One of the real oddball guns made in Israel is the BUL Impact. Everyone loves a double stack 1911. Everyone loves the CZ-75. So what if you took a compact polymer CZ-75 and grafted a 1911 double stack magwell on it?
Well, you’d have a BUL Impact. Read on for more.
Nehemiah Sirkis designed a lot of interesting guns, many of which I don’t talk about much on this blog because they were designed and manufactured in the United States. This is no sin – remember that Browning did most of his best work with Fabrique Nationale in Belgium – but they are somewhat outside the scope of my collecting activities. Sirkis designed a lot of interesting rifles (including some Kimber .22s and the new IWI Dan sniper rifle), but his fame in the United States is generally from his pocket pistols – the Intratec CAT 9, the Cobra Patriot 45, and the Detonics Pocket 9.
But, he also designed one other pocket pistol that made it to the US – the Sardius/Sirkis SD9, manufactured by Sirkis Industries in Israel. It’s a real oddball gun… which is what makes it so interesting.
Israel has always had an “interesting” history when it comes to arms deals. They are clearly a friend of the US, but have sometimes done deals with countries that may not have always had US interests foremost in their minds. They also have a bit of a history in not always abiding by arms embargoes… most famously in the case of South Africa during the apartheid era.
One gun that has that semi-checkered history is the KSN Golan, which is a copy of the CZ99 Compact-G.
Most of this blog’s readers are probably familiar with IWI and IMI. Some may even be acquainted with BUL Transmark. But less known is another Israeli arms producer: Israel Arms / KSN Industries.
KSN Industries made the Kareen MkII/III line, the KSN Golan (on Yugoslavian equipment), and the KSN GAL. The KSN GAL 1911 is the subject of this blog post, as it appears to have the least available information on it.
As mentioned in my VMHT AR-15 Uzi magazine adapter review, I am a big fan of re-using magazines that I already own. I was able to find a way to use my unmodified Uzi mags in my AR-15, but what other guns could take them?
I did find one… the Nite Scout A3. More after the break.
Continue reading More Fun with Uzi Mags: Nite Scout A3 Review
The least-known handgun made by IMI/IWI is probably the Barak. It was imported ever so briefly by Magnum Research as the SP-21, and then dumped after poor sales. Eventually, it was also removed from the IWI sales catalog as well.
I think this is a tragedy, because the Barak is one of the best polymer hammer-fired handguns ever made.
Like most gun owners, I think of being able to share magazines between guns to be a Very Good Thing ™. Not only can new mags be expensive, but it simplifies storage when I can just dump a bunch of them in the same box. Plus, if you live in a mag-cap-limit state, it can be super convenient to be able to use what you’ve got grandfathered in, rather than hunt up 10rd mags.
Therefore, I was interested in finding new ways to use my unmodified Uzi magazines in places other than my Uzi. And, since I am a great lover of pistol caliber carbines and AR-15s, it seemed like a 9mm AR-15 would be just the ticket. There is a product that let me do this: the VM Hy Tech (VMHT) Uzi magazine adapter.
When I was reading “Weapon Tests and Evaluations: The Best of Soldier of Fortune” (don’t judge me, I was trapped in my hotel room), I noticed that the author, in an article that was written something like 25-30 years ago, was proclaiming the death of submachineguns. Short-barreled rifles in real rifle calibers will rule the world, and why would you ever shoot something that weighs the same in a far less effective caliber? It’s a fair point, and a point that it seems like most of the world’s militaries have taken to heart.
Yet, here we are in 2014 (almost 2015!), and pistol caliber carbines (PCCs) are still pretty hot amongst American firearms enthusiasts. This includes the Uzi, probably the most iconic of PCCs alongside the H&K MP5. IMI Uzis have been banned from import for quite a long time, but Vector is still manufacturing Uzis and Mini Uzis.
Ignoring the heavy weight of the Uzi for the moment, I think it’s a platform that can be modernized more effectively than some people think…
The Jericho 941 has the distinction of having been the Israeli Police’s service pistol until it was replaced by the Glock 19. While I’m sure that part of the reason it was chosen was that it was indigenously-manufactured, it’s difficult to deny that Jericho is an excellent handgun strictly on its own merits. Over the years, the Jericho 941 has been imported to the US by KBI/Charles Daly (defunct), Mossberg (“Uzi Eagle”), and Magnum Research (“Baby Eagle”). But, there’s a catch: only the slide safety/decocker model has been imported in great numbers. The frame safety model is very difficult to find as a result.
Through the power of Gunbroker, though, I was able to acquire a Jericho 941F – with no import markings or “Baby Eagle” rollmark. What do I think about it? Read on.
When I first got my Saiga 12, I took it in its pristine, unconverted form down to the range to get some shooting. The ranges that were available to me were 1) indoors and 2) only allowed slugs. Thus, I was to experience the Saiga 12 in its purest form: shooting high-powered slug loads.
This was unpleasant. The Saiga 12 doesn’t kick as badly as a pump-action shotgun, but it still does quite a number on your shoulder. I knew I needed something better when I converted it… and I think I found it.
Continue reading FAB Defense GLShock Recoil-Reducing Stock and Tube Review
The Hebrew Hammer 