Rifle gun: Olympic Arms OA-93
In the late fifties, a new AR-15 automatic rifle was created, soon becoming the basis for a number of diverse designs. weapons. Initially, based on it, only new rifles were created for armies and the civilian market, but then more than interesting projects of self-loading pistols appeared. So, the American company Olympic Arms was able to create a whole family of small-sized weapons based on AR-15. Its first representative was a product called OA-93.
A characteristic feature of the US civilian arms market is its extreme loyalty to any new designs, even the most original and strange. No matter how unusual was a new weapon, there will definitely be a buyer for it. Especially, if this weapon is able to attract attention with an unusual design and special capabilities. In all likelihood, it was precisely such considerations that lay at the basis of the new project that was being developed by the Olympic Arms in the early nineties.
Self-loading pistol OA-93, right side view. Photo Gunauction.com
The company was engaged in the production of various weapons, including rifles of the AR-15 family and spare parts for them, and at some point decided to occupy a niche of self-loading pistols. The basis for a new product of this class was to become a well-mastered rifle in production. Probably, it was originally planned to limit the release of only one model of the gun, but later certain events led to the formation of a whole line of weapons.
The first draft of the new family received a simple and logical designation - OA-93. The letters pointed to the manufacturer, and the numbers reflect the year the new items were introduced to the market. In the future, the new representatives of the line received similar designations, differing only in the last digit.
It is worth recalling that the creation of pistols based on AR-15 is associated with some difficulties. The fact is that with this rifle the return spring is located outside the receiver, inside a separate tubular casing, over which the butt is mounted. Thus, the rifle can not be turned into a pistol, simply by installing a less long barrel and removing the butt. Various solutions are proposed to solve this problem, but Olympic Arms have developed, perhaps, the most interesting and effective.
Left view. Photo Imfdb.org
Externally, the new OA-93 pistol was supposed to look like an AR-15 family of weapons, but different from other designs with some features. First of all, the gun had a relatively short barrel and the corresponding proportions of the front. In addition, he lacked both the butt and the spring tube. Above the barrel, forearm and upper receiver designers had to install a new casing with the required details. The weapon looked like a rifle or a carbine, but the manufacturer positioned it precisely as a self-loading pistol.
The basis of the pistol was a specially developed receiver from the AR-15. Like the base sample, it was divided into two receiver units. The top was a tube with a mount for the barrel and guides for the shutter inside. On top of the main tubular part of the receiver was a removable additional casing of rectangular cross section, which contained the new parts.
Top receiver gun, right side view. Photo Quarterbore.com
The bottom element of the box was made in the form of a device with a front shaft for the store and a seat under the trigger mechanism. Pistol grip fire control was performed together with this receiver. In connection with the processing of the return spring, the rear end of the lower receiver, which previously held the casing tube, was closed with a stopper. Each other, the two receivers were connected by a pair of pins, front and back.
The gun received a rifled barrel with a length of 6,5 inch (165 mm). This detail actually represented the shortened trunk from AR-15. On the muzzle of the barrel provides for the thread to install various devices. In the basic configuration, the OA-93 was delivered with a slotted flame arrester. Directly behind it was the vent, from which the tube was leaving. The latter, as on the base rifles, reached the front wall of the upper receiver and supplied the powder gases directly to the slide frame.
The self-loading pistol retained the existing automation based on the removal of powder gases with their direct feed to the slide frame. The design of the bolt carrier was modified in connection with a different layout of weapons. It still had the shape of a cylinder with a number of grooves, grooves and flat surfaces, but on top of it now there were new devices. On top of the frame placed a new vertical rod. The latter went beyond the limits of the tubular receiver and fell inside the upper casing, where it was connected to the shank of the return spring guide rod. There was also a cocking handle.
Barrel, gas block and handguard. From above - a new casing of a returnable spring. Photo Quarterbore.com
The shutter retained the characteristic contours and principle of operation. When moving forward before the shot, he had to turn around the longitudinal axis and lock the barrel. It was suggested to cock the weapon with the help of a handle fixed on the return spring rod. She was brought out through the longitudinal grooves under the bar for the sight. On the right side of the weapon, a characteristic influx was preserved, but the paddle ram was not installed in it. The hole for this part was closed with a cap.
