Submachine guns yesterday, today, tomorrow. Well, now we got to the end of our series on submachine guns. Not a day or two she gathered and not published in a week. But on the other hand, it managed to cover, if not all (and this would be a truly difficult task for one person), then a lot about both the history and the prospects for the development of this class of weapons. It is clear that this topic was considered very subjective. But objectivity … oh, what is it, tell me, when it comes to one person's vision of a problem? He can approach it as much as he wants, and yet it is 100% unattainable, because “how many people, so many opinions” and this was not said yesterday. Nevertheless, in the process of viewing and studying truly huge layers of material on some chosen topic, an understanding of some of its general laws and prospects involuntarily comes, and it simply does not exist in another way.
Possible ways of improvement
So we, having finished this topic, came to the conclusion that … submachine guns, although they cause a lot of controversy (like pistols, by the way), are needed. Needed by private security guards, and 007 agents, and the police, and even in the army. And it is clear that they are strongly influenced by new technologies. For example, a coating already appeared, slippery to the touch, and it was immediately put on some kind of Swiss Zig rifle. She does not need lubrication and shoots very accurately. Although more expensive than conventional "barrels" that need lubrication. Let's put such a coating on submachine guns … Will their quality improve? Without any doubt! And so on and so forth. This is one possible way to improve them.
However, let's start by going back to the previous article, which told about the Swiss submachine gun of the firm "Brugger and Thom", adopted by the US Army. And now, a couple of weeks ago, the first KH9-A1 arrived in the United States. In total, 400 KH9 will be imported, but this is already an indicator that … no one can manage without PP. This is what this sample looks like, and note that there are as many as 5 "Piccatinni strips" on it. You can hang a whole set of various electronics on it!
But there is another. We are entering an era where laptop computers will be fueled by everyone. A saucepan with a built-in microchip and a voice modulator will tell you how to cook a particular dish in it and warn about readiness. The kettle will inform you about the quality of the water, well, but there is nothing to say about the toilet - it will tell you everything about you right there, and even give you a printout of what to eat, how much to drink and how to physically strain so that the tests return to normal. And by the way, in Japan there are already such toilets!
Your weapon is the "shooting computer"
That is, electronics will be around us everywhere and everywhere, factories that produce something in which it is absent will become a thing of the past. The ideal will be … "shooting computer" and a new stage of its improvement will begin! And the first steps on this path are already there. Moreover, this does not apply to any attachments such as laser rangefinders and tactical flashlights, but directly to the design of the PP.
New Parker Hale with a very short barrel
And it so happened that in 1990 in England appeared a submachine gun chambered for the traditional 9x19 cartridge and with a very short barrel only 83 mm long "Parker-Hale" (Individual Devense Weapon - an individual self-defense weapon), more like a children's toy than combat weapons. Moreover, its main feature was not its appearance - just very traditional in all respects, but the fact that electronics were widely used in its design.
Let us recall once again that if we are talking about electronic sighting devices or something else like that, then no matter how difficult they are, no one says anything bad about them, except that the extra weight is scolded. But as soon as electronics appear in the weapon itself, a lot of doubts immediately arise both in its reliability and durability, and most importantly, in the advisability of such a solution. What is it? Inertia of thinking? A manifestation of mass limitation inherent in human civilization, or a subconscious rejection of murder and, therefore, the improvement of its tools? Hard to say. For example, the traumatic pistol "Wasp", which has no problems with the law, was also criticized and how. It was also pointed out that this weapon was not reliable until it turned out that with proper care, which, by the way, is required for any tool, this pistol is one of the best means for self-defense. So it hardly makes sense to demonstrate aversion to weapons with electronic stuffing just because the grandfather - the hero of the Second World War did not have anything like this. It may well be that in the future, firearms will just be a symbiosis of electronics and mechanics. And, by the way, in our cars this symbiosis no longer bothers us, so let it bother no one even in weapons. Otherwise, his progress would have completely stopped at the stone ax!
