forces of the Empire adopted the Schwarzlose machine gun in 1907; this gun was also later adopted in a range of calibers by the Netherlands and Sweden (who both manufactured Schwarzlose machine guns under licence until the 1930s), and by Greece, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey – all before the World War I. In 1912 it was modified with the introduction of stronger parts and slightly reshaped retarding levers (struts). The primary visible difference between original M1907 guns and modified M1907/12 guns is the lack of the gap between the hump on the receiver and the barrel jacket on the latter guns.

After the WWI and the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a great many Schwarzlose guns were adopted by smaller countries that emerged from the remains of the Empire, such as Czechoslovakia (which put the gun into production) and Hungary. Many Schwarzlose guns also went to Italy as war reparations, and subsequently saw some use during WW2, mostly in Africa in the original 8×50R caliber. Another user of Schwarzlose machine guns was Russia, which captured several thousands of Austrian machine guns during the early parts of World War One.
The Schwarzlose machine gun, although overshadowed by more famous weapons such as the Maxim or Browning, has its own merits. It is quite simple in construction, robust in service, and usually quite reliable. Its drawbacks come from its basic design, which centers on a retarded-blowback action. This action calls for a relatively short barrel so that the chamber pressure drops before the case begins to leave the chamber; otherwise it would rupture – although when the Czechoslovak army converted their old 8×50R Schwarzlose machine guns to the more powerful 7.92×57 Mauser ammunition, they had no problems associated with high pressure, even with new, significantly longer barrels. Nevertheless, most of the Schwarzlose guns retained short barrels throughout their service life. This obviously limited the muzzle velocity and thus the maximum range and possible bullet penetration at any given range, compared with contemporary guns with a locked breech. The short barrel also called for a dedicated flash hider, to suppress the significant muzzle flash which otherwise would blind the gunner at night. Finally, the lack of primary extraction required an integral oiler, which squirted a small amount of oil into the chamber just before chambering the next round. Nevertheless, the Schwarzlose was a good weapon and saw considerable use through both world wars, although during the Second World War it was mostly relegated to second-line troops, fortifications and other such uses.

The Schwarzlose machine gun is a retarded-blowback operated, water cooled, belt-fed weapon that fires from a closed bolt. The method of operation requires a heavy breechblock, connected to the receiver through a pair of knee-joint struts. When the bolt is in battery, the struts are folded forward, with their joint axis lying relatively low above the barrel axis. Upon firing, the pressure of the powder gases acts on the breechblock through the base of the cartridge case. The rearward movement of the breechblock unfolds the struts, but because of a carefully arranged redirection of forces through the struts and joints, most of the initial pressure is transferred to the receiver. Upon further recoil, joint axis rises above the barrel, and thus the recoil force is re-distributed with more and more of it being used for bolt acceleration. Upon recoil, the bolt compresses a massive and powerful return spring which forces it forward and into battery once the recoil stroke is completed. The charging handle is attached to the axis of the forward strut, and has to be rotated back to cycle the bolt.
Due to the lack of primary extraction, the Schwarzlose has to use oiled cartridges. To avoid the problems associated with factory-oiled or waxed ammunition (which tends to collect fine dust and then cause jams) the gun has an internal oiling system which squirts a small amount of oil into the chamber just before the chambering of each round. This system includes an oil reservoir, located in the receiver’s top cover, and a small oil pump, which is operated by the reciprocating bolt.
The belt feed system is very simple, and involves few parts. The major part is the star-wheel, located in the lower left corner of receiver. Upon bolt recoil, the star-wheel is rotated for one step by the interaction of the cam surfaces on the bolt and the wheel. Each cartridge has to make three steps in the feed before being presented to the bolt for chambering, therefore initial belt loading requires three deliberate pulls on the charging handle. The feed direction is from the right side only, ejection being to the left.
The trigger system also is of rather simply design. It involves a separate striker, a striker spring and a sear, mounted on the bolt. The sear is cocked by a lever attached to the rear bolt delaying strut, and this cocking movement adds to the retarding force applied to the bolt. After cocking the striker is held to the rear by the sear. The thumb trigger is located at the rear of the receiver, and once pushed by the operator, it holds the connection bar so it trips the sear when the bolt is in battery. A manual safety is located next to the trigger and blocks it unless pushed forward by the operator’s left thumb. Dual spade grips are located horizontally at either side of the receiver, and can be folded up for storage or transportation.
The most common mounting was a tripod of solid construction, with tubular legs of adjustable height and traverse and elevation mechanisms. An optional armored shield was available for this gun, which was unusual in that it also provided frontal and lateral armored protection for the thin metal of the water jacket. Alternatively, a low-height, lightweight tripod was provided for the “light” role. This tripod had no traverse and elevation mechanisms.

