The SIG made PE90P is a SIG550 series pistol that has been imported from Switzerland. The PE90P is the private model make of the 550 series. These PE models are made for civilian use and oftentimes came first before the military production batches. PE stands for “privaten” which means private (personal) use. The Swiss needed a successor to the STG-57/PE57 rifle which utilized the Schmidt Rubin 7.55x55mm Swiss (GP11) cartridge. This rifle was great but large and heavy compared to many of the newer service rifles around the world. The Swiss began to look at manufacturing a much lighter and modular carbine to fill this role. Waffenfabrik Bern utilized models in both 6.45x48mm and 5.56x45mm (NATO) when testing this new carbine system in the SG541. 5.56 was a clear winner and in 1986 the Swiss began production of the SIG550.
In 1990 it was adopted by the Swiss military and later named STG90 or PE90 for citizen use. The rifle is very modular even 30 years later it utilizes ambidextrous safety-fire selectors. The 550 uses the famously reliable long-stroke gas piston operating system. The trigger guard can rotate outward for use with large winter gloves. It accepts 30, 20, 10, and 5 round polymer magazines that use a rock and lock system and features a last-round bolt hold open. The SG550/PE90 utilizes polymer furniture that is sleek and lightweight. The pistol grip has a compartment for magazine speed loaders or cleaning kits.
The PE90 is desired by many shooting enthusiast because of its accuracy and tradition is Swiss contemporary history. It is known in Switzerland that shooters will train with the rifle using open sights at 100 and 300 meters. The SIG PE90 has a European style iron sight system utilizing a hooded front sight and a rotating drum sight. The PE90 accepts diopter sights which are typically utilized at the 300-meter range. This is quite amazing for simply using iron sights. The PE90 does have modern optics mounting options and some new models even feature full length 1913 picatinny rails for this.
The AK-47 or better known as the Avtomat Kalashnikov is a long-stroke gas piston-operated rifle/pistol chambered in 7.62x39mm. The gun was originally designed and developed by the Soviet Union and designed by the successful arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov. The AK-47 successfully became the Soviet Unions’ service rifle and even beat out firearm designing legend Sergei Simonov’s SKS rifle for this achievement. The AK47 was finished being designed in 1947 just two years after the SKS began its service life for the Soviets the AK began its development that year.
The AK47 is distinct by having a milled receiver from solid steel. It took advantage of steel stamping for the magazine and for the dust cover. At the time this method was very cost-effective for the Soviet Union and soon for their Warsaw pact allies. Mikhail Kalashnikov was a tank mechanic during the Second World War. During this time period the Germans were rolling out the world’s first-ever assault rifle the Sturmgewehr 1944 (STG44) This rifle took advantage of stamped steel parts and a smaller intermediate rifle cartridge 7.92x33mm Kurz which gave soldiers rifle power but more carrying capacity. 7.62×39 is very similar to the 7.92×33 cartridge. There are three types of milled AK receivers developed between 1947 and 1955 type 3 was the most recent and “final” version for milled AK47s. The AK47 is different than the AKM. The AKM is functionally the same as an AK47 however it fully takes advantage of sheet metal stampings. This was, even more, cost-effective than using a milled receiver. The AKM has loser tolerances but the same reliability and function. The receiver is made of folded 1mm thick steel supported by pins and rivets. The AKM went into production in 1959 and is the most common rifle and military pistol found around the world today due to the amount produced by the Russians and their Warsaw pact allies. One of the most successful Warsaw Pact nations to utilize the AKM was the Romanians.
The Romanians called their AKM the Pistol Mitraliera Model 1963 or simply put the PM MD.63 which was developed around 1963. The Romanian AKM became very distinguishable due to the finish they used on the wood as well as adding the famous wooden “dong” foregrip. The Romanian AKs were built at the famous arms factory Cugir also known as Romarm. The PM MD.65 was later introduced as a compact AKS-type weapon. Arguably the greatest Romanian AK contributions were the PM MD.80 and MD.90 which were short-barreled AK pistols. They came equipped with the 90-degree gas block which increased reliability especially out of shorter barrel AKs. This style of the gas block would later go on to be used in many modern AK variants so the innovation was very revolutionary. The PSL-54M or Romak III would be another great example of a unique AKM variant. The rifle features budged front trunnions because it is shooting the larger and more powerful 7.62x54R cartridge. This rifle was also developed by Romania. Many people are attracted to the PSL because it looks like an SVD Dragunov, but that is not the case. After the Romanians refused to partake in the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia the Soviet Union decided not to share any more military technology with the Romanians. The Romanians would not receive blueprints and licensing for the SVD and so they had to make their own DMR by upscaling and AKM. The receiver is stamped and the rifle utilizes a long stroke gas piston system.