Converting a rifle into a pistol meant processing the recoil spring and related parts. Now the return spring had other dimensions and was located in a new place. She was put on a long guide rod and placed inside the tube above the barrel. The rear end of the spring rested against the wall of the casing, and the front one interacted with the rod. When the slide rolled back, the latter moved backward, compressing the spring.
The back of the top receiver, left view. Photo Quarterbore.com
The designers of Olympic Arms retained the existing firing mechanism, characteristic of the whole AR-15 family. A hammer type system was used with standard controls. There was a trigger in front of the pistol grip, and there was a safety lever on the side of it. The gun OA-93 could only fire single. Shooting bursts was not provided at the level of the trigger control.
The pistol ammunition system remained old and was completely borrowed from the rifle. Standard boxed magazines should be placed on 30 cartridges of the NATO type 5,56x45 mm in the receiving receiver's lower receiving shaft. Latch shop operated button on the side of the mine. Empty shells were thrown through a window in the right wall of the receiver.
The refusal of the butt in a comprehensible manner affected the composition of the fittings and the ergonomics of the weapon. The OA-93 pistol had a small aluminum length shank. It was fixed on the front of the receiver and was not connected to the barrel. Despite the relatively short length, such a forearm could provide an acceptable ease of handling weapons. There was also a pistol grip with a plastic lining.
The design of the top receiver pistols OA-93 and OA-96. Picture from user manual
The upper casing, which contained a return spring and a bolt protrusion, was also the basis for mounting the sighting devices. It placed a long U-shaped support with a standard Picatinny rail on top. Thus, the user could independently choose any suitable sight and install it on the weapon. At the same time, the pistol did not have a standard sight or a fly.
From a certain time, the manufacturer began to offer customers an additional folding stock. To install it, the standard rear cap of the receiver was replaced with a new part with the necessary fixings. A relatively simple butt assembled from a pair of tubes of different shapes and equipped with a metal back plate was used. Butt was formed by turning to the right.
Due to the substantial processing of the design, gunsmiths from Olympic Arms managed to significantly reduce the size of the weapon. The length of the OA-93 pistol with a standard flame arrester was 17 inches or 432 mm. The height and width of the product corresponded to other samples based on the AR-15. Own weight of the gun without ammunition - 4,46 pounds (slightly more than 2 kg).
The mechanisms of the pistol at the time of moving the bolt forward and filing the cartridge. You can consider a new shutter device. Picture from user manual
Reducing the length of the barrel affected the range of effective fire, which was reduced to 150-200 m. The rate of fire remained at the level of other self-loading variants of the existing rifle platform. Thus, the new weapon combined compactness and fairly high fire characteristics.
Olympic Arms launched its new development into the United States market in 1993. A new self-loading pistol based on the famous rifle was offered to security forces and civilians. This sample interested buyers and sold, in general, not bad. The American market condescendingly refers to any novelties, and even the strangest samples can find a buyer. Specific models of weapons with fairly high performance, in turn, have every chance to win deserved popularity.
The gun OA-96 and the eponymous "full-size" carbine. Photo Quarterbore.com
According to known data, the gun Olympic Arms OA-93 enjoyed a certain popularity and sold well. However, he was not only interested in civilians. Several special forces from different states of the United States acquired such weapons and put them into service. An automatic version of the gun was created specifically for SWAT. It differed with the corresponding USM, and in addition, it had an additional buffer for braking the bolt group. The buffer had a small cylindrical body, inside which there was a spring with the necessary parameters. This device was mounted on the lower receiver instead of the standard rear plug.
Shortly after the OA-93 pistol, the carbine of the same name entered the market. He had three times longer trunk, and also initially was completed with a folding butt of a frame design. With the exception of these two parts, the two weapon models were no different.