Schwarzlose M1907 machine gun on Dutch-made M\25 tripod, with AA sight

Schwarzlose M1907/12 machine gun on standard Austrian tripod; spade grips are folded up

Schwarzlose M1907/12 machine gun on standard Austrian tripod; spade grips are in ready position, and a shoulder stock is attached

Schwarzlose M1907/24 (Vz.24) machine gun, interwar Czechoslovak conversion to 7.92×57 mauser caliber; note that it has longer barrel and jacket

]]> http://fire-arms.info/archives/schwarzlose-m1907-and-m190712/feed 97 http://fire-arms.info/archives/hawk-semi-automatic http://fire-arms.info/archives/hawk-semi-automatic#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:23:37 +0000 Megan http://fire-arms.info/?p=190

Chinese company Hawk Industries produces a line of semi-automatic shotguns for hunting and security / police purposes, which persumably are based on US-made Remington 1100 semi-automatic shotguns (although this information is not yet confirmed). Civilian semi-automatic models of Hawk line-up with tubular magazines are sold outside of mainland China under variety of names, often exported through the NORINCO corporation. It apears that versions of the same shotgun, but adapted for a proprietary detachable box magazines are intended mostly to government export sales, as those were demonstrated on several international Military and Police / Security exhibitions. A more compact bullpup version is also produced, and was displayed on several Military and police exhibitions.

Hawk semi-automatic ‘18.4 mm Anti-riot guns’ (18.4mm is a metric equivalent of 12 gauge) are gas-operated self-loading shotguns. Those are unusual in using proprietary detachable box magazines (apparently the same as used in Type 97-1 pump-action shotguns from same manufacturer). ‘Standard’ configuration police shotguns of this line are fitted with side-folding butt, pistol grip and adjustable rifle-type sights; Bullpup-configured shotguns are fitted with fixed sights integral to the carrying handle. It appears that the bullpup stock is a plastic shell, bolted onto the standard receiver.

Hawk model SF28WB semi-automatic shotgun, hunting configuration. Note that it uses more common underbarrel tubular magazine.

Hawk semi-automatic police shotgun (18.4 mm Anti-riot gun in Chinese nomenlcature), with box magazine and side-folding butt

Hawk bullpup semi-automatic police shotgun (18.4 mm Anti-riot gun in Chinese nomenlcature), with box magazine

	Hawk anti-riot gun, standard	Hawk anti-riot gun, bullpup
Type	semi-automatic shotgun
Gauge	12; 76 mm / 3″ chamber
Length	900 mm / 35.4″	630 mm / 24.8″
Weigth	3.2 kg / 7 lbs	3.2 kg / 7 lbs
Magazine	5 rounds in removable box magazine

]]> http://fire-arms.info/archives/hawk-semi-automatic/feed 146 http://fire-arms.info/archives/heckler-koch-hk-sl-8 http://fire-arms.info/archives/heckler-koch-hk-sl-8#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:17:14 +0000 Megan http://fire-arms.info/?p=187

The SL-8 rifle was first presented to the public at IWA-98 show, and manufacturing commenced late in 1998. This rifle was designed by famous German arms-making company Heckler und Koch GmbH on the basis of its 5,56mm NATO G36 assault rifle, which is a standard issue rifle of German and Spanish armies. SL stands for (Self-Loading in English or Selbst-Lade in German), 8 is the consecutive index of civilian rifles made by HK. HK SL-8 rifle can be used for hunting small game, but it is also suitable for para-military training, security and self-defense use, and practical sport shooting. Because of modular design, SL-8 can be modified to a number of variations, which will accept reduced 10-round capacity or standard 30-round capacity magazines, various handguards, sighs etc. This rifle is accurate, comfortable to use and very reliable, but also somewhat expensive, like most other products of Heckler und Koch.

Heckler-Koch SL-8 rifle is gas operated, semi-automatic weapon. It uses patented short-stroke gas piston system, located above the barrel, which is very reliable and requires minimal maintenance. Barrel locking is achieved by rotary bolt with seven radial lugs, which engages barrel extension and thus relieves polymer receiver from most of the firing stress. Cocking handle design is copied from G36 assault rifle, and when not in use, folding cocking handle lies in line with the gun at the top of receiver. For cocking, it can be swung to either side, and once released, it will straighten itself back automatically. Feed system has bolt hold-open device. Polymer stock is of modular design, and forearm and magazine housing can be easily replaced; basic disassembly requires no special tools. Manual safety is ambidextrous and is conveniently located above the grip. Shoulder stock is of thumb-hole design, has adjustable cheek rest and can be adjusted for length of pull using special rubber pads. Standard sighting equipment includes a detachable sight rail, attached to the top of receiver. In basic configuration, this rail hosts protected front sight and fully adjustable flip-up rear sight. A variety of optional optical sights can be installed on the rail between front and rear open sights. Alternatively, a raised Picatinny-type rail or G36 / G36E carrying handle with integral sights (red-dot, low-magnification telescope or both) can be installed in place of standard sight rail. Feed is using detachable box magazines. Because magazine housing is detachable, rifle can be easily adapted for a variety of magazine types – proprietary 10-round magazines, G36-type 30-round magazines or Ar-15 / M16 type 30-round magazines.

