22nd May : Heckler & Koch P7

Name     :     Heckler & Koch P7 M8, M13 & M10


AKA       :     The Squeeze Cocker, PSP, P7 M8,M13,M10,

Calibers      :     9x19mm Parabellum, .40 S&W,


Capacity     :     8 and 13 Rounds (9mm), 10 Rounds (.40 S&W)


Weight       :     27.25oz or 785g (P7M8)


Length       :     6.75in or 171mm (P7M8)


Action        :     Striker Fired, Semi automatic, gas operated locking


Origin         :     Germany


The terror that ensued during the 1972 Munich Olympics resulted in a major shake up within the West German Law Enforcement community and especially the West German government, with a directive being issued to research and revise arms used by Law Enforcement and internal security forces.  Technical specifications were drawn up and sent to arms manufacturers specifying that the new pistol weight under 1000g, fire a more powerful round than the 7.65mm (.32ACP) that was being used by Police at the time and various other requirements.  Heckler and Koch of Oberndorf, started development on a new pistol in 1974 and prototypes were completed in 1976.  The new prototype was put through its paces with a variety of West German departments for evaluation.  Meanwhile other pistols were also being tested, the Walther design, a SIG Sauer P220 derivative and a Mauser pistol. West German officials decided to accept the Walther entrant as the P5, the SIG Sauer P225 as the P6 and in 1979 the Heckler and Koch entrant called the PSP (Polizei Selbstlade Pistole) as the P7, all pistols were chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.


Ground breaking at the time the new PSP P7 had a number of unusual features, such as the safety device found on the forward section of the grip.  Known as a squeeze cocker this device, with a initial heavy squeeze and a lighter pressure to hold the device depressed, the striker is cocked position, which can be visually checked by the striker itself protruding from the back of slide, when pressure is released the striker is de-cocked.  Another interesting feature of the P7 is the locking and operating mechanism.  When the pistol is fired gas from the round is tapped off through a small hole in the bottom of the barrel into a cylinder where it acts against a piston in effect retarding the slides rearward movement until the projectile has left the barrel and pressures within the barrel have dropped to safe levels, bleeding back into the barrel once again to aid cycling of the action.  One advantage of this system was that the barrel of the pistol was fixed to the frame, unlike most pistols that require a locking system, the gas retardant system does not require the barrel to move during firing, thus it is always in the same position shot after shot, aiding accuracy. The barrel itself borrowed from the earlier P9 pistol by Heckler and Koch is also interesting in that is of polygonal design.  This design does away with traditional lands and groves in favor of polygon shape that contains a twist.   


Heckler and Koch saw the need to improve the PSP, and in 1985 production of the pistol was switched to its successors the P7 M8 and the P7 M13 remaining in 9mm parabellum, the most notable changes were the re-positioning of the magazine release from the heel of the grip to what is now standard on H&K pistols, an ambidextrous push down lever directly under the trigger guard.  And in the case of the P7 M13 a double stack magazine containing 13 rounds.  The P7 M13 entered the U.S. Military trials to replace the venerable Colt M1911A1 but was unsuccessful in its bid, though it passed with 100% reliability during dust tests and was rated highly for overall conditional reliability.  


Heckler and Koch turned instead to marketing the pistol for personal defense and sports shooters, thus following the public interest - the P7 M10 was born.  This new pistol was a caliber revision, it was chambered in .40 S&W.  It differed from the M8 & M13 in both that it no longer had the polygonal barrel, but more traditional lands and groves.  It also due to the considerable pressure increase over the 9x19mm parabellum was slightly larger and heavier.  


INTERESTING FACT :  German military special forces team GSG-9 had a special version of the P7 M13 made especially for them known as the P7M13SD which had a threaded barrel and supplied suppressor for covert operations.


