At the beginning of the 90s of the last century, the question of replacing the weapons that were then in service with the Ministry of Internal Affairs arose in Ukraine. The Makarov, which the security forces used at that time, was physically and morally outdated, and therefore did not meet the requirements for weapons for personal carry by employees of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Ukrainian designers were faced with the question: what should a new weapon be like so that it can meet modern requirements and technologies? Of course, the weapon had to be accurate, convenient, the accuracy of the fire was maximum, and the magazine had to hold more cartridges than in the Makarov, but at the same time the charges themselves had to be of the most common caliber - 9 mm RA. Moreover, this “good” was more than enough in Ukrainian military warehouses in those days.
Such a weapon was the Fort 12 injury weapon, developed in the city of Vinnitsa by a design bureau headed by Pyotr Zaitsev.
History of the creation of "Fort 12"
While working on the weapon model, the design of the Czech CZ pistol was taken as a basis. The first experimental batches of the Fort 12 pistol, which were manufactured on old Czech machines, came out in the spring of 1995, but work continued until 1998, when the first Fort 12 were officially adopted by Ukraine for arming the police and army. For the serial production of Fort 12 RM pistols, special machines were delivered from the Czech Republic, and barrels for trauma weapons were imported directly from the Czech Republic until 2002.
Due to outdated and therefore not very accurate equipment, the first batches of “Fort 12” traumatic were of low quality. The weak points in these injuries, according to customer complaints, were the firing pin and the bolt stop.
In 2002, at NPK Fort, using its own, more modern equipment purchased in the Czech Republic, they began to produce samples of the Fort 12 injury device, which were quite high-quality in terms of their performance characteristics. The use of CNC machines has reduced the defect rate in models of recent years to 0.2-0.3%, which is indicative for traumatic weapons.
We test manufactured weapons at our own test site, using the latest and unique methods of trauma testing.
Current situation
Until 2011, Ukrainian trauma products were sold in Russia. After the import of imported traumatic weapons was banned, production was launched at domestic production facilities from Ukrainian components. The pistol was named Fort 12P.
In 2014, Ukraine banned the export of weapons components to Russia. Fort 12T parts were also banned. Pistol production was curtailed. Now you can only buy this pistol second hand. The price is approximately 40-50 thousand rubles.
Review of the Fort 12 pistol
As already mentioned, the design of the Fort 12 injury rifle was based on the Czech CZ-83 pistol. At this time, the Fort 12 traumatic pistol is available in five design versions:
- Matt gray color with special phosphor coating;
- Chromium-plated;
- Nickel plated;
- With a combined finish;
- With artistic inlaid engraving.
Additionally, the pistol can be equipped with a silencer (“Fort 12 B”), a laser target indicator (“Fort 17”), a flashlight for illuminating the target and a holster. The Fort 12 holster has several options.
The Fort 12 assault rifle also has several modifications for various cartridges:
- “Fort 12 B” – for 9×18 mm PM caliber charges;
- “Fort 12 CURZ” – 9×17 mm K.
One of the variants of “Fort 12” - “Fort 12 R”, manufactured in 1999, which is also intended for arming Ukrainian police, has, unlike the main model, a smooth barrel and a service life of 50,000 rounds.
Modifications
- Fort-12 is a basic pistol.
- Fort-12 Curz - disassembled for shooting with 9×17 Kurz cartridges.
- Fort-12B is a pistol with a flexible barrel. It allows you to purchase a kit that includes an additional barrel with a thread on the muzzle and a device to reduce the sound of the shot. This threat has already begun to establish itself among the fighters of special forces.
- Fort-12G - modification is intended for firing gas (PA BLANK) and noise (PAK) cartridges of 9 mm caliber, as well as launching signal flares using an additional blank cartridge of the same caliber 9 mm.
- Fort-12R - disassembled for firing 9-mm traumatic cartridges of the R.A. type, with non-lethal elastic bullets. Used for the civilian population and for the funeral service. The effective firing range is 10 m.
