|
| |
|
SECONDARY
WEAPONS
|
| |
Beretta 92FS - 9x19mm NATO - Italy - Semi-Automatic -
Italy - Semi-Automatic - The Beretta Model 92FS is the Italian gunmakers' flagship pistol. In the early 1970s, Carlo Beretta, Giuseppe Mazzetti, and the prolific Vittorio Valle began work on a successor to the Model 951 pistol. The Model 92, as it was dubbed in 1976, corrected many of the perceived faults of its forerunner. Foremost, were the 951’s akward cross bolt safety and limited 8rd magazine capacity. The Model 92 also introduced a double-action trigger mechanism and an alloy frame. However, it retained the tilting-block locking mechanism and distinctive open-top slide.
The new design quickly gained a 40,000 unit contract from the Brazilian military; however, Italian police agencies wished a redesign of the manual safety. The original 92 had a frame-mounted sear-blocking safety (much like the Colt 1911), and Europeans preferred a firing-pin locking safety and decocker like Walther designs. So later in 1976, the pistol was redesigned to incorporate the desired safety, creating the 92S. Italian police and military orders quickly followed as promised, as did an order from the Indonesian military.
Another boast arrived when the US military’s Joint Services Small Arms Program (JSSAP) began a search for a NATO-standard handgun to replace the venerable Colt Model 1911. The lead agency for this program was the US Air Force. While perhaps an odd choice at first glance, the USAF was particularly interested in replacing their hodgepodge of service handguns, which included a large number of .38 Special revolvers. The issue had been forced by the US Congress’ refusal to fund acquisition of additional .38 special ammunition.
Beretta made a special version of the 92S (92S-1) for the JSSAP tests which included a repositioned magazine release, an ambidextrous safety, serrated front and back straps, and enlarged sights with white inlaid markings. After a year of testing, the USAF announced that the Beretta had beaten out its competitors and recommended its adoption. The competitors included the Colt SSP, the Star Model 28, the Smith & Wesson 459A, the FN GP35, the FN ‘Fast Action’ Hi-Power, the FN Double Action Hi-Power, the HK P9S, and the HK VP70.
However, the US Army was still peeved over having the M16 rifle forced on it because of the USAF in the early 1960s. They seized upon the poor performance of the control M1911A1 pistols to suggest that the USAF tests were unscientific and flawed. (To be fair, the specific M1911A1 pistols used were at least 35 years old at the time of the test.) The US Army went as far to even disagree with the consistency of the mud used in the environmental tests! With the assistance of the General Accounting Office, the US Army was able to convince Congress to prevent procurement.
In 1981, the US Army was given control of the JSSAP pistol trials, and the search began again. 85 requirements were laid down for the winning XM9 pistol; 72 were mandatory while 13 were desirable. Only four pistols were entered this time: the Beretta 92SB (an improved 92S-1), the HK P7M13, the S&W 459A, and the SIG-Sauer P226. However, all four failed, and strangely, the Beretta now finished dead last, even behind the M1911A1.
Congress and the GAO were infuriated by the waste of money for no results. Procurement funds for additional .45 ACP ammunition was withheld until the US Army could formulate a test series that a manufacturer could pass. The XM9 trials started again in January 1984. During the mean time, Beretta had improved the 92SB again, calling the resulting pistol the 92SB-F. The competitors included the Colt SSP, the FN Double Action Hi-Power, the HK P7M13, the SIG-Sauer P226, the S&W 459, the Steyr GB, and the Walther P88. In the end, only the P226 and 92SB-F were considered to have passed all of the tests.
After a series of bids in which SIG-Sauer was the low bidder, Beretta was finally given the contract due to a lower price quoted on its spare parts. Needless to say, SIG-Sauer was extremely annoyed, and there were allegations that Beretta was fed SIG-Sauer’s final bid in order to under-cut it. Moreover, other manufacturers were upset for a variety of reasons. Several had worked up bids before they were told that in fact they were not eligible. Moreover, S&W had been failed due to a mathematical error while converting to English units from Metric in determining firing pin energy.
After a series of GAO and Congressional investigations, another series of tests similar to the XM9 trials were ordered for 1987. However, these started off with controversy as well. The US Army fought to keep the 92F (now the M9) from being retested since it had passed the XM9 trials. SIG-Sauer insisted that the P226 didn’t need to retested either since it had passed XM9 as well. On the other hand, S&W noted that the Beretta M9 were no longer being built to the standards of the XM9 trials, having received relaxation of several requirements including accuracy.