HK SL-8 rifle with white stock and standard sight rail

HK SL-8 rifle with black stock and raised sight rail

The SVU project (Snaiperskaya Vintovka Ukorochennaya – shortened sniper rifle) traces its roots back to 1970s, when it was decided to develop a compact sniper rifle for Soviet airborne (VDV) troops. Such rifle was designed using standard Dragunov SVD action converted to bullpup layout. Back then this project never went past development stage, but in around 1991 it was resurrected in Tula and offered to Russian Internal Affairs Ministry (MVD) as a possible weapon for urban operations. At that time MVD accepted the offer, but requested the rifle to be converted from semi-automatic to selective fired version (probably inspired by German HK G8 “police automatic rifle”). Such conversion was developed by TSKIB SOO (Central Sporting and Hunting Arms Design Bureau in Tula). It was initially known as OTs-03 in semi-automatic version and as OTs-03A and OTs-03AS in selective fired versions (SVU, SVU-A and SVU-AS respectively). Since mid-nineties this rifle was produced in Tula and issued in limited numbers to various law enforcement organizations across the Russia.
There are no firm data on accuracy of SVU rifle, but on short- to medium ranges it is believed to be on par with standard Dragunov SVD rifles.

The basic action of the SVU-AS rifle is inherited from Dragunov SVD sniper rifle – it is a gas operated, rotating bolt design with short-stroke gas piston. The trigger unit is modified with long connect bar, which links forward-mounted trigger with sear back in receiver. In SVU-AS, trigger unit is further modified with introduction of the full-automatic mode of fire. Selection of the mode of fire is done by the pull on the trigger – short pull produces single shots, and long, deliberate pull produces automatic (burst) fire. For semi-automatic fire only rifle is equipped with selector, which, when engaged, limits rearward travel of the trigger so only single shots can be squeezed out of the gun. This selector is located within trigge guard, above the trigger, and moves laterally. Because of bullpup layout, buttplate is attached directly to the receiver, and pistol grip and scope mount are moved forward. Barrel is shortened and equipped with combination flash hider / muzzle brake device. Integral folding bipod is attached to special rod, which runs forward from receiver. This is done to relieve the barrel from stresses generated by bipod. Early versions of SVU and SVU-A vere produced without bipod, and actually the “S” letter in SVU-AS designation stands for “soschka” (bipod in Russian). Standard sighting equipment includes open sights installed on folding bases, with rear being of diopter type and adjustable for range between 100 and 1300 meters. There’s also a standard side rail, which will accept variety f telescope or night sights, the 4X PSO-1 being most typical. SVU-AS rifles use standard SVD magazines with 10-round capacity. Apparently, bigger capacity magazines were also designed for SVU-A, but it seems that none were produced in quantity.
The automatic fire feature of SVU-A and SVU-AS seems to be of any value only in emergency close combat or self-defense actions, as the limited magazine capacity and light barrel greatly limits automatic fire capabilities of this weapon.

Basic SVU (OTs-03) rifle without telescope and with open sights raised to working position

SVU-AS (OTs-03AS) rifle with 4X PSO-1 telescope sight and camo paint; bipod is folded

SVU-AS rifle with bipod extended

Caliber: Russian 7.62×54mm Rimmed
Operation: gas-operated, rotating bolt, semi-automatic (SVU) or select-fire (SVU-AS)
Capacity: 10 round detachable box magazine
Weight: 4,4 (SVU) kg with empty magazine and telescope sight; 5,5 kg (SVU-AS with empty magazine, telescope sight and bipod)
Length: 900 mm
Barrel Length: 520 mm
Rate of Fire: 650 rounds per minute (for SVU-AS only)

The AR-10 rifle, designed by the Eugene Stoner at the Armalite division of the Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corp, seen no significant success at the time it had been introduced, but it still had some historical significance since the AR-10 served as a basis for the further development of the much more successful AR-15 / M16 series rifles. Basically, earliest AR-15 prototypes were no more than a scaled-down AR-10. The AR-10 was intended for the US Army trials for a new battle rifle, to replace the venerable M1 Garand. AR-10, with the first prototype built in 1955, came too late for these trials, and was too unconventional for conservative minds in the US Army, and consequently lost the trials to the T44 rifle, which was adopted in the 1957 as the M14. The AR-10 was ready for mass production by the 1960, but very few were made in USA. A manufacturing license had been sold to the Dutch company Artillerie Inrichtingen. Only Sudan and the Portugal apparently bought some AR-10 rifles for their military, and the production of the AR-10 had been ceased in the early or mid-1960s, with only about 10 000 military AR-10 being ever made.

