Gun "Black Swift", or Strike One
This year from the new domestic weapons Special attention is drawn to the gun "Black Swift", also known as "Strike One". The weapon is really quite interesting, both in terms of the fact that it is just a new gun, and in terms of the method of locking the barrel. Of course, one can argue long and hard about whether a given sample of weapons can be considered domestic, but why do we need all this demagogy, it’s important that there are weapons, which means you need to figure out what kind of bird is the “Black Swift” and what is better use.
Gun “Black Swift” or for the foreign market Strike One is the brainchild of Arsenal Firearms, which calls into question that it is a domestic weapon. Still, the concept of "domestic" implies not only that the idea was born in the head of our compatriot, but also that the weapon should be produced by a domestic manufacturer, and not "foreign." However, many questioned that the domestic arms industry could master the production of this gun in high quality. I think I could. You can even do the impossible, with the help of a long lever, and the words of an abusive one, and if you are also interested in quality production for everyone - from the factory director to the cleaner, not only financially if you meet all the requirements, but also in the form of depreciation, and even dismissal in case of deviation from the norm, the quality will increase to the heavens. Immediately remember about the covered new machines, there will be a lot of people willing to learn how to work on them, but this is a separate topic for conversation, and it is quite extensive and multifaceted, so about this some other time, and now we will return to the “Black Cut” pistol.
As soon as the pistol appeared in the form of the first sample, everyone immediately rushed to discuss its uniqueness, emphasizing that the weapon is fundamentally different in the barrel locking system from all other pistols that were previously. Perhaps it’s worth starting with this question, since for many the system of automatic weapons operation is a dark forest, to which there is no desire to even understand, and after all the general principle in almost all automation systems is very simple, you just need to sort everything out. So, what can I say about the uniqueness of the principle of operation of this weapon ... There is nothing supernova in it. In fact, the barrel locking system is a modified Browning system, but it is also impossible to say that the Swift barrel locking system is torn off from some model. Unique - no, modernized - yes. Moreover, the modernization has clearly gone in favor. If you look at it from the technical side, I would call beats-like (92) pistols closest to such a system, since both here and there the locking element moves vertically, and locking occurs due to the fact that the so-called liner fits into the vertical grooves of the housing-gate . But we’ll talk about it a little lower, until we figure out what advantages the gun has over competitors, and they, despite the statements of the manufacturer, are there and they will only grow larger over time.First of all, it should be noted that the manufacturer managed to lower the barrel in the pistol, which made shooting from it much more comfortable. But this is not a novelty of weapons, and before the "Swift" there were models of a pistol with a reduced barrel, this is even to some extent the norm for all new models. Usually, a barrel reduction in this model of weapon is associated with the same barrel bore locking system, but we all know that this was quite successfully implemented in other models. Quite often in the descriptions of this gun slips the information that the trigger is equipped with a safety device to protect it from being accidentally pressed. However, when looking at photographs of this weapon, nothing of the kind can be found, the trigger looks quite ordinary and does not stand out with anything remarkable. But the information that there is protection against accidental pressing is not taken from the ceiling, everything is simply assembled inside the trigger, and only a small pin that is visible on both sides of the trigger element gives the device. Actually, the weapon does not have any other external devices for protection against accidental firing Well, the last feature noted in the reviews of this gun is the design of the store and the method of its extraction. The fact is that the store holds the leaf spring, which has two folds in the shape of the teeth that are included in the slots of the store itself. The double key of the magazine extraction is nothing more than a cylinder, in the center of which there is a smooth narrowing. The spring holding the magazine rests on the center of this cylinder, respectively, when the cylinder is shifted to the right or left, the spring is pressed and the shop freely comes out of the shaft. Well, the store itself has narrowings that facilitate its insertion into the mine, which is hardly an innovation, since this has already been used before.
The appearance of the pistol is quite interesting and not quite yet familiar to the consumer, the Caracal pistol that is closest in appearance to the “Black Swift”, although many people speak about the similarity with the General Staff, which I cannot agree with. Both the front and rear side surfaces of the cover-shutter have a wide, straight notch that allows the cover-slide to be pulled back at any grip that is convenient for the shooter to be equally reliable. In addition to the trigger, magazine eject buttons, and slide shutter keys, the gun has another element that is necessary for disassembling the weapon. This is a pin that passes through the frame of the pistol and shaped notch in the locking insert. When removing it, you can quickly disassemble the weapon for maintenance, and then assemble it, fixing it with the same single pin, which is also not anything out of the ordinary in a firearm. The presence of the cartridge in the chamber can be controlled by the position of the ejector at the window for ejection of spent cartridges. Sights are open, consist of a pillar and front sight, marked with light accumulating points to facilitate aiming in conditions of insufficient visibility. Under the barrel of the weapon there is a seat for attaching additional devices, for example, a small-sized flashlight or laser designator. The pistol grip, though made according to all ergonomic standards, does not have the ability to adjust to the size of the palm of the arrow. The pistol casing is naturally steel, but the weapon frame can be made from either a light aluminum alloy or a shock-resistant polymer.