Around the same time, reports of M9 slide separations were becoming rampant in both the US Navy and Army. The Navy SEALs were arguably abusing their pistols by firing over-pressure ammunition in suppressed examples, while the Army’s separations were blamed on the use of recycled slides from a French contract which contained tellurium. Events were becoming so bad that a Safety-of-Use message recommended that slides be replaced after 3000 rounds had been fired; however, this recommendation was lowered to 1,000 rounds after a M9 suffered a slide separation with less than 3,000 rounds fired.
Beretta took a two pronged response. First, they sued the Department of the Navy because the SEAL Teams had leaked info of the slide separations to Ruger. Second, they designed a hammer pin with an over-sized head to fit into a groove machined in the slide. Thus, if the slide separated, it would not strike the user in the face. Commercially, these pistols are known as the 92FS
The XM10 test were finally rescheduled for the 1988 after being canceled the year before for lack of participation. Beretta refused to submit samples, so the US Army used off-the-shelf M9. Beretta protested this, but since they had already refused samples, this protest was rejected. SIG-Sauer also refused to submit samples, standing on principle that they had passed XM9 the first time. S&W submitted their 459 again, and Ruger submitted their new P85.
Again, there was allegations of impropriety. The Army refused to relax their requirement for a chromed bore, even if the barrel was made from stainless steel. Moreover, the S&W failed tests that they had passed in XM9. They were the only pistols to pass the XM9 accuracy requirements, but failed the XM10. The S&W also failed the corrosion tests inspite of the fact that the effected parts which failed XM10 were made from stainless steel while the same parts in the successful XM9 samples were made from carbon steel. Ruger wasn’t provided any reason why their samples failed.
However, inspite of the military controversy, the Beretta 92F has an excellent reputation in US law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles PD. (The largest vocal exception is the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit.) No slide separations have been reported, and the only part known for excessive wear has been the locking block. This was recently redesigned with radiused corners to prevent breakage. The 92FS has a stellar reputation for accuracy and reliability, and as long as the user has large enough hands, it is an excellent choice for a 9x19mm pistol.
Tactics: Your standard Rainbow
side arm. The 9mm round is too weak for adversarial multiplayer
though. Use something bigger. |
|
| Beretta 92FS-SD - Suppressed/Subsonic -
9x19mm NATO - IItaly - Semi-Automatic - The Beretta Model 92FS is the Italian gunmakers' flagship pistol. Surviving numerous (and controversial) tests and trials, the Model 92 replaced the venerable
Colt Model 1911
as the US military's official service pistol. It has a stellar reputation for accuracy and reliability; however, it has a relatively short service life. It's relatively fixed barrel (due to its tilting block action) is extremely tolerant of the addition of sound suppressors. The specially designed sound and flash suppressor on this Beretta Model 92FS boasts an impressive 32dB of sound reduction while minimizing weight and length
and maintaining accuracy. So equipped, it is the favorite pistol of RAINBOW's recon specialists.
Tactics: Very quiet, but rather
weak. Aim for the head. A good choice for Recon where you don't expect
to use it, but need a quiet secondary if you do. |
|
| Beretta Cougar 8045F
- .45ACP - Italy - Semi-Automatic - The arrangement of the
92-series' tilting block locking system vis a vis the recoil spring limited how far Beretta engineers could shorten the pistol while maintaining reliability. Thus, they started to look at other locking designs. Beretta settled on a rotating barrel system seen in designs like the Savage 1907, the Obregon .45, and most recently, the Colt 'All-American' 2000. Unfortunately, the Cougar series of pistols
lack the refinement of the 92-series and frankly, are not much more compact. However, the 8045 represents Beretta's first .45 ACP pistol.
Tactics: A lightweight compact
.45 ACP. Suffers from a small magazine. The SIG
P220 is a better
choice however. The pistol used by Rainbow in the Rainbow Six book. |
|
Colt M1911A1 -
.45 ACP - USA - Semi-Automatic -
The origins of the Colt Model 1911 pistol go back to the Spanish-American War of 1898. While the US 'liberated' the Philippine Islands from Spanish control, the Filipinos were no more pleased with the conquering Americans than the previous Spaniards. A growing independence movement had already been underway before the war, and its leaders saw a chance to grab power during the war's aftermath. On January 23, 1899, the Malolos constitution was proclaimed and Emilio Aguinaldo was elected president. However, the US didn't recognize the new government, making a conflict inevitable.
On the night of February 4th and the morning of the 5th, US garrisons and troops were attacked across the islands. While the military units of the Filipino government were routed, guerrilla attacks continued for the next decade. US troops particularly feared the Islamic Moros, who saw the fight as a Jihad. Many stories were told of the fanatic Moros taking multiple hits from the Krag rifle in .30-40 and especially the 1894 Colt New Model Army revolver in .38 Long Colt. Reserve stocks of the 1873 Colt Single Action Army and the 1878 Colt Double Action Army revolvers, both chambered for the powerful .45 Colt, were refurbished and shipped to the occupation troops.
