Unusual Chinese pistol NORINCO QX4
When it comes to products made in China, the majority of domestic inhabitants immediately begin to think about cheap, low-quality products, which are copies of products from other manufacturers. However, the time when the Chinese only copied and saved everything seems to pass. Judging by the arms, which is now offered for export, it can be noted that the country already has not only specialists capable of making cheap copies, but also designers capable of developing their own weapons, as we like to say, “which has no analogues in the world.”
In this article we will try to get acquainted with the pistol, the final version of which was demonstrated as far back as 2014, but for some reason was not noticed, although there is a very interesting semi-free gate automation scheme behind the outwardly ordinary “wrapper” of the weapon. But first things first.
The appearance and ergonomics of the gun NORINCO QX4
Externally, the weapon is similar to a QSZ-92 or Type 92 pistol, but this is only externally. Many for some strange reason consider this gun large and angular. NORINCO QX4 really gives the impression of a massive, heavy weapon, but it is necessary to note that they worked with the weapon not only in order to achieve sane characteristics from it, along with modern pistols, but also some effort was made to make the gun comfortable to operate. The gun clearly cannot be called obsolete in appearance, except that the large slide-stop levers and the flat heel of the store are no longer in vogue; otherwise, we can speak of a completely modern look, except a little strict, but not everyone likes the Glock with the pink frame.
The controls of the weapon consist of a trigger (there is no way without it, but Italian designers are working on it), a fuse switch, a slide delay lever and a magazine eject button. Interestingly, the magazine release button and the fuse switch are duplicated on both sides of the weapon. Sights consist of a pillar and a front sight, made of individual parts from the housing-bolt, that is, it is possible to adjust and, if desired, replace sighting devices, but it is unlikely that the seats will be compatible with the sights and front sights of other manufacturers.
The pistol grip, although it looks unnecessarily thick, but it is only outwardly, as European practice has shown, handles of this shape are quite comfortable and handy. The disadvantages can be attributed to the fact that there is no possibility of fitting a weapon to the size of a hand with the help of interchangeable pads on the back of the handle of a weapon, but this can hardly be considered a serious disadvantage. According to the majority of owners of short-barreled weapons, such linings allow fitting very conditionally, although no one denies that even such an opportunity to adapt a gun for themselves is better than none. Usually just forget about such a moment as adjusting the thickness of the handle depending on the time of year. So in winter people usually wear thick gloves, taking into account this item of clothing, it would be nice to fit a weapon to a different hand size. However, shooting gloves with this weapon is still a pleasure, since the safety bracket has small dimensions.
On the casing-shutter pistol NORINCO QX4 and front and back on the sides are notches that allow you to use any convenient grip when pulling the casing-shutter back. In the frame of the weapon under the barrel there is a landing mount for installing additional devices, a flashlight or a laser designator.
The design of the gun NORINCO QX4
If the appearance of the pistol NORINCO QX4 does not stand out against the general background of other pistols, then the design of the weapon is very interesting and unusual. If the shutter-casing is delayed, then spiral slots can be found on the outer surface of the barrel, moreover, in the process of casing-shutter movement, the barrel itself will rotate around its axis.
It is this original system of interaction between the barrel and the housing-bolt is the main feature of the design of this gun. The system of automation is built according to the scheme with a semi-free shutter, the braking of the housing-bolt is provided by the interaction of the liner in the housing-bolt and the barrel of the weapon. After the shot, the shutter casing tends to roll back, pushed by the sleeve, which is pushed by the powder gases. Freely take its extreme rear position housing-bolt does not give interaction with the barrel of the weapon. The barrel of the gun is connected through the liner with the casing shutter, the liner itself is fixed in the casing-gate and enters the grooves on the surface of the barrel. Thus, moving backward, the shutter-casing turns the barrel of the pistol around its axis, and this is what is achieved by slowing down the automaticity of the pistol, allowing the use of relatively powerful cartridges. In this design, it is noteworthy that the barrel can only move as a rotation around the axis of the barrel bore, it does not make any other movements, which should have a positive effect on the accuracy and accuracy of fire.
