Tactical Small Arms Of The 21st Century: A Complete Guide to Small Arms From Around the World

402 Pages·2006·31.14 MB·English

by  Charles Q. Cutshaw

TTaaccttiiccaall
TTaaccttiiccaall
TT
aa
Small Arms Small Arms
cc
tt
ii
cc
aa
ll

SS
ooff tthhee 2211sstt CCeennttuurryy
mm

ooff tthhee 2211sstt CCeennttuurryy
aa
T

actical small arms are in the hands of every ll
ll
fi ghting force in every nation in the world and this

AA
book provides you data and information on the weapons
currently being used in the world’s confl icts. rr
Noted fi rearms expert Charles Cutshaw has gathered mm
exhaustive data, technical specs and photos of weapons
currently in action around the world. This ss
encyclopedic reference gives you
oo
all the information you need
ff
on weapons from every

corner of the globe. tt
hh
ee
A Complete

22
Guide To Small
11
ss
tt Arms From Around

CC
The World
ee
nn
tt
uu
rr
yy

C
U
T
S
H
ISBN-10: 0-87349-914-X $27.99 U.S.
ISBN-13: 978-0-87349-914-9 ($37.99 CAN) A
W
52799
(cid:39)(cid:85)(cid:78)(cid:0)(cid:36)(cid:73)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:83)(cid:84)(cid:165)(cid:0)(cid:34)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:83)
C
P
U
(cid:33)(cid:78)(cid:0)(cid:73)(cid:77)(cid:80)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:78)(cid:84)(cid:0)(cid:79)(cid:70)(cid:0)(cid:38)(cid:11)(cid:55)(cid:0)(cid:48)(cid:85)(cid:66)(cid:76)(cid:73)(cid:67)(cid:65)(cid:84)(cid:73)(cid:79)(cid:78)(cid:83)
(cid:24)(cid:24)(cid:24)(cid:13)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:23)(cid:13)(cid:18)(cid:24)(cid:23)(cid:19) Charles Cutshaw
0 4608100914 3 9 780873499149
TTSSAAffuullllccoovveerr..iinndddd 11 11//2244//0066 1111::5599::4422 AAMM
TTaaccttiiccaall
SSmmaallll AArrmmss
of the 21st Century

Charles Cutshaw
TTSSAAffrroonntt..iinndddd 11 11//2244//0066 99::3333::3311 AAMM
©2006 Charles Cutshaw
Published by
(cid:39)(cid:85)(cid:78)(cid:0)(cid:36)(cid:73)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:83)(cid:84)(cid:165)(cid:0)(cid:34)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:83)
(cid:33)(cid:78)(cid:0)(cid:73)(cid:77)(cid:80)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:78)(cid:84)(cid:0)(cid:79)(cid:70)(cid:0)(cid:38)(cid:11)(cid:55)(cid:0)(cid:48)(cid:85)(cid:66)(cid:76)(cid:73)(cid:67)(cid:65)(cid:84)(cid:73)(cid:79)(cid:78)(cid:83)
(cid:24)(cid:24)(cid:24)(cid:24)(cid:24)(cid:24)(cid:13)(cid:13)(cid:20)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:21)(cid:23)(cid:23)(cid:13)(cid:13)(cid:18)(cid:18)(cid:24)(cid:24)(cid:23)(cid:23)(cid:19)(cid:19)
Our toll-free number to place an order or obtain
a free catalog is [phone].
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or
any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer
who may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed
in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio,
television, or the Internet.
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2004098425
ISBN 10-digit: 0-87349-914-X
ISBN 13-digit: 978-0-87349-914-9
Designed by Paul Birling
Edited by Kevin Michalowski
Printed in United States of America
II
TTSSAAffrroonntt..iinndddd 22 11//2244//0066 99::3333::3377 AAMM
Tactical Small Arms of The 21st Century
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my loving wife Dianne, my guide, mentor
and taskmaster who kept me focused throughout writing and editing
process and without whose tireless work this book would have never
have been. Without my wife, who is truly the “wind beneath my wings,”
I would be nothing. A book like this also is the result of the work of
many people too numerous to list individually. To all those who helped
me, and you know who you are: My heartfelt THANKS!

