12 August 2004
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The Handguns of Operation Iraqi Freedom
Eric R Poole
Marine Sergeant Eric Poole was on the ground in Iraq during
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Poole serves as Competitive Shooting
Division Program Coordinator at National Rifle Association.
Poole recounts here the handguns he encountered in the
hands of Iraqi soldiers and civilians as Saddam Hussein fell
from power.
EDCC is grateful for Sgt. Poole's service and this submission
for our readers.
As Americans witnessed the image of Saddam Hussein's statue
being pulled down in Baghdad, Marines of E Company, 3rd
Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalion were clearing
Iraqi military compounds and discovering hoards of firearms,
ammunition and explosives. Filling my billet in the company as
the armory chief, I took a special interest throughout the war in
recording accurate information about the various small arms
American troops came across and up against.
Once the possibility of going to war in Iraq became real, many
troops, including me, sought information about Iraq's small
arms. In researching various articles and publications, I
discovered assertions about Iraqi equipment were often
inaccurate. As the war would reveal, the Iraqi military was a
jumble of inconsistencies that would mirror Saddam's regime
and a disjointed Soviet influence. Below are some of handguns
commonly--and uncommonly--encountered by US troops.
Makarov Pistol
The Makarov was one of the most common pistols issued to
and carried by officers in the Iraqi army and remains one of the
frequently encountered handguns in Iraq today. Typical of the
Soviet-made model, the Makarovs that I came into contact with
usually had Soviet-issue dark red plastic grips, but a few
Chinese copies had black plastic grips. This Russian design is
thought to have been derived from the Walther PP pistol and
was a replacement for the Tokarev TT-33. The former Soviet
Union had adopted the design by 1951, while China accepted
its version into service in 1959. A conventional double-action
pistol, it has a long double-action trigger pull and is chambered
for the 9x18 mm Makarov cartridge, which adheres to the
former Soviet policy that its ammunition should differ from the
rest of the world. Copies of the Makarov pistol were also made
in Germany and Bulgaria.
Markarov Pistol
Operation: blowback-operated, double action, semi-automatic
pistol
Caliber: 9x18 mm Makarov
Overall Length: 6.3"
Barrel Length: 3.7"
Rifling: four-groove, RH twist
Weight: 29 ozs.
Sights: fixed blade front, notch rear
Magazine Capacity: eight rounds
Safety: Manual safety and decocking lever on left rear of slide
Origin: Soviet Union (and China)
Tariq Pistol
There are actually two different Iraqi-made pistols that bear the
"Tariq" name, and both are licensed copies of Beretta designs.
The commonly encountered 9 mm Tariq is based on the Beretta
Model 951 single-action, semi-automatic pistol design.
Ironically, its slide and barrel assembly bear a family
resemblance to the U.S. M9 pistol currently issued to U.S.
troops, as the Model 92-based M9s bear the same open-top
slide and barrel arrangement as the Model 951. The second
Tariq is an Iraqi-made 7.65 mm or .32 ACP single-action,
semi-automatic based on the blowback-operated Beretta Model
70, but it is not as commonly encountered in Iraq as the 9 mm.
The Model 951 was Beretta's first locked-breech military design,
and it was developed at the request of the Italian government
after World War II. It was initially adopted with a lightweight (25
oz.) "Ergal" aluminum alloy frame, but there were durability
difficulties with aluminum-framed guns. Beretta then improved
the pistol with a steel frame and production resumed in
1955.The Egyptian government purchased a large quantity of
951s starting in 1955, and, by the early 1960s, a license was
obtained by the Maadi Company in Cairo to make the guns
domestically. It remained in production as the Helwan pistol
until 1995.
The Model 951 pistol proved popular with military and police
forces in various other countries as well, including Iraq.
Sometime after 1963, Iraq negotiated a contract with Beretta to
produce Tariqs at its Al-Kasesiah plant outside Baghdad.
Quantities of the two models manufactured are unknown. The
grips of Iraq's copies are the most discernable feature, and they
incorporate a portrait of the medieval Arabic warrior Tariq
ibn-Ziyad--who invaded Spain in 711 A.D.--on a silver medallion.
The 9 mm is generally marked "TARIQ 9m/m - licensed by
BERETTA" on the slide's right, and those marking are repeated
on slide's left in a Arabic. Similarly, the 7.65 mm pistol is marked
"TARIQ 7.65m/m - licensed by BERETTA" on the slide's right
with the markings repeated in Arabic on the left. Beretta ceased
production of the 1951 in 1983, but Iraq continued to produce
the 9 mm pistols for officers and elite forces until the beginning
of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Tariq Pistol 9 mm Pistol
Caliber: 9 mm Parabellum
Operation: recoil-operated, single-action, semi-automatic pistol
Overall Length: 8.0"
Barrel Length: 4.49"
Rifling: six-groove, RH twist
Weight: 30.7 ozs.