The favorable market situation persisted until the autumn of 1994, when a new law regulating the circulation of civilian weapons came into force. The Public Safety and Firearms Use Protection Act introduced a number of new weapons classification rules, and also provided for certain restrictions on certain categories of weapons. The new law had a major impact on the civilian arms market, as well as hit on the activities of Olympic Arms.
OA-93TG - 1998 modification of the year. Photo Quarterbore.com
Product OA-93 belonged to the category of self-loading pistols with a detachable magazine, which was also affected by the new law. He introduced the concept of "assault pistol" - weapons of this class were prohibited for civilians without obtaining special permission. It was proposed to determine the belonging of an assault weapon with the help of five signs. Having two or more products closed the way to the American market.
OA-93 did not pass immediately on four grounds. It was heavier than 50 ounces (1,4 kg), had a thread on the barrel to install additional devices, was equipped with a shank, and a detachable magazine was placed in the receiver outside the handle. Fortunately, there were no similar products on the market with the possibility of automatic fire, and thanks to this, OA-93 did not even have the fifth sign of an “assault pistol”. However, the four features were enough to remain without the necessary permits. Because the development company was forced to curtail the production of original pistols.
OA-93 to the movies. Will Smith's hero attacks the enemy with OA-93. Shot from the movie / Bad Boys by M. Bay, 1995 / imfdb.org
However, the staff of Olympic Arms did not sit idle and sad because of the new law. They immediately took up the development of a modern, self-loading pistol that complies with the restrictions. Due to some processing of the existing structure, it was supposed to remove the pistol from the action of the new law. It is curious that the designers managed to solve the tasks without a serious processing of existing weapons. The design of the gun has undergone minimal changes, while the principles of operation have changed significantly.
Already in 1996, Olympic Arms introduced the updated self-loading pistol OA-96. This weapon was not much different from the previous sample, but was in compliance with the laws. The company-developer was able to return to a promising market niche. However, this time the success was much more modest. For compliance with the law had to pay usability. OA-96 lost to the basic OA-93 in ergonomics, and therefore was not particularly popular.
A curious attempt to return to the market was made in the 1998 year. Along with the new OA-98 pistol, devoid of the OA-96 flaws, Olympic Arms introduced the OA-93TG product. From the point of view of design, the new pistol differed from the base model only with the front handle installed under the barrel. The gun was registered with the control authorities, which were placed on the Form 4 list - in the same category as the machine guns, shotguns with a short barrel, etc. Only shops with a special permit could sell such weapons, and the owners of the corresponding license could acquire them.
The same gun. An additional spring is installed on the lower receiver in its own housing. Shot from the movie / Bad Boys by M. Bay, 1995 / imfdb.org
The average American shooter does not like bureaucratic procedures, especially if they are associated with additional spending. This fact led to the fact that the gun OA-93TG did not enjoy special demand among buyers. Soon it had to be removed from production due to the lack of real commercial prospects.
Fortunately for the Olympic Arms, in the mid 2000s, part of the provisions of the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act was abolished. Thanks to this, the company was able to produce and sell not only new modifications of pistols that are not “assault”, but also the basic version. Soon, the production of OA-93 was reestablished, and this weapon quickly enough was able to return to the market, again having interested potential buyers.
Justin Theroux's character uses the OA-93 with a non-standard telescopic butt. Shot from the movie "Police of Miami: Department of morals", dirled M. Mann, 2006 g. / Imfdb.org
Self-loading pistols based on the AR-15 rifle are still present in the catalog of the developer company. At the same time from a certain time the emphasis is on the very first model - OA-93. Apparently, the characteristics of other pistols repel potential buyers, and therefore these products are not of interest from the point of view of production and sales. However, if desired, the OA-96 and OA-98 can be found on the secondary market, although small volumes of their production do not allow us to rely on low cost.
The desire of arms manufacturers to occupy a new and promising market niche often leads to the appearance of unusual and remarkable patterns. In the case of the Olympic Arms pistol line, the design tasks were solved with some success, but the emergence of new laws prevented the seizure of the market. However, at the same time it contributed to the emergence of new types of weapons on the same base. Self-loading pistols OA-96 and OA-98 are also of great interest and deserve separate consideration.