Some two or three decades later, the reorganized Armalite company brought the modified AR-10 rifle back to civilian and police markets. Unlike the original AR-10, the new AR-10B is a semi-automatic only rifle, and it is available in four basic versions. The AR-10B itself is more or less a copy of the original AR-10, with the similar brown plastic furniture and short buttstock, and with the trigger-like charging handle under the carrying handle. The other three models look more like the scaled up M16A2 derivatives, with the same A2-style furniture, sights, and M16-type charging handles. The AR-10A2 has all the A2 furniture and options, while the AR-10A4 has the “flat-top” style receiver with the Picatinny rail instead of the carrying handle. The AR-10(T) is a target grade rifle, with match barrel and trigger and A4-type flat-top receiver.

The original AR-10 of the late 1950s. Note the three-prong flash hider and a bayonet lug under the barrel

The AR-10B rifle, a modern “civilian” re-creation of the AR-10. Note the lack of the bayonet lug and the M16A2-type rear sight and pistol grip

AR-10A2 is, basically, an upscaled AR-15A2 rifle, chambered for the .308 Winchester (7.62×51mm) cartridge. Note that the charging handle is above the buttstock, as on AR-15 / M16 rifles. The furniture is similar to the M16A2 rifle, except for the muzzle brake

AR-10(T) – a target grade version of the “new” AR-10, with Picatinny-type rail instead of the carrying handle, and the match barrel

The original AR-10, partially field-stripped. The similarity to the latter AR-15 / M16 rifles is obvious

Caliber: 7,62mm NATO (7.62×51mm)
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt
Length : 1016 mm
Barrel Length: 508 mm
Weight: 4.31 kg empty, without magazine and sling
Magazine: 20 rounds
Rate of fire: 700 rounds per minute (original military version)

The Lee-Enfield series of rifles was born in 1895 as a marriage between the magazine and bolt action, designed by the J. P. Lee, and the new pattern of barrel rifling, designed at the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) at Enfield. Originally known as Lee-Metford, this design was adopted by British army in 1888 and used a Metford pattern rifling with shallow groves, intended to be used with ammunition loaded with black powder. Introduction of the smokeless powders in the form of the Cordite showed that the Metford rifling was very short-living, so it was soon replaced with Enfield rifling, with 5 traditional land and grooves and left hand pitch. Early Lee-Enfield rifles, officially known as a “.303 caliber, Rifle, Magazine, Lee-Enfield”, were carried by the British army through the Boer war (South Africa) of 1899-1902, and Boers, armed with their Mausers, taught to the Brits some hard lessons. And, unlike some other Empires, Brits were quick lo learn. In 1903, they introduced a new design, which improved over the older Lee-Metfords and Lee-Enfields in some important respects. The main improvements was the introduction of the “universal” rifle idea. The common thinking of the period was to issue the long rifle for infantry and the carbine for cavalry, artillery and other such troops. The Brits decided to replace this variety of sizes with one, “intermediate” size, that will fit all niches. This “one size fits all” rifle was called “.303 caliber, Rifle, Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield, Mark 1″, or, in short SMLE Mk.I, where “short” referred to the length of the rifle. This rifle passed some improvements during the following pre-WW1 years, finalizing in the 1907 as a SMLE Mk.III.