PRO's   :   Accurate, reliable, curiosity, collectible, well made, 


CON's   :   Cleaning is a little lengthy, no external slide catch, PSP's had heal mag releases


      

17th May : Becker & Hollander Beholla Pistol

Name     :     Becker & Hollander Beholla Pistol


AKA       :     The Beholla 

Caliber     :     7.65x17mm Browning (.32 ACP)


Capacity   :     7 Rounds


Weight     :     22.57oz or 640g


Length     :     5.59in or 142mm


Action      :     Blowback Action, semi automatic


Origin      :     Germany 




Produced by Becker and Hollander of Suhl in Germany in 1915 the Beholla was a mediocrity at best even by the standards of the day.  With this in mind it was given a substitute pistol status in the German Army during the First World War. It was commonly issued to lower ranked personnel when the famous P08 Luger or even Mauser C96's were short in supply.  After the initial shipment from Becker and Hollander the German Army ordered the pistol to be contracted out to other arms firms to insure a healthy supply and thus a contract was given to Leonhardt, Stenda and Menta.  Production of this pistol for the German Army would appear to have been around 40-45'000 and remained in service until 1918 the end of the war.  After the war, the pistol was produced by several manufacturers for the commercial market, and some were even offered for sale by the Army to the public.  Total production for this pistol/design including commercial models is estimated around 100,000.


Typically of pistols made in Europe at this time, the magazine release is located on the heal of the grip and is pushed to the rear to eject the magazine for reloading.  The barrel is fixed to the frame by means of a cross-pin, and this is where the pistol takes a turn for the worse. 


To dismantle the Beholla the magazine has to be removed and the striker released by pulling the trigger with an empty shell case inserted in the chamber to prevent damage to the firing pin.  The cross-pin holding the barrel to the frame has to be removed through a hole in the slide.  This is done by punching out the cross-pin with a tool through the right side of the slide until it is far enough through it can be pulled by hand from the left hand side of the slide. The slide must then be locked to the rear and the barrel is pushed backward approximately 5mm and pulled upward and it can be removed. The slide is then released forward to its normal position the trigger again needs to be pulled then the slide can move forward off the frame. 


The Beholla like all German pistols was a war trophy for allied soldiers but never gained the fame or popularity of other pistols such as the Luger.  In service the pistol was considered to be robust enough for combat, which probably was the pistols only saving grace, considering what it took to clean it.  Some collectors and shooters have stated that they have been very impressed with the accuracy potential of this pistol, especially considering that it was produced during war time, when the quality of firearms is generally a lot lower.  This is probably an inherent advantage of the fixed barrel design. 


INTERESTING FACT : Magazines from the Colt 1903 pistol in .32ACP will function well in the Beholla, for those of you out there looking for replacement or spare magazine.


PRO's :   Robust, Accurate, easy to conceal, snag free design


CON's :   Low on the manstopping scale, awful dismantling procedure for a soldier 

30th April : Heckler & Koch G36

Name     :     Heckler & Koch G36


AKA       :     The Bundeswehr Rifle

Caliber     :     5.56x45mm NATO


Capacity   :     30 Rounds or 100 round Beta C Magazine  


Weight     :     7.94lbs or 3.6kg (Standard Model)


Length     :     39.3in or 998mm (Standard Model)


Action      :     Gas operated rotating bolt locking, semi, burst or Fully Automatic


Origin      :     Germany


Since the late 1960's the West German Army looked to replace the G3 from standard service for a easier to handle weapon which could maximize the accuracy potential of its troops.  Heckler and Koch through a long and extensive development period produced the G11 caseless ammunition rifle, a rifle that performed very well through testing, that 1000 prototypes were manufactured.  The Germans were however well aware that the financial implications if they decided to arm everyone with the G11, thus consideration was given to procuring a 5.56mm standard type rifle for second-line or rear echelon troops in the form of the Heckler and Koch G41 Rifle.  Unfortunately for the Germans NATO standardization and the economic situation at the time called the end of the G11 rifle, but the need to replace the G3 was ever present.