The weapons automation system is certainly interesting and unusual, but the question arises why all this was implemented, while the more familiar automation systems successfully cope with the task set for them, are simpler to manufacture and have extensive statistics on reliability in a wide variety of conditions. operation. We can say that all these efforts are only to increase the accuracy of the weapon, but this is not about a sports gun. All this design has another very remarkable advantage in the form of easy and complete adaptation of the NORINCO QX4 to various ammunition.
Of course, you can't jump over your head, and in order for the pistol to start feeding on various cartridges normally and without surprises, you will have to replace the barrel, magazine and bolt cup, or be limited only to those cartridges that have separate similar metric parameters. For example, to adapt a pistol from a .40S & W cartridge to a .357SIG, you only need to change the barrel, since the bottom of the cartridge cases are identical, or rather, the cases themselves are completely identical, just a bullet with a smaller caliber is inserted and compressed into the .40S & W cartridge case.
In order to adapt a pistol for a new ammunition, it naturally needs to be disassembled. To disassemble the weapon, the bolt-release lever is pulled out, after which the barrel and bolt are removed from the casing, new ones are inserted in their place, for another ammunition and everything is going back. It remains only to insert a magazine with the necessary cartridges and weapons ready for use. All these procedures are carried out without any tool, and the absence of small details allows all this to be done almost on the knee in the field.
The pistol currently has kits for using cartridges 9x19, .40S & W, .45ACP and our domestic 7,62x25. It is noteworthy that for each cartridge, the rifling pitch on the outside of the barrel is different.
Trigger trigger pistol trigger, double action. When you turn on the fuse trigger is on the safety platoon. Adjustment of the descent force in the trigger is not provided.
Characteristics of the gun NORINCO QX4
If we talk about the NORINCO QX4 pistol in numbers, then we have the following meanings. Regardless of the ammunition used, the pistol has a total length of 195 millimeters and a weight of 930 grams without cartridges. The weapon is fed from magazines with a capacity of 12 rounds for ammunition .45АСР, 13 rounds for .40S & W, or 15 rounds 9x19 or 7,62x25. There is no information on the length of the weapon barrel, but taking into account the design, we can say that it will be the same for all ammunition. The height of the pistol is 140 millimeters.
Pluses gun NORINCO QX4
The main advantage of the new Chinese gun can be identified original design, which in theory allows you to create a more accurate weapon than the current samples. It is difficult to say how much this opportunity is realized in the NORINCO QX4 pistol, even seeing in front of you a vivid example of the fact that Chinese designers have clearly moved to a sufficiently high level, you still can’t get rid of the idea that this is still Chinese products. Arguments in favor of the high characteristics of this gun can be the fact that for the sake of similar parameters it would hardly be possible for someone to bother with the manufacture of a more complex weapon barrel, as well as to do a really large amount of work on cheap materials.
The second positive point can be called the possibility of easy and quick adaptation of the gun for various ammunition without a special tool. The ability to buy one gun and use all common cartridges is an absolute plus weapon. Unless there is a shortage of the cheapest .22LR in this list, although it would be just elementary to add it — by uncoupling the barrel with the shutter casing, making weapons with automatic with a free gate.
Even if you look at the possibility of adapting a pistol for various cartridges not from the civil side, then this is only a plus. At one base can be assembled a gun suitable for the army and for the police and for protection - a universal weapon for all, differing only in the used ammunition.
Separately, it should be noted that the fuse switch and the magazine eject button are duplicated on both sides, which is an uncharacteristic feature for Chinese weapons.
Cons of the gun NORINCO QX4
The first negative point in the weapon that should not be missed is weight. And although the famous character said that the weight is reliable, almost a kilogram without cartridges is a lot for a modern pistol, especially with a polymer frame in the design.
