Experimental Ukrainian firearms. Part of 3. Submachine guns "Goblin" and "Elf"
Submachine guns Goblin
One rather interesting Ukrainian developments of the late twentieth century, a machine pistol Goblin. It is not entirely clear what justified the choice of a name for a new weapon. Appearance in this PP if not "elegant", but it is quite acceptable, especially for weapons of this class. This submachine gun is positioned as a weapon for concealed carry and has an emerging design. It was assumed that the Goblin submachine gun should be of interest to the country's security service, but the lack of funding from the state did not allow the design to be brought up to acceptable reliability indicators and deploy large-scale production.
For those who are interested in handguns, the similarity with the Russian PP-90 submachine gun will be obvious. It is not uncommon to encounter heated debates concerning the copying of weapons. If we talk about the very idea of a submachine gun with a similar design, then the ARES submachine gun, which Francis Warini developed as early as 70, can put a bullet in such disputes. But when it comes to direct copying, it unfortunately many fans argue, either. Of course, the weapon cannot be completely different, since both submachine guns are made in the same layout and according to the same pattern of operation of the automation, but it is impossible to speak about full copying, which will be seen in a more detailed study of the design.
As already mentioned above, the SMG is actively advertised in various publications. So in one of them flashed a phrase about the uniqueness of a new weapon. In particular, it is said that at a distance in 500 meters a bullet from a submachine gun Goblin punches 4,5 a millimeter of armor. At the same time, the weapon was developed for the 9x18 and 9x19 cartridges. Needless to say that this is really "beyond the power of any modern submachine gun." As you know, it is the ammunition that determines the main characteristics of the weapon, as well as the prospect of further development is also determined by the cartridge. Above the head, no one has yet managed to jump. Even with the perfectly selected length of the barrel of a submachine gun that would allow to fully use the energy of the powder charge to achieve the maximum possible speed of a bullet, it would be foolish to speak of at least more or less aimed shooting at 500 meters. Stupidity can be called and the declared figures on armor penetration. It is impossible to ignore the mention of the fact that according to individual statements from the prototype of the Goblin submachine gun was made 26 thousands of shots, while the weapon was not subjected to all this time or cleaning is not lubricated and has retained its performance.
Actually, such statements are often found in articles on Ukrainian handguns, it remains only to guess whether the journalists attributed an additional zero and instead of 500 meters should read 50, or doubt the competence of the person telling about the new weapon. There is a completely logical question: why is this nonsense duplicated in this material? As I see it, such, let's call them softly, “inaccuracies” in the description of weapons must be pointed out, as many who are far from the world of firearms can easily believe in these fantastic indicators that cannot be reproduced in reality even in ideal conditions.
In open sources, there is a mention of three versions of Goblin submachine guns, with serial numbers 1,2 and 3. Transformer submachine gun is also mentioned, which is obviously nothing more than a Goblin 3 submachine gun with minor improvements regarding ergonomics and external kind of. The data for each individual version of the weapon varies greatly from source to source, however, this is not surprising, since the weapon was in development and in the process of solving some separate problems in the design of new submachine guns, the parameters of the weapon could change every week. From the information that was found, it can be concluded that the Goblin-1 submachine gun was developed with the 9x18 PM, Goblin-2 cartridges for 9x19, Goblin-3 or Transformer based on the semi-free gate automation system. Exact classification, now can give unless the designers who worked on weapons, because, in this case, it is only for reference.
Appearance and ergonomics of submachine guns Goblin
Before assessing the appearance of the weapon and its ease of use, it is probably worth mentioning that this submachine gun is more of a special weapon than a product for general distribution. Like it or not, but the ability of the submachine gun to fold into a relatively small "brick" is needed only for concealed carrying. You can often find the opinion that such a weapon would be completely superfluous in the armament of the crews of armored vehicles, pilots, drivers. It is difficult to argue that a weapon with the ability to fold into compact dimensions is necessary, however, with the spread and cheapness of body armor, the effectiveness of submachine guns decreases, which means that, in the context of effectiveness of use, a small-sized machine gun is more acceptable option, but not cartridges of 9x18 or 9x19.
Himself a submachine gun is a structure with the ability to fold in the middle. One half of the weapon is, in essence, the submachine gun itself, the second plays the role of the butt in the unfolded position. To reduce the size of the weapon, during firing, the bolt, rolling back, enters the butt, in which the buffer device is located, reducing the fire. It is the fastest normal spring with a guide. Back to reduce the size while maintaining the weapon barrel length, shutter "rolled" on the trunk.
