New Variant of Chang Feng Submachine Gun Spotted in Uganda
A keen-eyed reader spotted a new variant of the Chinese Chang Feng Submachine Gun in use by Ugandan police. I have never before seen this particular configuration with its rear picatinny rail and H&K-style red/white coloring on safety mechanism. The photo below shows police on duty during the Ugandan general elections held earlier this year.
It is not clear what exactly could be mounted on that short rear rail. The Chang Feng Corporation probably added it so that its customers could tick the "picatinny rail" box. For mounting a scope, the Chinese police variant's scope mount seems like a better design.
China has been giving Uganda military aid for a number of years, just a couple of weeks ago they announced an additional $2.3 million of aid, so it is not surprising to see this relatively rare Chinese gun turn up in the Ugandan police arsenal (probably the envy of the Uganda Army who I am told are still using Soviet-era firearms).
[ Many thanks to James for emailing us the photo. ]
Put a Aimpoint micro on that little piece of pic. rail at the back.
here’s a pic of the chang feng’s optic
http://images.qianlong.com/mmsource/images/2008/07/10/jsly20080710005.jpg
via
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?138959-China-quot-Chang-Feng-quot-9-MM-assault-rifles/page3
I wonder how it stacks up head to head with the p90?
and if such an engagement has already happened…
The FN 5.7 X 28 mm should offer better range, accuracy, penetration and terminal performance than the 9×19mm cartridge.
Not true it over penetrates and lacks knock down power of 9mm or .45 ACP.
Superior in every respect except knockdown power where it’s around equal to a +P+ 9mm from a 10 inch barrel. A 125 gr 9mm HP traveling over 1,500 ft/s. Although I’d say the five seven is superior to the 9mm in FMJ. The five seven round in FMJ is designed to tumble, not the case with 9mm FMJ.
But that’s beside the point since the P90 is ALOT more expensive with much higher running costs too. (training, maintenance, parts, ammo)
It’s meant to be a cheaper alternative to the H&K UMP/MP5 range, which are ridiculously expensive and out of the price range of alot of poor nations.
The CS/LS-06 direct competitors are the Uzi and the Beretta M12, it’s too early to say if it’s superior to those two models (the Uzi range now having a polymer lower and front grip of sorts), but I think it’s safe to say it’s cheaper.
I’m wondering if the chang feng comes standard with a deal to purchase a supply of Chinese AP ammo, or if that DAP92 ammo is a closely held chinese asset.
Regular 9mm NATO or Para loads are better and less dirty than Chinese crap. More and more problems with over penetration and lack of decent wound ballistics of so called pistol AP rounds. many ways You want a pistol round to stop in flesh not go right threw.
The concept of “knock-down power” is a myth. I thought everyone knew that by now…
(directed at Lance’s other comment about knock-down power)
The US military discovered about this in Iraq where M-855 ball ammo and 5.7 didn’t do the job of knocking a terrorist down and cases of men emptying 30+ rounds into a bad guy w/o stopping him in time comes to mind.
I know it’s a myth, I’m just using it as a layperson reference to ammo performance in ballistic gel.
Main problem with five seven ammo is penetration in flesh. Used to be very low. But now with the Barnes 40g bullet, we are seeing around 14 inch penetration. Combined with low recoil it it looks like a nice manstopper.
30+ rounds into a person w/o stopping him. Sounds like rule of physics no longer applies in Iraq, or just bad marksmanship training.
“knock down power” is a oversimplification of a complex scientific concepts of kinetic energy dispersion in human flesh, hydrostatic shock, and bullet mass.
Of course, I never have anything to do with the 5.7x28mm round primarily because it has smaller comparative mass than traditional bullets, though it was designed to penetrate body armor and helmets rather than unarmored targets. I’m sure a spoon tip or hollow point 5.7mm round would theoretically perform adequately against unarmored targets.
Needless to say, “knock down” is a simple way to justify utilizing a bigger bullet, which is sound in theory, though offers marginal advantages when employing handguns…particularly the 9x19mm versus 45 debate. I have many friends that ridicule me for carrying a 9mm (loaded with +P hollow points ill add), versus a 45, though, given proper shot placement and accuracy under stress, the two rounds are roughly comparable for killing or deterring a human target. Animals are a different beast (no pun intended).
I believe in working smarter, not larger. The 5.56 is a excellent anti-personnel round when the proper ammunition is utilized. Ammunition that reliably yaws and causes tissue damage is more optimal for taking out unarmored threats than the M855 green tip (of course, in the M855′s defense, it was conceived to penetrate armor and helmets of Soviet troops).
With emerging technologies such as burst fire rifles and saboted rounds, hopefully well continue to see a trend in smarter bullets rather than larger ones. I have been criticized for saying that kinetic energy and mass are deciding factors for “stopping power”, though ultimately, I believe shot placement prevails over everything.
I believe the P90 will be more accurate, having a higher rate of fire, superior modularity, ergonomics, accuracy, and armor penetrating capabilities.
The stopping power of the 5.7x28mm compared to 9x19mm is questionable to say the least. The 9mm is slower traveling, though has more surface diameter and mass, being theoretically more effective than the 5.7 against unarmored human targets. Against threats wearing body armor and helmets, the 5.7 is unbeatable when it comes to smaller sized cartridges.
The Cheng Fang would have the advantage that it utilizes the common 9x19mm round, though the 5.7mm is becoming increasingly popular these days.
Helical magazine? Looks like they ripped off Calico.
