AWS 1911 Machine Pistol

     Appears in: Abortive (so far) attempt to produce a PDW in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

     Country of Origin: Philippines

     Notes: The Elisco Tool Company was started in 1980 to produce the M-16 assault rifle under license from Colt.  In 1988, several Filipino agencies (mostly police units) who had read the book Rimfire Battle Guns by JM Ramos approached Elisco to produce something even more ambitious – a fully automatic version of the M-1911A1.  Wheels turned slowly, but eventually AWS (Automatic Weapon Systems) bought out Elisco and in 1992, Gene Cordero of AWS finally began the design work with help from Ramos, which resulted in functioning prototypes in 1994.

     There were several stumbling blocks in the prototypes’ design.  Perhaps the worst was the massive recoil of the .45 ACP cartridge coupled with the request for the absence of the usual remedy for this problem, a large muzzle brake.  (Eventually, a compensated barrel was used.) An additional problem was the lack of magazine capacity of the M-1911A1; even with modified double-stack magazines, and along with the initial prototypes’ cyclic rate of 1000 RPM, meant that magazines would be emptied in a split second.  Design started over (partially) using Para-Ordnance frame kits, with their higher magazine capacities.  A rate reducer along with a special trigger module was tried, with unsatisfactory results; then a burst limiting mechanism was decided upon.  A forward-folding foregrip was added. (The locking mechanism for the foregrip is essentially like a miniature bicycle kickstand). Ramos and Cordero had a viable machine pistol, and decided to chamber it in three calibers, though a .40 Smith & Wesson version was designed that never made it off the drawing board.

     Then AWS started to go belly up, and then failed entirely.  The project ended at that point, unfortunately.  That is too bad, because the weapon sounds interesting, and has some merit as a small, concealable PDW.  Ramos is still reportedly trying to get the project going again with different companies, shopping the design around.

     It should be noted that the weight and barrel length (5 inches) I based these stats on are conjecture.  I have not been able to find solid information on these points.

Birdman Weapon Systems BWS M-82B1-P

     Appears in: This weapon is an internet hoax, but I have included it as a "what-if."  The site for “Birdman Weapon Systems” could be seen at http://www.birdman.org, but this site is now defunct.

     Country of Origin: US

     Fictional Notes: This weapon began life as a Barrett M-82 heavy sniper rifle, but has been drastically modified into a heavy pistol, for use as a close assault weapon. In this version, the stock is removed, and the barrel chopped to little over 1/10^th its normal length, with a different style muzzle brake added, along with a pistol grip modified from the M-16A2 assault rifle. The result is a pistol unlike any other, firing a massive cartridge for excellent short-range firepower. This pistol was tested by US Special Forces, and by several police departments, but found most acceptance only with survivalists and exotic weapon collectors.

Colt M-1911A1 in 7.62mm Tokarev

     Appears in: A rare war trophy from the Vietnam War

     Country of Origin: Vietnam

     Notes: This weird war trophy was brought back by an unnamed US GI from the Vietnam War.  Whether it is unique or not is not known; it is, however, the only one captured and brought back from Vietnam.  This interesting M-1911A1 variant was captured from a dead Viet Cong guerilla; it was probably converted to 7.62mm Tokarev because that round was the most common pistol cartridge in Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces, and .45 ACP could be difficult for them to get.  The North Vietnamese were well known for converting a number of weapons chambered for other pistol rounds to fire the 7.62mm Tokarev round.  This pistol was eventually donated to a museum in the late 1970s.

     The caliber conversion is not the best work in the world, but was obviously not done in the usual crude manner of most Viet Cong caliber conversions, and may have actually been done for them by the North Vietnamese.  The work appears to have been done in a well-supplied machine shop, and was done with metric tools.  Conversion required a lot of work; the barrel was given a permanent barrel sleeve to accommodate the smaller caliber and a smaller bolt face was machined into the slide after a block of metal was welded to the slide face The ejection port was enlarged to allow proper ejection of the longer 7.62mm Tokarev round; this meant that part of engagement surface for the rear locking lug was removed, leaving that rear locking lug nothing to lock against.  This does reduce the safety margin of firing the pistol, though the pistol does seem to fire without a problem.  The grip was modified to take a TT-33 Tokarev magazine, primarily by filing away the front of the magazine well; this makes the front of the grip frame quite thin.

     Exactly what the story of this strange conversion is unknown; it seems like a lot of work was done to convert this M-1911A1 to 7.62mm Tokarev, and whether the Viet Cong guerilla thought it was worth it is also unknown.  Why the North Vietnamese would do this much work to convert a weapon is another mystery, as is whether or not they converted any other M-1911A1s in the same manner.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: I can imagine that this sort of thing might happen a lot in the Twilight 2000 timeline, due to lack of proper ammunition or some other screwy reason.  I personally think such “Frankenweapons” would be fairly common in the Twilight 2000 world.

Colt OHWS

     Appears In: US SOCOM OHWS competition, which started in the late-1980s; this was just one of the finalists.

     Country of Origin: US

     Notes: The Colt OHWS (Offensive Handgun Weapons System) was designed to compete for US SOCOM’s need for a new handgun to fulfill both a defensive and offensive role.  Though this competition was eventually won by Heckler & Koch’s Mk 23, the Colt entry remains an interesting look at H&K’s primary competition in that arena.

     The Colt OHWS was designed from the start to fire .45 ACP ammunition; moreover, it was capable of firing virtually any sort of .45 ACP ammunition ever designed, from sub-loaded heavy-bullet designs to extremely hot-loaded wildcat versions of the .45 ACP.  (In fact, SOCOM indicated at the time that they intended the primary round for the OHWS to be a then-new version of a .45 ACP +P round, with standard .45 ACP ball to be used when a silencer was attached.) 