The US Army had already begun experiments with semi-automatic pistols, but the question of caliber had not yet been settled. In 1904, a board was established to conduct scientific tests to determine the ideal caliber, shape, size, and construction for a military handgun cartridge. This board was comprised of Colonel John T. Thompson (later the inventor of the Thompson Submachine Gun) of the Ordnance Corps and Colonel Louis A. LaGarde of the Medical Corps. Several cartridges were tested including the 7.65x22mm Luger, the 9x19mm Luger (the current NATO cartridge), the .38 Long Colt, the .38 ACP, the .45 Colt, the .455 Webley, and the .476 Eley. Bullet styles ranged from lead to jacketed, roundnose to truncated cone, hollowpoints to softpoints, and even an exploding projectile! The ten different cartridge types were tested on 10 human cadavers, 2 horses, and 16 cattle. In the end, Thompson and LaGarde concluded that the ideal cartridge would use a .45 caliber projectile weighing between 200 and 230 grains and traveling around 800 fps.
Colt didn't wait for the Thompson/LaGarde tests to start before attempting to convert the John M. Browning-pattern Colt 1902 Military Model pistol to a .45 cartridge. The first prototype in 1904 used a rimless version of the .45 Colt revolver cartridge, but this caused the grip to be too bulky. Work with UMC, Winchester, and Frankford Arsenal led to a shortened .45 ACP cartridge in 1905 with a new pistol model to match. The Colt 1905 was offered up for military tests in the US and Britain, but all of the bugs had not yet been worked out of the design. John Browning was called in to help improve the design for future tests.
In 1906, the US army sent letters to inventors and arms makers informing them of the Army's intent to conduct tests leading to the procurement of a new .45 caliber pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. Ammunition would be provided upon request for the price of $2.86 per hundred cartridges. The tests were delayed until early 1907, and out of nine designs submitted (including a .45 Luger), only the pistols of Colt and Savage were considered to have any merit for future development and troop trials.
Savage had a difficult time producing enough pistols for the troop trials. While they had accepted a contract in 1907 for 200 pistols, Savage did not complete delivery until December 1908. Moreover, the pistols were costing more to produce than the price that they had quoted the US Army. The pistols were also expensive, costing five times as much as the later Colt 1909 revolver ($65 vs $13). The US Army nearly dropped Savage as a result, and approached DWM (makers of the Luger) to submit pistols instead. Luckily for Savage, DWM declined not wanting to take the financial risk. When the Savage pistols were tested, a variety of faults were found: the pistols were unreliable in feeding, magazines were difficult to insert yet would fall out when the pistol was fired, and the parts would not interchange between pistols.
In contrast, Colt had delivered their 200 pistols nearly a year earlier. The 1907 'Contract' Colts were not without their own unique problems (sear breakage), but the early submission gave Colt and John Browning a head start on their next submission, the Model 1909 (not to be confused with the revolver). These were found to be superior to the 'Contract' Model 1907, but more tweaking was to be desired. By 1910, the Colt prototypes were very close in appearance to their final 1911 form. However, the Colt prototypes from 1907 to 1910 had only a grip-activated safety. Cavalry troopers were concerned as to the difficulty and safety of lowering a cocked hammer while on horseback.
Colt thus began development of a frame-mounted thumb-activated safety which would allow a Cavalry trooper to safely reholster his cocked pistol until such time that he could safely lower the hammer. A formal test in November 1910 pretty much finished off Savage’s chances of becoming adopted. While the Savage had less parts and was more easily detail stripped, the Colt was more far more accurate and comfortable to shoot. The Colt suffered a cracked barrel during a test with overloaded cartridges, and during subsequent testing, the barrel broke completely damaging the slide.
By March 3, 1911, Colt had submitted improved prototypes with a strengthened barrel and the new thumb safety. The same test protocol as the November 1910 tests was repeated. This time the Colt passed without malfunction while the Savage prototype repeated its same dismal performance. On March 29, 1911, the Secretary of War officially approved the adoption of the Colt as the "US Pistol, Automatic, Calibre .45, Model 1911". And thus, with only minor additional modifications over the years, the Colt 1911 and 1911A1 soldiered on through most of the US’s military conflicts during the 20th Century.
