Today I have Kalashnikov USA’s KP-9 (which is a virtually exact semiauto copy of the Vityaz SMG) out at the range. I chose the most suitable ammo to try it out with; slightly rusty steel-case Tulammo. And it just ate it all up. The KP-9 does not have the best trigger or the lightest recoil (although neither is actually bad), but it simply runs like flawless clockwork – and it easy to hit with to boot.
Semiauto Rifles
Throwback Thursday: The Nifty Hybrid-Design HAC-7 Battle Rifle
The Halloway Arms Company HAC-7 was a very interesting hybrid design that incorporated elements of the FAL, AR10, and AK designs. It needed a bit more development to really work out the kinks, though, and […]
Prototype
RIA: Reifgraber .38 S&W Automatic
Designed by Austrian immigrant Joseph Joachim Reifgraber, this is a prototype gas-assisted short recoil pistol in a .38 rimmed revolver cartridge. While this version did not see any serial production, the Union Firearms Company of […]
Bolt Action Rifles
Vintage Saturday: What Would Roosevelt Shoot?
Not the cool Roosevelt – we know he liked his .405-caliber Big Medicine. I’m talking about the other one: Leszek found this on eBay (you can buy it if you want; I have no connection […]
You might try the ALG recoil spring. Got one in my AKX-9 and it makes the recoil softer while still working with every flavor of ammo I’ve tried.
As for that missing witness hole in the magazine: drill one.
And as for boring to shoot: get further way and fire while moving, but you knew that 🙂
Is their much blowback from a south paw view?
While undoubtedly effective etc. It appears somewhat overkill (including looking rather like a Christmas tree) for an sub machine gun. Was it considered worth it by its Russian customer i.e. acquired in volume by them and did any other countries buy / use it – was it widely exported and used as a standard gun by other than Russia?
They are not very used in Russia itself too…
Mostly for parades and commercials.
In the presence of the AKS-74u and “normal” SMGs, this is useless trash and an extra headache for the chief of armaments.
E.Dragunov (father of one of designer of Vityaz) designed sub-machine gun yet in 1970s. It was unable to met high requirement set back then, but was revived in 1990s resulted in PP-91 also named KEDR (Construction [of] E. DRagunov):
https://modernfirearms.net/en/submachine-guns/russia-submachine-guns/pp-91-kedr-klin-eng/
it does fire 9×18 cartridge and is smaller (shorter – both overall and regarding barrel) and lighter than Vityaz