     Since none of Colt’s pistols (including the M-1911A1) were capable of handling a steady diet of +P ammunition, and it was felt that modifying the M-1911A1 to meet SOCOM’s needs would be more expensive than to design a new pistol from scratch, that’s what Colt did.  Essentially, the Colt OHWS became a melding of the Colt M-1911A1, All-American 2000, Double Eagle, and many entirely new ideas.  (Most of SOCOM’s requirements were already present in at least one of those three designs, and they just needed to be blended together.) 

     Instead of using the Browning locking system, Colt used a variant of the All-American 2000’s Stoner-designed rotating barrel locking system.  The rotating barrel locking system is perhaps the strongest locking system ever designed for a handgun; it does however require a wider slide and much tighter tolerances (making the pistol less tolerant to dirt) than any other handgun locking system.  In addition to its strength, it also has the side benefit of reducing recoil somewhat; in addition, recoil becomes more of a “push” than a “thump.”  The heavy steel frame was modified from that of the M-1911A1, and is mostly machined instead of stamped.  The slide of the Colt OHWS was also made of heavy steel (stainless steel in this case), and was designed from scratch.  The firing mechanism was a modified M-1911A1 Series 80 mechanism, though the trigger was adjustable for weight of pull, length of pull, and length of reach.  Controls were also made ambidextrous.  Operation was double-action (with a decocker), and the hammer was of the Commander-type, both modified from the Double Eagle.  A slide lock was also added, to stop cycling of the slide and mechanism in cases where this would be too loud.

     Since a single-column magazine (at the time) was more reliable in a handgun than a double-column magazine, Colt decided to use a single-column 10-round magazine.  (Standard M-1911A1 magazines will not fit in a Colt OHWS, though a Colt OHWS magazine will fit into an M-1911A1, with the end projecting from the pistol grip.)  Another problem Colt faced was putting a detachable silencer and a detachable muzzle brake onto the rotating barrel.  Therefore, they designed both a silencer and a muzzle brake which attach to the frame rather than the barrel itself, using an extension rail and a toggle switch.  The silencer actually fits over the muzzle brake, and cannot be attached without the muzzle brake in place.  Various other modifications were made to improve the reliability and smooth operation of the Colt OHWS, plus touches like a rail under the dust cover for accessories, micrometer-adjustable rear sights, and some other things that SOCOM asked for.

     In testing by SOCOM, a number of problems were found that would eventually lead to the rejection of the Colt OHWS.  The Colt OHWS was felt to be too heavy, as well as being too tall due to its single-column magazine.  The rail under the dust cover was too proprietary, allowing only certain accessories to be used without a special interface.  The barrel (though not the locking system itself) turned out to be not durable enough when firing a lot of +P ammunition.  In addition, the entire pistol’s design was very complicated and difficult to strip and care for.

     Just to add the icing to the whole rotten cake, Colt was in great financial chaos at the time; the Colt OHWS was one product that was extremely expensive.  Though modifications were made to correct the barrel failure problem and some other issues, it caused Colt even more unneeded expense, and SOCOM was leery of a company in such dire financial straits.  The H&K entry was also, unfortunately, a superior weapon in almost all areas.  The Colt OHWS was doomed, and became another interesting failed weapon.

Colt SCAMP

     Appears in: Experiments to increase the firepower of the pistol in the late 1960s.

     Country of Origin: US

     Notes:  At the end of the 1960s, a lot of rumors were going around the firearms industry that the US Army was looking for a replacement for the M-1911A1.  (I’m not sure if they were simply rumors at this time, or these were the first inklings of the idea that led to the M-9.)  Since Colt had been supplying the US military’s standard sidearm for what was then about 50 years, it was natural for Colt to feel that the US Army would come to them first – and that the Army might be open to replace some of the M-1911A1s with something completely different.  In addition, such a pistol would be ideal as a defensive weapon for aircrews, and as an offensive handgun for special operations and other covert personnel.  At about the same time period, the concept of a PDW (Personal Defense Weapon) was emerging.  The result was the SCAMP (Small CAliber Machine Pistol).

     The SCAMP was a burst-firing machine pistol firing a high-powered .22-caliber round (similar in concept to the M-16 series).  The round used was a heavily-modified .22 Hornet, with a rather large propellant load.  The SCAMP was built largely of stainless steel, though the receiver and some other parts (such as the grip panels) were made of high-impact plastic reinforced with glass fiber.  The SCAMP was a bit large and heavy, but not much more than the M-1911A1, and could easily put rounds of reasonable power (for a pistol) downrange far quicker than the M-1911A1, making it useful for suppressive fire as well as aimed fire.  The 7-inch barrel was tipped with compensating slots to help mitigate recoil.  The cyclic rate of fire was extremely high at 1500 rpm, so Colt engineers used a 3-round burst mechanism to prevent wasteful (and inaccurate) automatic fire.  In both semiautomatic and automatic modes, the trigger pull was light and smooth, and the SCAMP is said to have been easy to fire accurately.

     The SCAMP, however, was a victim of bad timing.  Colt was ready for production in 1972; though the military was reportedly quite impressed by the SCAMP, the long and expensive war in Vietnam meant that there wasn’t any funding for the SCAMP or any other large acquisitions of new small arms.  In addition, the round the SCAMP fired was proprietary, something that would cause all sorts of supply chain headaches and require even more expense.  These factors meant that the promising SCAMP never went far beyond the prototype phase, and only 12 SCAMPs were ever built.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Production was picked up again in 1993 after clamoring by US pilots for a more lethal weapon after they were shot down.  It was then picked by special operations aircrews as a sidearm, and by CIA and DIA personnel as concealable automatic weapon.