Service and operation seem to cause no problems, but the reliability of the gun in adverse conditions is a big question. It is doubtful that the weapon will remain trouble-free if the grooves on the surface of the barrel become clogged with dirt. Of course, the shape of the grooves and the weight of the casing-shutter (which, by the way, explains the large weight of the weapon) contribute to the fact that the grooves will be cleaned even when contaminated, but even if so, all this dirt will still remain inside the gun, in which there is a trigger mechanism. However, no one scoffed at the weapon on a large scale to test its reliability, because it’s too early to draw conclusions. The fact that the gun will work in a dash or "sterile" urban conditions, with proper care, no doubt.
Total
What conclusions can be drawn about the NORINCO QX4 pistol in general. The pistol is really interesting, with a claim to versatility, I think that it will not be difficult to make more compact versions on its basis. However, with all this, the weapon is really heavy. For constant carrying, the pistol is really heavy, although I don't think it will be impossible to get used to it in another week, but this heaviness has its advantages. Thanks to the heavy breech cover and the automatic system, the recoil of the pistol, even when using the most powerful cartridge options, will be much softer than most pistol models with more familiar designs. For widespread distribution in the army and the police, this weapon is also suitable if you close your eyes to the mass, thanks to the possibility of using various ammunition. For some reason, it seems to me that with a great desire, on the basis of 7,62x25, you can make a cartridge that would satisfy the most stringent requirements of any army, but for the police there are a wide variety of cartridges with very effective bullets, and among the cartridges 9x19 and .40S & W, and even more so among .45ACP.
The appearance on the market of firearms with this design suggests that Chinese designers are already quite able to create their own products and conduct their own development and research with a very good result. Of course, for a long time there will be an opinion that if something is made by the Chinese, then it is poor quality and not reliable, but if you look at this gun, then you can see a very competitive model of the weapon.
Regardless of the attitude to China in the geopolitical context, it is impossible not to notice that a new unique weapon should spur other manufacturers, including domestic ones, to create something interesting, effective and, most importantly, reliable. So in this case, the emergence of such weapons is only a plus, well, and wars do not win by pistols, especially modern wars.
In this article we will try to get acquainted with the pistol, the final version of which was demonstrated as far back as 2014, but for some reason was not noticed, although there is a very interesting semi-free gate automation scheme behind the outwardly ordinary “wrapper” of the weapon. But first things first.
The appearance and ergonomics of the gun NORINCO QX4
Externally, the weapon is similar to a QSZ-92 or Type 92 pistol, but this is only externally. Many for some strange reason consider this gun large and angular. NORINCO QX4 really gives the impression of a massive, heavy weapon, but it is necessary to note that they worked with the weapon not only in order to achieve sane characteristics from it, along with modern pistols, but also some effort was made to make the gun comfortable to operate. The gun clearly cannot be called obsolete in appearance, except that the large slide-stop levers and the flat heel of the store are no longer in vogue; otherwise, we can speak of a completely modern look, except a little strict, but not everyone likes the Glock with the pink frame.
The controls of the weapon consist of a trigger (there is no way without it, but Italian designers are working on it), a fuse switch, a slide delay lever and a magazine eject button. Interestingly, the magazine release button and the fuse switch are duplicated on both sides of the weapon. Sights consist of a pillar and a front sight, made of individual parts from the housing-bolt, that is, it is possible to adjust and, if desired, replace sighting devices, but it is unlikely that the seats will be compatible with the sights and front sights of other manufacturers.