Just an electronic module
Of course, the then unknown engineers from Great Britain, Evalovege and West from Bushman Limited, took a big risk. But on the other hand, they got a compact submachine gun, which, with its more than modest size, not only was not inferior to many modern models of weapons of this class, but also surpassed them in many indicators and, in addition, was very convenient to use. The British intelligence services, then the US FBI and many other organizations became interested in him. And as a result, in the same 1990, this company released 5,500 copies of this unusual submachine gun. Interestingly, the company does not say exactly where all these PPs went. That is, information about its owners and use is covered in black gloom!
It is interesting that the electronic module in this submachine gun is installed only in order to adjust the rate of fire, and there is nothing electronic in it. Conventional in all respects PP, acting due to the recoil of the free breechblock. The trigger is also traditional, it allows you to fire both single shots and automatically, and the fire mode translator is located on the left side of the receiver so that it is convenient to press it with your right thumb when it squeezes the pistol grip. The second hand holds the "Parker" by the magazine. The only new thing is that it has an electronic control mechanism associated with the sear, which allows you to set the rate of fire of the weapon with very high accuracy. Well, if it fails, then nothing terrible will happen: the submachine gun will shoot at a fixed rate of fire of 450 rounds per minute, that's all. The receiver has signal LEDs that inform the arrow about the state of the electronic unit. That is, if this PP runs out of batteries, he will inform you about this, and in advance. Yes, but why did you need this regulator at all? But why: the fact is that due to the fact that this submachine gun is very compact, short, roughly speaking, its shutter travel is only 51 mm, well, and the weight is only 227 g. Therefore, the rate of fire turned out (when firing a burst) - 1400 rpm, and it was not possible to reduce it by conventional methods. Meanwhile, the optimal rate of fire for a submachine gun is 450 rds / min. And how else could it be lowered to this required value without resorting to original solutions? Moreover, the presence of a regulator allows it to both decrease and increase. Who needs what and when!
Everything else is in the best traditions of today
The shops are traditional, box-shaped for 20, 28, 32 rounds. The stock is available and folds to the right, and is also adjustable in length. When folded, it does not interfere with shooting, either with one hand or with both. When folded, it does not interfere with firing from a submachine gun both with one hand and when holding the weapon with both hands. Such modern weapons do not use plastic, but only aluminum alloys and steel. All metal parts are protected from corrosion by bluing. Although the base barrel is very short, interchangeable barrels of 152, 254 and 356 millimeters long are available for increased accuracy at a distance. There are picatinny rails, but the sights themselves are very simple. There was a very high accuracy of shooting at close range. For example, at a distance of 25 meters, a burst of twenty rounds was completely packed into a half-height target. With a barrel of 254 millimeters and firing with a stock at the same distance, a continuous burst of twenty rounds fit in a circle with a diameter of 160 millimeters, and from 15 to 17 bullets fit in a circle with a diameter of 120 millimeters. You can put on this PP and a silencer, but only on a short barrel.
Samples for every taste
There are three modifications of this submachine gun: the MKI with an electronic retarder and the MKII with a hydraulic one. This model was made by order of the US Army, and, apparently, it turned out to be pointless for them to prove something. The third modification of the MKIII is a completely simplified version, in which the rate of fire is lowered to 400 rounds per minute and the fire translator is eliminated, since at such a rate of fire it can be adjusted by pressing the trigger.
Interestingly, a fully charged battery allows this submachine gun to fire over 400 rounds without reloading. The resource is more than sufficient. Rather, you will run out of cartridges than the battery will be completely discharged! By the way, an "automatic" with a hydraulic retarder is more expensive than the one in which the electronics are installed, which, however, speaks of a certain trend. If it goes like this, the military will accept new electronic weapons "not even loving them", but only for the sake of cheapness and … they will be right! Well, we will tell you about what a cheap and completely electronic submachine gun for the needs of the police can become in the next article.