     Merc 2000 Notes: 11 of the prototypes are accounted for, but one is missing and was last used in a bank robbery in December of 2002.

Dardick

     Appears in: An experimental/limited production weapon designed in the late 1950s by David Dardick.

     Country of Origin: US

     Notes: This unusual revolver design featured an open cylinder (i.e., the chambers are open to the outside of the cylinder) and a modified type of round known as a “Tround” (triangular round).  The name of Tround was applied because while the bullet and the stub casing containing the primer are made of conventional metals, the rest of the “casing” is a short polycarbonate rod with a triangular cross-section.  Though using a revolving cylinder, the Dardick is in fact a type of semiautomatic pistol, being fed from a magazine and the cylinder only a device to feed the rounds into the firing mechanism. 

     While the standard ammunition for Dardick pistols was its special Trounds, it quickly became apparent that the manufacture of the Trounds could not keep up with supply.  Therefore, reusable “Tround Adapters” were devised; using these, the Dardick was capable of firing standard .38 Special, .38 Smith & Wesson, .38 Super, and 9mm Parabellum rounds.  The user simply pushed the rounds into the adapters (it’s a tight fit), and after firing, takes a rod and pushes the spent casings back out of the adapters (also a tough job).  In addition, a special Tround Adapter was made to enable the firing of .22 Short, .22 Long, and .22 Long Rifle rounds with the Model 1100; however, this also requires a barrel change (quite easily done).  The grip magazine is not detachable; the Dardick is loaded by opening the feed door on the left side of the grip and either inserting loose Trounds or using a special stripper clip. 

     Construction of the grip and frame is in two halves, made from cast aluminum.  While this was not difficult once the manufacturing equipment was set up, making the molds for those grip/frame halves was tedious and exacting work and was expensive and time-consuming.  The cylinder and trigger unit was sort of a Rube Goldberg-type nightmare, requiring over 50 parts and requiring much precision machining and hand fitting; in addition, many of the parts were quite small (even tiny in some cases).  The grip/frame/cylinder/trigger combination was reportedly quite fragile.  The barrels were made from steel, and were basically conventional; sights were basically notch-and-blade types, though they were unusually high.  Three models of the Dardick were built, each with different magazine sizes; those magazine capacities were fairly high for the time, as it turned out that Trounds stack quite well in a magazine.  A carbine conversion kit was also available for use with the Model 1500 (when used with .22 Rimfire ammunition); the Dardick’s barrel was removed and the rest of the pistol put into the CCU.  (Though described as a carbine conversion unit, the barrel length of 23.5-inch barrel is more rifle-length.)  This unit is also extremely rare.

     All this meant that the Dardick was an expensive weapon to produce and buy.  Add to that the unusual ammunition, and the result is that less than 100 were built (mostly Model 1500s).  The Model 1100 is extremely rare, and the Model 2000 is rarely seen and may have only existed in prototype form.  The lack of sales led David Dardick to end production in 1960, and in 1962 he sold the design to Numrich Arms.  Numrich Arms attempted to modify the Trounds to be based upon 9mm Parabellum bullets and stub cases, but the results were unsatisfying, and the bosses at Numrich were reticent to fire many Trounds through the remaining Dardicks due to their high collector value.  Numrich later sold the design to the Gun Parts Corporation; while they have not done anything with the design, they still have a large number of parts for the Dardick in their inventory, as well as Tround Adapters and even some actual Tround ammunition.

Fletcher Safestop Pistol

     Appears In: Custom Modification produced by R "Fuzzy" Fletcher, a noted gun experimenter

     Country or Origin: US

     Notes: R "Fuzzy" Fletcher designed this pistol when experimenting with .38 Magnum rounds in a 1911-type pistol.  As far as I know, it is a one-off.

     Fuzzy wanted to "scratch an itch" that had existed with him for some time: produce a .45 pistol, preferably a 1911, that could reproduce the ballistics and stopping power of a .357 Magnum round.  After much experimenting and luck, Mr Fletcher arrived at a .45 ACP case necked down to accept a .357 Golden Saber wadcutter bullet.  He used a standard-length 5-inch barrel (suitably down-sized), and used a 20-pound mainspring and a shock buffer. Mr Fletcher found that the flat-nosed bullet is more likely to dump its energy into a soft target and unlikely to spin or ricochet.  He also benefitted from the experiences of police acquaintances, and a few FBI acquaintances as well.  He also used wadcutters into which he had cut an "X" shape into the flat head.  The barrel is a modified .38 Super barrel of the same length.

Gallagher Custom Revolvers

     Appears in: Custom modification produced by John Gallagher, master weaponsmith

     Country of Origin: US

     Notes: John Gallagher runs a small custom gunsmithing shop dedicated to making unusual and custom versions of contemporary firearms, usually based on older designs because in his mind, they are more strongly-built and better able to take custom conversions.

