The Weapons of the Gray Man

Model 1911- 45 ACP

The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge.[1]It was designed by John M. Browning, and was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985, and is still carried by some U.S. forces. It was widely used in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and theVietnam War. Its formal designation as of 1940 was Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 for the original Model of 1911 orAutomatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1 for the M1911A1, adopted in 1924. The designation changed to Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1 in the Vietnam era.[1] In total, the United States procured around 2.7 million M1911 and M1911A1 pistols during its service life.

The M1911 is the most well-known of John Browning's designs to use the short recoil principle in its basic design. Besides the pistol being widely copied itself, this operating system rose to become the pre-eminent type of the 20th century and of nearly all modern centerfire pistols.

Barrett M107

The M82 (also more recently known as the M107) is a recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle developed by the American Barrett Firearms Manufacturing. A heavy SASR (Special Application Scoped Rifle), it is used by many units and armies around the world. It is also called the "Light Fifty" for its .50 caliber BMG (12.7 mm) chambering. The weapon is found in two variants — the original M82A1 (and A3) and the bullpup M82A2. The M82A2 is no longer manufactured, though the XM500 can be seen as its successor, in that it also employs a bullpup configuration.

The Barrett in action

Photo above courtesy of DARKSOLDIER300

Photos below courtesy of DARKSOLDIER300 and Outpost Armory, Christiana TN

Brugger and Thomet MP9

The MP9 is light weight, small size, folding stock and rounded edges makes this a excellent choice for police agencies and militaries which need to have a support weapon carried in the dignitary or VIP protection role, normal patrol, special units, vehicle crew members, aviators or anyone. The only true Tactical Machine Pistol today for professionals that need a lightweight, compact, ambidextrous, and easy to use weapon which will fire the easy to find standard 9mm cartridge.

The firing system is a simple operation, which means no gas tube to have clogged or locking piece to loose. It is a very clean weapon to shoot; tests of over six thousand rounds can be fired before it effects the functioning. The super light recoil impulse of this weapon is a very easy, comfortable and user friendly weapon to shoot. That is especially appreciated by many agencies, which are hiring a greater number of women and small stature male officers. Your fair shooters will become good shooters and good shooters will become great shooters.

The MP9 is an ambidextrous operator friendly design. The safety, charging handle, sling attachment and magazine release functions are designed to accommodate all users. The operator does not place their hand or finger anywhere near the muzzle of the weapon.

When the MP9 is open with the folded is smaller than a H&K MP5 A3 when the stock is closed. The MP9 is just 30 cm. The quick opening, self-locking stock brings stable firing stock to the overall length to 52 cm. It is the most compact submachine gun in the world. The foregrip is essential to maintain a good sight picture and to keep the operator`s hands and fingers well away from the muzzle of the weapon, effective consistently and safety always!

The wave of the future for all firearms is the use of optics. The MP9 is already prepared for this by having an integrated MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny rail molded right into the top of the receiver. The adjustable ghost ring sight is of a made so that there are no sharp edges to get hung up on clothes or slings but will stay permanent on the weapon.

the B&T in action

Photos below courtesy of Bryan Ferreira and Outpost Armory, Christiana TN

Walther P99c

The Walther P99 uses an internal striker as opposed to an external hammer, with a red-painted striker tip that protrudes from rear of the slide when the gun is cocked, as well as a chamber loaded indicator on the right side of the slide. The Walther P99 includes a decocking button, four internal safeties, tool-less takedown, accessory rail, and sights adjustable for both windage and elevation. The Walther P99 also features  interchangeable grip backstraps of varying sizes for different users and an ambidextrous magazine release incorporated into the trigger guard.

Pictured- The Author's personal weapon

Steyr M9

The Steyr M is a series of semi-automatic pistols developed by Steyr Mannlicher GmbH & Co KG of Austria for police services and the civilian shooting market. Design work on the new pistol began in the early 1990s and the final product known as the M9 (adapted to fire the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge) was officially unveiled in the spring of 1999. The M40 version chambered in .40 S&W was developed shortly after the M9, followed later by the M357 (caliber .357 SIG or 9x22mm) and two compact variants of the M9 and M40 designated the S9 and S40 respectively. These pistols were developed primarily for concealed carry and have a shortened barrel, slide, smaller frame and a reduced magazine capacity.

