V-AR carbine. Czech hybrid AR15 and AK
“Men's Toys” presents the Czech V-AR carbine of 9x19 mm Luger caliber, created on the basis of the AR15. The Czech V-AR carbine was developed by gunsmith Pavel Voska. V-AR is a kind of hybrid of “sworn enemies” - AR15 and AK and is positioned as a modular self-loading weapon. It has the ability to use both 9x19 pistol ammunition and intermediate .223 ammunition. The main feature of the V-AR carbine is that it combines the form factor and ergonomics of the famous American AR15 assault rifle and the internal structure of the legendary Russian Kalashnikov AK assault rifle. So, being externally a copy of the Stoner system, it has a gas exhaust system inside, in which the waste powder gases are removed not back into the barrel, but into a tube in which there is a piston, which, in fact, pushes the bolt back when reloading. Such a system, first of all, increases the reliability of the weapon, because gases do not clog the barrel, which is critical for the trouble-free operation of the weapon and for shooting accuracy. Having received the advantages of the Kalashnikov, the V-AR did not inherit its disadvantages - not the most convenient ergonomics. All operations such as removing the weapon from the safety catch, switching fire modes, (in the civilian version this feature is not available, of course) removing the magazine can be performed by the shooter with one working hand, with which he holds the weapon and pulls the trigger. Another key feature of the V-AR is the ability to change the caliber and, as a result, the ammunition used. This became possible thanks to the “modularity” of the AR15 system, in which the shooter has the ability, having one “bottom,” to install almost any “top” on it. The V-AR comes in 9x19 Luger and .223 Rem calibers. Barrels are ordered from the famous German manufacturer of barrels and barrel blanks “Lothar Walther”, which has a positive effect on both the accuracy of fire and the accuracy of hits. The receiver and forend are made of high-strength aluminum alloy along the entire length and have built-in Picatinny rails, which allows you to install almost any weapon accessories on the weapon. Mechanical sights that come with the weapon can be installed on Picatinny rails or removed at the shooter’s discretion. To use 9 mm pistol ammunition, an adapter for a smaller magazine is supplied with the carbine. The carbine has a standard ergonomic handle. The stock stock is telescopic and has several length positions. The butt and handle are made of heat-resistant plastic. Due to the fairly large mass of the weapon, when using a 9-mm pistol cartridge in the carbine form factor, there is virtually no recoil, which allows for very accurate and high-speed shooting, including while on the move. An experienced shooter is able to “assemble” a very dense group on the target. A positive feature of the Czech carbine is that it perfectly accepts both high-quality foreign and “not very high-quality” domestic cartridges. Characteristics of the V-AR carbine: • Caliber: .223 Rem (9 mm) • Cartridge: 5.56x45 mm (9x19 mm Luger) • Barrel length: - 250 mm (250 mm), - 317 mm (250 mm), - 368 mm (250 mm) • Overall length: - 810 mm (810 mm), - 820 mm (810 mm), - 880 mm (810 mm) • Weight: - 3.45 kg (3.46 kg), - 3.77 kg (3.46 kg), — 3.84 kg (3.46 kg) • Magazine capacity: 10 (10) rounds
An association. AR-15 in 9 mm Luger from Hera Arms
While AR-15 clones in .223 Remington abound in Germany, versions chambered in 9mm Luger are rare. With the latest and compact model The 9ers “C” in 9 mm Luger from Hera Arms, a useful and visually successful continuation of the family of pistol carbines has arrived on the German market.
In Germany, AR-15 variants are only known in .223 Remington caliber or .308 Winchester caliber in the form of the AR-10 model. Less common versions are Blackout/Whisper, .22 lr or 9 mm Luger calibers. To boost sales of 9mm models, many manufacturers want to take advantage of the AR carbine's handling, brand recognition and value, and the legendary reputation of America's popular semiautomatic rifle. This philosophy seems to be working, as evidenced by sales in the United States, where lightweight carbines chambered for a classic pistol cartridge with low recoil are in demand.