     One of these is a modification of the Ruger Single Six (Old Model) in .22 caliber with a 5.5-inch barrel into a .41 Magnum-firing version with a shorter and handier 4.625-inch barrel.  Mr. Gallagher feels that the .41 Magnum is an under-used round which gets little respect, and therefore is interested in guns which fire this caliber.  The Old Model Single Six is required for this conversion, as the New Model has a transfer bar safety which does afford the room to open up the loading port enough for the much bigger .41 Magnum round.  The firing pin is changed to centerfire, and the cylinder, though it remains the same size, now holds only five rounds.  The flattop frame is left as it is, as is the rear dovetailed sight, while the front sight is changed to a post-type slanting forward and serrated.  Other modifications include a Belt Mountain locking base pin, a trigger tuned to 2.5 pounds of pull, a polished blue finish, and grips of exotic wood. 

     Another Gallagher modification is a light pocket pistol based on the New Model Ruger Single Six, and with the caliber changed to .38 Special.  The barrel is shortened to 3.75 inches and tapered, the ejector rod, housing, and receptacle have all been removed and replaced by a smaller unshrouded ejector rod, and the front of the frame has been stepped down to further save weight along with the recoil shield and loading gate.  The hammer is replaced by a Bisley-type hammer, the grips are rounded, smoothed, and re-finished.  The front sight is a small serrated blade, and one of the few parts that project from the weapon.

     John Gallagher also rechambered a Smith & Wesson 28-2 Highway Patrolman from .357 Magnum to .45 Long Colt.  The barrel for this modification is cut to 5 inches, bored out to .45 caliber and tapered, refitted with a post-type front sight ramp, and the trigger tuned to 3 pounds.  This was done at the request of noted revolver guru John Taffin, who wanted a weapon like the Smith & Wesson 1950 target, but in .45 Long Colt.  This modification is designed specifically for semi-wadcutter bullets, but can shoot most other bullets equally well.

     One of John Gallagher’s favorite conversions is Ruger Old Model Blackhawk in .357 Magnum, re-chambered for .44 Special.  The cylinder is replaced by a larger one (and a larger frame window), a 4-inch barrel, and a cut-down ejector rod housing and ejector rod.  The rear sight is a Bowen adjustable sight, while the front sight is a sloping serrated blade.  The hammer is taken from an Old Model Super Blackhawk.  The trigger pull is set at 2.5 pounds.

     At one time, Ruger offered the Ruger Maximum Blackhawk, a revolver chambered for the rare .357 Maximum round.  It was quickly dropped from production due to lack of public interest, but John Gallagher has made a modified form of it, firing the equally-exotic .445 SuperMag round.  The original revolver was rechambered for the new round, and a Bisley-type grip frame was fitted, along with a Bisley-type hammer, trigger, and exotic wood grips.  The barrel is a full 10 inches.  The rear sight is an adjustable Bowen sight, while the front is a blade fitted onto a rifle ramp.  The revolver is finished in polished blue, and the trigger is set to 3.625 pounds.  Though the revolver is designed specifically for .445 SuperMag, it will also fire .44 Magnum and .44 Special.

     Another Ruger Maximum Blackhawk modification is for .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum.  The cylinder is changed to a 5-shot, and the revolver has a 5.5-inch octagonal heavy barrel with an integral ramp front sight with a post blade.  The rear sight is a Bowen adjustable sight.  The grip frame, hammer, and trigger are of the Bisley-type.  The finish is matte blue with a nickel hammer. 

     Using a New Model Ruger Blackhawk as a base, John Gallagher designed a pistol for varmint hunting.  This is rechambered for .32-20, has an 8-shot cylinder, and one of several barrel lengths.  The finished for the frame is color case-hardened, the grips are Gallagher custom grips, the rear sight is a Bowen adjustable sight, and the front sight is a post.  The combination of a heavy frame and a light caliber make for a revolver which is very pleasant to shoot.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: John Gallagher does most of his work reworking and repairing standard revolvers, but also makes several custom guns upon request.

Gerasmenko VAG-72/73

     Country of Origin: Soviet Union

     Appears in: Experiment by Vladimir Gerasmenko in the 1970s

     Notes: Vladimir Gerasmenko was a Soviet industrialist supervisor who oversaw several projects at industrial plants throughout Kiev.  In his spare time, he designed small arms and improved existing Soviet small arms; some of his improvements actually made it into current Soviet weapons or into their manufacturing methods.  Gerasmenko invented, amongst other small arms, the VAG-72 and VAG-73 pistols, which were innovative for the ammunition they used and, in the case of the VAG-73, the feed method.  The two pistols fired semi-caseless ammunition, similar to the later 9mm AUPO rounds designed for the Italian AUPO submachinegun.  The round had most of the propellant charge in a hollow cavity in the rear of the bullet, and the rest in the small brass case, which contained a small part of the charge and the primer.  When the round is assembled, the base is screwed into the base of the bullet. This small case is the only part that exits the pistols as a “spent shell.”  The bullets were steel, and had armor-piercing qualities.  The barrel was 4.8 inches long and heavy; this would become important in the VAG-73, but was also present on the VAG-72.  Both pistols also had a large recoil spring under the barrel in a cylinder, in lieu of a dust cover.  The slide has several cooling holes at the front and continuing to the middle of the slide, cooling almost the entire barrel.  Grip for the VAG-72 was wood, wrap-around, and made to fit the frame; this proved too expensive and difficult to make, so the VAG-72 had plastic grip plates.  Both were smooth.  The ejection port is quite large for the small case to be ejected, in case a jam needed to be cleared.  Fire controls are above the trigger under the slide, and within reach of the firing finger.  The operation is DA/SA, and there is no slide lock or hold-open feature, or manual safety.

