#Argentina

An Argentinian company called  CAT Aiming Devices has developed a magnetic mounting system that allows attaching reflex sights to pistols without a need for an optics-ready slide. This may sound like not quite a reliable solution, however, the system does not rely only on the strength of its built-in magnet. Let’s take a closer look.

Aquila International, LLC have recently completed their delivery of a batch of small arms and accessories to Argentina’s Army Special Forces. The shipment includes Glock pistols and B&T submachine guns. The Argentinian special forces, specifically the Agrupacion de Fuerzas de Operaciones Especiales (FOE), have selected the Glock 19X and 17 Gen 5 as well as B&T APC9 PRO G, the compact APC9Ks and the integrally suppressed APC9SD PRO G. The accessories include AAC Illusion suppressors and Blackhawk L3D holsters for their new Glocks and B&T suppressors for their new APC9s.

Aquila International, LLC, a US Defense contractor, have announced that they will provide Daniel Defense rifles to various Argentine military organisations. Aquila are the South American distributors for Daniel Defense and have been awarded contracts to supply the company’s M4A1, MK18 and DD5V3 and D4 rifles to elements of the Argentine Marines, Gendarmerie and Army Special Forces.

The Picture Of The Day takes us to The Falklands, and the infamous Onion Ranges a vast swathe of land which is used for training by the Army. It is located on a remote part of the East Falkland island.

Argentina’s state owned defence manufacturer Fabricaciones Militares has delivered the first batch of modernised FAL rifles. Nearly 300 of the refurbished FALs have been handed over to the Argentine Army with new railed forends, stocks and top covers.

Back in the end of the 1940s, when Argentina was ruled by the very controversial President Juan Domingo Perón (he would eventually be taken out of the presidency by a military coup d’état in 1955), an interesting, but generally unknown, submachine gun project emerged in that part of the world. In 1949, shortly after his return from a trip to Europe, he met with leaders of the local CGT – Confederación General del Trabajo (National Labor Confederation) to propose the organization of armed Milicias Populares (Popular Militias) for additional people’s support to his government. Then, he needed a large volume of inexpensive guns to arm his followers so that internal political opposition might eventually be faced. The hard way.

Argentine Defence Ministry Secretary of Science, Technology, and Production Hector Lostri announced that a domestic firearms’ manufacturing company called Fabricaciones Militares will start licensed manufacturing of Beretta ARX 200 rifles and Px4 Storm pistols. The Argentine company has already signed an agreement with Beretta to produce the mentioned firearms. Right now the company is being certified by Beretta to be able to start the manufacturing. Presumably, the ARX 200 will replace FN FAL battle rifles in Argentine Armed Forces. The Px4 Storm in its turn will probably be the successor of FM-95 pistol, which is the Argentine version of Browning Hi-Power.

The year was 1986, and once again FMAP “Domingo Matheu” was caught playing around with the full-auto pistol concept. The idea at the time was to create a new design to see how it compared with the earlier model, a sort of in-house shoot-out competition. Designer Magin Almara was placed in charge of the new weapon, which was also called simply, and again… the MPA (Mini Pistola Ammetralladora).

In 1977, the urge of “firepower, compact style” showed up again at Fábrica Militar de Armas Portátiles “Domingo Matheu”, one more time as an in-house private venture. Designer Enrique Chichizola started studying technical approaches to an automatic-fire gun of small dimensions capable of achieving such stability and controllability characteristics so as to allow effective target hit probability at realistic ranges (say, up to 10 meters). He called it the MPA (Mini Pistola Ammetralladora, Mini Machine Pistol).

Like most countries that manufacture guns, Argentina has also done its share of research trying to come out with a decent (light, compact, accurate, controllable) full-auto pistol. The whole thing started at the Government-owned Fábrica Militar de Armas Portátiles “Domingo Matheu”, in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, in 1974 as an in-house effort. Being an established licensed manufacturer of the FN Browning Hi-Power, the factory found it proper to use it as the basis for what was called the SPA (Sub Pistola Ametralladora, Sub Machine Pistol).

Ronaldo Olive dug up another interesting story for us. Back int he late 1980s, Argentine weapon manufacturer Fábrica Militar de Armas Porátiles Domingo Matheu decided to create a FN FAL chambered in 5.56mm. They strangely enough decided to adapt the 5.56mm Steyr AUG magazines to fit into the modified FAL.

Prof. Osvaldo Gatto is a Argentinian gun maker who has quite a following around the world. He makes reproductions of a variety of weapons ranging from swords to blackpowder cannons and everything in between.