More like ripped off the PP-19 Bizon, really.
While the top-mounted magazine can actually be seen as inspired from the CALICO system, the “CS/LS-06 9mm” differs significantly from the CALICO in terms of working system. The CALICO firearms are based on a variation of the Vorgrimmler/H&K roller locking; the “CS/LS-06 9mm” is a much simpler straight-blowback, closed bolt operation. This might even make the “CS/LS-06 9mm” way more successful than the CALICO, whose market performances were severely hindered by the high price, while the “CS/LS-06 9mm” maintains a low price tag and results more affordable to the intended customers (Armed Forces and Police of African and south-east Asian countries looking to modernize their arsenals).
either way they ripped someone off, they are the Chinese after all….
STEVE!!!! Please I have never seen this gun before! That’s awesome could we get a few more details?
You’re welcome to read my post below, but yet…
This sub-machinegun is called the “CS/LS-06 9mm”, is produced in China by the Chong-Feng Machinebuilding Company and distributed internationally by the NORINCO group (of which the Chong-Feng Company is an affiliate).
The “CS/LS-06 9mm” is the latest variant of the CF-05 sub-machinegun system launched first seen in the year 2002 and first marketed internationally around 2006, and features a whole polymer body with underfolding foregrip and collapsing (a.k.a.) telescopic stock with polymer butt and twin metal strutt.
The “CS/LS-06 9mm” is chambered for the standard 9x19mm (a.k.a. 9mm “Parabellum”, a.k.a. 9 “Luger”, a.k.a. 9 “NATO”) cartridge the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement of the People’s Republic of China have been reverting to since the beginning of the 2000s, and is optimized for the use of the locally-developed DAP-92 9x19mm ammunition variant, an armor-piercing load that owes its performances to a combination of bullet structure and very high values of pressure and muzzle velocity (much like the Russian 7N21 and 7N31 9x19mm loads, of which the DAP-92 can be considered a sort of knock-off).
The “CS/LS-06 9mm” is basically a select-fire, straight-blowback, closed-bolt sub-machinegun, featuring an ambidestrous switch that dubs as a manual safety and allows engagement of targets in semi-automatic fire or full-automatic fire at an 800 rpm cyclic rate to a maximum distance of about 100 metres. The weapon feeds through a tubular-shaped, helical-dispenser magazine holding 50 rounds of 9x19mm ammunition, whose spent cases are ejected through a window located on the right side of the polymer frame. Standard sights for this weapon are fixed hooded front, adjustable rear for engagement of targets within and over 50 metres of distance. The barrel muzzle is compensated and allows quick attachment and detachment of a specifically-built silencer. A front lower MIL-STD-1913 “Picatinny” rail and a rear upper similar interface allow installation of most, if not all, of modern tactical accessories. The reciprocating cocking handle moves on a guide underneath the magazine seat and can be moved to either side to better suit the needs of the operator.
This is mostly all you need to know about the “CS/LS-06 9mm”. See the links below for some pictures in comparaison with its forerunner, the CF-05 sub-machinegun.
http://img2.itiexue.net/1354/13547654.jpg
http://img3.itiexue.net/1354/13547655.jpg
Here are two pictures of the “CS/LS-06 9mm” with and without its specific silencer:
http://img6.itiexue.net/1354/13547658.jpg
http://img5.itiexue.net/1354/13547657.jpg
Here is a picture showing the underfolding grip in rest and use positions:
http://img7.itiexue.net/1354/13547659.jpg
This picture shows the “CS/LS-06 9mm” with magazine detached; note that the small button underneath the rear sight group and over the fire selector actually is the mag release command:
http://img1.itiexue.net/1354/13547653.jpg
Last picture shows loading procedure for the magazine:
http://img10.itiexue.net/1354/13547662.jpg
this is a trend well continue to see in the future. this extends to missile technology as well. the west will have no choice but to adapt to china’s competitive weapons prices (namely by switching to AI guided automated production and shelving obsolete manpower intensive production so prominent in the US weapons industry).
Everybody have fun tonight…
Everybody Cheng Feng tonight.
Doo Doo, Da da da da da da da
Noone motices that the “highly trained officer” has his finger on the trigger?
Just another example of tinpot despots looking for an excuse…
For some reason this is the first thing I look for in photos like this, too.
Dearest gentlemen, this weapon is actually the latest commercial variant of the design, and is designated as “CS/LS-06″. See a picture of it hereby below, in comparaison with the previous variant:
http://www.cnr.cn/junshi/wqzb/zcwq/201108/W020110811306820343560.jpg
Looks like that rear sight may be mounted on the rail. I suppose you could put a red dot back there on a high mount as well. With the top mounted mag, sighting options are probably limited.
QD optic on a high-rise would fit nicely there.
They should really have that stock extended in crowd control situations like the above. Although the built in forward grip and central weight of the that 50 round magazine no doubt makes the gun a sweet shooter even without it’s stock extended.
Love the length too with that almost 10 inch barrel.
Obviously with more of Africa urbanized a small PDW style SMG would be better for Police than a normal AK-47/AKM and since Chinese firearms are way way cheaper than US or German makes I bet Chinese SMGs would find a home in poorest places in Africa.
plus straight blowback operating system probably means easy to clean with WD40 and axel grease.
So long as you can get new helical mags when you break your old one by dropping it, it should be a winner.
as a sidenote, it was actually rejected by the PLA as being “too complicated” according to wikipedia. The PLA subgun uses a normal box magazine in the pistol grip.