     The VAG-72 is essentially a standard semiautomatic pistol, except for the ammunition.  It holds a single-stack magazine, with a rather long grip to hold the capacious magazine.  The VAG-73 is a machine pistol, with no burst controller, but with a pneumatic device to hold down the cyclic rate.  The magazine is dual-stack, but with one stack in front of the other; it is essentially two VAG-72 magazines joined together.  (The grip is rather wide because of this.) The magazine feeds from the top of front of the magazine, with rounds from the rear compartment moving into the front of the magazine.

     Ironically, the pistols themselves were good designs and not the problem with the weapons; the innovative ammunition, on the other hand, presented lots of problems.  The ammunition offered no advantages over conventional ammunition except taking up less room; it was more difficult and time-consuming to manufacture and cost more to produce.  The difficulties with producing the ammunition included obturation, maintaining the proper headspace between the case and bullet, and excessive fouling of the barrel.  Special equipment was also necessary to produce it, also expensive.

     The military never had more than a passing interest in these pistols, except that they did test them; they were quickly rejected, with no chance for improvement to the design.  Only one of each pistol was produced, they are currently in the Artillery Museum in St Petersburg, along with some of the ammunition for the pistols.

Hecker & Koch G-11 PDW

     Appears in: Heckler Koch literature of the early 1980s

     Country of Origin: Germany

     Notes: This is a machine pistol designed to use caseless ammunition.  It is not really related to the G-11 assault rifle, other than the name and its use of caseless ammunition.  The G-11 PDW uses a shortened form of the ammunition used by the G-11 (4.7x25mm Caseless), and is rather a large pistol.  The magazines consist of a 20-round magazine that would sit flush with the grip, and an extended 40-round magazine.  The G-11 PDW was never developed beyond the ammunition and a wooden model, but shows how a family of weapons evolves. The G-11 PDW was designed to be the machine pistol/PDW version of the G-11 family, used to arm rear-area troops. 

Heckler & Koch HK-45

     Appears in: Unofficial Heckler & Koch company literature

     Country of Origin: Germany

     Notes: Unlike most of the weapons shown here, the HK-45 actually has a chance of existing in production form – possibly in the near future.  The HK-45 is essentially a highly-modified mix of the USP-45 and P-2000, tailored for the needs of the US military.  It’s origin is a brainstorming session between two gunsmiths, Ken Hackathorn and Larry Vickers, both noteworthy custom pistolsmiths.  (Larry Vickers is in fact retired from the US Army Special Forces – and rumored to have been a member of Delta Force, though of course the Army will never confirm this.)  Since Larry Vickers now works for the US arm of Heckler & Koch Defense, he was in a unique position to pitch their development to the company.

     The USP-45 and P-2000 both have problems from the military standpoint – the grip angle is bad, balance is a bit off, controls can be a bit difficult to use from the shooting hand, and the magazine springs of both of them are a bit weak and tend to get weaker when carried or stored loaded for long periods, leading to feed failures.  Tailoring pistols to the individual mission and/or shooter can easily correct these problems, but is not practical for a general-issue military weapon.  And it is a poorly-kept secret that the US military is unhappy with the lack of stopping power of the 9mm Parabellum round fired by the M-9, and that it is looking for something firing the .45 ACP round.

      Enter the HK-45.  So far, only five advanced prototypes and several less-refined prototypes have been built for evaluation purposes, but it does look quite promising, both to the US military and to several other countries who are looking for a better pistol for their special operations units.  The grip angle is more ergonomic than the USP-45 or P-2000, and it also comes with interchangeable backstraps to allow it to fit different-sized hands.  Though designed to use a very light coating of lubricant, it will shoot for a long time with no lubrication whatsoever, and can even use dry or “wet” lubricant with equal efficiency.  The trigger unit is light, yet not too light, and yields quick, accurate pulls.  The trigger unit can also be exchanged with ones allowing for lighter or heavier pull weights.  (It is essentially a better-tuned version of the USP’s trigger unit, with some features from the P-2000.)  Magazine capacity is larger than those of the M-1911, but not too large, allowing for more firepower yet less spring fatigue, and improved springs help this greatly.  The frame is polymer; prototypes are colored OD green or desert tan, but other colors can be easily made.  Controls are ambidextrous and also ergonomic, even for small hands.  They are also done “American style” instead of “European style.”  The HK-45 uses the LEM trigger system, which eliminates the need for a decocker.  On the dust cover, molded into the frame, is a MIL-STD-1913 rail.  The trigger guard is large to allow use with a gloved hand, and the front of the trigger guard is somewhat squared to allow those who like to put a finger of the nonfiring hand on the trigger guard to do so.  Sights are dehorned 3-dot types; all dots are in white, but the sights can be interchanged for ones with tritium inlays.  The barrels extend slightly from the slide and frame; they are also threaded and have an O-ring-type attachment point, allowing for the attachment of virtually any sort of silencer.

      Two versions of the HK-45 have thusfar been developed: the full-sized HK-45, with a 4.4-inch barrel, and the HK-45C, with a 3.8-inch barrel.  The HK-45 uses a 10-round magazine as standard, while the HK-45C has a shorter grip and uses an 8-round magazine as standard; however, both versions can use each others’ magazines.  (When the HK-45C uses the 10-round magazine, a special adapter can be attached to the bottom of the magazine to cover the bottom of the magazine, which protrudes when used with the HK-45C.)

      Whether or not the HK-45 is picked up by the US military (and what its eventual designation will be) is unknown, nor is it known at this point whether the HK-45 will even be put into production.  I personally hope so, even though I will never get a chance to fire one.  I’ve used both the M-1911A1 and M-9, and I greatly prefer the M-1911A1 to the M-9.