On the materials of the sites:
http://olyarms.com/
http://guns.com/
http://forgottenweapons.com/
http://imfdb.org/
http://modernfirearms.net/
http://quarterbore.com/
A characteristic feature of the US civilian arms market is its extreme loyalty to any new designs, even the most original and strange. No matter how unusual was a new weapon, there will definitely be a buyer for it. Especially, if this weapon is able to attract attention with an unusual design and special capabilities. In all likelihood, it was precisely such considerations that lay at the basis of the new project that was being developed by the Olympic Arms in the early nineties.
Self-loading pistol OA-93, right side view. Photo Gunauction.com
The company was engaged in the production of various weapons, including rifles of the AR-15 family and spare parts for them, and at some point decided to occupy a niche of self-loading pistols. The basis for a new product of this class was to become a well-mastered rifle in production. Probably, it was originally planned to limit the release of only one model of the gun, but later certain events led to the formation of a whole line of weapons.
The first draft of the new family received a simple and logical designation - OA-93. The letters pointed to the manufacturer, and the numbers reflect the year the new items were introduced to the market. In the future, the new representatives of the line received similar designations, differing only in the last digit.
It is worth recalling that the creation of pistols based on AR-15 is associated with some difficulties. The fact is that with this rifle the return spring is located outside the receiver, inside a separate tubular casing, over which the butt is mounted. Thus, the rifle can not be turned into a pistol, simply by installing a less long barrel and removing the butt. Various solutions are proposed to solve this problem, but Olympic Arms have developed, perhaps, the most interesting and effective.
Left view. Photo Imfdb.org
Externally, the new OA-93 pistol was supposed to look like an AR-15 family of weapons, but different from other designs with some features. First of all, the gun had a relatively short barrel and the corresponding proportions of the front. In addition, he lacked both the butt and the spring tube. Above the barrel, forearm and upper receiver designers had to install a new casing with the required details. The weapon looked like a rifle or a carbine, but the manufacturer positioned it precisely as a self-loading pistol.
The basis of the pistol was a specially developed receiver from the AR-15. Like the base sample, it was divided into two receiver units. The top was a tube with a mount for the barrel and guides for the shutter inside. On top of the main tubular part of the receiver was a removable additional casing of rectangular cross section, which contained the new parts.
Top receiver gun, right side view. Photo Quarterbore.com
The bottom element of the box was made in the form of a device with a front shaft for the store and a seat under the trigger mechanism. Pistol grip fire control was performed together with this receiver. In connection with the processing of the return spring, the rear end of the lower receiver, which previously held the casing tube, was closed with a stopper. Each other, the two receivers were connected by a pair of pins, front and back.
The gun received a rifled barrel with a length of 6,5 inch (165 mm). This detail actually represented the shortened trunk from AR-15. On the muzzle of the barrel provides for the thread to install various devices. In the basic configuration, the OA-93 was delivered with a slotted flame arrester. Directly behind it was the vent, from which the tube was leaving. The latter, as on the base rifles, reached the front wall of the upper receiver and supplied the powder gases directly to the slide frame.
The self-loading pistol retained the existing automation based on the removal of powder gases with their direct feed to the slide frame. The design of the bolt carrier was modified in connection with a different layout of weapons. It still had the shape of a cylinder with a number of grooves, grooves and flat surfaces, but on top of it now there were new devices. On top of the frame placed a new vertical rod. The latter went beyond the limits of the tubular receiver and fell inside the upper casing, where it was connected to the shank of the return spring guide rod. There was also a cocking handle.
Barrel, gas block and handguard. From above - a new casing of a returnable spring. Photo Quarterbore.com
The shutter retained the characteristic contours and principle of operation. When moving forward before the shot, he had to turn around the longitudinal axis and lock the barrel. It was suggested to cock the weapon with the help of a handle fixed on the return spring rod. She was brought out through the longitudinal grooves under the bar for the sight. On the right side of the weapon, a characteristic influx was preserved, but the paddle ram was not installed in it. The hole for this part was closed with a cap.
