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| The Premier Military Magazine for Professional Adventurers Issue #5 |
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Index |
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Classifieds |
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 A lady to reckon with |
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Iron River Gunworks Releases a Radical Pistol Staff Iron River Gunworks, of Two Sticks, Regina Prime, is known for producing radical and ingenious firearms in limited number runs, and their latest offering is no exception. Dubbed the 'Viper' as a tip of the hat to a well know local gunslinger, the pistol is as unique as it's namesake. The Viper is a fully automatic 4.7mm open-bolt pistol with a magazine containing 25 bottle-neck rounds. The designer, Karl Czepke, was quick to point out that the pistol is more accurately described as using a locking system called 'Advanced Primer Ignition' or API. What this means its that the rounds are fired a millisecond before the bolt is fully closed. As a result, the spent case must first overcome the forward momentum of the bolt before it can be ejected. This system not only provides breech locking, but also significantly reduces recoil, a critical factor in a 1 kg pistol that spits out bullets at a rate of over 1000 rnds per minute, and at a blistering 1080 meters per second. Like all of Iron River's pistols, the Viper is made from EDM machined alloy steel forgings. The finish is mirror perfect polished with crisp edges. The gun wore Iron River's proprietary 'deep blue', which gives the it a lustrous blue-black finish that is impervious to the elements. The grips are perfectly executed black carbon-fibre. Field stripping was simple following the included instructions, and the internal parts were as perfectly finished as the external, with no sign of any machining marks anywhere. We don't recommend going beyond a field strip, as the gun fits together like a Hiver puzzle. In fact, the only screws on the gun are on the grips and rear sight. This pistol pointed naturally and fit the hand like a glove. It begged to be fired. We accompanied Mr. Czepke to Iron River's gun range with 500 round of ammo for some serious testing. As an aside, Iron River refers to this gun as being .17 caliber. Caliber is a measure of bore diameter based on the old Solomani inch. Land diameter is 4.7mm, and case length is 21mm. -ed |
 For a pistol firing what is essentially a shortened rifle case, we expected some muzzle blast. What we were unprepared for was the Viper's huge tongue of flame when the gun is fired in the full automatic mode. However, recoil was snappy but surprisingly mild, and the gun was suprisingly quiet, thank to the Viper's active sound suppressor, which emits an inverse pulse of sound that effectively cancels most of the 130 dBs generated buy this gun.
The trigger is a crisp two stage--what is known as a progressive trigger. A pull to the first stop gives conventional semiautomatic fire. Pull the trigger to the second stop and the gun's 25 round magazine is emptied in a sharp cough. Fortunately, the Viper has a selector that lets the user choose between full automatic and five round burst. It took some getting useful, and 500 rounds disappeared quickly. A quick trip to replenish our supplies, and back to the range. After a bit more practice and using the burst mode, were able to consistently place 5 round groups in a 10cm circle at 15m. The gun is supplied in a fitted gollar-wood case with 2 magazines and 100 round of ammunition, spare springs, screws and sight tool. All for only Cr7500. At that price, the Viper is not for everyone. But if you are one of the lucky ones who can afford it and don't mind waiting the six months it will take to get one, our advice is buy lots of ammo. This gun begs to be shot, and in the full auto mode will burn up that 100 rounds in a tenth of a second. We're not sure what tactical role this handgun fills, but it's a lot of fun. |