     It should be noted that the stats below are provisional; since experimentation with the HK-45 is still ongoing, the eventual size and weights of the pistols has still not be finalized.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Whether or not the HK-45 is ever mass-produced, it would not be available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Heckler & Koch P-46 UCP

     Appears in: Though company literature lists it, it does not appear to be for sale yet

     Country of Origin: Germany

     Notes: Like the HK-45, the P-46 UCP (Ultimate Combat Pistol) probably falls into the category of “weapons that may yet be.”  Rumors say it is being tested by the Bundeswehr and certain German police units, and may even have been combat tested in Bosnia and possibly Afghanistan, though results of field testing and possible combat testing have not been released to the public at the time of this writing (early April 2007).  The earliest prototypes of the P-46 apparently appeared in 2002 shortly after the advent of the MP-7 PDW, though it is still officially considered by Heckler & Koch and the Bundeswehr as being in advanced prototype form which is in limited production for testing purposes, and the design, as it exists now, is still not finalized.  Though most of these prototypes are full-sized versions, though it is possible that a compact version also exists.  (I have included stats for a possible compact version below, though it is purely conjecture on my part. For that matter, a lot of this is conjecture at this point…)  Another version is also planned, which has a barrel extension in order to accept a suppressor which is being designed by Brugger and Thomet.

     The P-46 appears to be at least partly based on the P-2000; externally, the two pistols look similar, including the exchangeable backstraps to fit different-sized hands.  Operation delayed blowback, though exact internal workings are still unknown.  The magazine release, manual safety, and slide lock lever are all ambidextrous.  Below the dust cover is a MIL-STD-1913 rail for the mounting of accessories.  The P-46 is said to be equipped with a modular trigger system which allows the use of several different trigger units, from a standard non-adjustable military trigger unit to one which allows for great adjustment of the trigger and hammer.  Currently, the prototypes are being used with a 20-round magazine, but future plans include the use of magazines of the MP-7.  And of course there is the ammunition – the P-46 uses the same round as the MP-7 PDW.

Hower 12-Shot LeMat

     Appears In: A project by Kenneth Hower to produce a modern version of the LeMat revolver.  It is a one-off, made just for fun.

     Country of Origin: US

     Notes: Clint Thompson of American Handgunner magazine went out to his father’s place in Oklahoma in late 2016 for an afternoon of visiting and shooting.  While he was there, he took Clint over to a friend’s house to see his 12-shot revolver.  It was the biggest revolver Clint had seen in his life!  (See the weight figure below, and be amazed.) Though it follows most of the planform of the LeMat, it is much bigger, because Kenneth had always thought the LeMat was not built heavy enough for its ammunition, especially the central smoothbore barrel.  The massive cylinder also makes it much larger and heavier, along with the ammunition it fires.  The barrels (both of them), are roughly 6.5 inches long and heavy. The basic cylinder ammunition it fires is powerful.  For the central bore, Kenneth did not want to run afoul of the BATFE and have his LeMat classified as a destructive device or short-barreled shotgun, so he cheated a little bit and developed a new round, the .50-28 Hower, naming after the bore of the barrel and the original caliber of the LeMat’s central smoothbore barrel.  Kenneth’s central barrel, however, is rifled, so it is classed as a handgun by the BATFE.  The .50-28 Hower round can fire a solid lead projectile or a load of shot, as the .50-28 Hower is basically a brass 28-gauge shell.

     Mr Hower built his revolver with amazing craftsmanship, fit, and finish. It is a single-action weapon, like the original, and cocking back the hammer exposes the cylinder/central barrel selector.  The finish is mostly color case-hardened.

     After an ample amount of firing the beast for fun, Kenneth Howell donated his new revolver to NRA Museum in Raton, New Mexico.

MBA Gyrojet Pistol

     Appears in: Weapon experiments conducted in the US in the early 1960s, and later Vietnam

     Country of Origin: US

     Notes: The idea of a firearm with rocket-powered ammunition is nothing new; it dates back to the Chinese in roughly 1200.  More contemporary experiments with rocket rounds include weapons based on flintlock muskets dating from 1810, the 1834 Danish Voss “rocket ball” shoulder launcher, and a Walther-designed pistol designed during World War 2 in an attempt to save valuable brass (but never attained production status).  The US Navy is said to have copied this Walther design after World War 2 for experimentation of their own, but results of these tests have never been published, and records of Walther’s experimentation are likewise almost nonexistent.  MBA’s Gyrojet Pistol attempted to bring the concept up to date, but fell flat on its face in the process.  Many firearms experts still believe the concept was sound, but way ahead of its time.

     In 1960, Dr. Robert Mainhardt and Dr. Arthur T Biehl of the US began to develop a rocket-firing pistol of their own.  Their idea was to produce a handgun with virtually no recoil, and would also be inexpensive (as such a handgun could be made with almost no moving parts), easy to use, produced no expended brass, and would have a unique psychological effect on an attacker, as the sound and visual effects of a rocket-powered round would be very different from conventional rounds.  Interestingly, at the time of development, Mainhardt and Biehl had no military or civilian sales in mind; their target was civilian sales.

     Mainhardt and Biehl came up with a pistol called the Gyrojet (named for the spin stabilization produced by rocket vents and the rocket propulsion of the round).  The pistol itself was made from a light aluminum alloy called Zamac, made from 93% light aluminum alloy and 7% silicone.  The pistol could be made of such a lightweight alloy since the firing of the Gyrojet rounds produced virtually no internal stresses on the weapon, and the silicone part of Zamac made cleaning easy and meant that lubrication was not necessary for a Gyrojet pistol.  The only steel components are the few parts of the Gyrojet pistol that do encounter high repeated stresses, such as the mechanism that loads rounds from the magazine (consisting of one moving part and two springs) and the hammer.