The G36 was born out of the HK-50 project of the 1990's, this project moved away from the roller locking mechanism of Heckler and Koch fame toward the popular piston based, rotating bolt gas system.  This project was met with high praise from the German Military after testing had proved the rifle very handy and modular and an order was placed for the new Rifle to placed into service as the G36 in 1997, followed later by the Spanish Armed Forces in 1999.


The Standard G36 rifle has a steel reinforced polymer receiver, and makes extensive use of polymer throughout the rest of the rifle.  As standard the German Army rifle comes fitted with with an 3x optical sight.  The magazine is of interest as it is semi transparent allowing the user to inspect at a glance how many rounds are remaining in the magazine, also the magazine has clips on the side of it that allow other magazines to be connected to it to allow fast magazine changes should it be required.  The stock is of a folding type which also has small holes in it that allow the insertion of the disassembly pins so they are somewhere safe when dismantling the rifle.


One of the appeals of the G36 is its large assortment of variants and optional accessories, without a doubt this has greatly contributed to the large procurement of the rifle from the international law enforcement community. The models are as follows :

G36A1 - Standard German Service rifle
G36A2 - Updated A1, New scope, G36C Stock, 
G36K - Carbine version of the Standard G36 the barrel is 160mm shorter than standard.
G36V - Standard G36 with NATO bayonet fitting, Export model differing sight setup
G36KV - Carbine export model with NATO bayonet fitting, 
G36C - Compact commando model
MG36 - Heavy barreled light machinegun version.

G36C, Commando variant of the standard rifle.

INTERESTING FACT : The German military is investigating concerns regarding "wandering zero's" on the G36. After the rifle has fired enough rounds to get hot, soldiers are reporting difficulties attempting to hit targets beyond 200 meters.


PRO's : Great magazines, lots of accessories, easy to clean/maintain.


CON's : Possible wandering zero, 

COOL FACTOR : 7/10

27th April : Walther P99

Name     :     Walther P99


AKA       :     Walther's Tupperware Wonder

Caliber     :     9x19mm Parabellum, .40 Smith and Wesson


Capacity   :     16 Rounds (9mm) 12 (.40) 10 round magazines are common too.


Weight     :     22.5oz or 630g (9mm) 23.1oz or 655g (.40)


Length     :     7in or 180mm (9mm) 7.25in or 184mm


Action      :     Double Action Semi Automatic, Browning-Petter Locking Block


Origin      :     Germany


Horst Wesp started designing the P99 pistol for Walther in 1994, Wesp who had previously worked for the two largest firearms producers in his native land of Austria, namely Glock and Steyr, finished design and testing in 1996 when the P99 hit the market.  The P99 was primarily produced for the Law Enforcement community but has found widespread acceptance in sporting and personal protection circles, and the latter two are by far its largest consumers.  Some have speculated that the P99 came too late and at a too higher premium to compete with the likes of Glock, in spite of this some German Law Enforcement have chosen to adopt it.


As with all Walther products it is produced to a very high standard, incorporating some very desirable features into an aesthetically pleasing package.  The pistol is of double action design, where by the pistol can be de-cocked, removing spring tension on the firing pin, creating a long first shot trigger pull which cocks the firing pin, all subsequent shots are in a lighter trigger pull single action mode.  The decocker is nicely positioned on the top right hand side of the slide, all that is required is a reasonable pressure to depress the button.  The trigger pull on the P99 is 8.25 pounds in double action and 4.5 pounds in single action.  Locking on this pistol is an improved browning type where by the chamber port locks into the ejection cut out in the slide instead of lugs around the barrel.  The frame of the P99 is made from polymer which reduces weight and allow for very ergonomic designs, the grips were designed by Italian Cesare Morini who produced specialty grips for pistols used in the Olympic shooting section. These grips are very comfortable with three replaceable backstraps that come supplied with the pistol. The magazine release is of European type built into the trigger guard and is ambidextrous.   