Sights: fixed front blade; rear drift adjustable for windage
Magazine Capacity: eight rounds
Safety: manual cross-bolt safety via a push button at the top
rear of grip
Origin: Al-Kasesiah, Iraq
Tariq 7.65 mm Pistol
Caliber: 7.65 mm
Operation: blowback-operated, single-action, semi-automatic
pistol
Overall Length: 6.30"
Barrel Length: 3.35""
Rifling: six-groove, RH twist
Weight: 23.4 ozs.
Sights: fixed front blade; rear drift adjustable for windage
Magazine Capacity: seven rounds
Safety: manual safety lever on left rear of frame
Origin: Al-Kasesiah, Iraq
Browning Model 1935 Hi Power
A pistol considered being John M. Browning's last, the basic
design features of the Model 1935 Hi Power date back to the
early 1920s. The French military was in search a new pistol
design, and Fabrique Nationale answered that call. Even
though the French subjected this pistol to many tests, they
ultimately declined the Hi Power. An engineer by the name of
Dieudonne Joseph Saive worked for FN on improving
Browning's original design.
The M1935 was nearly introduced in 1929, but the American
stock market crash delayed plans to bring it out until November
1934. By 1935, the pistol had been reworked many times and
was considered by many to be flawless--a supposition
supported by the fact that very few alterations to the design
have been made to this day. A cam underneath the barrel and a
sear bar in the slide were the chief design improvements made
by Browning over the link system used by the M1911.
The most noticeable feature that differentiates the M1935 from
the M1911 is the 13-round-capacity double-column magazine, a
design by Saive that affords this model the name "Hi Power."
During World War II, the Hi Power was the only pistol to see
production on both sides: the Allies produced a version at
Inglis, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, while the Germans
contributed production at the occupied FN plant in Belgium.
The British army adopted the Hi Power after the war, and
production continued to increase as distribution ranged to
more than 90 countries, including NATO. Today, this pistol
exists in many calibers to include the 9 mm, .40 S&W and even
.41 AE.
In Iraq, this pistol was often seen in Saddam Hussein's hands
as he fired a Browning Hi Power into the air above a celebratory
crowd. Just as officers adopted Hussein's trademark mustache
once he took power, they also searched for a Browning Hi
Power to place in their holsters. Typically, the Hi Powers I
encountered were adorned with exotic (but tacky) grips and
were, surprisingly, manufactured in Belgium. I never
encountered a copy, though doubtless some were and are in
Iraq. These pistols were often seen carried by high-ranking
officers and were usually well worn with evidence of holster
wear. They would command the highest prices as no other
pistol in Iraq's arsenal could match the reliability, functionality
and accuracy as this Browning design.
Browning Hi Power
Operation: recoil-operated, single-action, semi-automatic
Caliber: 9 mm Parabellum
Overall Length: 7.75"
Barrel" 4.65"
Weight: 32.8 ozs.
Rifling: six-groove, RH twist
Sights: fixed front blade, rear drift adjustable for windage
Magazine Capacity: 13 rounds
Safety: manual safety lever at left rear of frame
Origin: Belgium
Astra Model 400 and Model 600
This Astra Model 400 blowback-operated pistol first saw service
in Spain by 1921 and was then supplied to the French army
throughout the 1920s. The tubular barrel and receiver make this
pistol easily recognizable. Even though it was chambered for
the 9 mm Largo cartridge, well-maintained specimens could fire
9 mm Parabellum, 9 mm Steyr, 9 mm Browning Long, .38 Colt
Auto and .38 Super--although shooting 9 mm Luger in a Model
400 is not recommended.
The Astra Model 1921 saw success in the civilian sector
and--equipped with black, hard rubber stocks--was
commercially sold as the Astra 400. Its excellent accuracy and
overall quality contributed to its remaining in the holsters of the
Spanish armed forces for more than 20 years. Other countries
would continue to use the design in service until the 1980s.
Throughout the late 1930s and 1940s, the 9 mm Luger cartridge
gained in popularity, and, subsequently, Astra developed a
slightly smaller version of the design, the Model 600, that would
reliably chamber the 9 mm Luger cartridge. Germany ordered
nearly 50,000 in 1943, however, it only received a fifth of that
number by the end of the war. The remainder would be sold to
West Germany and exported to various countries. The Astra
600 would continue with a reputation as being very reliable and
accurate, just as the Astra 400 did. Conversely, the small fixed
sights, stiff trigger, difficult disassembly/reassembly and poor
grip to frame angle prevented this pistol from reaching greater
acceptance.