Charlie Cutshaw
December 2005
III
TTSSAAffrroonntt..iinndddd 33 11//2244//0066 99::3333::3388 AAMM
Tactical Small Arms of The 21st Century
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TTaaccttiiccaall
SSmmaallll AArrmmss
of the21stCentury

DEDICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . III
CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
OPERATING SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
PISTOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 SUBMACHINE ASSAULT
GUNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138 RIFLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
Austria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Belgium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Argentina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Albania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Austria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Armenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Bulgaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Belgium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Austria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Croatia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Bulgaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Belgium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Czech Republic . . . . . . . . . . 70 Chile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Bulgaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Croatia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Hungary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Czech Republic . . . . . . . . . 149 Chile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Iran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Czech Republic . . . . . . . . . 195
Iraq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Hungary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Egypt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Finland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Korea, North . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Korea, South . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Hungary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Korea, South . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Peru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Indonesia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Romania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Iran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Switzerland . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Serbia and Montenegro . . . 171 Korea,South . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Taiwan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Sweden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Turkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Taiwan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
United States . . . . . . . . . . . 123 United States . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Romania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
4
TTSSAAffrroonntt..iinndddd 44 11//2244//0066 99::3333::3388 AAMM
Tactical Small Arms of The 21st Century
Singapore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 ANTIMATERIEL MACHINE GUNS . . . . . . . .350
South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 RIFLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .308 Belgium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 Bulgaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Sweden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Croatia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Switzerland . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Czech Republic . . . . . . . . . 313 China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Taiwan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Finland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313 Czech Republic . . . . . . . . . 365
United Kingdom . . . . . . . . 236 Hungary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314 Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
United States . . . . . . . . . . . 238 International . . . . . . . . . . . . 316 India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370
Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316 Iran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
PRECISION
Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
TACTICAL RIFLES . . . . . . .258
Slovenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . 318 Korea, South . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Austria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Ukraine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 United Kingdom . . . . . . . . 319 Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 United States . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Croatia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Romania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Czech Republic . . . . . . . . . 266 TACTICAL Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Finland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 SHOTGUNS . . . . . . . . . . . . .326 Singapore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328 South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328 Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Indonesia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 International . . . . . . . . . . . . 328 Taiwan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
International . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329 United Kingdom . . . . . . . . 387
Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334 United States . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Norway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Romania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 Turkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Serbia and Montenegro . . . 284 United States . . . . . . . . . . . 342
South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Switzerland . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
United Kingdom . . . . . . . . 287
United States . . . . . . . . . . . 292
5
TTSSAAffrroonntt..iinndddd 55 11//2244//0066 99::3333::4499 AAMM
Tactical Small Arms of The 21st Century
PREFACE
As indicated by the title, this volume is and more critical to the conduct of this new kind of
intended as a comprehensive and authoritative war and the primary weapons they employ are small
reference on tactical small arms of the 21st Century. arms and a few light support weapons, such as grenade
The reader will not fi nd any historic small arms launchers, mortars and other light infantry support
herein, as was the case with Krause’s Military Small weapons and equipment that are beyond the scope of
Arms of the 20th Century, other than those still in this book. In the crucible of war, some weapons have
active use by military, police or paramilitary forces. proven themselves, while others have disappointed the
This volume refl ects the best information available to troops at “the pointed end of the spear.”
the authors at the time of its publication, although The war has resulted not only in resurrection
as with any imperfect human effort, there are bound of some weapons that if time in service were the only
to be errors both of commission and omission. measure, should have long ago been retired. One
We hope to provide the reader with an affordable such weapon is the venerable M-1911A1 .45 ACP
reference that includes not only operational small pistol, now being procured in limited numbers for
arms, but developmental ones, as well. This is a time US Special Operations Forces and the US Marine
of transition for small arms and we hope that we Corps from Kimber and Springfi eld Armory. This old
have captured that in the pages that follow. With the warhorse will assuredly be in military service well
continuing War on Terror, small arms have undergone beyond the centennial of its introduction into military
a renaissance. In both Afghanistan and Iraq, the service. Another such pistol is the Browning M-1935
primary means of carrying the war to the enemy is in 9x19mm. Both pistols soldier on, while every other
small arms. In this new milieu, some small arms small arm that was in service or introduced at the
have fallen aside and others have seen a resurrection. time these handguns entered service long ago was
In this preface, a brief examination of each type of retired. Pistols, though, are generally a self defense
small arms is covered along with its role in the new weapon, although in special operations, they are
and evolving type of warfare. occasionally used offensively, i.e. to carry the fi ght to
The War on Terror is not characterized by the enemy. The M-1911A1 pistol aside, virtually all
the types of military operations as with previous handguns in military service today are in 9x19mm
wars. There are, of course, conventional military NATO caliber. Also, virtually all are semiautomatic
operations involving large numbers of massed troops based on the Browning system that originated in its
in division and even corps levels, attacking the basic form in 1905. There are some pistols in military
enemy in formations and using tactics that would be service that use other operating systems, notably the
recognizable to soldiers from World War II. Only the Beretta 92, but the vast majority are modifi ed versions
weapons and equipment have changed. These types of of the tried and true Browning design. Revolvers are
operations, however, have been brief and once ended included herein, not because they are widely used
the conduct of the war was transformed into what by any military force, but because they are in use by
once was characterized as “small war.” Conventional many police forces worldwide.
operations are conducted at the battalion, company Submachine guns as a class of small arm are
and platoon levels, generally in urban environments, generally in decline for a number of reasons. First,
as in Iraq or in mountainous terrain such as that in by defi nition, they fi re a pistol caliber cartridge which
Afghanistan, where the brunt of fi ghting is borne by is far less lethal than the “intermediate” cartridges
special operations forces operating in small teams. fi red by assault rifl es and carbines. (Intermediate
Indeed, special operations forces have become more cartridges are those that ballistically fall between
6 PREFACE
TTSSAAffrroonntt..iinndddd 66 11//2244//0066 99::3333::5588 AAMM
Tactical Small Arms of The 21st Century
pistol cartridges and full power rifl e cartridges, such fl awed.” The problems of the M-4 family do not
as the 7.62x51mm NATO [.308 Winchester] round.) arise until the weapon is fi red in full automatic,
Pistol caliber cartridges as a class are easily defeated so semiautomatic versions are unaffected by the
by body armor and it is a well-documented fact that problems defi ned in the SOCOM study. Nonetheless,
many enemy soldiers have been shot repeatedly with USSOCOM set out to design a new family of modular
pistols, particularly the NATO standard 9x19mm, and small arms, called the Special Forces Combat
continue to fi ght, even though their wounds might Assault Rifl e (SCAR). There are two versions, the
ultimately prove fatal. This is one reason that many SCAR-Light and SCAR-Heavy. These are discussed
US Special Operations Forces have returned to .45 in detail in the main portion of this book, but the
