Recoil has a great influence on the accuracy of small arms. The backward and upward impulse moves the barrel away from the aiming line, which can cause the bullet to be fired with a deviation from the desired trajectory, and the shooter has to constantly adjust the position of the weapon. Over the past decades, attempts have been made to get rid of this unpleasant phenomenon. In the past decade, the American company KRISS USA, Inc. has taken up the problem of paying off returns. In the mid-2000s, she created the Vector submachine gun with balanced automatics capable of countering recoil. In the future, the designers of the company continued to work in this direction and by mid-2009 prepared the documentation for the new project. This time, the goal of engineering work was to create a high-precision pistol.
In early 2010, the designers of KRISS USA, Renault Kerbra and Antoine Robert, received US patent No. 20100031812 for an original pistol design with "an extended bolt recoil and mechanisms for controlling the recoil and toss of the barrel." In the future, the project of such a pistol was named KARD. The design of the KARD pistol used an idea that appeared in the previous draft of the submachine gun. To improve the accuracy of shooting, it was proposed to equip the weapon with a special balancer. When firing, the balancer, mechanically connected to the bolt, must move downward and thereby compensate for the recoil impulse, as well as the vertical toss of the barrel.
Most of the external parts of the KRISS KARD pistol are made of impact resistant plastic. Early prototypes of this pistol had a distinctive "box-shaped" appearance, which felt the peculiar influence of the Glock brand weapon. However, the internal mechanisms, as well as the principle of their operation, differ significantly from those used on other modern pistols.
The KRISS KARD pistol is designed for use with.45 ACP cartridges. With some modifications, the weapon's automation allows the use of other ammunition. The ammunition supply is carried out using a box magazine placed inside the pistol grip. Due to the possibility of using various compatible magazines, the stock of cartridges can fluctuate quite widely.
The shutter cover of the KRISS KARD pistol is fixed. The barrel is rigidly fixed inside it. Such fastening of the barrel to the frame is actually one of the methods of increasing the shooting accuracy. The pistol bolt is lightweight and is not connected to the casing. For cocking the weapon, a rectangular block with notches on the sides is provided on the rear of the bolt. The pistol is cocked in the same way as other weapons of this class: the bolt is pulled back and, returning to its place, sends the cartridge into the chamber. The automatic pistol is made according to the scheme with a semi-free breech: the breech is connected with a special balancer, which affects the speed of its movement.
In front of the pistol, under the barrel, there is a detail that distinguishes it from other small arms. A balancer of complex shape is installed on a special system of brackets and springs. During the shot, the pistol bolt begins to move backward under the action of the recoil. By means of a system of rods and springs, the shutter is connected to the balancer. Moving backward, the shutter displaces it. Being fixed at the rear end, the balance bar turns sharply at a small angle downward and backward.
The additional mass in the form of a balance bar slows down the movement of the bolt, which causes the recoil impulse to act on the weapon for a longer time. This means that it becomes easier for the shooter to control the weapon. Moving down, the balancer also partially solves the problem of barrel toss. Under the action of recoil, the barrel tends to rise up, but the relatively heavy balancer creates a moment of force directed in the opposite direction. By adjusting the weight of the balancer, the KRISS KARD pistol design can be adapted to suit all cartridges.
The use of a moving balancer led to the formation of the characteristic appearance of the pistol. Early prototypes of the KARD model weapon had a large balance bar cover at the front. The box-shaped casing, the lower surface of which was flush with the trigger guard, gave the pistol a futuristic appearance, but increased the overall weight and could negatively affect the usability. Subsequently, the shape of the body of the KRISS KARD pistol was refined. The contours of the upper part of the barrel cover have changed, and the balance bar cover has acquired a new triangular shape. In addition, a Picatinny rail appeared on the bottom of the latter for the installation of the necessary equipment.
The automatic pistol offered by KRISS USA has several advantages over existing schemes. First of all, it is the increased shooting accuracy. The rearward recoil component is partially compensated by the movement of the beam. In the same way, the upward throw of the trunk is parried. In addition, the applied system stretches the recoil action over time, which helps the shooter to hold the weapon in the desired position during the shot.
The presented copies of the KRISS KARD pistol had a Picatinny rail only in the front of the balance bar housing. The design of this pistol, in which the bolt cover is rigidly fixed to the frame, allows you to place the sight rail on the upper surface of the pistol. Thus, the shooter, if necessary, will be able to use not only a standard open sight, consisting of a front sight and rear sight, but also other equipment, including a laser designator. A fixed barrel, in addition to fulfilling its direct function of increasing the accuracy of shooting, can facilitate the installation of flame arresters or silent firing devices.
It is quite clear that the KRISS KARD pistol, like many other bold projects of promising weapon systems, is not without its drawbacks. Perhaps the most notable of these is the large balance bar cover, which will require the shooter to use a new holster design. Another drawback is directly related to the architecture of the internal mechanisms and is an inherent problem with all small arms with balanced automatics. A massive balancer increases the overall weight of the weapon, and its lightening will not allow achieving the required characteristics.
Almost four years have passed since the first information about the KARD pistol appeared. During this time, no new information about the further fate of the project has appeared. Probably, the tests of prototypes showed not only the advantages, but also the disadvantages of the new pistol, after which its refinement began. To date, the revision of the pistol has not yet been completed. Moreover, there is every reason to believe that the project was closed. This version is supported by the fact that KRISS USA, Inc is currently only producing the Vector submachine gun and several of its modifications, and the KARD project is not even mentioned on its official website.