- Fort-12RM is also designed for firing 9-mm traumatic cartridges of the R.A. type or 11.43-mm .45 Rubber type, equipped with non-lethal elastic bullets. Used for the civilian population and for the funeral service. The effective range is 10 m. It looks like Fort-12R with improved ergonomics.
- Fort-12T is a gas pistol with the ability to fire traumatic cartridges of 9 mm caliber R.A. A design feature of the pistol is the presence of partitions in the barrel bore.
- Sokil is a sporting pistol, developed on the basis of the Fort-12 combat pistol, equipped with adjustable sighting devices and a device for extinguishing fire and meets all the requirements of the International Confederation of Practical Shooting.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the Fort 12 injury
"Fort 12" is a fairly convenient weapon both in terms of use and in terms of carrying. It is comfortable to shoot with one or two hands thanks to the comfortably designed grip, modeled to accommodate people with different hand sizes. The shape and size of the injury make it easy to remove it from the holster, and the recoil when firing is almost not felt.
The tactical and technical characteristics of the Fort 12 make it a much higher quality weapon than the Makarov:
- The length, height and width of the weapon are 180x131x32 mm, respectively;
- The barrel is 180 mm long. Its channel has high strength, as it is made of special high-strength barrel steel and has a hexagonal groove (6 grooves), but is susceptible to corrosion due to poor processing;
- The mass of the injury without ammunition is 830 g. This is a rather heavy model, but its weight is further increased due to the fact that 12 to 15 charges can be placed in the magazine;
- The caliber of cartridges used, as mentioned above, is 9 mm RA and 9x18 mm PM, depending on the internal design of the barrel.
If we compare the tactical and technical characteristics of the Fort 12 with the characteristics of the Makarov pistol, then the Fort significantly outperforms the PM in ease of use, shooting accuracy, and accuracy of combat. This is facilitated by the design of the entire injury, taken from the Czech models CZ-75 and CZ-83.
The Fort 12 automatic system operates on the principle of recoil with a free shutter. The barrel of the rifle is not connected to the bolt and when firing, due to the pressure of the bolt mass, the return spring locks the channel.
The trigger, copied from the Czech CZ-75, is of quite high quality and allows you to fire the gun both when the trigger is spontaneous and when it is pre-cocked.
The safety lever is located on the left side behind the bolt casing, which makes the weapon safe when carried in pockets or when dropped.
The Fort 12 traumatic pistol magazine has advantages over the PM:
- Quick reloading of the magazine due to the fact that after the charges are used up, the bolt is held in the rearmost position. The magazine latch is also conveniently located - next to the trigger guard, which also increases the speed of changing the magazine;
- The magazine holds a large number of cartridges - up to 15 pieces.
The sighting system of the pistol is perfectly tuned and has a wide rectangular shape, which allows you to accurately aim when shooting. It is also equipped with round markers that glow in the dark and help you aim more accurately.
The weapon is also notable for the fact that it does not require long training. You can show good shooting results from the Fort 12 after shooting 2-3 magazines.
Notes
- ↑ (pdf). (unavailable link)
- ↑
- Mikhail Trushechkin. Ten years is a long time! Traumatic weapons - results and prospects (part 2) // “Master Gun” magazine, No. 8 (137), August 2008. pp. 60-64
- “ The production has been launched and a large number of Fort-12 pistols have already been manufactured for firing gas cartridges, Fort-12R - ammunition filled with a rubber or plastic bullet with a traumatic effect.