Development and introduction into service of this rifle was accompanied with constant complaints of some “theorists”, which stated that this rifle would be no good neither for infantry, nor for cavalry, so RSAF was set do design another rifle, patterned after the German Mauser, which also should be more suitable for mass production, than the SMLE. This rifle finally appeared in 1914 as an “.303 caliber Enfield Pattern 1914 rifle”, or simply a P-14. With the outbreak of the Great war British troops were still armed with the “poor” SMLE Mk.III rifles, which soon turned far from any “poor”, giving some hard time to the Germans. In fact, the SMLE Mk.III was a really good rifle, quite accurate, reliable and suitable for rapid and accurate firing. British soldiers were rigorously trained for both individual and volley fire marksmanship, and were routinely capable of firing 30 aimed shots per minute, which was quite a rate of fire for any non-automatic rifle. There were times when advancing Germans were impressed that they were under the machine gun fire, when Tommie used their salvo-firing techniques. During the war time the basic Mk.III design was slightly simplified to better suit the mass production needs, with omission of “volley” sights and magazine cutoffs, and with some production shortcuts. When the World War One was over, there were no questions of quality of basic SMLE design, but some improvements were suggested and introduced in later patterns, such as peep-hole, receiver mounted sights. These “interwar” patterns were not issued in any significant quantities until the 1941. In 1926, Britains, quite confused with numerous ‘Marks’ and ‘Marks with stars’ of their weaponry, decided to adopt a new numbering system, so the SMLE Mark III became the “Rifle, No. 1 Mark 3″. The “Rifle No.2″ was a training version of the SMLE No.1 but chambered to .22LR ammunition. The “No.3″ was assigned to the P-14 rifle, which was used in limited numbers. And the “Rifle No.4 Mark 1″, widely known as a SMLE No.4 Mk.1, appeared in 1941. This was an improved and strengthened SMLE design, with heavier and stronger receiver, which also was faster and easier to machine, and with heavier barrel. The stock shape was shortened at the front part, giving away with the characteristic Mark III snub-nosed appearance. The barrel-mounted open rear sights were replaced with the receiver-mounted peep-hole sights, which were micrometer-adjustable. The latter feature was substituted by the simplified flip-up rear sights for wartime production, and this version became the No.4 Mk.1* rifle. By the end of the World War 2, when British and Commonwealth troops (also armed with SMLEs) started to fight in jungles of the South-East Asia, it was soon discovered that a “short” SMLE was still not short enough for the jungle combat, so a carbine version was adopted late in the 1944 in the form of the No.5 “jungle carbine”. This gun was somewhat lighter and handier than No.4, but suffered from the “wandering zero” problems, which meant that the point of impact wandered during the time. The muzzle flash and recoil were also too strong, despite the flash-hider and rubber buttpad. The last, and by some opinions the finest “general issue” version of the SMLE was the No.4 Mk.2 rifle, which appeared in 1949. It was made by higher peacetime standards of fit and finish, than a wartime No.1 Mk.3s and No.4 Mk.1s, and served with British army until the mid-1950s, when the self-loading L1 SLR (semi-auto copy of the Belgian FN FAL) rifle in 7.62mm NATO was introduced into general service. But some SMLEs were left in military service, as a training, target and, especially, sniper rifles, known as Enfield L39 and L41, rechambered to the new standard 7.62mm NATO ammunition, and served well until the late 1980s, when there were replaced by the L96 sniper rifles. It should be noted, that SMLE rifles were produced and used not only in the UK. Australian, Canadian and Indian factories turned out more than million of the No.1 rifles with various improvements, which were used during both World wars and thereafter. During the WW2, Britain also acquired quantities of SMLE No.4 (marked No.4 Mk.1*) made under contract at the Savage Arms company in USA. In the 1950s, Indian Isaphore arsenal turned out some SMLEs rechambered to the 7.62mm NATO (.308 win) ammunition. These are distinguishable from .303 caliber rifles by the more squared outline of the magazine. Total numbers of all ‘Marks’ and ‘Numbers’ of the SMLE made during the 60 years in various countries is not less than 5 000 000 (yes, five millions) rifles.

The SMLE is a manually operated, rotating bolt action magazine fed rifle. The Lee-designed SMLE magazine is a first easily distinguishable feature. It holds 10 rounds of ammunition in staggered column form, and while the magazine itself is detachable, it is not intended to be reloaded when detached from rifle. Early Lee-Enfields (Long Lee-Enfields and SMLEs prior to Mark III) were loaded only by single rounds via the top receiver opening. Latter, the clip (charger) loading was introduced, and a rear receiver bridge with charger clip guides was added to the design. Some of the earlier marks were then retrofitted with charger loading ability during the 1907 – 1910. To load the magazine, one must use two standard 5-rounds clips. Loading by loose rounds was still available, but some care must be taken when loading cartridges into clips or in the magazine, due to the rimmed ammunition cases. Prior to the 1916, all SMLEs (and earlier Long Lee-Enfields) were issued with so called “magazine cut-off” – a simple device, located at the right side of the receiver and intended to cut off the cartridge supply from magazine to the action when engaged, so rifle could be used as a single-loader, and ammunition in the magazine could be saved for the hottest moments of combat. This was an outdated idea even when it was first introduced, so it was easily discarded when the need to speed up production arose. The magazine itself should be detached only for cleaning, maintenance and repair, and every rifle was issued with only one magazine. The magazine catch is located inside the triggerguard.