Since the barrel and the butt of the weapon are located on the same line, the submachine gun is obviously quite stable during firing, which is facilitated by the buffer device and the long stroke of the bolt group. However, this arrangement has its drawbacks, since the sights have to be mounted on high racks in order for the shooter not to collapse his neck while aiming. In this case, the sights are two stamped parts that have the ability to fold. Given that the front sight is mounted on the front of the weapon, and the rear sight on the butt, we can say with confidence that during operation the submachine gun will lose precisely because of the sights, which sooner or later loosen up, as well as the connection receiver with a butt. However, if you do not count on the previously mentioned 500 meters, and will be modestly limited to fifty, then this is not such a big problem.
Very original in weapons implemented by switching fire modes. The trigger has the ability to move perpendicular to the receiver. So, when the trigger is displaced to the right, the weapon fires with a cut-off of two rounds; when shifted to the left, the submachine gun goes into automatic fire mode. The solution is quite interesting, undoubtedly, but random shots in the switching process cannot be ruled out if the shooter does not calculate the strength from adrenaline in the blood.
In front of the receiver at the bottom, there is a small cocking handle that remains stationary when firing. Behind it is an additional handle to hold a submachine gun. The same handle plays the role of the holder of an additional weapon shop in the unfolded position of the submachine gun, the magazine in the folded position of the weapon enters the slot of this handle.
It is not difficult to notice that the design itself allows the weapon to be folded in many ways similar to the design of the Gnome pistol, which proves back that any developments in the field of firearms are not in vain, as they can be used in other works, although in this case most successful.
This submachine gun, with such an abundance of stamped parts, had to be very cheap in mass production. However, it seems to me that even if weapons are adopted, it would hardly be necessary to release more than several thousand weapons, since these submachine guns are very specific and not suitable for mass weapons because of their features.
The design of the submachine gun Goblin
For models of submachine guns Goblin-1 and Goblin-2 is characterized by the use of the automation system, built on the principle of using the recoil energy in the free course of the shutter. In order to make the weapon more stable when firing and reduce the rate of firing, the designers used a buffer device that reduces the speed of the shutter. It is noteworthy that at the same time the possibility of firing with the cut-off of two rounds was realized. As I see it, when shooting with a cutoff in the 2-3 cartridge, the time between shots should be minimal in order to achieve the minimum removal of the weapon from the aiming line, and, accordingly, reduce the distance between two or three hits. But for some reason, the designers decided otherwise.
It can be assumed that the decrease in the rate of fire in submachine guns Goblin was necessary because of overheating of the weapon during intensive shooting, as there is information about the implementation of forced cooling of the barrel of the weapon. It is implemented in the simplest way. Shutter moving in the receiver, plays a role of a kind of pump which "rides" the air around the stem. However, it is not entirely clear exactly where the warm air should go with this design, since the receiver is actually deaf and does not have ventilation holes either on the side surfaces or on top. It is obvious that such a solution could not provide proper cooling, and therefore required, and reduce the rate of firing.
One of the interesting features in the design of weapons is the use of a barrel with a polygonal cut. Hence apparently went information about the incredible survivability of weapons. At the moment, there is not a single version of the barrel design that would not require cleaning, not to mention the fact that the barrel design does not affect the maintenance of other weapons mechanisms. And yes, the polygon-cut barrel can really go without cleaning longer, it has a greater resource, and the cleaning itself is much easier, but even here it will largely depend on the quality of workmanship.
With regard to automation of the system in cases of weapons and Goblin-3 Transformer, you can not say anything for sure. There is a mention that the automation system is based on a semi-free shutter, but how exactly this information is implemented is not.
Characteristics of submachine guns Goblin
As it was said earlier, it turned out to be difficult to find exact characteristics for all weapon variants, therefore the figures given below do not claim accuracy and are more likely for reference.
It feeds weapons from detachable magazines with a capacity of 25 or 32 cartridge, it is obvious that with stores of larger capacity weapons will not be able to fold. The weight of the submachine gun is 1,9 kilogram. The length in the folded position is 290 millimeters, in the unfolded - 510 millimeters, which, most likely, is far from reality, as the ratio of the unfolded and folded sample speaks about the difference almost twice in length. The rate of firing 400-500 shots per minute. At a distance in 100 meters, the accuracy of the weapon was noted, allowing 85 to “put” percent of bullets into a half-height target, although it is not specified under what mode of fire.