Despite its "official" replacement by the Beretta 92F, J.M. Browning's classic design continues in military and police service. The 1911 combines a relatively thin profile which fits most hands, a user-friendly trigger pull, and the powerful but controllable .45 ACP cartridge. Most of the design's supposed and real faults can be corrected by a competent armorer. In fact, the 1911-style pistol has been undergoing a renaissance with custom versions being adopted/used by the USMC's MEU(SOC), the FBI's SWAT and HRT, and the LAPD SWAT.
Tactics: Almost as accurate as
the heavy Mark 23, but lacks the magazine size. Not the lightest, best
handling or most accurate. Kind of an in-between choice. |
|
| CZ100B -
9x19mm NATO - Czech Republic - Semi-Automatic - When Ceska Zbrojovka (CZ) announced a polymer frame pistol, many expected that it would just be a CZ75/85 with a polymer frame, much like the Tanfoglio polymer pistols. Instead, CZ only borrowed the ergonomic frame shape while constructing an entirely new internal design. The CZ100 is striker-fired, but the trigger pull is longer than the occasionally problematic Glock. Moreover, it offers a revolver-like second strike option in case the first striker hit doesn't pop a reluctant primer.
Tactics: Lighter in weight and
much better handling than the Beretta, much with a loss of two rounds
in the magazine. The best handling of the 9mm's. |
|
| FN FiveseveN - 5.7x28mm FN - Belgium - Semi-Automatic - Realizing that some end-users would prefer a weapon smaller than the already compact
P90 PDW, FN engineers designed the FiveseveN pistol. The 5.7 pistol loses less than 10% of the velocity of the P90's longer barrel. While it is roughly the size of a
M1911, the use of a polymer frame has kept the weight to a minimum. The only complaint so far is that the double-action trigger stroke is impossibly long.
Tactics: A good choice when you
expect to be engaging many targets at once. The 5.7x28mm round in a
pistol suffers when trying to get through body armor, consider AP
rounds in multiplayer adversarial or against armored targets. Very
light with a 20 round magazine!
|
|
| FN FiveseveN-SD - Suppressed/Subsonic -
5.7x28mm FN - Belgium - Semi-Automatic - Realizing that some end-users would prefer a weapon smaller than the already compact
P90 PDW, FN engineers designed the FiveseveN pistol. The 5.7 pistol loses less than 10% of the velocity of the P90's longer barrel. While it is roughly the size of a
M1911, the use of a polymer frame has kept the weight to a minimum. The only complaint so far is that the double-action trigger stroke is impossibly long. With the addition of the Gemtech suppressor, the FN FiveseveN is ready for operations that require stealth, accuracy, and power.
Tactics: The 5.7x28mm round
suffers a lot when it is slowed to subsonic. Still, this is the
lightest suppressed/subsonic secondary, perfect for Recon missions.
Expect to have to use multiple shots against any target if you do use
it though. |
|
| FN GP35 (HP) - 9x19mm NATO - Belgium - Semi-Automatic - John M. Browning died after building the first prototypes of his final design. Browning's protege at Fabrique Nationale, Dieudonne Saive, was left to develop and finalize the design. Saive had learned well, and as soon as the pistol was put into production in 1935, it was immediately adopted by four countries. The British thought so much of the design that they smuggled Saive and the design out of Belgium ahead of the German invaders in 1940. Even the Germans continued the GP-35's production line during the war. Once FN rebuilt after the war, the GP-35 was officially adopted by around 65 countries. The excellent grip shape, high capacity, and ease of control made the GP-35 especially popular among Counter-Terror units such as the British SAS and US FBI HRT.
Tactics: Not the best at
anything. Performs in-between the CZ100 and Beretta
92FS. |
|
| Glock 18C - 9x19mm NATO - Austria - 1300 RPM - A variation of the basic Glock 17, the Glock 18 is surprisingly easy to dominate in full-auto fire. It is very popular among plainclothes security personnel at European airports. The slides of the G17 and G18 will not interchange to prevent unauthorized personnel from creating their own machine pistol.
Tactics: Spray and pray! This
weapon in real life has semi-auto, but due to some limitations in the
way NATO 3 models pistols (and I don't mean 3D models) it will only go
full-auto. It's really high rate of fire means that you will get at
least 2-3 rounds even if you just tap it. However, it's large magazine
capacity will give you several bursts before you need to reload. This
high rate of fire is one way to get around the 9mm's weak penetration.
Use AP rounds in multiplayer and you won't be disappointed. |
|
| Glock 20 - 10x25mm Norma - Austria - Semi-Automatic - The Glock 20 is roughly a scaled up Glock 17, designed in hopes of winning the FBI's contract for a 10mm service pistol. Unfortunately, the FBI's request was written in such a format as to exclude the Glock design. However, the resulting pistol is one of the few remaining 10mm pistols still in production. The polymer frame and wide backstrap allow the G20 to be controllable even with the hottest 10mm loads.