The bolt action, another invention of the James Paris Lee (along with magazine), is the other most famous feature of the SMLE. The rotating bolt has two lugs that lock into the receiver walls at the rear part of the bolt, thus saving some part of the bolt length and bolt pull, when comparing to the forward lugs locking. This shorter bolt pull, along with charging handle, located at the rear part of the bolt and bent down, lent itself to quick reloading. Add a relatively high capacity magazine with fast clip reloading and here you have one of the fastest practical rates of fire along with contemporary designs. The SMLE was a striker fired gun, with cocking on the bolt close action and a dual-stage trigger. The bolt head with the extractor was a separate, non-rotating unit, screwed into the bolt body. The safety was located at the rear left side of the receiver and was easily operated by the firing hands’ thumb finger. One notable feature of the Lee bolt action was that the bolts were not interchangeable between different rifles of the same mark Each bolt must have been fitted to its respective action, thus making the production and in-field bolt replacement more complicated. The insufficient headspace problem on the pre-No.4 SMLEs was solved my manual sandpapering the respective bolt-head, and since the No.4 rifle, there were 4 standard sizes of the bolt heads, from which armourer could select one, most suitable for the particular action.

The sights of the Mark III / No.1 Mk.3 SMLEs were a combination of the barleycorn front (an inverted V-shape) and V-notch adjustable rear sights, mounted on the barrel. The front sights were protected by the two “ears” on the stock nose-cap. Latter the front sight were changed to post type, and the rear – to the U-notch type, and since the introduction of the No.4 rifle the barrel-mounted open rear sight was replaced with peep-hole one, mounted on the receiver, which made the sighting line much longer and improved the long-range accuracy. Sniper No.4 Mk.1(T) rifles, made during the WW2, were equipped with detachable optical scope mounts at the left side of the receiver. The scope was carried in the separate box when not in use. No.4 Mk1* rifles, made during the WW2, were equipped with the simplified, two position aperture (peep-hole) sights, marked for 300 and 600 yards ranges only. Pre-1916 Lee-Enfields were also equipped with interesting device, called the “volley” sights. This device was mounted at the left side of the stock, ahead of the magazine, and was used to provide an indirect fire capability at the ranges from 2 000 and up to outstanding 3 900 yards (1800 – 3550 meters). While the individual marksmanship at such ranges with rifle was a nonsense, the salvo firing by large squads at the distant and large targets (such as tight infantry or cavalry formations) can do some damage to the enemy. This was, obviously, an idea of the pre – machine gun and pre – light artillery period, and it was happily dropped during the WW1.

The famous by its distinguishable shape stock of the SMLE featured a semi-pistol grip, a steel buttplate with a trapdoor and a compartment in the butt for tools and cleaning equipment. The “flat-nosed” forend covered the barrel up to the muzzle, and has a small stud, protruding forward under the muzzle for bayonet mounting. Most SMLEs have a small brass disc inset into the right side of the butt, which was used for regimental markings (unlike the German Mausers, where the similar steel disc was used as a bolt unit disassembly tool). The conventional sling swivels were mounted on the frond handguard band and under the butt. Mk.4 No1.(T) sniper rifles also featured an additional wooden cheek rest on the top of the butt for more comfortable sighting while using the scope.

In general the SMLE were ones of the best bolt action battle rifles, fast-firing, powerful and reliable. While being less suitable for “sporterizing” than Mausers, they are still popular among civilians as a hunting and plinking weapons, and also as a part of the history. The key deficiencies of the SMLE were probably the rimmed ammunition and non-interchangeability of bolts, but the advantages of this design were mush bigger and Lee-Enfields in all its guises served the Britain and the British Commonwealth for more than 60 years in the front line service and much longer as a specialized weapon (training and sniper).

Lee-Enfield Mk.1 rifle – the original “Long” Lee-Enfield, made in 1900. Note the dust cover on the bolt, magazine cut-off and lack of the rear receiver bridge with its charger clip guides

SMLE mk. III*, made in 1916 (cutoff already omitted from design)

Same rifle, other side (volley sights also omitted)

SMLE mk. III* (latter known as SMLE No.1 Mk.3); this one was made in 1919

SMLE No.4 Mk.1

SMLE No.4 Mk.1(T) – sniper version with scope, mount and cheek rest on buttstock (shown with magazine removed)

SMLE No.5 Jungle Carbine

Pre-1916 Lee-Enfield volley sight (at left the “volley” front sight, mounted on the left side of the stock, just ahead of the traditional rear sight. At right – the diopter rear “volley” sight, mounted alongside the safety on the receiver)

Safety switch on the SMLE Mk.III* (note the absence of the “volley” rear sight)

