Earlier this month there was a huge military parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of People's Republic of China. I was astounded to see a photo from the event of what appears to be a sub-carbine version of the QBZ-95 being carried by Chinese sailors.

Photo originally from O.cn via. MP.net

To the best of my knowledge the existence of this weapon has never been reported. The barrel is definetly shorter than the 14.5" of the QBZ-95B (Carbine) that was developed for use in the Navy. I suspect the sub-carbine / PDW has a 10" or 11" barrel.

QBZ-95B Carbine. Photo from Wikipedia.

Has anyone here heard of a QBZ-95 PDW?

Thanks to Caleb for sending me the link to the Chinese parade photos.

This gun is perfect for those of you who do not think the AR-15 offers enough protection from incoming fire. A shield comes standard and while it may not be tacticool, there is nothing cool about being hit!

The Goryunov was developed by the Russians during WWII and later copied by the Chinese. It served until the 1960’s.

Super Neat Semi-Automatic version of the Soviet Guryunov SG43 Belt Fed 7.62×54R Machine Gun. Built from original kits out of Poland on new US receivers. The original Goryunov was develpoed in WWII as a replacement for the Maxim, and saw service throughout the Communist world. Comes as shown with ammo can, 250 links, and carriage. Barrel 28.3″, overall 44.1″ total weight 96lbs. Packed in a wood crate, Rifle, carriage with spoked wheels and a 250rd belt and can.

They are selling for $4,399.95.

I find the armor design strange. It is inclined on a negative angle, deflecting incoming rounds down, instead of up and away from the shooter like tank armor. Anyone want to shed some light on the design decision?

Hat Tip: Ammoland

Shanghai — China’s weapons laws are among the world’s toughest. Its blanket ban on private ownership of rifles, pistols and even gun replicas is a core tenet of social policy. Still, a gun culture is taking hold.

Even replica guns (airsoft guns) are banned!

Even as China’s government seeks to keep guns off the street, and shields its massive gun-manufacturing business behind state-secrets laws, it helps stoke the public imagination about guns. Schoolchildren learn to salute the flag shouldering imitation rifles, while state media celebrate the heroism of military and athletic marksmanship.

I have a Chinese friend who was very surprised to learn that Chinese state owned factories exports guns and ammunition to civilians overseas.

The main source of guns appears to be lax control of gun factories and theft from arsenals. China is one of the world’s largest gun manufacturers — for the export market and for its security forces. Older guns are left from past wars and a time when hunting was common. The police have also busted workshops that forge guns and bullets by hand inside China. Meanwhile, people illegally import replicas — exact-looking imitations of guns.

An airsoft gun in luggage is not going to be picked up by an airport scanner. I was in a gun shop a couple of years ago and an Australian guy came in asking where he can buy an airsoft gun. He said he they were banned back home but bringing them in from overseas for kids to play with is a common practice. He wanted a couple of airsoft pistols for his son to sell to his friends.

Beijing’s support for the sport has helped spur a rise of hobby enthusiasts. The government has sanctioned businesses such as the Shanghai East Shooting Club, a former bomb shelter where customers can have a drink and fire a variety of weapons. Owner Zhang Jiewei says his clients are looking to relax.

China must be the only country in the world which bans guns but allows shooting clubs (if you have enough money and connections)!

But increasingly, gun fans are gaining access to guns — and hunting illegally. In rural Anhui province last year, a group of wealthy businessmen, gun-club owners and former army officers organized wild-fowl shoots. Feasting on game cooked in a spicy brown sauce, one of them toasted, “Guns have brought us together.”

I asked my Chinese friend how people hunt if guns are banned. He told me nobody hunts because there is nothing to hunt anymore. Most of the larger sized game has been wiped out by the massive population and are now endangered.

Gun buffs can turn to Small Arms, a twice-monthly glossy magazine that claims 60,000 subscribers. The Beretta M9 semiautomatic pistol “is classic,” said Zheng Zhoujian, an 18-year-old reader. “I envy people in other countries where guns are legal.”

A bi-monthly magazine in a country with a total firearm ban! Incredible!

Every single day I am grateful that I own firearms. The full article is well worth reading.

It looks a lot like what I would expect the child of a Sig 550 rifle and an H&K MP5 submachine gun would look like. I actually think it looks pretty good. Not much is known about this gun. It chambers 9mm less-lethal rubber bullet rounds (effective range of 10-80 meters) and 9mm Parabellum. The intended users are law enforcement.

It features a folding stock, H&K style diopter iron sight and quick detach red dot sight.

