A shortened version of a gun, popularly a "sawn-off", is no longer a surprise to anyone, they are now being made even in factory conditions from well-known models of weapons. Even our compatriots had the opportunity to quite legitimately look at the likeness of a weapon in this format using the example, excuse the French, of the Houda traumatic pistol.
With all the obvious disadvantages of reducing the length of the barrels of a gun and depriving it of the butt, one plus remains - high firepower at short distances, embedded in one or two shots, and with small dimensions, maneuvering with such a weapon in cramped conditions is much easier than with a full-size gun. It is also worth considering here the possibility of using bullet cartridges, which significantly increase the effectiveness of the use of "sawn-off" when firing at an enemy in a bulletproof vest due to the prohibitive impact. In general, such modernization in some cases fully justifies itself, this is proved by at least the fact that in many countries shortened guns are in service with law enforcement agencies. True, here it is necessary to note such a moment that these guns are most often equipped with cartridges with a rubber bullet or are used as a means of delivering irritating substances to the crowd, but this is a slightly different story.
In general, the "sawed-off" of a gun is a weapon known for a very long time, probably since those times as soon as a gun appeared, but a sawed-off from a rifle can be found not often, or rather, it cannot be found at all, since the expediency of such a shortening is very doubtful. This was the case until recently.
In November, Fightlite showed off the finished version of its weapon, which is just a sawed-off rifle. This weapon is positioned as an intermediate between a pistol and a carbine, has no butt, but has a very short barrel with a muzzle brake. This unit is certified in the USA as a pistol, despite the fact that it is powered by cartridges of 5, 56x45 or.300 BLK, depending on the version of the weapon. Let's try to get a closer look at the design of this device and try very hard to find a niche for it.
Raider pistol design
It is difficult to say what kind of weapon was the basis for the new pistol. At first glance, there is a similarity with something AR-like, but the absence of a tube for a buffer spring suggests that the weapon uses a different automation scheme from the M16. In fact, this tube is present, it is located at an angle in the handle of the weapon, interaction with the bolt group is carried out due to a long curved rod. Automation is based on the removal of powder gases from the bore with direct action of the powder gases on the bolt carrier. In general, in principle, we will not see anything new in this weapon in terms of design, probably, the receiver was designed specifically for this pistol.
The weapon has lost the fire mode switch and the fuse instead of it, a button with the ability to move perpendicular to the weapon is now used. A similar implementation of the inclusion of a safety lock can often be found in smoothbore guns.
There are no open sights on this device, but they can be installed on a long landing strip at the top of what is left of the forend and receiver. There is also additional space for installing three more strips for attaching additional devices.
The muzzle of the weapon has a thread onto which the muzzle brake-recoil compensator is screwed; instead, you can install a silent firing device or leave the muzzle without any additions.
Characteristics of the Raider pistol
The whole structure weighs 1, 76 kilograms, while it is necessary to take into account the balance of the weapon, which, in principle, does not exist. The pistol is fed from detachable magazines with a capacity of 10 rounds of 5, 56x45 or.300 BLK, so as not to go into details about the.300 BLK cartridge, it can be compared with our domestic 7, 62x39 with a subsonic bullet, the comparison, although not entirely correct, gives general idea of ammunition and the capabilities of the weapon using it. The barrel length of the pistol is 185 millimeters excluding the muzzle brake, while the total length of the weapon is 510 millimeters.
Why the Raider pistol was created
This is probably the main question that arises in the head of a person who first saw this weapon. Yes, the weapon turned out to be very charismatic, if you point it at a person, then it is guaranteed that he will feel uncomfortable, but there is one “but”. It is, however, that this pistol can be fired, but not hit. The only exceptions are shooting at very short distances or using a laser designator.
The very design of the handle for holding makes it possible to shoot with something fantastic, of course, the weapon can be held with both hands like a regular rifle or a machine gun, but the absence of a stock will already affect a distance of even a couple of tens of meters.
Despite the similar ergonomics, that "sawed-off" will not have such a drawback, since the short barrels of the weapon provide a sufficiently large shot at a short distance, so that a shot "from the hip" or offhand will almost always give a result. In the case of the Raider pistol, this will not be observed, since there is only one bullet.
In principle, even with such a short barrel, it is possible to conduct confident and effective fire at distances of up to 200 meters, but inversely, the design of the weapon does not allow this. The absence of even a wire shoulder rest makes the weapon ineffective at both short and medium distances. And kind of, yes, very brutal.
On foreign Internet resources, the new pistol is called ideal for permanent placement in a car for the purpose of self-defense. I would not count on such a means of self-defense, or rather on its combat effectiveness, unless there may be a psychological effect.
Many people have called it the perfect defense against zombies. Well, if people believe in zombies, then let them believe in the effectiveness of this weapon, although, of course, I would prefer the same "sawn-off".
As mentioned above, the only thing that can make this weapon effective is the presence of a laser designator and a strong grip on the shooter. Then it will really be possible to hit somewhere from this pistol, but this is not a panacea either.
In general, we can say that in this case, the creation of a new class of weapons was unsuccessful. However, judging by the fairly extensive topics in foreign forums with the discussion of this weapon and the enthusiastic messages of individual people, this weapon will have its own buyer, so this pistol may be a success. It pleases people who have just soberly appraised this weapon more.
In general, this weapon has a really interesting appearance and although it is poorly suited for real use, perhaps we will be able to see it on screens in some post-apocalyptic movie, where it belongs. The only bad thing is that after filming there will only be more people who want to buy it.