Tactics: This is a really good
pistol because of the power of the 10mm round. It's got a big recoil,
but quickly comes back under control. The large capacity magazine and
light weight make this a winner. Take care with your shots and you
will come to love this one.
|
|
| Glock 20-SD - Suppressed/Subsonic -
10x25mm Norma - Austria - Semi-Automatic - The Glock 20 is roughly a scaled up Glock 17, designed in hopes of winning the FBI's contract for a 10mm service pistol. Unfortunately, the FBI's request was written in such a format as to exclude the Glock design. However, the resulting pistol is one of the few remaining 10mm pistols still in production. The polymer frame and wide backstrap allow the G20 to be controllable even with the hottest 10mm loads. The addition of a suppressor makes the package even easier to control while moderating the blast.
Tactics: This is a good weapon
to use when you need a quiet secondary against armored targets. The
recoil is much more manageable because of the suppressor/subsonic
combination, but of course power suffers. Still, it's the most
powerful of the quiet secondaries. |
|
| Glock 31 - .357 SIG - Austria - Semi-Automatic - The Glock 31 is basically a G22 rebarreled to the new .357 SIG cartridge. In fact, the only major difference between the two pistols (as currently produced) is the barrels. While initially dismissed by many industry watchers, the .357 SIG cartridge has created its own niche in US law enforcement circles by offering on paper the power of the venerable
.357 Magnum revolver. Its place seems secure now that high profile agencies such as the US Secret Service have adopted the cartridge; however, one wonders if it would be quite so popular if it had been named the 9x22mm SIG.
Tactics: The best handling
secondary. Power is similar to the .40S&W weapons but this is a
slightly lighter weapon. A good choice for non-stealthy missions. |
|
HK MK23 - .45 ACP - Germany - Semi-Automatic - In 1989, The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) began to draw up a requirement for Offensive Handgun Weapons System. The standard service personal defense weapons, the M9
(Beretta 92FS) and Mk24 (SIG-Sauer
P226) were inadequate for offensive combat due to their 9x19mm chambering. While the
M1911A1 was chambered for the more the adequate .45 ACP, the weapon itself was not considered to be sufficiently reliable without significant customizing and vigilant maintenance.
The 97 page Joint Service Operational Requirement (JSOR) was officially issued in February 1990. Boiled down to the essentials, the bidders would have to supply a semi-auto pistol, magazines, sound suppressor, laser aiming module, and enhanced .45 ACP ammunition. The program would be a three phase effort supervised by the Naval Weapons Support Center in Crane, Indiana. However, the manufacturers quickly found that none of the ammunition companies were then interested in developing an enhanced .45 ACP cartridge, as the liability risks would be too great that the ammunition would find its way into older weapons of dubious strength/quality. On February 1, 1991, the NWSC backed off of this requirement, stating that commercial .45 ACP +P ammunition would suffice.
Colt and Heckler & Koch were each awarded 1.4 million developmental contracts on August 1, 1991 with the expectation that each would deliver 30 prototype OHWS within a year. HK's Helmut Weldle managed to rework his efforts from the USP project already in progress to meet the SOCOM requirements. Colt on the other hand combined two of its least successful designs, using the frame/trigger mechanism of the Double Eagle and the rotating barrel design of the All-American 2000. HK easily made the delivery date, but Colt didn't deliver until October 1992. By the end of the Phase I testing, certain preferences became clear. The HK handgun and laser aiming modules were the clear favorites, but the Knight Armament Company suppressor on the Colt entry easily trounced the HK effort. Moreover, the +P ammo and suppressors just do not play well together, causing excessive wear and tear. As a result, a variant of the Winchester 230gr Black Talon SXT was developed for the program. By Phase II, Colt had dropped out, and in January 1994, HK received another $1.39 million for an additional 30 OHWS prototypes, equipped this time with a KAC suppressor designed by Doug Olsen. These prototypes easily sailed through testing leading to the production contract award of Phase III on June 29, 1995.
On the plus side, the resulting HK Mk23 MOD 0 pistol is extremely rugged, fiercely reliable, and match-grade accurate. On the downside, the program requirements resulted in an extremely large pistol, and many SOCOM users refuse to carry the Mk23 unless the mission parameters absolutely require its features.