Grenade launcher attachment. Probably for less-lethal / crowd control ammunition.
Note MP5 style forward charging handle.

A few more images:

Hat Tip: china_police at MP.net

These photos from NATO show the weapons captured (click to expand).

Chinese Type 56-2 (AK-47 clone), bunch of other AKs and a Chinese Type 69 RPG


Bored looking guy babysitting rifles


Raise your hands in the air like you just don’t care!

Just the kind of weapons you would expect the pirates to be carrying. Rust prevention does not appear to be a major concern. I would hate to see what condition the bores are in!

Soon after the capture the pirates were released on shore. Under international law pirates can be prosecuted in any country. Unfortunately a “live fire” training opportunity is one thing, but few countries or politician want the expense of pirate filled prisions.

Click to expand the photos (photo from LeverArms.com)

The rifle seems to be well received by Canadian shooters, although the finish is said be be poor. Of the Norinco manufactured firearms I have seen, they tend to be poorly finished. The badly scratched finish can be seen in this photo:

This video shows the firearm being used (iron sights and Magpul stock has been installed):

LeverArms.com are selling it for C$899.00, which seems like a good price for a M4 clone, although I am not sure what M4 AR-15s normally sell for in Canada. Canada is likely the only country where it is being sold to civilians.

Thanks to Dennis for information about the rifle.

According to some roughly translated reports from Sohu.com, the “imitation firearm with bullets” suddenly fell to the ground at one point, which caused the bullets to fire up into the man’s chest and neck arteries, leading to massive blood loss

The bullet damaged his cellphone which was the reason for the confusion in the media.

This environmental message was brought to you by The Firearm Blog.

Seen at WAFF Forum.

Here are some photos of the rifle in action (From Ronguild and ShanghaiExpress @ MP.net):

Close ups of the rifle disassembled (click to expand):

It has been said that the reason the QBZ-03 is being developed is that the conventional design is better suited to certain mission requirements. I don’t buy that reason. While there are many reasons to love/hate bullpups it is proven that they fulfill the exact same role as conventional rifles. I am not sure what the reason is but maybe the QBZ-95 is just not performing as expected.

The rifle chambers the Chinese 5.8×42mm DBP87 round and the export version, introduced last year, chambers the 5.56mm NATO.

Specifications for the 5.56mm export version:

Caliber: 5.56 x 45mm
Overall length:960mm/710mm with butt unfolded/folded
Total weight:3.8kg / 8.4 lbs with empty magazine
Firing model: Single shot, continuous firing, 3-rounds burst
Sight: Mechanical sight or optical sight

There does not appear to be a “Canadian” version yet (Sorry, I am just jealous of those lucky Canadians and their QBZ-97 imports ).

Burma (From Wikipedia)

Like the Taliban their arms revenue supplements their drug income. Previously they had been purchasing arms from China and then reselling to other rebel groups.

The POF Eye was purportedly developed in only 6 months by Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF).

Click to expand. Photos from Defence.pk.

According to Wikipedia, there will be three variants: pistol, submachine gun and grenade launcher.

While I have always been skeptical about the usefulness of the Corner Shot concept I think a grenade launcher could be very useful, especially in police-type situations using non-lethal ammunition.

The original Corner Shot also has a 40mm grenade option as well as an “Assault Pistol” (5.56mm M16 pistol) configuration.

Pakistan joins Iran, who early this year announced a clone, and China whose clone is called the HD66 (scroll down link for photo).

Thanks to Shoaib for letting me know about the POF Eye.

China’s robust arms industry has been able to duplicate U.S.-made, armor-piercing rounds, and the bullets are being found with the enemy in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Two government sources tell HUMAN EVENTS the sniper ammunition is sending alarm bells through the Pentagon as it hurries to keep pace by producing improved body armor for soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors.

The sources said the Chinese munitions are not thought capable of defeating the super-hard ceramic plates that now protect service members against smalls-arms fire, including armor-piercing bullets.

I know very little about AP ammunition. Does anyone know if M948 (7.62mm Saboted Light Armor Penetrator) or M993 (7.62mm AP) can penetrate Type IV ballistic vests and a ceramic plate insert?

AP bullets. Click to expand. Image from DTIC.mil.

Defense Review discusses the implications of this and its potential impact on the mythical XSAPI armor plates that are in development.

Hat Tip: Defense Review

As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn’t have them. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets.

It also looks like the Obama administration will likely support the proposed UN arms trade treaty. From the LA Times (November 1, 2008):

In a United Nations General Assembly vote, 147 of its 192 members voted in favor of creating a global treaty that would impose rules on the import, export and transfer of weapons among nations. Only the U.S., long an opponent of such a treaty, and Zimbabwe voted against the idea. Arms exporters such as China, Russia and Israel showed their reluctance over the regulations by abstaining; other nations were absent.

