Written by Michael Thervil
Say what you want about China, but the one thing that China is good at is the business of doing business. And the way China will approach the business of weapons manufacturing and international arms sales will be no different than any other business venture China has decided to embark upon. When it came to China developing, manufacturing, selling, and deploying weapons on the international scale, it seemed like China was always playing catch up. Or were they? While NATO block countries utilized the 5.56x39mm and as their primary ammunition of choice for their small arms such as a rifle – China in contrast utilized their own proprietary 5.8x42mm round which according to the Chinese has a superior ballistic performance and higher velocity when compared to the NATO’s 5.56x39mm and Russia’s 5.45x39mm.
Another stark comparison between in NATO and Chinese specifications in terms of rifles is how the traditional modern rifles manufactures engineered the bolt, gas system and magazine well in front of the trigger; as opposed to the Chinese placing their bolt, gas system and magazine well behind the trigger for what it is known as a “bullpup” designed weapon system. There are legitimate reasons for this. A bullpup rifle system can be better utilized in smaller spaces as opposed to a modern traditional rifle such as a M-4, AR-10/15 or HK-416. In addition, a bullpup rifle allows the operator to use a longer barrel thus increasing both their accuracy and bullet velocity due to the construction of the gun.
But what the Chinese Type-95 bullpup was missing was the ability to accommodate various modern sights and optics that allow for better fighting capabilities. Again, this can be easily observed and understood. When we look at the latest Chinese weapon system dubbed the “QBZ-191” which is a short stroke gas piston rifle, we can easily see that the Chinese have combined the best of the AR-10/15, AK-47/74, and the Type-95 rifle weapon systems. What we appreciate the most about the new QBZ-191 is that they engineered the charging handle on the side of the weapon system as well as keeping the magazine release button integrated into the trigger guard, providing the operator with the same functionality and familiarity of the AK-47/74, and HK MP5 weapon systems.
Now times are changing, and things are somewhat different. And with these different times China is now manufacturing not only an entirely different small arms weapon system for their military personnel – but they have set their sights on selling that weapon system and others on the international stage. See unlike America and the collective west, China doesn’t care about how you use their weapons, just as long as you don’t use it on them. Remember China is in the business of business. This means they will sell to governments and terrorist groups alike with no political bias and with impunity. It’s called “Free Trade”.
With China increasing their sale of small arms weapons in the international market, they don’t have to wait for the endless bureaucracy that tends to come along with weapon sales from America and other countries that follow suit. In a nutshell, China is creating a sort of “open source” for international small weapons sales. This is good news and bad news. The bad news is that more people are going to die – that should be the most obvious fact. The good news is that both governments and people alike will have an opportunity to obtain more affordable weapons for military and personal use. Another piece of good news is that China will have a reason to mass produce more of its proprietary 5.8x42mm ammunition that will aid in boosting their GDP.
Again, Chinese manufacturing is nothing like American manufacturing. China can run their factories 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with lower pay and a cheaper cost without the interference of social outcry. Remember China is in the business of business. Another piece of good news for China is that they will be able to take advantage of the firearm accessories market. Remember, long gone are the days of poor-quality control when it comes to manufacturing sensitive items like weapons from China. We can say this because we know that the use of weapons no matter the kind is a very sensitive topic of conversation and application. So, if a weapons manufacturer makes a bad weapon system, they will be out of business the same day. Note: China will provide in house financing for bulk purchases of their weapon systems.
Keep in mind that with China increasing their presence in the small arms weapons market, they will manufacture more than rifles. Norinco – China’s only weapons manufacture which is state run will most definitely eventually carve its way into the civilian and law-enforcement handgun market. Why? Because of the Chinese’s propensity to reverse engineer just about anything and resell it on the open market for much less than its competitors. We will leave you with this to think about:
What do you think will happen when China floods the market with a high-quality mass produced semi-automatic handgun that costs less than $200 U.S.?
Have fun with that one.
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