Converting a rifle into a pistol meant processing the recoil spring and related parts. Now the return spring had other dimensions and was located in a new place. She was put on a long guide rod and placed inside the tube above the barrel. The rear end of the spring rested against the wall of the casing, and the front one interacted with the rod. When the slide rolled back, the latter moved backward, compressing the spring.
The back of the top receiver, left view. Photo Quarterbore.com
The designers of Olympic Arms retained the existing firing mechanism, characteristic of the whole AR-15 family. A hammer type system was used with standard controls. There was a trigger in front of the pistol grip, and there was a safety lever on the side of it. The gun OA-93 could only fire single. Shooting bursts was not provided at the level of the trigger control.
The pistol ammunition system remained old and was completely borrowed from the rifle. Standard boxed magazines should be placed on 30 cartridges of the NATO type 5,56x45 mm in the receiving receiver's lower receiving shaft. Latch shop operated button on the side of the mine. Empty shells were thrown through a window in the right wall of the receiver.
The refusal of the butt in a comprehensible manner affected the composition of the fittings and the ergonomics of the weapon. The OA-93 pistol had a small aluminum length shank. It was fixed on the front of the receiver and was not connected to the barrel. Despite the relatively short length, such a forearm could provide an acceptable ease of handling weapons. There was also a pistol grip with a plastic lining.
The design of the top receiver pistols OA-93 and OA-96. Picture from user manual
The upper casing, which contained a return spring and a bolt protrusion, was also the basis for mounting the sighting devices. It placed a long U-shaped support with a standard Picatinny rail on top. Thus, the user could independently choose any suitable sight and install it on the weapon. At the same time, the pistol did not have a standard sight or a fly.
From a certain time, the manufacturer began to offer customers an additional folding stock. To install it, the standard rear cap of the receiver was replaced with a new part with the necessary fixings. A relatively simple butt assembled from a pair of tubes of different shapes and equipped with a metal back plate was used. Butt was formed by turning to the right.
Due to the substantial processing of the design, gunsmiths from Olympic Arms managed to significantly reduce the size of the weapon. The length of the OA-93 pistol with a standard flame arrester was 17 inches or 432 mm. The height and width of the product corresponded to other samples based on the AR-15. Own weight of the gun without ammunition - 4,46 pounds (slightly more than 2 kg).
The mechanisms of the pistol at the time of moving the bolt forward and filing the cartridge. You can consider a new shutter device. Picture from user manual
Reducing the length of the barrel affected the range of effective fire, which was reduced to 150-200 m. The rate of fire remained at the level of other self-loading variants of the existing rifle platform. Thus, the new weapon combined compactness and fairly high fire characteristics.
Olympic Arms launched its new development into the United States market in 1993. A new self-loading pistol based on the famous rifle was offered to security forces and civilians. This sample interested buyers and sold, in general, not bad. The American market condescendingly refers to any novelties, and even the strangest samples can find a buyer. Specific models of weapons with fairly high performance, in turn, have every chance to win deserved popularity.
The gun OA-96 and the eponymous "full-size" carbine. Photo Quarterbore.com
According to known data, the gun Olympic Arms OA-93 enjoyed a certain popularity and sold well. However, he was not only interested in civilians. Several special forces from different states of the United States acquired such weapons and put them into service. An automatic version of the gun was created specifically for SWAT. It differed with the corresponding USM, and in addition, it had an additional buffer for braking the bolt group. The buffer had a small cylindrical body, inside which there was a spring with the necessary parameters. This device was mounted on the lower receiver instead of the standard rear plug.
Shortly after the OA-93 pistol, the carbine of the same name entered the market. He had three times longer trunk, and also initially was completed with a folding butt of a frame design. With the exception of these two parts, the two weapon models were no different.
The favorable market situation persisted until the autumn of 1994, when a new law regulating the circulation of civilian weapons came into force. The Public Safety and Firearms Use Protection Act introduced a number of new weapons classification rules, and also provided for certain restrictions on certain categories of weapons. The new law had a major impact on the civilian arms market, as well as hit on the activities of Olympic Arms.