Skorpion VZ. 61

The Škorpion vz. 61 is a Czechoslovakian 7.65 mm submachine gun (often classified as a machine pistol), developed in the 1950s by Miroslav Rybář (1924–1970) and produced under the official designation Samopal vzor 61 ("submachine gun model 1961") by the Česká Zbrojovka arms factory in Uherský Brod. Although it was developed for use with security forces, the weapon was also accepted into service with the Czechoslovak Army, as a personal sidearm for lower-ranking army staff, vehicle drivers, armored vehicle personnel and special forces. Currently the weapon is in use with the armed forces of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Angola, Croatia, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Mozambique and Uganda. It features a synthetic pistol grip compared to the original version.

The Škorpion uses the 7.65x17mm Browning SR (.32 ACP) pistol cartridge, which was the standard service cartridge of the Czechoslovak security forces. It is a select-fire, straight blowback-operated weapon that fires from the closed bolt position. The cartridge used produces a very low recoil impulse and this enables simple unlocked blowback operation to be employed; there is no delay mechanism and the cartridge is supported only by the inertia of the bolt and the strength of the return springs. When fired, gas pressure drives the case back in the chamber against the resistance provided by the weight of the bolt and its two recoil springs. The bolt travels back, extracting the empty case which is then ejected straight upwards through a port in the receiver housing top cover. The Škorpion’s compact dimensions were achieved by using a telescopic bolt assembly that wraps around a considerable portion of the barrel. The weapon features a spring-loaded casing extractor, installed inside the bolt head and a fixed, double ejector, which is a protrusion in the weapon’s frame.

 Video of a Skorpion in action

H&K MP-7

The MP7 is a German submachine gun manufactured by Heckler & Koch (H&K) and chambered for the 4.6x30mm cartridge. It was designed in conjunction with the new cartridge to meet NATO requirements published in 1989 calling for a personal defense weapon (PDW) class firearm with a greater ability to defeat body armor than current weapons, which are limited due to the use of conventional pistol cartridges. The MP7 went into production in 2001. The weapon has been revised since its introduction and the current production version is the MP7A1 (see Variants).

The MP7 essentially operates like a scaled-down assault rifle, with the same action as HK's G36. It fires a specially designed, armor-piercing round with a muzzle velocity nearly as high as that of the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge used by many modern rifles. This ammunition is unique among submachine guns in that the bullet is made almost entirely of a hardened steel penetrator instead of softer brass or lead. The ammunition is virtually exclusive to the gun (save for the H&K UCP and a planned variant of the Brügger & Thomet MP-9) and also offers low recoil. The round also has a small diameter (it can almost be described as a scaled down .223 Remington), allowing for high capacity in a very small magazine.

The weapon allows a conventional 20-round or 40-round box magazine to be fit within the pistol grip (the former being comparable in size to a 15-round 9 mm magazine, while the latter compares to a 30-round 9 mm magazine). The weapon features an ambidextrous fire-select lever and rear cocking grip. It has an extendable stock and a folding front grip; it can be fired either one-handed or two-handed. It is compact and light using polymers in its construction.

MP-7 in action

Glock 19

Effectively a reduced-size Glock 17, called the “Compact” by the manufacturer. It was first produced in 1988, primarily for military and law enforcement. The Glock 19 has a barrel and pistol grip that are shorter by approx. 12 mm (0.5 in) compared to the Glock 17 and uses a 15-round magazine (the pistol remains compatible with standard and high-capacity factory magazines). To preserve the operational reliability of the short recoil system, the slide's mass was kept the same. With the exception of the slide, frame, barrel, locking block, recoil spring, guide rod, and slide lock spring, all of the other components are interchangeable between the models 17 and 19.

Pictured- Phillip "Tactical Preacher" Martin and his G-19. (Photo by James Yeager)

Glock in action

H&K MP-5

The MP5 (short for Maschinenpistole 5 or "machine pistol model 5") is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the West German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) of Oberndorf am Neckar. The company, encouraged by the success of the G3 automatic rifle, developed a family of small arms consisting of four types of firearms (all based on a common G3 design layout and operating principle), where the first type was chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO, the second—using the 7.62x39mm M43 round, third—the intermediate 5.56x45mm NATO caliber and the fourth type—chambering the 9x19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge. The MP5 was created within the fourth group of firearms and was initially known as the HK54.

