Chinese family of automatic weapons Type 95 (QBZ-95)

Chinese assault rifle Norinco QBZ 95

Automatic rifle "QBZ 95" - intended for use in the Chinese armed forces as a personal weapon. The assault rifle is also known as the "TYPE 95".

History of "QBZ 95".

In the 80s of the last century, the military department opened a program to create a domestic cartridge with a small recoil impulse and, accordingly, design weapons using it. Chinese specialists developed a 5.8x42 mm cartridge, it was called “DBP87”. As the developers point out, the cartridge is superior in basic firing characteristics to 5.56x45mm and 5.45x39mm cartridges. The cartridge was designed for the “TYPE 87”, which is a modernized version of the “TYPE 56” with some changes to improve firing accuracy. “TYPE 56” is a licensed copy of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. “TYPE 87” assault rifles and machine guns were produced in limited quantities and entered service with a number of special units. The first production weapon using the new low-pulse ammunition was the TYPE 88 sniper rifle. QBU 88 was produced using a bullpup layout. “TYPE 88” turned out to be a successful solution; on its basis they began to develop automatic weapons, one of which is the “QBZ-95” assault rifle. After a series of successful tests in 1995, the QBZ-95 ShV entered service with the Chinese armed forces. The assault rifle appeared in public in 1997 after the return of Hong Kong to Chinese control, at which time the Chinese garrison of Hong Kong was fully armed with the QBZ-95 ShV.

Main components of QBZ-95.

“TYPE 95” replaced the obsolete “TYPE 81” assault rifle, which is a modernized AK-47 with 7.62x39 mm ammunition caliber. The rifle is a fully automatic weapon, with a shortened piston stroke. The rotating bolt completely closes the barrel with three stops. On top, on the receiver, under the holding handle, there is a bolt cocking handle. Thanks to the trigger mechanism, based on the AK-47 trigger, the rifle can fire both single and automatic fire. The firing selection translator itself is located on the right side of the rifle on the rear of the rifle body. The order of the firing selection modes remained unchanged and corresponds to the firing selection order of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, which is not entirely typical for modern automatic assault rifles. Like the AK, there is also an additional choice of shooting in small bursts of three rounds. The receiver is made of aluminum alloys, the rifle body is made of durable plastic. Based on the bullpup layout, a magazine with cartridges is located behind the firing control handle. The final, rear side serves to rest the shoulder when firing. The weapon is not suitable for left-handers - the window for ejecting cartridges is located on the right side of the rifle, and is very close to the person’s head; when replacing hands with a left-hander, the cartridges will be ejected directly into the face.

The rifle has such a modern approach as a non-removable handle for moving the weapon, which also houses the rear sight, which has adjustable positions. The control handle and the firing bracket are made of one component with a plastic body, while the enlarged part of the bracket plays the role of additional support for the left hand. The rifle's power supply is identical to the Kalashnikov assault rifle; the magazine has a capacity of 30 rounds. The rifle comes with a bayonet, a belt for moving the weapon, and a cleaning kit for maintaining the assault rifle. Additional accessories for the ShV QBZ-95: day sight, night sight, under-barrel grenade launcher (QLG91B caliber 35 mm, LG2 and LG1 caliber 40 mm) and Riot Gun (TYPE B) caliber 38 mm for police operations using special ammunition. It is also possible to use rifle grenades for shooting, which can be placed on the barrel of a rifle.

Modifications of ShV QBZ-95:

— basic model QBZ-95; — the short-barrel model QBZ-95B is designed for special forces and the Chinese Navy; — the QBB-95 LSW light machine gun is made with an elongated, heavier barrel and has increased rate of fire characteristics. A drum-shaped magazine with a capacity of 75 or 100 rounds; — the QBZ-97 model is made for 5.56x45 mm NATO ammunition. Receiver for STANAG 4179 magazine. It is possible to use compatible magazines (an M-16 magazine is ideal); — special model QBZ-97B. Based on the QBZ-97, has a shortened barrel; - QBB-97 LSW light machine gun. Based on the QBB-95 LSW, uses the NATO 5.56x45mm cartridge.

Main characteristics of QBZ-95:

— weight 3.25 kilograms; — rifle length 745 mm; - barrel 463 mm; — ammunition 5.8x42 mm; — characteristic rate of fire 650 rounds/min; — magazine 30 ammunition; — aimed fire range 400 meters; - principle of operation - rotary shutter, gas removal during shooting.

Additional Information.

The QBZ-95 assault rifle and its modifications are in service with the following countries: China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia.

History[edit]

Receiver on the left close-up

T91 on display

The T91 was a further development of the T86 assault rifle, which was intended to replace the T65 series of assault rifles in Taiwanese military service. Previous design experiences and feedback from various users were incorporated into the T91. Development was completed in 2002, and full production began in 2003.

The T91 was designed with People's Liberation Army capabilities in mind and is superior to the Type 81 assault rifle. It also has advantages over the QBZ-95 [1], China's current standard assault rifle.