OA-93TG - 1998 modification of the year. Photo Quarterbore.com
Product OA-93 belonged to the category of self-loading pistols with a detachable magazine, which was also affected by the new law. He introduced the concept of "assault pistol" - weapons of this class were prohibited for civilians without obtaining special permission. It was proposed to determine the belonging of an assault weapon with the help of five signs. Having two or more products closed the way to the American market.
OA-93 did not pass immediately on four grounds. It was heavier than 50 ounces (1,4 kg), had a thread on the barrel to install additional devices, was equipped with a shank, and a detachable magazine was placed in the receiver outside the handle. Fortunately, there were no similar products on the market with the possibility of automatic fire, and thanks to this, OA-93 did not even have the fifth sign of an “assault pistol”. However, the four features were enough to remain without the necessary permits. Because the development company was forced to curtail the production of original pistols.
OA-93 to the movies. Will Smith's hero attacks the enemy with OA-93. Shot from the movie / Bad Boys by M. Bay, 1995 / imfdb.org
However, the staff of Olympic Arms did not sit idle and sad because of the new law. They immediately took up the development of a modern, self-loading pistol that complies with the restrictions. Due to some processing of the existing structure, it was supposed to remove the pistol from the action of the new law. It is curious that the designers managed to solve the tasks without a serious processing of existing weapons. The design of the gun has undergone minimal changes, while the principles of operation have changed significantly.
Already in 1996, Olympic Arms introduced the updated self-loading pistol OA-96. This weapon was not much different from the previous sample, but was in compliance with the laws. The company-developer was able to return to a promising market niche. However, this time the success was much more modest. For compliance with the law had to pay usability. OA-96 lost to the basic OA-93 in ergonomics, and therefore was not particularly popular.
A curious attempt to return to the market was made in the 1998 year. Along with the new OA-98 pistol, devoid of the OA-96 flaws, Olympic Arms introduced the OA-93TG product. From the point of view of design, the new pistol differed from the base model only with the front handle installed under the barrel. The gun was registered with the control authorities, which were placed on the Form 4 list - in the same category as the machine guns, shotguns with a short barrel, etc. Only shops with a special permit could sell such weapons, and the owners of the corresponding license could acquire them.
The same gun. An additional spring is installed on the lower receiver in its own housing. Shot from the movie / Bad Boys by M. Bay, 1995 / imfdb.org
The average American shooter does not like bureaucratic procedures, especially if they are associated with additional spending. This fact led to the fact that the gun OA-93TG did not enjoy special demand among buyers. Soon it had to be removed from production due to the lack of real commercial prospects.
Fortunately for the Olympic Arms, in the mid 2000s, part of the provisions of the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act was abolished. Thanks to this, the company was able to produce and sell not only new modifications of pistols that are not “assault”, but also the basic version. Soon, the production of OA-93 was reestablished, and this weapon quickly enough was able to return to the market, again having interested potential buyers.
Justin Theroux's character uses the OA-93 with a non-standard telescopic butt. Shot from the movie "Police of Miami: Department of morals", dirled M. Mann, 2006 g. / Imfdb.org
Self-loading pistols based on the AR-15 rifle are still present in the catalog of the developer company. At the same time from a certain time the emphasis is on the very first model - OA-93. Apparently, the characteristics of other pistols repel potential buyers, and therefore these products are not of interest from the point of view of production and sales. However, if desired, the OA-96 and OA-98 can be found on the secondary market, although small volumes of their production do not allow us to rely on low cost.
The desire of arms manufacturers to occupy a new and promising market niche often leads to the appearance of unusual and remarkable patterns. In the case of the Olympic Arms pistol line, the design tasks were solved with some success, but the emergence of new laws prevented the seizure of the market. However, at the same time it contributed to the emergence of new types of weapons on the same base. Self-loading pistols OA-96 and OA-98 are also of great interest and deserve separate consideration.
On the materials of the sites:
http://olyarms.com/
http://guns.com/
http://forgottenweapons.com/
http://imfdb.org/
http://modernfirearms.net/
http://quarterbore.com/
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