Magazine cut-off on the early SMLE rifle. “Volley” rear sight in folded-down position


303 British cartridge with Mk.VII bullet in charger clip and alone

The ZK-383 submachine gun was developed during late 1930s by Czechoslovak arms designers brothers Koucky, who at the time worked at the Zbrojovka Brno arms factory. Produced since 1938, this submachine gun was exported to certain smaller European countries, as well as to Latin America (most notably the Venezuela and Bolivia). Production of the ZK-383 continued at Brno during German occupation, with most wartime guns being supplied to German Waffen-SS troops and occupation police forces. The ZK-383 was also briefly produced after the war, before being replaced in production with more modern and compact weapons such as Cz. Vz.48 / Sa 23. One of most notable European users of ZK-383 was the Bulgarian army, which used these guns until about 1966. The ZK-383 is an interesting weapon because it was initially developed more like a squad support weapon rather than an individual weapon – it was heavy, solidly made, and capable of some serious firepower (considering the pistol ammunition used, of cause). It was also fitted with ‘long range’ rifle type sights and integral folding bipod. there also were two later versions of the ZK-383 – the ‘Police’ ZK-383P which had no bipod, and post-war ZK-383H which also had no bipod and had folding forward magazine housing below the receiver (rather than fixed housing on the left side). Total production of all three versions of ZK-383 is estimated as no less than 20,000 guns.

The ZK-383 submachine gun is blowback operated, selective fired weapon. Unlike most other submachine guns, it had a quick-detachable barrel, with barrel lock / release mechanism located in the front sight base, at the front of the barrel jacket.ZK-383 fired from open bolt, and featured removable bolt weight which, when removed, increased cyclic rate of fire from about 500 to roughly 700 rounds per minute. Feed was from box magazines, inserted from the left side, with magazine slightly canted down, ejection was to the right. Manual safety was made in the form of the cross-bolt button located above the trigger, and fire mode selector was located on the left side of the receiver, above and to the front of the trigger. Gun was quipped with two-piece wooden stock and folding bipod, which was attached to the barrel jacket. When folded, bipod was partly concealed within the cut made in the bottom of the forend. Sights were adjustable for range between 50 and 600 meters.

ZK-383 submachine gun, right side

ZK-383 submachine gun, left side

ZK-383P submachine gun; note that it has no facilities to mount a bipod

ZK-383H submachine gun of post-WW2 manufacture, with bottom-feed magazine that can be folded forward for carrying

Data for ZK-383 submachine gun

In the late 1980s, a small Canadian company called Para Ordnance introduced a “high capacity conversion kit” for US M1911A1 type pistols. This kit consisted of an updated frame with thicker grip, which accommodated a double-stack magazine (also supplied with the kit), effectively doubling the available round count for 1911 shooters. The kit also included a new trigger assembly with suitable dimensional changes to fit into the widened grip frame. With the initial success of these kits, Para Ordnance soon introduced a line of complete M1911A1-type pistols with high capacity magazines, available in 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP calibers. Compact and semi-compact models followed, and Para Ordnance pistols found buyers among both civilian and police shooters. In 1999, Para Ordnance introduced the new line of LDA (Lightweight Double Action) pistols, which combined the established 1911-type general design with the double-action-only type of trigger, for improved safety. At the present time, Para Ordnance offers its pistols with either standard single action or patented LDA triggers, with single or double-stack magazines, and in a variety of sizes and finishes. It is believed that Para Ordnance LDA pistols have already found some customers among the police agencies of the USA and Canada.

Early Para-Ordnance pistols were almost exact copies of the Colt M1911A1 pistol, except for the wide-body frames; in fact, these early Para-Ordnance frames accepted standard M1911A1 slides and barrels without any major modifications. However, with time, Para Ordnance design team, led by Ted Szabo, introduced several new features, other than different sizes of frame and barrel. First came the LDA modification, which was designed to allow the gun to be safely carried with a round in the chamber and the hammer down, and to avoid a heavy double-action trigger pull when bringing the gun into action in fast-pacing defensive scenarios. First appearing in 1999, the Para-Ordnance line of LDA pistols now includes all sorts of guns – full-sized and compact, with single and double-stack magazines. Another step forward from the basic M1911 design was the patented “Power Extractor”, or PXT in short. Since 2004, all Para Ordnance pistols are manufactured with PXT-type extractors, which are said to improve extraction reliability.