There are rumors that arms dealers have secretly inquired about the possibility of selling to some militant groups in Southeast Asia, but have reportedly been turned down by the Republic of China Ministry of National Defense (MND). The MND neither confirms nor denies such rumors. [2]

Links[edit]

1. Fortier, David. "AR-15 Wolf A1 Gas Piston Upper Receiver Review". www.firearmsnews.com
   . Firearms News. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
2. (In Chinese)
3. ^ ab Lo Tien-Ping and Jonathan Chin, Aaron Tu. "University polygonal rifling improves weapons". taipeitimes.com
   . Taipei Times. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
4. "Ammunition for the Wolf is brought to us by Type 91 Upper -" . October 13, 2016
5. Chin, Jonathan. "Thousands of T91 rifles sold in US in one day: report". taipeitimes.com
   . Taipei Times. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
6. 波士尼亞特種部隊 採購 T91 戰鬥步槍 (Bosnian special forces buy T91 assault rifle) (in Chinese) [ inactive link
   ]
7. 許紹軒 (February 16, 2008). "波士尼亞特種部隊採購T91戰鬥步槍" .自由時報. Archived from the original on 2009-04-13.
8. 蘇仲泓 (07/18/2019). "文訪海地受軍禮歡迎安全部隊各式軍子、步槍皆台灣贈予" .風傳媒.
9. 林銘翰 (07/18/2019). "" ETtoday.
10. [1]
11. 中華民國軍方證實國造 T86 步槍及 T91 步槍銷往約旦 (T86 and T91 sold to Jordan confirmed by ROC Army) (in Chinese) [ dead link
    ]
12. https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_me_kuwait
13. "UAE gave weapons for Chen's visit". Taipei Times
    . Taiwan. 2005

Accessories [edit]

The T91 has a MIL-STD-1913 rail on the top of the receiver, handguard and front sight. The standard removable handle can be removed to accommodate a variety of rifle scopes and rifle scopes. It can also be equipped with a 40mm T85 grenade launcher to perform a fire support role at the squad level.

Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology developed the T91 indoor shooting simulator for infantry shooting training. This equipment is capable of simulating various weather conditions, shooting distances and wind conditions.

A paintball conversion kit is also provided for training purposes.

Other attachments include red dot sights or holographic sights similar to EOTech models.

Design

Type 97 tank machine gun with optical sight, magazine and protective casing.
The Type 97 was mechanically similar to the Czech ZB vz. 26, with a different stock and pistol grip. It had a 20-round straight vertical magazine and used the same 7.7 mm cartridges as the Type 99. The gun barrel could easily overheat, meaning the gunner would fire bursts or the barrel would fire.

When installed in the tank, a fixed 1.5x optical sight with a 30° field of view was used. To prevent injury to the gunner, a rubber eyepiece is attached to the rear of the viewfinder.

When used as an infantry weapon, bipods were used. Without the bipod, it weighed 11.25 kg (24.8 lb).

Production and use[edit]

A Taiwanese military policeman on duty at Taipei Songshan Airport.

In 2003, the Taiwanese Army ordered 101,162 T91 combat rifles as a replacement for all service rifles in the force, with a delivery schedule from 2004 to 2008. The total budget was NT$1,803 million (US$54.6 million), translating to a price tag of approximately NT$17,800 (US$539). As of April 2006, nine Taiwan Army armored, mechanized and infantry brigades have been completely converted to T91 tanks.

In 2005, the Taiwanese Military Police ordered 12,069 T91 combat rifles to equip garrison units around the capital Taipei. Delivery will continue for the next three years.

T91 export sales to Jordan and Kuwait have been officially confirmed. The Jordan Defense Forces have reportedly conducted comparative tests of several service rifles in desert conditions. The T91 was found to have reliability comparable to the AK-47, with better performance than the M16, making it highly reliable in desert environments.

Indonesia has purchased about 10,000 T91 combat rifles from Taiwan to equip police and border patrol units. [ citation needed

]

The UAE acquired T91 rifles after Sheikh Hamid bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Taiwan, and batches of T91s were soon delivered to the UAE.

The T91 upper was also exported to the United States through Wolf Performance Ammunition. [4] When it was first released, Wolf was reported to have sold over a thousand uppers in one day. [5]

Options [edit]

The T91K3 features polygonal rifling that increases barrel life and improves accuracy. [3] The 205th Arsenal and the National Defense University are jointly developing a nickel-boron finish for the bolt carrier that will fire approximately 10,500 rounds without any lubrication. [3]

List of options[edit]

• T91 assault rifle
• T91 CQC: Barrel length reduced from 406 mm (16 in) to 349 mm (13.7 in). A tactical rail and grip have been added to the forend.
• T91S: The barrel wall is thicker to improve accuracy and increase shooting time. Instead of the original, a lightweight forend with a tactical rail has been added. Added new Magpul stock.
• T91K1: added a heavier barrel. Added a new handguard with a tactical rail. Added UTG front bipod. Added new Magpul MOE SL stock.
• T91K2
• T91K3: new barrel added. Increases accuracy by 2.5 times and barrel life by 2 times.