Tactics: A more accurate and
higher capacity .45 which is not much bulkier than the smaller
capacity .45's. Still, it handles rather heavy and the .45 round is
really best against unarmored targets. Since price isn't important,
it's not a bad choice. |
|
HK MK23-SD - Suppressed/Subsonic -
.45 ACP - Germany - Semi-Automatic - In 1989, The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) began to draw up a requirement for Offensive Handgun Weapons System. The standard service personal defense weapons, the M9
(Beretta 92FS) and Mk24 (SIG-Sauer
P226) were inadequate for offensive combat due to their 9x19mm chambering. While the
M1911A1 was chambered for the more the adequate .45 ACP, the weapon itself was not considered to be sufficiently reliable without significant customizing and vigilant maintenance.
The 97 page Joint Service Operational Requirement (JSOR) was officially issued in February 1990. Boiled down to the essentials, the bidders would have to supply a semi-auto pistol, magazines, sound suppressor, laser aiming module, and enhanced .45 ACP ammunition. The program would be a three phase effort supervised by the Naval Weapons Support Center in Crane, Indiana. However, the manufacturers quickly found that none of the ammunition companies were then interested in developing an enhanced .45 ACP cartridge, as the liability risks would be too great that the ammunition would find its way into older weapons of dubious strength/quality. On February 1, 1991, the NWSC backed off of this requirement, stating that commercial .45 ACP +P ammunition would suffice.
Colt and Heckler & Koch were each awarded 1.4 million developmental contracts on August 1, 1991 with the expectation that each would deliver 30 prototype OHWS within a year. HK's Helmut Weldle managed to rework his efforts from the USP project already in progress to meet the SOCOM requirements. Colt on the other hand combined two of its least successful designs, using the frame/trigger mechanism of the Double Eagle and the rotating barrel design of the All-American 2000. HK easily made the delivery date, but Colt didn't deliver until October 1992. By the end of the Phase I testing, certain preferences became clear. The HK handgun and laser aiming modules were the clear favorites, but the Knight Armament Company suppressor on the Colt entry easily trounced the HK effort. Moreover, the +P ammo and suppressors just do not play well together, causing excessive wear and tear. As a result, a variant of the Winchester 230gr Black Talon SXT was developed for the program. By Phase II, Colt had dropped out, and in January 1994, HK received another $1.39 million for an additional 30 OHWS prototypes, equipped this time with a KAC suppressor designed by Doug Olsen. These prototypes easily sailed through testing leading to the production contract award of Phase III on June 29, 1995.
On the plus side, the resulting HK Mk23 MOD 0 pistol is extremely rugged, fiercely reliable, and match-grade accurate. On the downside, the program requirements resulted in an extremely large pistol, and many SOCOM users refuse to carry the Mk23 unless the mission parameters absolutely require its features. The specially designed sound and flash suppressor on this HK MK23 virtually eliminates muzzle flash and provides more than 35dB of sound reduction. It is an essential part of any RAINBOW mission requiring both firepower and discretion.
Tactics: Take the heavy Mark 23
and add a heavy KAC suppressor and guess what? This secondary handles
like a pig, be warned. It is accurate for a pistol and the weight and
suppressor combination really reduce the recoil so multiple shots are
easy. Just make sure you get the first shot. |
|
HK USP - .40 S&W - Germany - Semi-Automatic - Heckler & Koch has been famed for its innovative designs; however, this has not necessarily translated to commercial success/acceptance. While HK was among the first to commercially introduce pistols with polymer frames, stamped slide construction, and other features, the US market in particular found the pistols to be too quirky and odd in spite of their obvious accuracy and reliability. Worse yet, the high monetary exchange rate meant that the HK pistols were far more expensive than competing designs.
For the Universal Self-Loading Pistol (USP), HK engineers led by Helmut Weldle were tasked with the goal of creating an affordable design that would be attractive to the US consumer while maintaining the company's reputation for accuracy and reliability. They borrowed heavily from the popular ergonomics and features of John M. Browning's designs: copying the grip angle of the M1911, placing the thumb safety/decocker on the frame, and using Browning's tilting barrel short recoil system. HK added features of their own including the ambidextrous magazine release from the P7, a molded accessory rail for the addition of laser target designators and/or flashlights, a buffered recoil system, and a modular lockwork and safety arrangement which allows nine different configurations, including the ability to swap the safety/decocker lever from one side to the other. The .40 caliber USP is a favorite among those desiring a balance between size and firepower.
Tactics: A good all-around
pistol. A little lighter than the SIG P226. |
|
HK USP-SD - Suppressed/Subsonic -
.40 S&W - Germany - Semi-Automatic - Heckler & Koch has been famed for its innovative designs; however, this has not necessarily translated to commercial success/acceptance. While HK was among the first to commercially introduce pistols with polymer frames, stamped slide construction, and other features, the US market in particular found the pistols to be too quirky and odd in spite of their obvious accuracy and reliability. Worse yet, the high monetary exchange rate meant that the HK pistols were far more expensive than competing designs.