Workmanship and equipment
Weapons for testing were provided to us by Hera Arms GmbH from the commune of Triefenstein in the Lower Franconia region. The receiver parts are manufactured in-house and follow the latest Gen3 design line with a distinctive style and dynamic, sporty look. The holding element is an H15G-Grip pistol grip with a built-in hollow compartment for small parts. It provides the shooting hand with a secure hold. The rigid, newly designed shoulder rest HRS (Hera Rifle Stock) is one of the concessions in German weapons law that allows the use of weapons in sports. Additional decorative panels can be inserted into the butt opening. The shoulder rest and handguard are equipped with sockets for quick-release QD swivels for attaching a belt. Mechanical sighting devices are not provided, however, BUIS folding sights and front sights can be mounted on the Picatinny rail of the receiver and, accordingly, on the forend. The upper side of the receiver is intended for installation of optical sights or optoelectronic devices.
The Hera Arms The 9ers “C” model in 9 mm Luger caliber with a 10-inch barrel, presented at IWA 2022, is approved for sports and is therefore completely new on the German market.
With a compact appearance and a short barrel, the tested weapon is well-made and functions flawlessly. The pins for disassembling both parts of the receiver can be easily pressed out with your thumb and pulled out to their extreme position. There is a typical AR-15 bolt release lever. Carefully executed hard anodizing gives the self-loading carbine a non-glare matte black exterior coating that is insensitive to external influences.
The muzzle of the barrel is threaded; a safety sleeve is included in the delivery set.
The manufacturer has installed a standard trigger mechanism, which is already equipped with modified Hera springs to ensure a reduced trigger force. The test weapon has a 2450. Those who prefer a match trigger can re-equip the weapon with components, for example, from Timney or Uhl, or place an additional order with Hera Arms for a personalized weapon before final production.
Attachable parts such as the pistol grip and thin-walled light alloy forend are also manufactured by Hera Arms.
On the left there is a fuse in the form of a typical rotating lever, but at any time it can be additionally equipped with a Hera MPSS fuse. The magazine release button is located on the right side of the lower receiver, in the same location as on .223 AR models. The Lower Receiver of the 9mm weapon does not require an adapter block and can accept Tip Colt SMG magazines or modified UZI magazines. Above the magazine opening there are textured support surfaces for the index finger of the firing hand. The free-floating 10-inch rifling barrel surrounds a free-floating light alloy forend with a picatinny rail at the 12 o'clock position and KeyMod mountings on the underside.
The free-floating handguard allows for mounting accessories.
This compact weapon is certified by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), which allows its use exclusively for sport shooting, which is an absolute innovation for such a compact weapon with a cartridge case length of less than 40 mm. By combining three much-needed related carbines (of different calibers), Hera Arms sets new standards that other manufacturers will have to try in the future. Operating principle
The weapon has a massive free bolt, which is located in the extreme forward position before firing, without engaging with the barrel, which is manufactured by Hera Arms GmbH itself. This means that after the shot, the bolt begins to move backward, overcoming the inertia of its mass, the mass of the 9-mm buffer and the resistance force of the return spring, the spent cartridge case is ejected through the extraction window to the right, when reeling in, a new cartridge is sent from the attached magazine and the weapon is ready for the next shot. The hammer of the firing mechanism is cocked again and is cocked even when the bolt is rolled back.
The Hera Arms The 9ers Model “C” bolt is manufactured in-house and is functionally equivalent to the American AR-15 9mm blowback.
From a technical point of view, this valve design is very simple; there are only a few highly stressed and loaded parts; it is rated as very reliable. After the last shot, the bolt remains locked in the rear position and, as soon as a new magazine is attached, can be sent forward again either by slightly pulling back and then releasing the T-shaped cocking lever, or by pressing the bolt stop lever. Using the bolt stop lever on the left side of the weapon, the bolt can be manually locked in the rear position to check for unloading or to eliminate the delay.
