Czech design of a new pistol-carbine: absolutely nothing superfluous
Pistollo 77°. Left side view. Photo by Pistollo.
“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard because of their much speaking…”
Matthew 6:7-8
Matthew 6:7-8
Weapon today. Several years ago, my series of articles about submachine guns from "different countries and nations"—and, naturally, from different eras—was published on our website. But time has passed, and new designs have emerged, some very interesting ones at that, so it's worth telling you about them. Or rather, about one interesting example of the Czech pistol-carbine, the "Pistollo 77°." It was introduced quite recently, and thus, one could say, represents one of the latest advances in weapons design.
First, a few words about its manufacturer. It's a startup called "Pistollo" from the Zlín Region in the Czech Republic. This region has a long tradition of gunmaking, so the emergence of a new gunmaker there is no surprise. The Czech Republic has always been renowned for its gunsmiths, as has been written about on the VO website many times.
This is what the carbine looks like on the right. Photo by Pistollo.
It's becoming increasingly difficult to invent anything new in weapons design these days. But design... It can be refined endlessly, creating ever newer weapons based on new material processing technologies, new materials themselves, improvements to various components, and, of course, changing societal views on what a "modern weapon" should be.
A bronze-painted carbine. It makes you imagine some sci-fi fighter like Boba Fett from Star Wars wielding it in similar bronze armor! Photo courtesy of Pistollo.
The Czech company "Pistollo" was created specifically for the project of creating an automatic carbine chambered for a pistol caliber, and one with a completely unusual appearance. Structurally, this weapon is literally assembled from "cubes"—that is, from well-known parts. However, they are enclosed in a somewhat unusual "shell." So, it's a nine-millimeter carbine with a Glock pistol magazine, but externally, it most resembles... an anti-drone rifle or even something like a weapon from a sci-fi movie—not earthly, but rather belonging to space aliens.
"Silver" version. Photo by Pistollo
That is, looking at it from the outside, so to speak, you'll see nothing but straight, parallel lines, as if it were originally drawn by some Cubist enthusiast. The angles, by the way, are also right angles. Mostly. Although there is a single 77° angle, it's dictated by the functional angle of the Glock magazines, which pistol-caliber gun designers most often use today as a basis for their reliability, affordability, and widespread use.
And this is what Pistollo 77° looks like in detail...
The key design feature is the modularity of all its components. The buttstock, forend, collimator, and top cover can all be easily removed and just as quickly and easily replaced with other parts. The "cube" principle is evident. At the same time, the weapon has virtually no protruding parts, and those that are present are strictly functional.
For example, you won't find a protruding bolt handle at 77°. It's there, located on the top cover of the forend, but it's designed to fold, meaning you have to press it first and only then operate the raised handle. For a concealed carry weapon, this is obviously a big plus, but for, say, home defense or practical shooting, it could very well be a minus. Speaking of the simplicity of the design, it allows, firstly, for lower production costs and, secondly, for easy modernization. Incidentally, the manufacturing technology of the new weapon is very modern, as are the materials it's made from. These are combinations of steel, duralumin, and plastic parts made using SLS 3D printing.
There's also an all-black, "aggressive" color option. But I personally like this "red" option! Photo courtesy of Pistollo.
The Pistollo 77°'s dimensions are 720 x 150 x 35 mm and weighs 3000 g. It's caliber is 9 mm, and the barrel length is 256 mm. It costs €3500. This pistol carbine should be a very good weapon for... target practice. This is because it has a comfortable stock, a heavy, short-recoil bolt, and a long forend, making it very comfortable to hold and aim with a long grip.
But, as I mentioned above, the modular design, I'm sure, will allow for options to suit any situation. Moreover, the forend is designed such that it can be removed along with the charging handle along the receiver's guides in just one movement, after which it can easily be replaced with another.
And this is what it looks like in the hands of a Czech girl. Her big eyes promise to fall in love with anyone who buys it. A nice, subtle advertisement. Photo by Pistollo.
The collimator sight module is also easily removed. Currently, the Pistollo 77° offers only one collimator type, which allows you to choose between a 2-MOA dot, a 32-MOA ring, or a combination of both. The sight also features a solar panel that automatically adjusts the reticle's brightness depending on ambient light levels. But this is just the beginning. It's quite possible that other sights will be added in the future.
This weapon also has a very amusing detail: the barrel cover, also known as a dust cover. It's obvious what it's for—to protect the barrel from "foreign objects." Incidentally, similar barrel covers were found on many 19th-century rifles. And they proved ineffective. Why did modern designers install them? The company's advertising brochure, however, states that the barrel cover visually signals that the weapon is in a safe condition and prevents the lock from being released until the cover is removed. It also gives the carbine, so to speak, a non-aggressive appearance. However, if this cover, when placed on the barrel, does allow a shot to be fired, then since people are people, and 80% of them, including shooters, are prone to forgetfulness and absent-mindedness, it's safe to say they'll forget to remove it and puncture the barrel with their first shot...
The 77° barrel also has a muzzle brake. This is despite the fact that the amount of gas produced by a 9mm pistol cartridge is very small. In such cases, a weight is simply screwed in its place. So, in the Pistollo 77°, a simple empty cylinder is screwed onto the barrel threads, which merely adds weight to the muzzle brake and prevents it from rising upward during firing. A suppressor could probably be attached in the same way, but one is not currently included.
If you read the numerous articles about this new development by Czech designers, you'll find it generally very positively rated. Moreover, many authorities praise it for its "non-aggressive" appearance. The fact is, for example, in Germany, carbines that resemble "assault rifles" are prohibited by law due to their... "intimidating appearance." Such "aggressive weapons" are only permitted for special forces units, who are dressed all in black and are supposed to intimidate the "bad guys" with their appearance alone.
Interestingly, there are even countries where the law requires police units to have automatic rifles or carbines with stocks and forends made of wood, and they must be light-colored. This is all so as not to frighten law-abiding citizens with weapons! So, for example, the forend of a civilian carbine in Germany cannot have any slits or cuts, as they make such a weapon look like a military weapon and could therefore frighten someone! Such concern for the mental health of their citizens is truly heartbreaking. It's simply moving.
It's clear that a man with a pink carbine, especially one with a flower print, is unlikely to frighten anyone; they'll likely think him crazy. But that's Russia. In the West, today's realities and, accordingly, the demands of a market economy are somewhat different. So, the "Pistollo 77°" presented by Czech gunsmiths doesn't really look all that much like a combat weapon; it doesn't have any intimidating notches, only "friendly" ones, and its colors are also quite festive. And, most likely, it's the Germans who will be most attracted to it. But personally, I wouldn't mind a red pistol-carbine either. It's light weight and comfortable to hold. It also accepts a variety of magazines, including the truly intimidating 50- and even 100-round disc magazines with their textured reinforcement ribs!
And these are magazines from Glock pistols...
However, the carbine is shipped to European markets with ten-round magazines (as required by the EU). However, it is fully compatible with Glock pistol magazines, including extended 33-round magazines.
The advertising brochure also informs us that the "Pistollo 77°" has three unique safety mechanisms. The barrel cap "does not allow the safety to be released until the cap is removed," so does this mean it's also "in use" and acts as one of the safety mechanisms? And the trigger mechanism has a mechanical striker lock, preventing accidental discharge.
P.S. The author and site administration express their gratitude to Pavel Blazhek, a representative of the Pistollo company, for the photographs and information provided.
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