For the Universal Self-Loading Pistol (USP), HK engineers led by Helmut Weldle were tasked with the goal of creating an affordable design that would be attractive to the US consumer while maintaining the company's reputation for accuracy and reliability. They borrowed heavily from the popular ergonomics and features of John M. Browning's designs: copying the grip angle of the M1911, placing the thumb safety/decocker on the frame, and using Browning's tilting barrel short recoil system. HK added features of their own including the ambidextrous magazine release from the P7, a molded accessory rail for the addition of laser target designators and/or flashlights, a buffered recoil system, and a modular lockwork and safety arrangement which allows nine different configurations, including the ability to swap the safety/decocker lever from one side to the other. The .40 caliber USP is a favorite among those desiring a balance between size and firepower. With the addition of a suppressor, the HK USP is ready for missions which require stealth, power, and accuracy.
Tactics: A good choice when
doing stealth missions against unarmored targets. |
|
| MRI Desert Eagle -
.357 Magnum - Israel - Semi-Automatic - Now overshadowed by its big brothers, many forget that Bernie White’s design was originally offered as a .357 Magnum. As Magnum Research and Israeli Military Industries kept modifying the design to accept the .41 and .44 Magnums, then the
.50 Action Express, the effort was always made to keep things as compatible as possible with the .357 Magnum version for conversion purposes. In the end, these enhancements have made the .357 Magnum Desert Eagle ridiculously mild to control especially when contrasted to say the Coonan .357 Mag semi-auto (an enlarged M1911). However, the extreme weight and bulk of the pistol makes it hard to manipulate and unpleasant to carry.
Tactics: Good recoil, but
that's because of the high weight. The .357 Magnum is pretty good at
penetrating armor, but this weapon also suffers from a small magazine. |
|
| MRI Desert Eagle - .50 Action Express - Israel - Semi-Automatic - The Desert Eagle Mark XIX pistol fires the powerful .50 Action Express cartridge. The combination of high velocity and mass results in very favorable penetration characteristics against hard cover and certain types of body armor. It is excellent in close quarters where the first shot is often the only one that counts. However, the extreme weight and bulk of the pistol makes it hard to manipulate and unpleasant to carry.
Tactics: Hollywood's leading
pistol. It's big, it's heavy, it has a giant recoil, but who cares.
The .50AE is still a pistol cartridge so go with AP against armored
foes.
|
|
S&W Sigma 40E - .40 S&W - USA - Semi-Automatic - Smith & Wesson’s “Project Waldo” was designed to defend S&W’s dwindling share of the police pistol market against the heavy inroads of Glock. Developed in extreme secrecy over a nearly two year period, the project name was a dig at gunwriter ‘Waldo Lydecker’ (aka Dean Speir), who has a reputation as the industry’s few investigative reporters.
In preceding years, S&W had already played with a polymer framed variant of their 2nd Generation pistols and viscoelastic buffered blowback design. However, these were found to be unsatisfactory. Given the success of the Glock, the focus became to ‘not to reinvent the wheel’, but to instead correct the perceived faults of the Austrian design, particularly the grip shape and trigger pull. Many users find that the Glock instinctively points too high; moreover, others find that the grip size is too large due to the polymer bodied magazines. Moreover, some agencies perceive the trigger pull of the Glock models to be too short and light leading to negligent discharges by undertrained officers who refuse to keep their finger off of the trigger.
S&W retained the services of a consult in “human factors analysis”. Employees were surveyed for hand size and profile, and a variety of model frames with adjustable and removable parts were developed to find the ‘ideal’ frame shape and angle. Ironically, the ideal angle come out to 18 degrees, roughly the same as J.M. Browning’s
Colt 1911. The magazine was designed with a convention metal body to conserve space, but they still managed to duplicate the capacity of the competing Glock models. The trigger reach and weight were intended to duplicate those of the DA-Only 3rd Generation pistols.
While S&W managed to achieve 12 patents on the new Sigma, the similarities to the Glock were painfully obvious. Certain parts such as barrels interchanged. The slide assemblies could even be swapped although the altered pistols would not function properly. Gaston Glock immediately counterattacked via a lawsuit regarding ‘trade dress’ infringements. In the end, S&W settled for an undisclosed amount of money, but the controversy had hurt sales. Moreover, the Sigma had its own set of faults. Many users felt the resulting trigger pull was too heavy and raspy, the slide too blocky, and the grip frame too slick. In order to correct these faults, the Enhanced Sigma was developed. Checkering was added to the sides of the frame, the trigger pull has been smoothed, the slide was slightly recontoured, and an accessory rail has been added to the frame’s dust cover. While it is perhaps too late to beat Glock at their own game, the Sigma SW40E will appeal to those whom the Glock just doesn’t fit ergonomically.
