At the end of the 2000s, new self-defense systems from Keserű Művek appeared on the Hungarian civilian weapons market. Potential buyers were offered traumatic carbines built according to the scheme of a revolving smooth-bore rifle. Soon, the development company began to consistently develop existing products, as a result of which new samples went on sale. By now, the older carbines of the family have given way to the Keserű HDM range.
The HDM family of trauma carabiners is a further development of the older Home Defender systems, which, in turn, were based on the Rubber Rain product. These samples of self-defense weapons have a characteristic appearance and specific features associated with the requirements of the Hungarian arms legislation. The laws of this country prohibit citizens from using "full-fledged" small arms for self-defense, although they provide for the existence of gas weapons and separate loading cartridges with a rubber bullet. It is the latter that are used in a number of projects of the Keseru Müvek company.
Keserű HDM carbine with fixed wooden stock
Until the beginning of this decade, Hungarian gunsmiths presented two "generations" of self-defense carbines for a specific ammunition. The first was the Rubber Rain product, on the basis of which the Home Defender system was later developed. In the case of the latter, it was a question of the release of weapons in different configurations, characterized by the presence of a front grip or forend, the use of a butt, etc.
Both traumatic carbines of the first two "generations" had a characteristic and recognizable appearance that distinguishes them from other types of firearms. In its new project, Keserű Művek decided to abandon the original exterior and repeat one of the existing types of weapons. It was proposed to keep the already mastered principles of work, but to implement them in a weapon that is as similar as possible to the Hungarian army machine gun AMD-65.
The promising carbine was supposed to repeat the design of the existing Home Defender as much as possible, which, among other things, affected its designation. The new model of the family was named Home Defender Módosított (“Home Defender, Modified”) or HDM for short. Subsequently, the abbreviation was repeatedly supplemented with one or another letter, allowing you to define a specific modification.
To obtain the desired similarity, the existing mechanisms of the weapon had to be moved into a new receiver, repeating the units of the combat machine. In addition to the new box, it was necessary to create decorative elements such as a simulated gas pipe. Also, a civilian carbine needed a set of fittings of appropriate shapes and sizes. However, it was not possible to achieve complete similarity. This, first of all, was hampered by the caliber: the new carbine, like its predecessors, had to shoot a spherical rubber bullet with a diameter of 19.3 mm. In addition, separate loading ammunition was planned to be placed in a drum magazine, which also did not add any resemblance to the AMD-65.
HDM in its original packaging
Although outwardly similar to an army machine gun, the new HDM was still an updated version of the existing "Home Defender" and basically repeated its design. This resulted in the use of a characteristic receiver, divided into two large blocks. The front was a U-shaped forend with openings for air supply to cool the barrel. The rear, in turn, was used as a casing for the trigger mechanism. Between themselves, the two parts of the box were connected using a longitudinal bar mounted above them. On top of such a receiver, it was proposed to put on a removable cover, similar to a part of an assault rifle.
The carbine for self-defense received a smooth barrel with a caliber of 19.3 mm and a length of 365 mm. The barrel was fixed in front of the receiver. Its breech went to the receiver of the store. As before, a cylindrical return spring of the reloading system was to be put on the barrel. A flame arrester or other decorative device could be mounted on the muzzle of the barrel. Its main task was to stop the moving parts in the extreme forward position.
The Keserű HDM product retained the principles of its predecessors, but had to have a special "automatic" appearance. Among other things, this affected the configuration of the means of reloading. It was proposed to put on an external cylindrical casing on the barrel, on which the front sight stand and a simulator of a gas tube were placed. The latter was distinguished by its great length, and its rear part went inside the receiver. From below, a control body was attached to the tubular casing. The carbine could be equipped with a movable forend or a vertical handle.
Incomplete disassembly of weapons
The "gas tube" located above the barrel was needed only to give the weapon a special appearance, but it was decided to make it a full-fledged component of reloading mechanisms. The shank of this part went inside the receiver. It had several pins for interacting with different devices and providing reloading. One of the pins was used to turn the drum with cartridges, the second to cocking the firing mechanism.
For the Keserű HDM carbine, a new striker-type firing mechanism was developed, which was noticeably different from the devices of weapons of previous models. This time it was decided to use a double action trigger. Thus, for cocking the striker before firing, it was possible to use both the front grip and pressing the trigger. However, to execute the second shot, you still had to use the reload handle. Fire control was carried out using a standard trigger. There was no fuse - the shooter had to rely only on the characteristic capabilities of the double action trigger.
In the new project, they decided to use the already existing design of the drum magazine. At the same time, some changes were made to it. For storing and feeding 10 blank cartridges and rubber bullets to the barrel, it was proposed to use an aluminum drum of sufficient size, along the edge of which chambers of variable diameter were located. A smaller rear end of the chamber was offered for a 9mm blank cartridge, a larger front end for a 19.3mm bullet. On the outer surface of the drum there were oblique grooves necessary for turning when reloading.