The pistol grip, although it looks unnecessarily thick, but it is only outwardly, as European practice has shown, handles of this shape are quite comfortable and handy. The disadvantages can be attributed to the fact that there is no possibility of fitting a weapon to the size of a hand with the help of interchangeable pads on the back of the handle of a weapon, but this can hardly be considered a serious disadvantage. According to the majority of owners of short-barreled weapons, such linings allow fitting very conditionally, although no one denies that even such an opportunity to adapt a gun for themselves is better than none. Usually just forget about such a moment as adjusting the thickness of the handle depending on the time of year. So in winter people usually wear thick gloves, taking into account this item of clothing, it would be nice to fit a weapon to a different hand size. However, shooting gloves with this weapon is still a pleasure, since the safety bracket has small dimensions.
On the casing-shutter pistol NORINCO QX4 and front and back on the sides are notches that allow you to use any convenient grip when pulling the casing-shutter back. In the frame of the weapon under the barrel there is a landing mount for installing additional devices, a flashlight or a laser designator.
The design of the gun NORINCO QX4
If the appearance of the pistol NORINCO QX4 does not stand out against the general background of other pistols, then the design of the weapon is very interesting and unusual. If the shutter-casing is delayed, then spiral slots can be found on the outer surface of the barrel, moreover, in the process of casing-shutter movement, the barrel itself will rotate around its axis.
It is this original system of interaction between the barrel and the housing-bolt is the main feature of the design of this gun. The system of automation is built according to the scheme with a semi-free shutter, the braking of the housing-bolt is provided by the interaction of the liner in the housing-bolt and the barrel of the weapon. After the shot, the shutter casing tends to roll back, pushed by the sleeve, which is pushed by the powder gases. Freely take its extreme rear position housing-bolt does not give interaction with the barrel of the weapon. The barrel of the gun is connected through the liner with the casing shutter, the liner itself is fixed in the casing-gate and enters the grooves on the surface of the barrel. Thus, moving backward, the shutter-casing turns the barrel of the pistol around its axis, and this is what is achieved by slowing down the automaticity of the pistol, allowing the use of relatively powerful cartridges. In this design, it is noteworthy that the barrel can only move as a rotation around the axis of the barrel bore, it does not make any other movements, which should have a positive effect on the accuracy and accuracy of fire.
The weapons automation system is certainly interesting and unusual, but the question arises why all this was implemented, while the more familiar automation systems successfully cope with the task set for them, are simpler to manufacture and have extensive statistics on reliability in a wide variety of conditions. operation. We can say that all these efforts are only to increase the accuracy of the weapon, but this is not about a sports gun. All this design has another very remarkable advantage in the form of easy and complete adaptation of the NORINCO QX4 to various ammunition.
Of course, you can't jump over your head, and in order for the pistol to start feeding on various cartridges normally and without surprises, you will have to replace the barrel, magazine and bolt cup, or be limited only to those cartridges that have separate similar metric parameters. For example, to adapt a pistol from a .40S & W cartridge to a .357SIG, you only need to change the barrel, since the bottom of the cartridge cases are identical, or rather, the cases themselves are completely identical, just a bullet with a smaller caliber is inserted and compressed into the .40S & W cartridge case.
In order to adapt a pistol for a new ammunition, it naturally needs to be disassembled. To disassemble the weapon, the bolt-release lever is pulled out, after which the barrel and bolt are removed from the casing, new ones are inserted in their place, for another ammunition and everything is going back. It remains only to insert a magazine with the necessary cartridges and weapons ready for use. All these procedures are carried out without any tool, and the absence of small details allows all this to be done almost on the knee in the field.
The pistol currently has kits for using cartridges 9x19, .40S & W, .45ACP and our domestic 7,62x25. It is noteworthy that for each cartridge, the rifling pitch on the outside of the barrel is different.
Trigger trigger pistol trigger, double action. When you turn on the fuse trigger is on the safety platoon. Adjustment of the descent force in the trigger is not provided.
Characteristics of the gun NORINCO QX4
If we talk about the NORINCO QX4 pistol in numbers, then we have the following meanings. Regardless of the ammunition used, the pistol has a total length of 195 millimeters and a weight of 930 grams without cartridges. The weapon is fed from magazines with a capacity of 12 rounds for ammunition .45АСР, 13 rounds for .40S & W, or 15 rounds 9x19 or 7,62x25. There is no information on the length of the weapon barrel, but taking into account the design, we can say that it will be the same for all ammunition. The height of the pistol is 140 millimeters.