I think it is also safe to say that Obama will not lift the import ban on Chinese/Norinco arms. If you want that Type 97 bullpup you are going to have to move to Canada!

The caption of the above photo, translated from Spanish:

Soldiers of the Joint Detachment of Empleo Inmediato (DECEI) marching past with carbines Norinco CQ-M4 of 5.56 mm Are copies of Colt M-4A1 made in China and equipped with viewfinders of not known model. The DECEI depends on the Commando of Special Troops of the Army.

According to Wikipedia:

This variant introduced in the year 2006 in several Defense expos worldwide, including the MILIPOL, is a copy of the American M4A1 assault carbine. It features a telescoping stock, a removable carrying handle mounted on a Picatinny rail, and a 368,3 millimetres (14,5 inches) barrel. The CQ Type A carbine variant is claimed to be able to stabilize both M193 “Ball” and SS-109/M-885 variants of the 5.56 mm cartridge, as would be expected from a rifle with a 1:9 barrel rifling twist. It will quickly accept the installation of grenade launchers due to the quick attachment/detachment handguard design and to the step-cut barrel.

H/T: china police @ MP.net

Type 97A. Click to expand.

The Type 97 is the civilian export version of the QBZ-97 rifle, which in turn is the export version of the 5.8×42mm QBZ-95. It is chambered in 5.56×45mm and takes STANAG magazines. Looking at the photo I think it has a 20″ barrel.

According to CanadaAmmo it will be available in December 2008 and will sell for $849.00.

UPDATE: A couple of photos from Dennis. Thanks Dennis

Three Chinese reporters attending a police briefing on the success of an anti-gun campaign were accidentally shot, media reports say.

An officer picked up one of the weapons on show – a confiscated home-made gun – but it went off in his hand.

A reporter needed surgery for injuries to his ankle, crotch and chest, after being hit by what appeared to be pebbles fired by the gun.

It was a homemade shotgun designed for birds. UPDATE: Actually it was a homemade double barreled pistol shotgun!

I think if anyone needs guns confiscated it is the Chinese police. Stay clear of them if you are attending the Olympics

The classic policeman-discharging-his-pistol-in-a-classroom video shows incredible lack of safety but it is even more unbelievable that nobody checked to ensure the gun was unloaded between confiscating it, processing it, storing it and then displaying it to the media.

More here.

UPDATE: I found a photo of the gun at china.org.cn

Very cool. A double barreled pistol!

Other guns that were on display. Those looks like Norinco pistols.

A Chinese ship carrying 3 million rounds of 7.62×39mm and 1500 RPG rounds destined for land locked Zimbabwe tried to offload in the South African port of Durban.

Robert Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) party have been arming militias to drive out farmers and terrorize opposition supporters since the election they probably lost (but refuse to announce the results). Despite this the South African Defence Secretary approved the shipment: “This is a normal transaction between two sovereign states and we don’t have to interfere”. Not that surprising since the South African president openly supports Robert Mugabe.

Luckily for the people of Zimbabwe the dock workers have refused to offload the cargo.

Read the article here.

Poster from SearAndHammer.com

(and yes … I am aware this post does violate my non political rule

“In the past two days, local police found three rifles, 571 bullets, 10kg of dynamite, five detonators and 38 satellite receivers in 11 key monasteries in Jone and Xiahe counties, and Hezuo City in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture,” Xinhua reported.

I would not call 571 rounds a “cache” and for all we know they could be .22LR or guns kept from any of the past centuries wars. Satellite receivers probably means GPS devices.

I think the majority of the readers of this blog have more arms in their safe than all monks in China.

Citizens are not allowed to own firearms in China. Foreigners will be allowed to bring in their firearms in for the Olympics.

More at BBC

Apparently they were only purchasing 10 million round of ammo. Thats 50 20 rounds per gun – less than two one magazines worth.

They obviously did not watch that educational firm “Lord of War” which made it clear to all would be rebels that guns need
ammo.

Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) negotiating the
purchase (theft) of Ukrainian AKs in “Lord of War”

More at GunPundit

But to arm the Afghan forces that it hopes will lead this fight, the American military has relied since early last year on a fledgling company led by a 22-year-old man whose vice president was a licensed masseur.

With the award last January of a federal contract worth as much as nearly $300 million, the company, AEY Inc., which operates out of an unmarked office in Miami Beach, became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan’s army and police forces.