"Pros" and "cons" submachine guns Goblin
The main advantage of these submachine guns, of course, is their ability to fold into a relatively small parallelepiped. But this “plus” obviously cannot be attributed to positive qualities for weapons of mass. So, in order to bring the submachine gun Goblin into full combat readiness, first you need to expand it, then raise the aiming devices, send the cartridge into the chamber and then fire. All these procedures take incomparably more time compared to driving the combat readiness of weapons more conventional design.
So if we talk about the advantages and disadvantages of this submachine gun, then you must first determine for what tasks it will be used. If we talk about Goblin submachine guns in the context of concealment weapons, for which there are no requirements for combat readiness, the submachine gun is not bad at all. If we talk about the massively popular submachine gun, then he will lose in all respects "classic" designs.
Talking about the reliability and parameters of the weapon as a whole is meaningless, as it is a submachine gun that was under development. Not only are there no truthful data on the combat characteristics of weapons, but also those characteristics that were in reality could go a long way in serial production of weapons.
Submachine gun Elf
In the continuation of the story about weapons with the names of fantasy creatures, try to get acquainted with the pistols, machine gun Elf. Difference from the previous considered submachine guns, they already have a more familiar layout, one can even say more, many Elf submachine guns are called counterparts of Israeli Uzi. Let's try to figure out what this weapon is, and also how correct it is to call them Ukrainian Uzi.
Appearance and ergonomics of submachine gun Elf
In the external examination of weapons, the issue of similarity with the Israeli submachine gun does not even arise, the Ukrainian designers tried to improve the weapons, and many experts agree that they tried, and did not improve.
Of course, there is no complete resemblance to submachine guns Elf with an Israeli PP, but even the location of the weapon controls suggests that this particular submachine gun was made, at least with an eye to Uzi.
On the left side of the weapon under the thumb of the right-hand holder is the switch of fire modes. To ensure safe handling of the weapon and to avoid a random shot, there is a button on the back of the handle (you can only call it with a stretch) with an automatic safety lock. At the bottom of the pistol grip, the designers placed the store's latch, although it is obvious that with large-capacity stores that protrude beyond the dimensions of the handle, such a latch is unlikely to be comfortable with its small dimensions. In front of the safety bracket of the Elf submachine guns, there is an additional handle to hold, it also serves as the location of the additional store. There are several versions of this handle, including without the possibility of installing an additional store in it. At the top of the receiver, front and rear are the front sight and the rear sight, between them is a handle for cocking the shutter, which remains stationary during firing. Also there are variants of weapons, where the cocking handle is made in the form of two stops on both sides of the receiver or in the form of a folding handle on the left side of the weapon. The shoulder rest is retractable, also found in several versions, but this detail is fundamentally from each other in different samples.
It should be noted that the more the designers gave the weapon a presentable appearance, the more the submachine gun looked like an Israeli Uzi.
The design of submachine gun Elf
The basis for the Ukrainian submachine gun Elf became the automation system using the recoil energy during the free course of the shutter. The shot comes from the open shutter, so you can find the most interesting information that the submachine gun has no recoil when firing. So, in many articles about this weapon you can find the phrase that in this particular submachine gun the slide group moves forward during a shot, while at the Kalashnikov assault rifle it moves backwards. Next, there is usually a discussion about a balanced automation system, which, of course, does not smell here.
The designers did not leave everything at the level of the cheapest and simple submachine guns. In addition to performing its main function, the bolt group also plays the role of a kind of “pump” that pumps air between the receiver and the barrel of the weapon, cooling it. It can be assumed that such a solution, in addition to cooling the barrel, also serves as a “moderator” for the bolt group, since the weapon’s firing rate is 400-500 shots per minute, but this is only a guess. In this case, the statement about the balanced automation system starts to be at least a little truthful, because right at the moment of the shot that part of the bolt group that cools the barrel of the weapon continues to move forward, but is it worth it to consider the balanced automation system? In my opinion, definitely not.
Separately, it is noted that the trigger mechanism of the weapon is completely different from the Israeli Uzi, much simpler and consists of fewer parts.
The barrel of the submachine gun has a polygonal cut.
Characteristics of submachine gun Elf
In the process of searching for information on this weapon, you can repeatedly stumble upon the data that the division of submachine guns into Elf-1 and Elf-2, according to the used ammunition, is not entirely correct. It is obvious that in the process of working on a weapon, many of its parameters changed, and since the work process itself was not over, it does not even make sense to talk about any specific data. Nevertheless, in order of acquaintance, the figures cite at least some, but necessary.