Carabiner HDM-VT
The drum with chambers was placed inside a cylindrical steel body. In the upper part of such a body there was a slot for supplying the chambers to the breech of the barrel and ensuring the rotation of the drum. At the back of the store was a curved plate that was placed on a T-shaped receiver guide. The magazine was fixed using a simple latch at the bottom of the guide.
The reworking of the firing mechanism had a certain impact on the design of the carbine, but the principles of its operation, in general, have not changed. Preparation for the shot was carried out by sequentially moving the handle / forend back and forth. In this case, the shank of the "gas tube" forced the drum to rotate around its axis, and also acted on the trigger, cocking the drummer. After returning the grip / forend forward, you could pull the trigger and fire a shot.
Despite its low firepower and limited fire performance, the Keserű HDM carbine received fairly advanced sights. On the movable tube connected to the grip / forend, there was a stand with a front sight. In the middle of the receiver cover there was a simple unregulated rear sight. Such sighting devices were quite suitable for firing at a distance of no more than a few meters.
HDM-VT with magazine removed
Traumatic carbines, built “based on” the AMD-65 assault rifles, had similar ergonomics and corresponding additional devices. HDM products in different designs could differ in the composition and design of the fittings. So, to control the reloading, it was possible to use both the vertical grip and the forend. A plastic fire control handle was attached to the rear of the receiver.
A fixed wooden or plastic stock could be installed on the rear wall. Also produced were carbines with a folding wire stock. It had a pair of longitudinal elements, to which a curved shoulder rest was hinged. The butt was folded by turning up and forward, while the shoulder rest lay on the receiver cover, covering the sight.
Regardless of the version and design of the fittings, the length of Keserű HDM self-defense carbines reached 830 mm (with a fixed or unfolded stock). Weight - about 4 kg. The 9-mm revolving cartridge transferred energy to the rubber bullet up to 120 J. This made it possible to show acceptable fire efficiency at ranges of up to several meters. With an increase in the distance, the effectiveness of the firing was sharply reduced.
Serial production of new carbines was established at the beginning of this decade, and soon the first samples of the new model arrived in Hungarian gun shops. Depending on the complete set and configuration, for the Keserű HDM product they asked for 90-95 thousand forints (290-300 euros).
Product stock version "VT"
As before, as the serial production of new batches, the development company continued to develop the existing project. From time to time, new modifications of the carbine appeared, differing in finish and fittings. So, the HDM-VT modification received a new butt. Instead of a wooden device, a system of a pair of metal tubes and a shoulder rest with a rubber butt pad was proposed. For some reason, a carbine with such a stock differs from the base product by a slightly higher cost.
The first modifications of the Keserű HDM product corresponded to the original ideas and to a certain extent repeated the exterior of the AMD-65 assault rifle. A little later, creating a new version of the traumatic weapon, the designers abandoned a number of details that made it look like a combat model. Several years ago, the HDM Compact carbine was introduced, which was a smaller and lighter version of the original Home Defender, modified.
The HDM Compact carbine lost its decorative elements that imitated the gas pipe of an assault rifle. The receiver remained unchanged, but received an extended cover. Now its front part was complemented by a perforated barrel shroud. The barrel was shortened, and the movable tube on it lost the front sight. The latter was transferred to the receiver cover. The whole, in turn, was moved to the rear of the weapon. The compact carbine also lacked a stock.
In terms of its dimensions, the new HDM Compact was similar to the products of the previous "generations" - Rubber Rain and Home Defender. The shorter version of the HDM was slightly cheaper than its full-size predecessor. Despite the shorter barrel and other technical differences, the HDM Compact showed approximately the same characteristics as other self-defense carbines from Keseryu Müvek.
Carabiner Keserű HDM Compact
To date, the Keserű HDM traumatic carbines of several modifications have completely replaced the weapons of previous models in mass production. A buyer wishing to purchase a weapon in the form factor of an army machine gun can buy a Home Defender Módosított in the basic configuration. For those who prefer small dimensions in appearance, the HDM products with a folding stock and HDM Compact are offered. Thus, as before, due to the creation of a number of modifications, the development company was able to firmly occupy an ambiguous, but profitable niche.
As far as is known, in the recent past, the development of the line of traumatic carbines, which started with the Keserű Rubber Rain product, has actually ceased. The Keseryu Müvek plant continues to produce weapons of the latest models, but is in no hurry to develop new ones. However, now this company is expanding its presence in other areas and regularly shows new pistols or revolvers suitable for use as a means of self-defense. The presence of products in several niches at once leads to obvious positive financial consequences.
Hungarian legislation imposes certain restrictions on the appearance and characteristics of civilian weapons, but at the same time it becomes a kind of incentive for the emergence of unusual concepts and designs. Developing the idea of a weapon with limited performance, suitable for use in self-defense, Keserű Művek began to develop carbines of an unusual shape. Successive improvements to existing designs have led to the emergence of a whole family of traumatic weapons, consisting of several lines. All this clearly shows that even in conditions of severe restrictions, gunsmith designers can propose and successfully implement the most interesting ideas.