Variants of the P99 are :


P99 Military    - Standard P99 with a green polymer frame 
P990             - Double Action Only
SW99            - As above but only the slide is made in the U.S. by Smith & Wesson
P99C             - Compact model with standard action
P99 Duder      - Standard P99, Engraved Slide, Wooden Backstrap
P99QA           - The firing is always half cocked, this would be the start point the PPQ
P99RAD         - Made by Radom in poland, as above with inner trigger safety


As with most pistols these days the P99 comes in "generations" of production evolution, of which the P99 has three.  The second generation had a revised trigger guard that became rounded at the front and removed the triangle protrusion from the bottom of the guard.  The original accessory rail in front of the trigger guard was of a type exclusive to Walther, in the second generation it was changed to be of a standard weaver type.  The third generation had minor internal changes to aid overall smoothness of the action and a squarer trigger guard, longer magazine release and revised slide serrations.


INTERESTING FACT :  Walther pistols are synonymous with Ian Flemmings character James Bond, in the 007 Movie "Tommorow Never Dies" James bond trades his Walther PPK for a P99 and continues to use it even with the change of the man playing Bond.  To celebrate this change to the P99 Walther produced a limited edition "M.I.6." version of this pistol with the Coat of Arms engraved on the slide.  However as of "Quantum of Solace" James Bond has gone back to his PPK. 


PRO's   :   Accuracy, Reliability, Quality Manufacturer, High Capacity, Best Grips
CON's   :   Some magazines were dubious, 


COOL FACTOR : 9/10

April 17th : G33/40 (t) Alpine Carbine

Name     :     G33/40 (t)


AKA       :     VZ.33 Modified, VZ.16/33, Alpine Carbine

Caliber   :     7.92x57mm Mauser (sometimes called 8mm Mauser)


Capacity :     5 Rounds


Weight   :     7.4lbs or 3.35kg


Length   :     39in or 1000mm


Action    :     Bolt Action repeater of Mauser type


Origin    :     Czechoslovakia 


As the Austro-Hungarian Empire was crumbling the independent nation of Czechoslovakia came to be and with it a new national army had to be created.  Of course consideration had to be given to what to arm the troops with, the  Steyr Mannlicher M1895 was starting to show its age, one only had to look across the border to Germany to see what the future would hold.  A new factory was set up in BRNO to make Mauser type rifles for this new army, the result was a high quality rifle, not a specific Mauser model but a new variant known as the VZ.24.  A need for a shorter handier rifle emerged and the result was the vz.16/33 more commonly known as the VZ.33.  Export versions were also produced carrying the coat of arms of the purchaser.  Orders were made by Guatemala, with Iran ordering from BRNO and eventually making the rifle in their own imperial arsenal.


In 1939 Nazi Germany occupied Czechoslovakia and thus the Czech's great industries were folded into the Reich.  Priority number one became arming the Wehrmacht, at some point inspections were done at BRNO, and a decision was made to add the VZ.33 with a few modifications and the VZ.24 into the fray of official Wehrmacht rifles as the G33/40 (t) and G24(t) respectively.  The rifle was produced at BRNO (BRUNN as it was called during occupation) all rifles made at this factory received the production code of 945 on early models then it was changed to DOT followed by the year of production.  The rifles were eventually issued to the German Gebirgsjager (Mountain Troops) and to the Fallschirmjager (Paratroopers). 


The G33/40 differs from the standard Mauser K98K from which it is based upon.  The bolts are of the same length but are not interchangeable, the standard K98K Bayonet wont fit.  The cleaning rods are different due to the difference in barrel length and further down the stock you will see there is a metal shield on the left hand side of the stock . The G33/40 also differs for the fact that it is lighter, this was the key advantage to the G33/40 for Mountain troops, this is due to certain areas of the receiver being slimmed down.