Although not listed in the Department of Defense's Country
Handbook (DOD-2630-IRQ-037-02) as a pistol to recognize in
Iraq, the Astra Model 1921 was found commonly among the
civilian population and a few prisoners of war. As the Iraqi
government couldn't issue Tariq pistols to each officer in its
disordered military, these pistols were found among low-level
officers and a few enlisted men. All of the captured models
wore the black hard rubber grips, indicating that they were
commercial products from Spain.
Astra Model 400
Caliber: 9x23 mm Largo
Operation: blowback-operated, single-action, semi-automatic
pistol
Overall Length: 9.25"
Barrel Length: 5.7"
Weight: 31 ozs.
Rifling: six-groove, RH twist
Sights: fixed front blade, fixed notch rear
Magazine Capacity: eight rounds
Safety: manual safety lever behind the trigger.
Origin: Spain
Astra Model 600
Caliber: 9 mm Luger
Operation: blowback-operated, single-action, semi-automatic
pistol
Overall Length: 7.9"
Barrel Length: 5.2"
Weight: 35 ozs.
Rifling: six-groove, RH twist
Sights: fixed
Magazine Capacity: eight rounds
Safety: manual safety lever behind the trigger
Origin: Spain
Tokarev TT-33
First produced in the Soviet Union in 1930 by Feodor Tokarev,
the TT-33 incorporated the dropping barrel locking system as
designed by John Browning and incorporated into the Colt
Model 1903 and M1911 designs. Many components, including
the hammer and spring were removable as a single component
at the rear edge of the receiver. Three years after the
introduction, locking lugs were modified to encircle the barrel
and a strong muzzle bushing was also incorporated, and
Soviet forces commonly used the pistol during World War II. As
the Cold War began, the TT-33l was exported to many
communist nations, and China, Egypt, Hungary, North Korea,
Poland and Yugoslavia have produced copies of the Tokarev.
Even though this pistol's design is obsolete, it still shares
space in armories throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle
East and Russia.
Due to the favorable accuracy, simplicity and durability, the
Tokarev design was very popular in Iraq. Nearly all models
found in Iraq are of Soviet origin, although a few Chinese
examples were recovered as well. As a consequence of the
Soviet-Iraq relations during the late 1970s and 1980s, Iraq had
purchased numerous Tokarev TT-33s and supplied them to its
military. Even after the Persian Gulf War in 1991, when the
Iraqi-manufactured Tariq was more highly favored by Iraqi
officers, it became apparent, after this recent war, that many
members of the Iraqi Army retained this venerable, reliable
sidearm instead.
Tokarev TT-33 Pistol/Type 51
Operation: recoil-operated, single-action, semi-automatic
Caliber: 7.62x25 mm
Overall Length: 7.69"
Barrel Length: 4.56"
Rifling: four-groove, RH twist
Weight: 29.6 ozs
Sights: fixed blade front, drift adjustable for windage rear
Magazine Capacity: seven rounds
Safety: none, half-cock notch on hammer
Origin: TT-33, Soviet Union; Type 51, China
Less Common Handguns Found in Iraq
Vehicular searches and shakedowns at checkpoints in Iraq
were never short of surprises. Civilians and former regime
members in Iraq still conceal firearms in fear of car hijackings,
theft and malicious harm. Random inspections of Iraqis and
their vehicles would often produce a pistol or AK-variant.
Hidden in any conceivable location, it was difficult to find a
pistol that wasn't unique. During my tour in Iraq, I encountered
a gold-plated S&W Model 1917, a beautiful Series 70 Colt, a Colt
Detective Special, a couple of Llama Model IXs, unlicensed
copies of the Colt M1911 and a Star Model A, just to name a few.
One of my most interesting encounters with Iraqi small arms
involved a mission to the Saudi Arabian border in response to a
report that smugglers were crossing with contraband. On this
trip, I witnessed a young Iraqi having his French Peugeot
carjacked by three assailants.
Seeing American armor rolling by, the victim ran to the road to
draw our attention. Once he had it, he also drew a Colt .25 ACP
hammerless pocket pistol, inadvertently pointing it at us as he
was trying to physically describe the ongoing crime. Having
been shot by us earlier in self-defense, he turned and fired
three well-aimed shots at his own car! He hit his driver-side
mirror, the driver-side door and his front left tire.
The vehicle screeched to a halt as
the would-be carjackers abandoned
the vehicle and fled the scene. They
ran across a berm being chased by
indirect fire from our machine guns.
The thankful victim was quickly searched
and released without his Colt .25. The bullets
he fired at his car bounced off of the door, cracked the mirror
and flattened his tire. Seeing his personal devastation due to
his recent experience and the damage to his car, we quickly
saved his day by pulling his car to the road and providing him
with a complimentary tire change. Just as I never expected to
see such a firearm in Iraq, I never imagined witnessing such an
encounter. Iraq was never without surprises.
CLICK HERE to read more from Eric Poole on the guns of Iraq.
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