Since then, the company has provided ammunition that is more than 40 years old and in decomposing packaging, according to an examination of the munitions by The New York Times and interviews with American and Afghan officials. Much of the ammunition comes from the aging stockpiles of the old Communist bloc, including stockpiles that the State Department and NATO have determined to be unreliable and obsolete, and have spent millions of dollars to have destroyed.

In purchasing munitions, the contractor has also worked with middlemen and a shell company on a federal list of entities suspected of illegal arms trafficking.

Moreover, tens of millions of the rifle and machine-gun cartridges were manufactured in China, making their procurement a possible violation of American law.

It is a long article. Somewhat sensationalist. Looks like some kids (18, 22 and 25 years old) found a source of soviet ammo and sold it. This is the kind of story that they will make into a move.

Read it here.

UPDATE:

This photo from the US Army shows the state of the boxes of ammo they were receiving

Hat Tip: Danger Room

The above photo shows Chinese UN peacekeepers performing during a medal ceremony in Lebanon. It is interesting to see how they hold the bullpup to use the bayonet.

Hat Tip: MP.net

SinoDefense:

The Type 79 submachine gun is more or less patterned after the Type 56 (AK-47) assault rifle. It uses gas-operated, rotary bolt action with short stroke gas piston located above barrel. The bolt group and fire mode/safety switch are similar to those of the Type 56 rifle. The barrel, receiver, pistol grip, magazine and shoulder stock are all made from stamped steel. The weapon fires 7.62 X 25mm pistol cartridge in either single or fully automatic mode. Ammunitions are fed from a straight box magazine that holds 20 rounds. Shoulder stock folds up and forward when not in use.

Hat Tip: MP.net

The QBZ-95 rifle

Type 79 SMG (7.62×25mm)

If is interesting to see the Type 79. Gun.ru:

Type 79 submachine gun is rather unusual for its class as it is very lightweight and uses locked breech, gas operated action instead of more traditional (for SMG) blowback action. This weapon was (and probably still is) widely used by PAP (Chinese police).

If the SAS can do it …

No doubt these guys will be quelling the protests against Chinese policy that could break out.

A lot more photos here.

A photo in the NK AAA article I recently blogged about show AKs mounted on artillery barrels. The theories on MilitaryPhotos.net are that they could be:

• Crude Sights
• Used to fire tracers
• Used to fire bullets during training instead of artillery rounds to save cost.

The only other explanation I can think of is that they are just stowed away up there. Although I don’t see how the operators could climb up a hot barrel to fetch it during combat.

Anyone know what they are really there for?

These grainy photos were taken from a video (see below).

There are a few parts that look different to the CornerShot such as the bottom of the front and the hinge. A lot of it looks the same. Compare with the original:

More Photos of the original at israeli-weapons.com.

This youtube video is very bad quality. The original, in WMV format, is here.

The chinese also developed a corner shot type weapon, the HD66, but it looks very different to the Israeli and Iranian weapon. It is really a QSZ92 pistol mounted on the end of a submachine gun.

Some interesting suppressed AKs, they look like AK-103’s but could be something else, and what is probably a Norinco CQ (M16A1 clone) or CQ-M4 (you guessed it, an M4 clone).

Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if these were airsofters (btw, I have nothing against airsoft).

They let the Indians have a go!


Hat Tip: MilitaryPhotos.net

This is enough for anti-material work but well below western sniper rifle standards. For comparison, the Barrett M82 is supposed to shoot sub MOA (less than 1 MOA).
It is available in either 12.7×108mm or .50BMG.

It comes in two versions.

The M99

and the bullpup M99B / M06



More info here.

The photo below shows the necked 5.8mm armor piercing cartridge officially called the QSZ-92-5.8, otherwise known as the 5.8mm Chinese.

A very nice looking photo.

Hat Tip: In The World

UPDATE: H2O MAN in the comments below let me know that the text comes from “M14 Rifle History and Development” by Lee Emerson. Thanks H2O MAN.

A persistent rumor states that M14 rifles produced by the People’s Republic of China were reverse engineered from enemy captured M14 rifles in Viet Nam. China North Industries Corporation, known as Norinco, is reported to have produced M14 rifles by the early 1970s. The story continues that 100,000 Chinese M14 rifles were produced for an armed revolution in the Philippines. In preparing for this work, the author interviewed a very reliable source with extensive firsthand knowledge of Chinese and Taiwanese production and export of small arms was interviewed for this work. This gentleman wishes not to be identified. He is referred to as Other Source # 12.

Chapter 6 contains the History of the Chinese M14 Clones. The PDF can be downloaded here.