Finally, we got to the most interesting moment in any weapon - the principle of its work. The basis for the automation of weapons, as already mentioned above, was the scheme proposed more than a hundred years ago by one of the greatest gunsmiths Browning, but it has undergone a rather deep modification. So the main positive point of the updated system was that the barrel of the weapon moves only along its axis, being directed by several “rails” to prevent its turning or shifting. This made it possible to significantly improve the accuracy of the weapon, and most importantly, to increase its rate of fire, although this is a rather controversial parameter for a gun. I will try to briefly describe the system of automatic weapons, omitting the general details. When the trigger is pressed, a shot is fired, powder gases tend to push the bullet out of the barrel of the weapon, and a rather large pressure is created in the barrel itself, which, in addition to pressing on the bullet, pressing with the same force on the bottom of the sleeve, tends to throw it out of the cartridge chamber towards the arrow. But the liner is supported by the shutter, which does not allow it to simply fly out of the chamber. In the case of the “Black Swift” pistol, the bolt is also not in free movement but rigidly connected to the barrel using a U-shaped liner. This liner, with its branching, covers the barrel of the weapon between the chamber and the tide on the surface of the barrel, and at its base has a figured cut through which a fixed pin passes, fastened in the frame of the pistol. Thus, when fired, the sleeve transmits the impulse to the casing-bolt, which in turn, through the liner, pulls back the barrel of the weapon. And nothing would work if it were not for this liner that is movable in a vertical plane. Due to the fact that in its lower part there is a figured cutout, when the barrel moves backwards, this liner is lowered, while the protrusions on its side surfaces come out of the clutch with the casing-gate, which allows it to “unhook” from the trunk after some distance continue to move independently, in proud loneliness. In this case, two protrusions on each side of the liner become something similar to the guides for the casing-bolt, but naturally they are not, such interaction between the parts even after disengagement is necessary to ensure normal operation when the casing-bolt and the gun barrel engage. So some time after the joint movement of the barrel and the casing-bolt, they are separated, the barrel stops, and the casing-bolt continues to move back, removing the cartridge case and throwing it out. During its reverse course, the cover-bolt pulls a new cartridge out of the store, inserts it into the chamber and rests against the breech, starting to push it forward. When moving all this happiness already in the opposite direction, the interaction of the figure cutout in the locking insert and the pin that passes through the frame of the weapon again occurs, this causes the locking insert to rise and again securely lock the barrel of the gun. I think that those who delved into the schemes of the work of other pistols with automatics, built according to the scheme with a short stroke of the barrel, caught a clear presence in the “Black Swift” system of the spirit of Browning. Of course, I don’t blame anyone for plagiarism or anything else, the system is really new and has not been used in this form before. But is it worth calling a “revolutionary” construction in which only one element is actually changed? Even taking into account the fact that this led to an increase in the reliability of the weapon, it increased its survivability and had a positive effect on the fighting qualities of the pistol, I personally think for myself that this is nothing but a continuation of the development of the Browning idea and there is nothing to claim for “revolutionism”. But this is my opinion, so it may differ from the opinions of other people. The original Browning barrel locking system was revolutionary, the Barnitke locking principle was revolutionary, although it was not widely known and popular, many people actually proposed original schemes that were completely different from well-known ones, but Black Cut is not the case. Still, I see the difference between the “revolutionary” and the new, and because it really is and it is significant.
On the other hand, it can be seen that the development is really promising, and despite the loud advertising words to attract the attention of the masses, the pistol is really beyond praise in its characteristics, however, the really mass production of weapons has not yet begun, and as you know, the difference between the bench model and the final result can be very tangible. At the moment, the pistol is planned to be offered for 9x19 ammunition, including for domestic armor-piercing versions of this cartridge, 9x21 IMI, my favorite .357SIG and .40S & W. They say that this pistol should replace the PM in service with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, although they are silent about how much such a replacement will cost, but it is clear that it will not be cheap at all. In general, it is still too early to draw conclusions in order to give the weapon a full-fledged characterization, while the impression of the pistol is only positive, but the final verdict will not be made by experts, but by those who will have to handle this weapon every day and trust it with their lives.
- Karasik Kirill
- arsenalfirearms.com
Information