Venezuelan "TOR" SMG Chambered in .357 Magnum
TOR (means fireball in one of the local languages) is a Venezuelan firearm designed by a gentleman named Fernan Altuve Febres. It was designed in 1995 and initially chambered in 5.6x36mm (a cartridge unknown to me). It was tested by Venezuelan paratroopers, tank and submarine crew members. Later on, there was a need to arm the LEOs with a compact and lightweight firearm that could offer sufficient stopping power and be something intermediate between a traditional SMG in 9mm and an assault rifle. That’s what made the designer to make a version of this firearm chambered in .357 Magnum.
TOR SMG is gas operated. It feeds from 15 or 30 round magazines. It is also designed with the ease of manufacturing being an important criterion. The gun consists of less than 30 parts. TOR SMG weighs 2.8 kg (6lb 3 oz) and has the following dimensions: L720mm (28.3”) x H160mm (6.3”) x W40mm (1.6”). The original version has a barrel length of 13”. However, the designer is planning to introduce it to the US civilian market with a 16.5” barrel to qualify as a rifle. The barrels feature polygonal rifling. There will also be a version chambered in 9x19mm.
The TOR SMG is now in the patenting process in the USA. That’s the reason why the designer does not reveal any detailed images or drawings of the mechanism. The top image of this article is pretty much the only one that we can see right now.
Pistol caliber carbines have always been popular partially because they share the same ammunition with the sidearm. That being said, I think if TOR is introduced to the US market, it could be a good modern alternative to the lever action rifles for wheel gun aficionados.
Many thanks to Fernan Altuve Febres – the designer of TOR SMG for providing the information.
Managing Editor Being a lifelong firearms enthusiast, Hrachya always enjoys studying the history and design of guns and ammunition. Should you need to contact him, feel free to shoot him a message at Hrachya@TheFirearmBlog.com
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This beggars the question, has there been any submachinegun in a large or "magnum" caliber. I remember roleplaying games like Cyberpunk 2020 having stuff routinely chambered in 11mm (metric .44 Magnum), having essentially Heckler & Koch MP5s feeding 12mm rounds (before .50 AE or .500 S&W), and even having large calibers like 14mm and 15mm Kurz (a significantly cut down 15mm BMG) for shooting cyborgs and dudes in power armor. Ray Winninger's Underground had 20mm and 25mm submachineguns, but almost everyone was supposed to be superpowered supersoldiers with bulletproof skin, so the only thing that could reliably pierce skin and cause a wound was using a bore over a centimeter or more.
In real life, .45 ACP and 10mm is pretty much the top-end I've seen before this or going to carbine or rifle cartridges. The only other project I knew of was the Canadians post-WW2 were developing a SMG for the .45 NAACO round (a.k.a. .45 Win Mag) to go along with the NAACO Brigadier, but the NATO standardization killed both.
06-Aug-17 Messrs TFB - The Firearms Blog Administrators & patient interested very expert bloggers I have found here with my courtesy and respect. Please forgive my enthusiasm and
delight to answer mostly acute minded bloggers, who have also kindly contributed with their useful comments, to assist or guide me to improve "TOR" .357 Magnum or 9x19mm versions design and development for LOEs or private US, Canada, or EEC sports shooters or hunters
for a new attractive and useful economic to make, use, maintin or repair modern weapon.