Tactics: If you like Glocks,
you'll like this Sigma. It's the best .40 S&W, lightest, best
handling, and highest capacity. It only loses a tiny bit of accuracy. |
|
| SIG P220 -
.45 ACP - Switzerland - Semi-Automatic - Designed in the early 1970s as a replacement for the very expensive P210, the P220 maintained SIG's high standards for accuracy and reliability. The heavy use of stampings and castings allowed the new design to be affordable. In its
9mm NATO format, the pistol was adopted by the Swiss Army and Japanese Self-Defense Forces. The .45 version is popular among US Department of Energy security forces and the highway patrol/state police units of Arizona and Texas.
Tactics: The lighest and best
handling of the .45's. It still has the same small capacity of all the
single column magazine .45's though. |
|
| SIG P226 -
.40 S&W - USA/Switzerland - Semi-Automatic - The .40 S&W version of the P226 is a recent development reflecting the popularity of the new cartridge among US police agencies. It differs from the original P226 by using a slide machined from steel stock instead of heavy gauge stampings. The US DEA recently approved the .40 P226 as an optional duty pistol. The P226 in the optional 357 SIG chambering is the issue weapon of the Texas Department of Public Safety, which includes the legendary Texas Rangers.
Tactics: Performs about the same
as the USP .40 S&W, but a little heavier. |
|
| Taurus Raging Bull - .454 Casull - Brazil - Double Action - The Raging Bull is one of the most powerful repeating handguns in the world. While heavy at 53oz (1.5kg), the extra mass helps to reduce the recoil of the powerful cartridge. The .454 Casull cartridge has been used to harvest animals as large as Cape Buffalo and African Elephants.
Tactics: When you want the most
powerful secondary, this is your pick. Slightly more powerful than the
.50AE, lighter, better handling, and much more accurate. However, it
is only a 5 round revolver. Make sure to reload every chance you get
and make the first shot count. |
|
HK 69A1 - Grenade Launcher - 40x46mm - Germany - Single Shot - While Springfield Armory's M79 40x46mm grenade launcher added a valuable addition to squad firepower, the design itself was relatively crude. The AAI/Colt M203 was an improvement, but its pump-forward action would not physically open far enough to accept many 40x46mm cartridge types (particularly non-lethal).
With end-user's complaints and wishes in mind, Heckler & Koch engineers went a step further to refine the breed in the HK69A1. Lightweight at only 5.8 pounds, the HK69A1 can be fired either as a pistol or from the shoulder, due to its adjustable retractable stock. (HK even offers a holster.) The use of a break-open action allows the HK69A1 to accept the whole spectrum of 40x46mm ammunition (including CS, HE, AP, batons, and flares).
The HK69A1 operator can accurately engage targets out to 400 meters due to the rifled steel barrel (contrasted to the aluminum barrel on the M79 and other designs) and a variety of sight options. The sights include a flip-up dual aperture for short ranges (50 and 100 meters), and a ladder sight for long range targets (100-400 meters). Equipped with an ambidextrous safety lever and a separate manual hammer, the HK69A1 can be loaded and unloaded without being cocked, limiting the potential for a most spectacular and disastrous accidental/negligent discharge. (Well-used M203 have a unhealthy quirk regarding sear engagement slippage.)
Tactics: Single-player only (it
simply doesn't work in multiplayer). This is not a Quake grenade
launcher. This one behaves much like the real thing. That means that
the grenade takes a moment to arm while it's in flight. This is to
prevent you blowing yourself up with the thing. We modeled the real
arming time and real flight speed. Use this weapon to take out bunkers
or other hard to reach opponents that are at range. The flashbang
version is not really that useful unless you have very good team
timing. The nice thing is that it's not that heavy, since it's hollow. |
|
| Combat Knife - Do you really want to bring a knife to a gunfight? While a knife has many uses in the field and can be very handy, it is still a weapon of last resort. Opponents with firearms outrange you by far, and one has to be very stealthy then very fast to close the distance to press home your attack.
Tactics: Well, at least it's
light. If you are crazy enough to use this, here's how you do it. Run
at your opponent's back (if you run from the front you won't make it)
and stab stab stab stab stab. You have a lot of ammo, use it all. You
need to be standing right next to an opponent. Aim for the head if you
can. |
|