FN P90

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 15:23 Written by Administrator Thursday, 02 July 2009 16:39

The FN P90 is a personal defence weapon designed by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal in Belgium. It was designed as a compact weapon for use by vehicle drivers, support personnel, tank crew and counter terrorism squads. It is chambered for proprietary 5.7x28mm ammunition.

Just like the Calico M950, the FN P90 can be classified into several categories of weapons. It is both a carbine and a submachine gun. It has a compact bull-pup design and is constructed from polymers and alloys which make it very light weight.

The P90 has a rather unusual design and also uses newly designed ammunition. The reasoning behind its design is that both submachine guns and handguns cannot provide range and stopping power, especially when used against body armour. The P90 fulfills that drawback with its high range and penetrative power. The 5.6x28mm round developed by FN for use with the P90 has a good range and can penetrate body armour and standard military helmets at ranges of 50 to 100 meters.

The FN P90 can be fired from both right and left sides. It has cocking levers on both the sides that enable the firer to cock the gun from any side. In addition, the selector is located below the trigger. It also uses an innovative feed system. During the loading process, the bullets are held at right angles to the breech and when fed into the chamber they get aligned by means of a ramp.

The P90’s design is very innovative and ergonomic. It can be safely said that the P90 will be the forerunner of a range of personal defence weapons of the future. Its design will definitely inspire gun designs of the near future.

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