INTERESTING FACT :  A prototype folding stock version of the G33/44(t) was made for paratroopers but it never ended up in full scale production


PRO's     :  Quality construction, Accurate, Collectable


CON's     :  Not compatible with other Mauser type rifles


COOL FACTOR : 6/10





    

13th April : Walther P.38

Name     :     Walther P.38

AKA       :     The Slide Action Luger, P1, Walther HP, 

Caliber   :     9x19mm Parabellum

Capacity :     8 Rounds

Weight   :     2.1lbs or 950g

Length   :     8.34in or 212mm

Action    :     Falling Block Locking, Double Action, Semi Automatic

Origin    :     Nazi Germany

The German military in the 20th century had always considered the role of the pistol as important, and thus companies like Deutsche Waffen und munitionsfabriken (DMW), Walther, Mauser and others spent much time, effort and money to produce new and innovative pistols for lucrative military contracts.   In 1904 DMW won a contract to supply the German Navy and later in 1908 the German Army with the P.08 pistol more commonly known as the Luger.  The Luger was a reasonably reliable weapon, despite the poorly informed claims American gun writers made about it during and after the first and second world war.  The Luger was popular especially because of its ease of use and the 9mm cartridge it fired, a round we all know today.  The Luger however did have some draw backs from the military analysts point of view.  It was expensive and took a considerably long time to produce, interchangeability of parts between different manufacturers in some cases was an issue, complicated maintenance and some concerns about the toggle action.  In short, it was becoming obsolete, especially compared with the likes of Colt 1911A1, Browning High Power and other pistols that were increasing arming nations around the world.  Walther who had already won a contract in 1929/30 to supply the Luftwaffe (German Airforce) with PP Auto pistols was seeking to gain the pistol manufacturers domestic prize.  In 1936 Walther approached the Wehrmacht and put forward their new prototype called the Armee-Pistole or AP.  This pistol had a slide instead of a toggle joint, similar look to the Luger, was chambered in the same caliber and  overall simpler pistol with an internal hammer.  For safety reasons the Wehrmacht rejected it as they wished the pistol to have an external hammer, thus another advantage over the Luger, and a few other minor changes to the design.

In 1937 Walther was at it again, now with the revised pistol called the Heeres-Pistole or HP, now sporting and external hammer as requested.  From there the P.38 was accepted by the Wehrmacht as the official replacement for the P.08 Luger.  In 1939 with the outbreak of war all European Axis forces began to implement production codes for each manufacturer to hide the origins of all weapons to make it difficult for Allied forces to know which factories were producing what arms, Walther made weapons were marked AC and the year of production.  At the same time the German military wanted to increase the manufacturing capability of the arms producers so blue prints were sent to other companies who qualified for contacts, Mauser was one of the major companies that started making the P.38 with the production code BYF marked on the slide of the pistol.  

The P.38 was never as popular with officers as the Luger, even Allied troops who loved to have captured pistols as trophies preferred the P.08 over the P.38.  That aside the P.38 gave excellent service due to its brilliant design.  The Walther pistol utilized a double action mechanism, that allowed a round to chambered and carried safely with the hammer lowered, which was done by the safety switch which moved a blocking bar in front of the firing pin and safely lowered the hammer. So when the pistol was pulled from the holster all the firer needed to do is pull the trigger, a feature that was borrowed from the Walther PP.  The 9mm cartridge used in the P.38 requires the use of a locking device so that when the pistol is fired the pressure being released from the cartridge can drop to a safe level before the chamber is opened.  Walther engineers employed what is called a falling block, a wedge that holds the barrel and slide together as they move back a short distance in the initial recoiling sequence then the wedge cams down releasing the slide so that it may move back to complete the cycle.  This method of locking is also used in the Beretta 92 series of pistols including the M9 the current U.S. Army pistol.

After the World War Two production of the Walther P.38 continued with some minor changes to become the P.1 the standard pistol of the West German Army in 1955, but they were not alone other nations including Chad, Finland, Norway, Macedonia and Portugal also purchased the P.1.  