Swiss craftsmanship and resourcefulness is on display with the model Swiss Schmidt Rubin 1896/1911. These rifles are historical marvels for many reasons, but one of the most interesting is that the stock’s serial number will never match the rest of the rifle. That’s because the Swiss used old 1889/1896 rifle stocks with the updated 1911 actions. Of course, they’re still considered “matching” by collectors, since they were produced this way by the Swiss.
This rifle expresses its historical journey by using newer Swiss military technology capable of firing 7.5x55mm (GP11) rounds while conserving precious resources; one can see the change where the Swiss grafted a much more modern grip onto the old stock. The Swiss also added a newer trigger guard plate. This makes the Schmidt Rubin model 96/11 functionally the same as a 1911, while at the same time showcasing the resourcefulness and craftsmanship the Swiss drew from to create the rifle.
The Schmidt Rubin Model 1911 was not, in fact, a 1911-style pistol, but a Swiss military rifle. It replaced the previous Model 1889 service rifle as the next evolution in Swiss military long arms developments. A symbol of Swiss neutrality throughout the first World War, these battle-ready precision instruments simply never entered the battle.
The 1911 changed the location of the locking lugs from the 1889’s design by moving them into the middle of the bolt, rather than at the rear, which strengthened the action of the rifle. This was necessary to accommodate the evolving powerful and modernized cartridges of the time, to fit the needs of the Swiss military. The Schmidt Rubin Model 1911 rifle is chambered for the Gewehrpatrone 11, commonly known as the GP11 round.
This round was updated to be completely noncorrosive and increase accuracy at longer distances and was kept in service until the 1990s. The Model 1911 features a 30.7” barrel with a 1 in 9 twist rate. The rifle utilizes a 6-round detachable magazine that utilizes the 7.5×55 Swiss cartridge. Because the Swiss remained neutral throughout the war, these rifles are in much better condition than other European WWI service rifles. It’s a prestigious piece of small arms history that can be passed on and appreciated for generations.
The Swiss K11, like the Swiss Model 1911, was a revolutionary rifle in Swiss small arms developments. The K11, which stands for “karabiner model 1911,” was a carbine model used to replace both the Model 1905 Carbine and the Schmidt-Rubin Model 1889/1900 Short rifle. This is because the Swiss discovered that cavalrymen, support soldiers, and other units required a shorter rifle than what was available at the time.
The K11 uses the same newer technology as its sibling m1911, but is engineered into a smaller and lighter mechanism. Significantly lighter than the full-sized 1911, yet still fully accurate and precise at long distances, the rifle features a 23.3” barrel. Chambered for the modernized 7.5x55mm Swiss (GP11) cartridge, this carbine was made concurrently with the model 1911 and was produced concurrently with the m1911. Production of the K11 stopped in 1919; however, they went into production again later in 1933. There were around 184,000 rifles produced through its service life. The Karabiner 1911 was so successful at its job that it eventually led to the development of its successor, the K31.
Want to own a piece of history? The Tokarev was one of the greatest weapons of the 20th century. A reliable handgun designed originally in Soviet Russia in the early 1930s by Fedor Tokarev, it was the premier service pistol for the Soviets in World War II. But the Soviets were about to turn on their former American allies in a conflict that came to be known as “the Cold War.” The Tokarev pistol formed Absolute Zero for many Soviet-bloc soldiers.
Romania had fallen under the sway of the USSR as part of the Warsaw Pact. Because of this, they were given information on Soviet technology which allowed them to produce their very own TT-33 pistols. These pistols were created under the same specifications that the Russians used, and so the pistol is very uniform in terms of design and performance. The TT-33 is very similar to the FN Model 1903 which was designed by John Browning. Now, Colorado Gun Sales has a selection of these authentic vintage TT-33 Cugir Romanian Select Production Tokarev pistols.
The TT-33 is a blowback pistol utilizing a short-recoil tilting barrel system, like an M.1911 pistol! The TT-33 is a lot more robust, however, as it has a much simpler hammer/sear assembly and does not utilize an “in-grip” safety like a 1911. These are single-action-only pistols and utilize 7.62×25 Tokarev a revolutionary round known for its high-velocity capabilities.
Authentic 1950’s Romanian TT Tokarev 7.62×25 caliber pistols mfd. by the Cugir Factory in ROMANIA. Each pistol has been meticulously reconditioned and finished by the European factory at the time the safeties were installed. The barrels are not brand new but will be great shooters. Each pistol features an early 1950s mfr. date. Overall length: 7.68 in., Barrel: 4.57 in., Weight: 1.88lbs. Includes 1-8rd magazine and a very good condition, period-correct black leather holster. Production years available: 1952,1953,1954,1955. Holster colors available: Black, Brown, Grey.