MP-5 in action

AK-47

The main advantages of the Kalashnikov rifle are its simple design, fairly compact size and adaptation to mass production. It is inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to clean and maintain; its ruggedness and reliability are legendary. The AK-47 was initially designed for ease of operation and repair by glove-wearing Soviet soldiers in Arctic conditions. The large gas piston, generous clearances between moving parts, and tapered cartridge case design allow the gun to endure large amounts of foreign matter and fouling without failing to cycle. This reliability comes at the cost of accuracy, as the looser tolerances do not allow for precision and consistency. Reflecting Soviet infantry doctrine of its time, the rifle is meant to be part of massed infantry fire, not long range engagements. The average service life of an AK-47 is 20 to 40 years depending on the conditions to which it has been exposed.

To fire, the operator inserts a loaded magazine, moves the selector lever to the lowest position, pulls back and releases the charging handle, aims, and then pulls the trigger. In this setting, the firearm fires only once (semi-automatic), requiring the trigger to be released and depressed again for the next shot. With the selector in the middle position (full-automatic), the rifle continues to fire, automatically cycling fresh rounds into the chamber, until the magazine is exhausted or pressure is released from the trigger. As each bullet travels through the barrel, a portion of the gases expanding behind it is diverted into the gas tube above the barrel, where it impacts the gas piston. The piston, in turn, is driven backward, pushing the bolt carrier, which causes the bolt to move backwards, ejecting the spent round, and chambering a new round when the recoil spring pushes it back.

The author training with the AK

Picture courtesy of Bryan Ferreira

AR-15

AR-15 (for Armalite model 15) is the common name for the widely-owned semi-automatic rifle which soon afterwards became the fully automatic M16 and M4 carbine assault rifles, which are currently in use by the United States military. AR-15 was the original name for what became the militarily designated M16, the assault rifle first used by the U.S. in the Vietnam War. The name AR-15 is now used almost exclusively to refer to the semi-automatic (commercially available) civilian version(s) of the M16 and M4 assault rifles.All standard AR-15 rifles accept detachable magazines of widely varying capacities, and have a pistol grip that protrudes beneath the stock.

AR-15 rifles are highly configurable and customizable, and are commonly fitted with several accessories, including bipods, bayonet lugs, folding or collapsing butt stocks, threaded barrels for the attachment of a flash suppressor or other accessories, and a Picatinny rail in place of the fore grip for the attachment of vertical grips, flashlights, laser sights, telescopic sights, and other accessories.

• Aircraft grade aluminium receiver
• Modular design allows for a variety of accessories and makes repair easier
• Small caliber, accurate, high velocity round
• Synthetic stock and grips do not warp or splinter
• Front sight adjustable for elevation
• Rear sight adjustable for windage and elevation
• Wide array of optical devices available in addition to or as replacements of iron sights
• A direct impingement gas system
• Synthetic pistol grip (regulated in some jurisdictions)

Semi-automatic AR-15 for sale to civilians and fully automatic versions for sale to law enforcement and military customers, though nearly identical in appearance, are quite different internally. The hammer and trigger mechanisms are of a slightly different design. The bolt carrier and internal lower receiver of semi-automatic versions are milled differently, so that the firing mechanisms are not interchangeable.

Automatic variants have a three-position rotating selective fire switch, allowing the operator to select between three modes: safe, semi-automatic, and either automatic or three round burst, depending on model. Civilian AR-15 models do not have three-round burst or automatic settings on the fire selector. In semi-automatic only variants, the selector only rotates between safe and semi-automatic.

M-16 in action

Pictured- The author's personal weapon

Makarov .380

The Makarov PM (Pistol Makarova, muh-KAR-uhv, Russian: Пистолет Макарова) is a semi-automatic pistol designed in the late 1940s, by Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov, and was the Soviet Union's standard military side arm from 1951-1991.