All Para Ordnance pistols are short-recoil operated, locked-breech weapons. The classic Browning locking system consists of two lugs at the top of the barrel, which engage the cuts on inside of the slide. The unlocking action on recoil is caused by the swinging link, which connects the barrel breech with the frame. Most Para Ordnance pistols are made with steel frames; however, there were certain versions with aluminium alloy frames. Standard Para Ordnance pistols have a single action trigger with an exposed hammer and a manual safety on the frame. There is also a typical M1911-style automatic grip safety and a disconnector, which does not permit the gun to be fired unless the slide is fully closed and barrel is locked.
However, the LDA models have an entirely different trigger setup. The key for the “Lightweight Double Action” (hence the LDA acronym) is the hammer cam, which is interposed between the main spring and the hammer. During the cocking cycle the hammer is pulled back; this movement causes the cam to rotate and to compress the main spring. Once spring is compressed, the hammer cam is held cocked by the main sear. The hammer, which is not directly connected to the main spring, is then returned forward by its own, relatively soft hammer spring. When the trigger is pulled, it raises the hammer until it connects to the cocked hammer cam; at this moment, the sear is depressed and hammer cam, powered by the main spring, forces the hammer forward and toward the firing pin; at the same moment, the automatic firing pin safety is released to allow the firing pin to hit the primer. This system, which is obviously based on the FN’s “Fast Action” trigger of the early 1980s, allows for a very light and smooth trigger pull, since the hammer spring is very light, and the stronger main spring is cocked only during the reload. However, LDA could not be considered as a “true Double Action Only” design, as it does not permit a fast second strike in the case of misfire; in this case, the shooter must manually recock the main-spring and hammer cam by pulling the hammer back manually (however, the Para Ordnance manual does not recommend that; instead, it is advised to cycle the slide and eject the failed round; this will also recock the main spring automatically). Another issue is that while the gun looks uncocked at all times except when trigger is being pressed, the main spring may still be cocked and under tension. There’s no way to safely release the main spring and hammer cam, except by a trigger pull; so, after unloading and before storage, the shooter must point the pistol in a safe direction and dry-fire it once (pull the trigger completely and then release it). Otherwise, the hammer cam will remain cocked and main spring will be under tension, and this could impair pistol reliability in the long term. Another unusual feature of the LDA is that the automated grip safety locks the slide when not disengaged properly by the shooting hand.
Para Ordnance pistols are available in a variety of magazine capacities; the maximum magazine capacity and calibre is usually indicated by the model designation, i.e. P14-45 is a .45 calibre pistol with 14-round capacity, and P16-40 is a .40 S&W calibre pistol with 16-round capacity. Para Ordnance pistols can be fitted with either fixed or adjustable sights, with the rear sight dovetailed into the slide.

Manual safety: A lever, located at the side of the frame above the grip panel (ambidextrous levers on the “Limited” series pistols). Push the lever up to set on “safe”, pull the lever down to set on “fire”. Note: on the single action pistols, the safety will engage only when the hammer is cocked; on the LDA series of pistols, the hammer is always uncocked and the safety is applied with hammer down. It is not advised by the factory manual to directly cock the hammer on the LDA pistols
How to disassemble (field-strip) Para-Ordnance pistol: (relevant only for full-size single action and LDA pistols of all calibres; for compact and semi-compact models, please refer to the Owner’s manual): 1) remove the magazine by pressing the magazine release button; 2) check that the chamber is empty; 3) with the slide in the forward position, pull the trigger once to drop the hammer; 4) put the pistol on the table with the muzzle up, with the grip safety resting on the table; 5) press inward the recoil spring plug (located just below the muzzle), and rotate the barrel bushing clockwise for about a quarter of a turn (use special bushing wrench if available); 6) gently allow the recoil spring plug to extend out of the slide; 7) push the slide back until the disassembly notch on the slide is aligned with the slide stop lug. Note that the grip safety must be depressed to do so on LDA pistols; push the rounded end of the slide stop pin inward, then completely remove the slide stop pulling to the left and out of the frame; 9) push the slide forward and out of the frame; 10) lift the return spring guide out of the slide; 11) remove the barrel out of the slide.
Reassemble in reverse order.

Basic Para-Ordnance P14-45 pistol, caliber .45ACP

Para-Ordnance P18-9 pistol, caliber 9mm Luger / Parabellum

Basic Para-Ordnance P14-45 LDA pistol, caliber .45ACP, with DAO-type LDA trigger

Compact P10-45 pistol, caliber .45ACP

Type: Single Action (Double action only in LDA model)
Chamber: 45ACP, also available in .40SW, .38 Super and 9×19mm
Weight: ca. 1100 g
Length: 216 mm
Barrel length: 127 mm
Capacity: 45ACP: 14 rounds (P14-45), 12 rounds (P12-45), 10 rounds (P10-45); 40SW: 16 rounds (P16-40), 10 rounds (P10-40); 9mm: 18 rounds