ACP pistols. Another reason for the decline of the adoption of the SCAR by the US Special Forces has
submachine gun is the fact that many intermediate dramatic implications for the entire American small
caliber 5.56x45mm (.223 Remington) carbines arms program. Since the Special Forces are the
are as compact in size as most submachine guns, primary users of the M-4 Carbine family, the M-4
but far more lethal. Although submachine guns will eventually be withdrawn from special operations
will continue in limited use, their military role is service as it is replaced by the SCAR. Further, the
generally being fulfi lled by intermediate caliber adoption of the SCAR calls to question the viability of
carbines, such as the 5.56x45mm US M-4/M-4A1 and the Army’s XM-8 program, which largely duplicates
5.45x39mm Russian AKS-74U. the capabilities of the SCAR. Although the SCAR
Assault rifl es are by defi nition select fi re is intended for special operations use, two distinct
weapons capable of both semiautomatic and fully small arms families in the US military do not pass
automatic fi re. The term is rumored to have been the “sanity test” from an operational and logistical
coined by no less than Adolph Hitler to describe the viewpoint. Only time will tell the outcome, but the
Maschinenpistole 43/44, which was chambered for M-4 Carbine’s days are clearly numbered as a special
the fi rst intermediate class cartridge, the 7.92x43mm. operations small arm in US service.
More probable, however, is that the nomenclature The layman does not often think of the
was changed to refl ect the true nature of the weapon, shotgun as a military weapon, but the fact is that
which for the fi rst time placed a powerful select fi re the US military has used the shotgun in every war
weapon that could be controlled in full automatic fi re since the Indian Wars of the 19th Century. The
in the hands of infantry troops. The Sturmgewehr tactical shotgun today is one of the premier small
44 or StG44 set the pattern for all such weapons that arms in the War on Terror because it is highly
have followed, from the AK-47 to the recently adopted versatile, being capable of fi ring an amazing array
US SCAR-L. Regardless of the operating system, the of ammunition, from less-lethal to high explosive
general features of every assault rifl e (there is no such grenades. The tactical shotgun is also arguably the
thing as an “assault weapon” other than in the minds most devastating close quarters battle (CQB) small
of those who know little or nothing about small arms) arm in existence. For those reasons, the tactical
are the same: shotgun is in widespread use by military forces
• “Straight line” design that directs the worldwide and continues to be a particularly effective
recoil forces in such a way as to minimize weapon for use at ranges of less than 100 meters.
muzzle rise. Photographs and news footage from both Afghanistan
• Pistol grip. and Iraq show troops with shotguns, ranging
• Large capacity detachable box magazine from traditional pump operated guns to the latest
• Intermediate class cartridge semiautomatics. The tactical shotgun will be in use
Developments in assault rifl es have been by military and law enforcement for the foreseeable
driven by the War on Terror. The US M-16 is well- future. Tactical shotguns are dominated by 12-gauge
established and has the distinction of having served weapons, although some forces use 20 gauge guns
as the standard military rifl e longer than any other and in some Russian units, .410-bore guns have
rifl e in American history. The M-4/M-4A1 carbines, found applications. The 12-gauge dominates for the
however, have not fared so well and are in the process simple reason that there is such a huge variety of
of being replaced by a new carbine. The carbine is ammunition available for it. The smaller calibers do
primarily the weapon of special operations and the not have the interior shell volume to accommodate
US special operations community has long been the specialized ammunition available in 12-gauge.
dissatisfi ed with the M-4 carbine family. A 2001 Precision tactical rifl es, or sniper rifl es,
USSOCOM study stated, “All earlier M-16-based have also seen a renaissance, and there are many
carbines and the M-4A1 Carbine are fundamentally manufacturers of these highly accurate long range
PREFACE 7
TTSSAAffrroonntt..iinndddd 77 11//2244//0066 99::3333::5599 AAMM
Tactical Small Arms of The 21st Century
small arms. Most are bolt-action rifl es with fi ve- to production continues. The M-82 shows no signs of
10-round magazine capacities. There is no reason being supplanted by any other antimaterial rifl e as
for these rifl es to have large capacity magazines of the time of this writing. Although there are some
because if the sniper gets into a fi refi ght requiring other manufacturers, Barrett Firearms continues to
a large volume of fi re, he has probably failed in his dominate this military “niche” market.
mission. Military snipers are primarily an intelligence Machine guns are still in widespread use,
asset with lethal capability. This is refl ected in the but like other small arms, the machine gun is
US Marine Corps organization for snipers, which transitioning. The 5.56x45mm squad automatic
operationally places them under the S-2 (intelligence) weapon (SAW) category is dominated by FN Herstal’s
offi cer. Law enforcement snipers have a different role, Minimi, in service with most of the world’s major
but are still intelligence assets in addition to their use military forces. FN Herstal also dominates the
as the last resort to resolve certain situations. Most general purpose machine gun (GPMG) market with
precision tactical rifl es are currently chambered for its MAG-58, again, the premiere such weapon. It is
7.62x51mm, although some are in .300 Winchester ironic that the US military replaced its M-60 GPMG