INTERESTING FACT : Saddam Hussien owned a gold plated Walther P.38, after Saddam's fall from power, the pistol was taken from his palace and who owns it now is anyone's guess. See below

PRO's :  Easy to Maintain, Very Reliable, Double Action, Accurate

CON's :  Some pistols safety devices are prone to breaking with age.

COOL FACTOR : 7/10

30th March : STG 44 Sturmgewehr

Name     :   STG44

AKA       :   Sturmgewehr, MP 43, MP 44, 

7.92x33mm 

Caliber   :   7.92x33mm Kurz

Capacity :   30 Round Magazine 

Weight   :   4.81Kg or 10.6lbs

Length    :  930mm or 36.6in

Cyclic     :   500 Rounds per minute

Origin     :   Nazi Germany

In the late 1930's German military analysts had done extensive research into battlefield tactics, units and equipment used during the First World War and the then recent Spanish Civil War,  some of the conclusions found around infantry was that most firefights take place at 300 meters or less, one or two man portable machines that were light allowed troops to capture more ground increasing the pace of a battle creating a momentum and that combat was taking place within cities and built up areas.  Though most armies in the world at the time were developing and testing semi-automatic rifle's including the Germans, they were all developing them around a full sized rifle cartridge.  All nations had seen the benefit of sub-machineguns but these all fired a pistol cartridge with limited range and power. The findings of the analysts called for an intermediate weapon, something with lighter ammunition with a shorter range than the 2000 meter effective 8mm Mauser but more powerful than a sub-machinegun.  A weapon that was capable of semi automatic and full automatic fire. A weapon that was light enough to be one man portable.

A suitable cartridge was developed with all of this in mind, the 7.92x33mm round with a maximum effective range of 700 meters by a company called Polte in 1938.  Proposals were sent out to Walther and Haenel, with Haenel winning with their design. When the first prototypes were being fielded at the same time Adolf Hitler was informed of the testing.  Hitler was of the mind that a soldier needed the power of the Mauser bolt action (similar to that which Hitler himself had served with) and that the MP-40 sub machinegun already in use was sufficent, so he cancelled the project.  Realizing what a great weapon the intermediate rifle was going to be the German military continued with the project in secret referring to the intermediate rifle as a machinepistol (sub-machinegun) as to avoid a confrontation with the Fuehrer.

The initial field trails were astounding, the effect on the battlefield could not be ignored and the intermediate rifle's production went into full swing.  Haenel was never able to keep up with demand from the military brass, then the day of judgement came in 1943.  Hitler had traveled to the Eastern Front to over look operations, in a conversation with a general -

Hitler asked "What are you most in need of?"  

The general replied "As many MP-43's as you can send"

Hitler asks "What is this MP-43 ? this isn't that rifle I vetoed is it?"

(Please note there is no transcript of the conversation, but this is commonly believed to be what was said).

The general offered to Hitler a demonstration of the weapon, and Hitler by all accounts was impressed, and it is said he was the first to call it the 'Strumgewehr' or in English 'Assault Rifle' a term by which all modern select fire intermediate rifles are classed.  

The STG.44 as it became known was in too smaller number to save Germany's infantry, but this would not be the final resting place for the rifle.  The STG.44  was used by the Czech army and East German army after World War 2, and the rifle has even turned up in the hands of insurgents in the latest war in Iraq.

INTERESTING FACT   :  The Russian's took a lot of interest in this rifle after the war as they were undoubtedly the largest user of sub-machineguns.  Though heavily denied by Mikhail Kalashnikov, it is without doubt the basis and then some, of the Avtomat Kalashnikova Model of 1947 or otherwise known as the AK-47.

PRO'S  :  INOVATION, COLLECTABLE, 30 ROUND MAGAZINE, SEMI/FULL AUTO

             IT WAS A REVOLUTIONARY RIFLE AT THE TIME!

CON'S  :  HEAVY, A LOT OF USELESS ACCESSORIES, NOT ENOUGH                                       

             DISTRIBUTED.  QUALITY DEGRADED AT THE END OF WW2.

COOL FACTOR :  7/10