The Makarov pistol resulted from a design competition for replacing the Tokarev TT-33 semi-automatic pistol. Rather than building a pistol to an existing cartridge, Nikolai Makarov designed a new cartridge, the 9x18mm Makarov. For simplicity and economy, the Makarov pistol was of straight blowback operation, with the 9x18mm cartridge being the most powerful cartridge that its design could safely fire; although the nominal calibre was 9.0mm, the actual bullet was 9.3mm in diameter — shorter and wider and thus incompatible with pistols chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum cartridges. Consequently, Soviet ammunition was unusable in NATO firearms, hence, in war, NATO would be unable to use ammunition from killed or captured Soviet soldiers or from Soviet ammunition dumps.

In 1951, the Pistol of Makarov (PM) was selected because of its simplicity (few moving parts), economy, easy manufacturing, accuracy, and reasonable stopping power. It remained in service with Soviet military and police until the end of the U.S.S.R. in 1991. Today, the Makarov is a popular handgun for concealed carry in the U.S.; variants of the Pistol Makarova remain in production in Russia and Bulgaria, however, in the U.S., Soviet and East German Makarovs are considered Curio & Relic eligible items by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, because the countries of manufacture, the U.S.S.R. and the D.D.R. no longer exist.[edit] Design

The Pistol Makarova (PM) is a medium-size, straight blowback action, frame-fixed barrel handgun. In blowback design, the only force holding the slide closed is that of the recoil spring; upon firing, the barrel and slide do not unlock, as do locked-breech design pistols. Blowback designs are simple and more accurate than designs using a recoiling, tilting, or articulated barrel. Blowback-operated pistols are also limited practically by the weight of the slide. The 9x18mm cartridge is the largest, useful cartridge in blowback-operated pistols. The PM is heavy for its size, a desirable attribute in a blowback pistol; the heavy slide provides greater inertia against recoil.

The PM's notable features are its simplicity and economy of parts; many do more than one task, e.g. the slide stop is the ejector. Similarly, the mainspring powers the hammer and the trigger, while its lower end is the magazine catch. Makarov pistol parts seldom break with normal usage, and are easily replaced using few tools.

The Makarov has a DA/SA (double-action, single-action) operating system. After loading and charging the pistol by pulling back the slide, it can be carried with the hammer down and the safety engaged. To fire, the slide-mounted safety lever is pushed down to the "fire" position, after which the shooter squeezes the trigger to fire the gun. The action of squeezing the trigger for the first shot also cocks the hammer, an action requiring a long, strong squeeze of the trigger. The firing and cycling of the action re-cocks the hammer for subsequent shooting; fired single action with a short, light trigger squeeze. The PM's operation is semi-automatic, firing as quickly as the shooter can squeeze the trigger. Spent cartridges are ejected to the shooter's right and rear, some 18-20 feet away. When the safety is engaged,the hammer drops from the cocked position. The safety lever has a notch that blocks the hammer from striking the firing pin. This is the only safe way to lower the hammer.

The PM's standard magazine holds 8 rounds. After firing the last round, the slide locks open. After inserting a loaded magazine, the slide is closed by activating a lever on the left side of the frame or by withdrawing it to release the slide catch; either action loads a cartridge to the chamber. The pistol is ready to shoot.

Beretta 92

The Beretta pistol mode] 92 has also the following characteristics:

 DOUBLE ACTION: which offers the advantages of the revolver. Furthermore, this system allows the possibility of a second quick strike on the same ammunition in the rare instance of misfire which, in view of the high level of quality reached in ammunition today, can practically happen only because of the capsule. The repetition of percussion is sufficient to fire the round.

STAGGERED MAGAZINE: (holds 15 rounds). With the same length as a traditional magazine, it almost doubles the capacity of f ire.

CHAMBER LOADED INDICATOR: when there is a round in the barrel the extractor protrudes laterally showing red. It is therefore possible to check visually (and, at night, to feel) whether there is a round in the barrel without having to retract the slide.

DISASSEMBLING DEVICE: extremely quick and simple. It is designed in such a way as to avoid casual or involuntary disassembly.

BALLISTICS: although depending to a certain extent on the type and the quality of the ammunition and local atmospheric conditions, they are the optima obtainable from a firearm of this size. In normal conditions of use, the average velocity and corresponding kinetic energy of the ammunition fired from this firearm are as follows: V 0.5 = 1280 ft./sec. E 0.5 = 455 ft/bs

92 in action

Photo courtesy of Outpost Armory, Christiana TN