Magnum and smaller calibers, primarily 5.56x45mm. with the MAG-58, which was turned down as inferior
There is a growing trend towards military .338 Lapua to the M-60 in 1959. The M-60 continued on in its
caliber precision tactical rifl es. The .338 Lapua round M-60E4 guise as the Mark 43, Mod 0 with US Special
is inherently accurate and the rifl es can be made light Operations until 2004, when it began being replaced
enough to be comfortably carried by one individual, by the FN Herstal Mark 48, Mod 0. Although most
unlike .50 BMG antimaterial rifl es that weigh upwards Western countries use one version or another of the
of 25 pounds. Moreover, the .338 Lapua extends the MAG-58, former Soviet Bloc nations continue to use
effective range of the sniper to well over 1,000 meters, the PK family of machine guns.
as opposed to the 800- to 1000-meter effective range In sum, although small arms technology
of 7.62x51mm rifl es. can be described as “mature,” i.e. the technology
Antimaterial rifl es actually began as antitank does not lend itself to any breakthroughs such as
rifl es early in the 20th Century, but as tank armor smokeless powder or self contained cartridges that
became too thick for them to defeat, these large revolutionized small arms, materials and technology
heavy rifl es fell into disuse. The antimaterial rifl e is moving small arms in new directions that make
renaissance began with a young Tennessee man these basic soldier weapons more effective, more
named Ronnie Barrett, who today manufacturers reliable and as warfare itself transitions, so will small
most of the world’s antimaterial rifl es. Barrett’s arms transition to accommodate the changes in
semiautomatic .50 Browning Machine Gun (BMG) tactics and operations.
caliber M-82 and bolt-action M-95 rifl es dominate the
antimaterial rifl e world, with service in the military Charles Q. Cutshaw
forces of nearly 40 nations. The US Army recently Dianne M. Cutshaw
(2004) ordered 5,000 M-82A3 (M-107) rifl es and February 2005
8 PREFACE
TTSSAAffrroonntt..iinndddd 88 11//2244//0066 99::3344::0000 AAMM
Tactical Small Arms of The 21st Century
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONSLIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ABM Air Burst(ing) Munition FMJBT Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail
ABMS Air Bursting Munition System FMJLF Full Metal Jacket Lead Free
ABS Air-Bursting System FNH FN HERSTAL
ACOG Advanced Combat Optical Gun sight FRAG Fragmentation
ACP Automatic Colt Pistol FRANG Frangible
ACR Advanced Combat Rifl e FUE First Unit Equipped
AE Action Express FY Fiscal Year
AGL Automatic Grenade Launcher
AICW Advanced Individual Combat Weapon GL Grenade Launcher
AMR Anti-Materiel Rifl e GPMG General Purpose Machine Gun
AMU Army Marksmanship Unit (Ft Benning, Georgia) GPS Global Position System
AP Anti-Personnel
AP Armor Piercing H&K, HK Heckler and Koch
APDS Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot HB Heavy Barrel
APERS Anti-personnel HBAR Heavy Barrel Assault Rifl e
APFSDS Armor Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot HDS Holographic Diff raction Sight
API Armor Piercing Incendiary HE High Explosive
AR Assault Rifl e, Armalite Rifl e HEAT High Explosive Anti-Tank
ARDEC Armament Research, Development and HEDP High Explosive Dual Purpose
Engineering Command HE-FRAG High Explosive Fragmentation
AT Anti-Tank HEI High Explosive Incendiary
ATD Advanced Technology Demonstrator HEI-T High Explosive Incendiary, Tracer
ATF Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (Also BATF) HEMP High Explosive Multi-Purpose
ATK Alliant Techsystems HEP High Explosive Plastic
AUG Armee Universal Gewehr HESH High Explosive Squash Head
HMG Heavy Machine Gun
BATF Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (Also ATF) HMMWV High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle
BBSP Blow Back Shifted Pulse HP High Power; Hollow Point
BDA Browning Double Action HPT High Pressure Test
BFA Blank Firing Attachment HWS Holographic Weapon Sight
BT Bullet Trap
I Incendiary
CCD Charge Coupled Device IDW Individual Defense Weapon
CCO Close Combat Optic II Image Intensifi er
CEP Circular Error Probability IM Insensitive Munition(s)
CENTCOM Central Command INSAS Indian Small Arms System
cd candela; candlepower IOC Initial Operational Capability
CIS Chartered Industries of Singapore IOF Ordnance Factory
CQBW Close Quarters Battle Weapon IR Infra-Red
CRISAT Collaborative Research Into Small Arms Technology IS Internal Security
(NATO) ISGU Integrated Sight and Guidance Unit
CRT Cathode Ray Tube IW Individual Weapon
CTA Cased Telescoped Ammunition JHP Jacketed Hollow Point
CW Chemical Warfare JSCS Joint Service Combat Shotgun
JSP Jacketed Soft Point
DA Double Action JSSAMP Joint Services Small Arms Master Plan
DAO Double Action Only JSSAP Joint Services Small Arms Program
DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
DA/SA Double Action/Single Action KAC Knight’s Armament Company
DC Direct Current KE Kinetic Energy
DMR Dedicated Marksman Rifl e
DoD Department of Defense LAM Laser Aiming Module
DP Dual Purpose LAR Light Automatic Rifl e
LC Laser Collimator
EOD Explosive Ordnance Disposal LCD Liquid crystal display
ER Extended Range LD Low drag
FAL Fusil Automatique Leger LE Law Enforcement
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation LED Light Emitting Diode
FCS Fire-Control System/Subsystem LF Linked Feed
FIRM Floating Integrated Rail Mount LMG Light Machine Gun
FLEA Frangible Low Energy Ammunition LP Liquid Propellant
FLIR Forward-Looking Infra-Red LPG Liquid Propellant Gun
FMJ Full Metal Jacket LR Long-Range, Long Rifl e
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 9
TTSSAAffrroonntt..iinndddd 99 11//2244//0066 99::3344::0011 AAMM