Pluses gun NORINCO QX4
The main advantage of the new Chinese gun can be identified original design, which in theory allows you to create a more accurate weapon than the current samples. It is difficult to say how much this opportunity is realized in the NORINCO QX4 pistol, even seeing in front of you a vivid example of the fact that Chinese designers have clearly moved to a sufficiently high level, you still can’t get rid of the idea that this is still Chinese products. Arguments in favor of the high characteristics of this gun can be the fact that for the sake of similar parameters it would hardly be possible for someone to bother with the manufacture of a more complex weapon barrel, as well as to do a really large amount of work on cheap materials.
The second positive point can be called the possibility of easy and quick adaptation of the gun for various ammunition without a special tool. The ability to buy one gun and use all common cartridges is an absolute plus weapon. Unless there is a shortage of the cheapest .22LR in this list, although it would be just elementary to add it — by uncoupling the barrel with the shutter casing, making weapons with automatic with a free gate.
Even if you look at the possibility of adapting a pistol for various cartridges not from the civil side, then this is only a plus. At one base can be assembled a gun suitable for the army and for the police and for protection - a universal weapon for all, differing only in the used ammunition.
Separately, it should be noted that the fuse switch and the magazine eject button are duplicated on both sides, which is an uncharacteristic feature for Chinese weapons.
Cons of the gun NORINCO QX4
The first negative point in the weapon that should not be missed is weight. And although the famous character said that the weight is reliable, almost a kilogram without cartridges is a lot for a modern pistol, especially with a polymer frame in the design.
Service and operation seem to cause no problems, but the reliability of the gun in adverse conditions is a big question. It is doubtful that the weapon will remain trouble-free if the grooves on the surface of the barrel become clogged with dirt. Of course, the shape of the grooves and the weight of the casing-shutter (which, by the way, explains the large weight of the weapon) contribute to the fact that the grooves will be cleaned even when contaminated, but even if so, all this dirt will still remain inside the gun, in which there is a trigger mechanism. However, no one scoffed at the weapon on a large scale to test its reliability, because it’s too early to draw conclusions. The fact that the gun will work in a dash or "sterile" urban conditions, with proper care, no doubt.
Total
What conclusions can be drawn about the NORINCO QX4 pistol in general. The pistol is really interesting, with a claim to versatility, I think that it will not be difficult to make more compact versions on its basis. However, with all this, the weapon is really heavy. For constant carrying, the pistol is really heavy, although I don't think it will be impossible to get used to it in another week, but this heaviness has its advantages. Thanks to the heavy breech cover and the automatic system, the recoil of the pistol, even when using the most powerful cartridge options, will be much softer than most pistol models with more familiar designs. For widespread distribution in the army and the police, this weapon is also suitable if you close your eyes to the mass, thanks to the possibility of using various ammunition. For some reason, it seems to me that with a great desire, on the basis of 7,62x25, you can make a cartridge that would satisfy the most stringent requirements of any army, but for the police there are a wide variety of cartridges with very effective bullets, and among the cartridges 9x19 and .40S & W, and even more so among .45ACP.
The appearance on the market of firearms with this design suggests that Chinese designers are already quite able to create their own products and conduct their own development and research with a very good result. Of course, for a long time there will be an opinion that if something is made by the Chinese, then it is poor quality and not reliable, but if you look at this gun, then you can see a very competitive model of the weapon.
Regardless of the attitude to China in the geopolitical context, it is impossible not to notice that a new unique weapon should spur other manufacturers, including domestic ones, to create something interesting, effective and, most importantly, reliable. So in this case, the emergence of such weapons is only a plus, well, and wars do not win by pistols, especially modern wars.
Information