     Though early in experimentation, MBA used a 12mm round, they quickly changed the caliber to 13mm since there were ready sources of 13mm-wide steel tubes.  (More on the effects of this costly decision later.)  The Gyrojet Mk 1 was a pistol that was rather large in size (10.88 inches long), it is was still very light in weight.  The smoothbore barrel was 5 inches in length, with porting on the sides along almost its entire length; these ports directed the exhaust of rockets out and slightly forward.  The grip plate on the right side had a small cut-away section at the top front, allowing the shooter to see whether or not he was low on ammunition.  Sights were fixed, with a simple V-notch at the rear and blade at the front.  The exhaust of the rounds also drove the magazine loading mechanism.  The Gyrojet pistol had no removable magazine; rounds were inserted though the bottom of the grip.  The “hammer” is actually in front of the round when it is chambered; the “hammer” (more of a rammer) slams the round against the fixed firing pin at the rear.  As the round travels down the barrel, it cocks the hammer.  The entire effect was to balance what little recoil forces the round produced with the small movements of the firing mechanism, producing recoil only 1/5 of what could be expected of a similar-caliber conventional handgun.  The launch of the Gyrojet round itself produced only a soft whoosh – the round itself, still accelerating as it left the barrel, did not break the sound barrier until it had traveled a little over 15 meters, at which point one heard the normal crack of a supersonic firearm projectile.

     That said, the Gyrojet Pistol had a lot of problems, almost entirely the result of its ammunition.  The muzzle velocity of the Gyrojet round was only 30-40 mps, though it increased dramatically to nearly 400 mps at 15 meters, and then tapered off slowly from that point (the propellant ran out by the time the round had traveled 15 meters).  What this meant was that the Gyrojet Pistol had extremely screwy performance – below 15 meters, the Gyrojet round was unable to penetrate a thin sheet of cloth mounted on cardboard.  (In one experiment, one of the testers held a piece of cardboard against the muzzle – and stopped the Gyrojet round from even leaving the barrel when it was fired).  At 15 meters, the Gyrojet round could fully penetrate a 25mm-thick steel plate.  Below 15 meters range, the shooter didn’t really have to aim the Gyrojet pistol to hit exactly what he wanted – but at 50 meters (the maximum effective range of the M-1911A1 control weapon in military testing), one would be very lucky to get carefully-aimed groups that were less than 100 cm across.

     Combat testing of the 13mm version was reportedly conducted in Vietnam by the SEALs (who were interested in the ability of the Gyrojet to be fired normally underwater) – but the SEALs were incredibly disappointed, and stopped using the Gyrojet pistol very quickly.  (The SEALs also experimented with a version of the Gyrojet Pistol that fired a rocket-powered dart for underwater use, called the Lancejet – and it had equally disappointing results.)  Civilian 13mm versions ran afoul of the then-new 1968 Gun Control act, which classified the 13mm Gyrojet Pistol as a destructive device due to its caliber.  This led MBA to produce the 12mm Mk II Mod C – but the new round did nothing to improve the odd ballistics or performance of the weapon.  Changes in the design of the ammunition to ease mass production just made things worse.  Though the Gyrojet Pistols themselves were inexpensive, the rounds were horribly expensive – the Gyrojet Pistol itself was affordable to civilians, but the price of ammo meant the average owner would almost never get to fire it; the ballistics meant he wouldn’t be happy with the results when he did fire it.

*The damage and penetration listed apply at medium range or longer.  At short range, penetration is Nil and damage is 1.

**Hitting a target at short range is one level easier than the standard Twilight 2000 v2.2 rules.  At medium range, hitting a target follows standard Twilight 2000 v2.2 rules.  At long range, hitting a target is one level harder than normal, and at extreme range, hitting a target is two levels harder than normal.  (And I’m actually being generous with this special rule!)

Metzger Arms Spectre-15

     Appears in: Twilight 2000 First Edition Small Arms Guide, though I have embellished the story considerably.

     Country of Origin: US

     Fictional Notes: In the late 1980s, the US CIA and DIA and the British MI-5 and MI-6, as well as the Mossad and intelligence agencies of certain other countries, were looking for a firearm with decent firepower and was yet invisible to X-Rays, CAT Scans, and MRI scanners, and could also shield the metal and gunpowder of its ammunition from detection from known methods (including dogs and electronic explosive or gunpowder sniffers).  The program was handed to a company known as “Metzger Arms,” which was actually a CIA front company for black weapon research.  The result, after four years, was the Spectre-15.  The Spectre-15 is constructed entirely of exotic synthetic polymers (even the barrel and firing pin) that are harder than steel and extremely durable.  The materials are also virtually invisible to most known detection methods; disassembled, the Spectre-15 is unlikely to be spotted inside a bag or distributed over a person.  The magazine well includes gaskets that prevent odors from exiting the weapon (though the chamber and barrel do not).  In addition, special bags and cases were issued with the weapon that enhanced those features; these bags and cases were manufactured to resemble various objects that an average person might carry on an airplane, ship, or other secured facility.  A no-wipe silencer was also made of the same materials for use with the Spectre-15.  A laser spot device is included with the weapon; some of the parts of the laser are the few parts of the Spectre-15 not composed of the exotic polymer (known as Abiliplex in CIA records).  The laser spot device can be removed for this reason.