Optical sight
The Holosun 507C sight from the general importer Laserluchs GmbH from Koblenz served as an optical device for aiming. After the great success of the Holosun product line, compact reflex sights (Micro Red Dot) were also included in the large product range. Along with a red dot sight for offhand shooting that does not require parallax adjustment, along with a CR2032 battery for it, the black plastic case contains an installation tool, a cleaning cloth, a detailed description and a bracket suitable for a picatinny rail. By eliminating the EoTech A65 reticle, the 507C comes with a Circle-Dot reticle consisting of a 2 MOA dot in the center and a surrounding 32 MOA circle with short dots. However, a special feature of the optical device is that you can choose between three different aiming marks. Either they decide only on a 2 MOA dot, or a Circle-Dot reticle, or they prefer a 32 MOA circle with strokes without a center dot. By pressing the "-" button for three seconds, the circle and strokes will be extinguished, leaving only the 2 MOA dot. If you press the indicated button again, the optical device will switch to the third option - one circle with strokes without a dot. That is, the reticle is not replaced each time with another, as usually happens with competing products, but only part of the existing reticle goes out or an additional one is displayed. This results in the reticle being projected in the same location with precise repeatability. Moving the point of impact due to a change in the aiming mark is excluded.
The devices of the HS 507C model range combine almost all the design and innovative features of other red dot sights, so the presented device is, in some way, the flagship of the Holosun company. The device is equipped with a solar battery module located on a titanium holder covering it from above, which significantly increases the service life and duration of use of the battery. The solar panel collects the light energy that is required to generate the red reticle. However, there are two different types of operation available: automatic mode (powered always from a solar battery), in which the intensity of the illumination of the aiming mark independently adapts to the lighting conditions of the environment, or manual mode (provided by a battery), in which the intensity of the illumination can be adjusted according to twelve steps. Thus, in the end there are only two night and ten day modes available. With one battery charge, the Holosun HS 507C is ready for up to 50,000 hours of use with a Circle-Dot reticle and 100,000 hours with a 2 MOA dot reticle, in each case at medium intensity levels. In addition, the HS 507C sight is equipped with the Sensitive Motion Sensor system of the Shake Awake series. This means that if the electronics are not used for 10 minutes, they automatically turn off, but immediately turn on again when the position of the optical device is changed. The previously used settings remain the same.
The aiming point is adjusted vertically and horizontally by turning the drums using clicks in 1/2 MOA increments. The adjustment range is 40 MOA vertically and 40 MOA horizontally. The adjustable base of the bracket allows installation on any MIL-STD M1913 Picatinny rail. An HS 507C scope base plate is available as an alternative to match the Trijicon RMR Footprint scope base. This means that any mount that fits the Trijicon RMR will also fit the HS 507C.
The control elements of the HS 507C sight are of such dimensions that they can be operated without any problems even with gloves. The case consists of high-strength aluminum alloy T7075 and is additionally protected by a titanium cage covering it from above. The crisp 2 MOA reticle ensures accurate hits even at long ranges. The larger 32 MOA circle is intuitive when the target is close.
The HS 507C scope was mounted using a Trijicon RMR Footprint mount on a UTG/Leapers RMR adapter. The long clamping jaws of the bracket base are equipped with double guides that prevent deformation. Two large torx screws provide sufficient clamping force and, with the help of a torque wrench, allow precise, stable installation every time, without changing the position of the aiming point. Also, any movement forward or backward when firing the bracket-optics assembly is eliminated by several integrated rectangular stops that absorb recoil, which interact with the grooves on the picatini rail.
The double-row magazine holds ten rounds and feeds them flawlessly. To clean the Hera Arms The 9ers “C” model, it is enough to disassemble it into its main parts.
Practice test
The tested weapons functioned flawlessly with all types of ammunition tested. We got the best dispersion picture with factory-loaded S&B ammo with 124 grain FMJ bullets. The weapon was equipped with a Leupold VX-R 3–9×40 optical sight with a FireDot-Duplex reticle.
The ten-round double-stack magazine we tested fed flawlessly, and after the last shot the bolt was automatically engaged by the slide stop each time. If the magazine release button was pressed, it would freely fall out of the receiving window. During practical testing, the weapon functioned reliably with a wide variety of cartridges.
A rigid shoulder rest is a concession to gun laws.
DWJ findings
During testing, The 9ers “C” weapons from the Hera Arms model range functioned without delay. Accuracy when firing factory ammunition is outstanding. What we have here is a high-quality, compact, sports-approved self-loading carbine chambered for short-barreled weapons with an interesting and innovative appearance and technical details. Stefan Menge Translation by Nikolai Ezhov