The Elf-1 submachine gun is powered by 9x18 PM ammunition. It has a mass of 2,45 kilograms. The length of the weapon barrel is 240 millimeters, with a total length of 360 / 560 millimeters with the butt folded / unfolded. It feeds from shops on 25 or 32 cartridge.
The Elf-2 submachine gun "eats" 9x19 ammunition. It has a mass of 2,5 kilograms. With the same barrel length in 240 millimeters, the weapon is longer - 416 and 580 millimeters with the butt folded and unfolded. It also feeds from stores with a cartridge capacity of 25 and 32.
Positive and negative qualities of Elf submachine guns
Even with a strong desire for any exceptional quality weapons can not be noted. The reason is not at all that the weapon is bad, just from whatever angle you try to look, you still compare the submachine guns Elf with Uzi. Yes, the Ukrainian weapon turned out easier, perhaps more simple, if you look at the trigger mechanism. However, it is not entirely clear why it was necessary to reduce the rate of fire by half, and also add forced cooling of the barrel of the weapon. Even if we assume that all this was done in order to prevent overrun of ammunition, then why couldn’t it have stopped at all the usual 600 shots per minute? In general, there are more questions than answers and it is impossible to give an adequate assessment of the work in progress.
Elf is very much alive
Despite the fact that the design office "Spetstekhnika" is long gone, you can still find relatively fresh statements about the adoption of the Elf submachine guns into service. Of course, it does not go further than statements, although it is possible that a small amount of these weapons are still present in the military and law enforcement agencies, but more likely as a weapon for familiarization.
This begs the question of how a weapon can be somewhere except in museums and warehouses, awaiting disposal, because the Elf has not been mass-produced. The answer to this question can be the submachine guns TASKO 7ET10 and 7ET9. These submachine guns are a continuation of the work on Elf, they have lost all the features, in the form of forced cooling of the barrel, the very barrel with polygonal cutting and have become very close in design to the Uzi submachine gun.
Both versions of submachine guns are based on the Elf-2 model. The 9 model uses 7,62x25 cartridges, the 10 model is powered by 9x19 ammunition. Judging by the individual reviews, which are not so many, the weapon needs to be improved, the quality from one submachine gun to another varies, but the price of the weapon is more than low. And again, it should be noted that in this case, submachine guns in their design are not much different from Uzi, which almost 65 years.
We can not keep silent about another interesting development that concerns the Elf submachine gun, namely the three-row store. Unfortunately, there is no information about whether the Elf submachine gun version was designed for this store. Due to the fact that the store is thicker, he obviously simply would not have got into the handle of the weapon. The design of the store is nowhere easier. The cartridges, arranged in three rows, are rebuilt in two rows as they are consumed, and the feeder, in order to pass a narrower section of the store, simply protrudes through the slot in the case. It goes without saying that it is not possible to assess the reliability, but judging by the simplicity of the design, we can say that such a shop will work, at least it will be.
Сonclusion
As with many other Ukrainian developments, the Elf submachine gun is far from clear and transparent. It remains unclear why it was impossible to say as is that the goal of the work is to improve the older foreign model. It is clear that the trigger mechanism of its own design was used in the design and the bolt group has its own unique features and is not much like the Uzi bolt, but the external similarity of the weapon is obvious. Perhaps one of the leaders of the design bureau was an ardent fan of Israeli weapons, and the external similarity is explained precisely by this. In the middle of the 90-ies, at the time of the development of submachine guns, the Elf was a mass of different software with better ergonomics, why it was impossible to take them as a basis?
In any case, the development of Elf submachine guns, at least to some extent, proved to be successful, as the TASKO company now offers for its export the simplified versions, although obviously not in the volumes in which the management of the company would like.
If we talk in general about the Ukrainian machine pistols, which were developed in the walls of "Special Equipment", it is impossible not to notice that the designers tried to make their weapons too complicated in pursuit of higher characteristics. If we started the production of domestic weapons from scratch, then we had to start with the simplest structures, after consulting in advance and finding out what kind of weapon some potential customers need and whether it is necessary at all. As a result, it turned out that the weapon seems to be developed as well as some money is allocated for it, only it turned out to be massively unnecessary, there is nowhere to produce it, but what they have developed is well done, put it on the shelf.
Sources:
infogun.ru
silovik.net
zbroya.com.ua
modernfirearms.net
zonwar.ru
112.ua
- Mark Poddubny
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