Miculek Modified Smith & Wesson 627

     Appears in: Custom modification by master gunsmith Jerry Miculek

     Country of Origin: US

     Notes: This revolver is a one-off – it is a Smith & Wesson 627 revolver modified by Jerry Miculek for use certain competitions, particularly the International Revolver Championships (IRC).  It started out as a standard Smith & Wesson 627, but has been extensively modified, with a mount on the top strap for a Bushnell Holosight optical sight, four anti-recoil ports in the 6.5-inch barrel, a cylinder modified to use 8-round full-moon clips, an unfinished stainless steel barrel (normally, Model 627 barrels are fully sculptured by the Smith & Wesson Performance Center), a double-action trigger pull of 8 pounds (Jerry Miculek does not use the single-action feature of the weapon), and Hogue Monogrip wooden grips that were custom made for his hand and the way he holds a revolver. 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Jerry Miculek has had this particular revolver since 1997 – he might or might not have this revolver, or something similar to it, after the November Nuclear Strikes.

Omnicorp Auto-9

     Appears in: Robocop series of movies, as the sidearm of Robocop

     Country of Origin: US

     Fictional Notes: This is the sidearm of Robocop.  The Auto-9 is a selective-fire machine pistol based on Beretta's M-93R machine pistol, but fires a proprietary cartridge developed for it with considerably more power than the standard 9mm Parabellum round of the M-93R.  Recoil is surprisingly light, despite the power of the rounds.  The weapon is also much larger than the M-93R with a longer barrel, and an enlarged pistol grip; standard magazine is 16 rounds, but a 30-round extended magazine is available.  Note that the pistol will not fit inside Robocop’s integral leg holster with an extended magazine fitted.  This pistol is also available to US and NATO special operations troops, and to rear area troops as sort of a PDW. 

Podensenkowsky MCEM-2

     Appears in: Weapon experiment in the early-1950s

     Country of Origin: Britain

     Notes: This was an experimental machine pistol designed by a Polish expatriate, Lt. Podensenkowsky, as an entry weapon that was smaller than the then-common (1950) Sten submachinegun.   Podensenkowsky placed the magazine in the grip, and removed the stock, and used the then-new idea of a telescoping bolt to further reduce the size of the weapon.  There was no charging handle, instead, the user put a finger inside a slot above the muzzle and drew it back.  Unfortunately, the MCEM-2 is a very light weapon and the rate of fire high, so the weapon could be virtually uncontrollable in automatic fire.  A butt was then designed made out of rigid canvas, but the idea was dropped by the British MoD. 

Stechkin Patparine

     Appears in: The beginning of the movie Red Heat, in the hands of Russian KGB agent Ivan Danko (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger)

     Country of Origin: Soviet Union

     Fictional Notes: During Red Heat, KGB agent Ivan Danko claims that this is the most powerful handgun in existence, to which his Chicago police partner Art Ridzik replies that the Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum is the world’s most powerful handgun.  (Of course, neither were or are, and the charts don’t bear it out for the Patparine.) The Patparine wielded by Danko in the opening sequences is a dressed-up Desert Eagle, modified to give it a more “Soviet” look and even though the Desert Eagle used appears to have a six-inch barrel, an extension is used to make the barrel look more like about 7.5 inches. We’ll make this a match-quality barrel.

     So I postulate that the Patparine is a heavy, long-barreled pistol firing a heavy, hot-loaded magnum cartridge.  The movie gives the caliber as 9.2mm; it also uses a fairly-long case.  The ammunition is specially-designed for the pistol. The Pataparine is a custom-made pistol; most are virtually hand-made and used only by certain KGB agents, especially those able to handle the muzzle blast and weight (though recoil is mitigated by the sheer weight of the Patparine). Rear sights are micrometer-adjustable; the front is a blade. Compared to most Soviet weapons, the Patparine is a masterpiece. The long cartridges require that the shooter have fairly large hands to control the pistol properly.  No muzzle brake or porting is employed. Though some military use was supposedly made of the Patparine, it is most likely a status symbol in the military rather than a combat weapon, as its characteristics, like the Desert Eagle, would limit its effectiveness in sustained combat, though it would certainly being an opponent down quickly.

     Note: Most of this entry is based on internet guesses.

Webley Mars

     Appears in: An attempt to capture the British pistol contract in the early 1900s.

     Country of Origin: Britain    

     Notes: The Mars – well, it was a monster of a pistol, with an 11.25-inch barrel and a weight to match.  Webley responded to the British MoD call for a pistol to replace their revolvers with what was at the time the most powerful handgun in the world, that monster Mars pistol, firing an equally monster cartridge, the .45 Mars Long.  Most of the complaints about the Mars centered around its weight, its huge muzzle blast, and the heavy weight of its recoiling parts, which led to heavy recoil in general.  It didn’t help matters much that the mechanism of the Mars ejected the spent shells directly to the rear.  The long recoil system was also quite a complex mechanism – it was necessary at the time for the powerful rounds it fired, but too complex for a service pistol.  The testing soldiers roundly rejected the Mars; the captain in charge of testing the Mars at the British Naval Gunnery School said that “No one who fired once with the pistol wished to shoot it again.”  Another testing soldier described shooting the Mars as “singularly unpleasant and alarming.”  Webley then tried to sell the Mars on the civilian market, where it found little sales.  Today, ironically, the Mars has become a much sought-after collectors’ item, bringing thousands of real-life dollars when sold, and the ammunition is even rarer.  The designers of the modern-day Desert Eagle are said to have taken inspiration from the Mars.  Only about 80 Mars pistols were made.