A large batch of these weapons was purchased by customs office Vera Valerko. Excise tax on a stick “Armament with the mark “Made in Ukraine” // weekly “2000”, No. 22 (23) from June 2-8, 2000 - In Ukraine // magazine “Master Gun”, No. 69, December 2002. p.4
- Order of the Administration of the State Cordon Service of Ukraine No. 170 dated March 13, 2012 “On the approval of the Instructions on the organization of security will improve access control in the Administration of the State Cordon Service of Ukraine neither"
- Organization of fire training for prosecutors to ensure special security: beginning - practice. pos_b. / . – K.: National Academy of Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine, 2016. page 28-29
- “ The subject of security activities has the right: to ensure security activities, add, save and use, in accordance with the procedure established by law, special features, the transfer of which is designated by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
“Law Ukraine No. 4616-VI dated 22 February 2012 “About security activities” - Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 97 dated February 11, 2013. “About the confirmation of the transfer of special services, the preparation, preservation and use of which are affected by the subjects of security activity”
- “ As reported to “Segodnya” by the Central Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the Lvov region, the suspect in this crime has been identified - this is 39-year-old S., a correspondent for one of the local newspapers.
A registered 9 mm caliber Fort-12R pistol, adapted for firing rubber bullets, was confiscated from him. Interestingly, several years ago the Lviv police handed similar pistols to media representatives on the occasion of Journalist Day “The newspaperman threatened with a pistol // Segodnya newspaper, No. 138 (1483) dated June 24, 2003 - Order of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine No. 29 dated 02/17/2015. “An overview of the quality of work and special features that are offered to the workers of the State Protection Service of the Natural Reserve Fund of Ukraine”
- Fort-12R, Fort-12RM, Fort-12T, Fort-14R, Fort-17R, Fort-17T, Fort-18R // Precision guided weapons, small arms, light weapons and self-protection equipment. Spetstechnoexport catalog 2022. page 44
Disadvantages of the Fort 12 traumatic pistol
It would be strange if weapons only had positive aspects. The Fort 12 injury is no exception. Although it must be said that there are quite a few shortcomings in this injury model.
The first thing to note is that effective shooting is reduced due to the weak cartridges used in this injury.
The high-mounted safety also reduces the ease of operation of the pistol. Another drawback is that the design does not provide for an automatic firing pin safety for the purpose of safely removing the trigger from the firing position.
It should be noted that when disassembling the pistol to separate the bolt from the frame, you must first press on the axis of the bolt stop lever with a ramrod, which complicates and makes disassembly inconvenient.
If we evaluate the combat qualities of the Fort 12, it is worth saying that models manufactured after 2002 are of much higher quality compared to earlier models. All errors in the design were taken into account and, I must say, successfully. It must be said that the 15 years that went into debugging the weapon were not in vain, and “Fort 12” can be considered an excellent example of a traumatic weapon intended for official use.
"Fort 12" can be used not only as a weapon for self-defense or as a service weapon, but also, thanks to its high quality and long working life, as a pistol for sport shooting.
Positive and negative sides
The trigger guard has a rectangular protrusion, which ensures comfortable holding of the pistol in your hands. This is also affected by the transverse notch. Of course, the “Fort” (pistol) is different from the PM, which began to be used long before it. Some of the most striking innovations and advantages include better ergonomics, excellent shooting accuracy, reduced recoil, and increased rate of fire. However, there are also features that were worse. These are primarily size and weight. The smaller the pistol, the easier and more convenient it is to use at short distances, which is its purpose.
Positive sides
So what distinguishes the model from its analogues, and primarily from its competitor, Fort-12R? If the Fort-17R is slightly inferior in terms of strength, its weight is much less. Namely, this feature is one of the most important in traumatic pistols. Carrying a large, heavy weapon every day can never be enjoyable. The ergonomic handle and convenient arrangement of elements on the gun are also a plus of the model. However, you need to get used to this, especially for those who have already had experience in using traumatic weapons.
Removing the pistol from the safety can be done with the thumb, which speeds up the time that is involuntarily spent on firing. The bolt release lever and the magazine release button are also within direct access. It is worth noting that the handle size can be changed. However, this requires back parts, and they are not included in the kit. You can also change the front and rear sights to ones that are more convenient for a particular person. And the bar allows you to install a laser sight or flashlight. In general, Fort-17R is an excellent model that is common in many countries. It is reliable and easy to use. The Fort pistol is capable of saving a person’s life and not letting him down in times of danger. Its price is about 20,000 rubles.
