Armsel Striker

The Armsel Striker, also known as the Sentinel Arms Co Striker-12, Protecta, Protecta Bulldog and SWD Street Sweeper is a 12-gauge shotgun with a revolving cylinder that was designed for riot control and combat.

Armsel Striker
TypeCombat shotgun, Riot control weapon
Place of originSouth Africa
Service history
In service1993–present
Used bySouth African National Defence Force
Israel Police
People's Army of Vietnam
Production history
DesignerHilton R. Walker[1]
Designed1981[1]
Specifications
Mass4.2 kg (empty)
4.4 kg (loaded)
Length792 mm (31.18 inch)
508 mm (20 inch) (stock folded)
(with 12 in barrel)
Barrel length191 mm (7.5 in)
305 mm (12 in)
356 mm (14 in)
470 mm (18.5 in)
Cartridge12 gauge
ActionRotating cylinder
Feed system12-round revolving cylinder, 7-round cylinder on compact models.
SightsRemovable optical sights on Armsel Striker and Protecta. Such sights are holographic, red dot and various others. Iron sights are on all variants.

History

The Armsel Striker was designed by Hilton R. Walker, a Zimbabwean (formerly Rhodesian) citizen, in 1981. Walker subsequently emigrated to South Africa, bringing with him the design for the Striker shotgun. His shotgun became a success and was exported to various parts of the world, despite some drawbacks. The rotary cylinder was bulky, had a long reload time, and the basic action was not without certain flaws.[2]

Walker redesigned his weapon in 1989, removing the cylinder rotation mechanism, and adding an auto cartridge ejection system. The new shotgun was named the Protecta.[3][4]

A copy of the Striker was made by the US gunmaker Cobray and marketed as the SWD Street Sweeper from 1989 through 1993.[5]

Design and features

The weapon's action is similar to a revolver's, using a rotating cylinder. Since the Striker uses a conventional double action only trigger and a very large and heavy cylinder (compared to handguns), Walker added a pre-wound clock-work spring to rotate the cylinder. This made loading slow, in exchange for a shorter and lighter trigger pull. The design was changed into having a cocking lever on the right side of the barrel.[2][6]

The first designs were criticized as having a slow and cumbersome firing process. The shells had to be individually loaded and then the cylinder's clockwork spring wound. Shells were ejected by an ejector rod along the right hand side of the barrel. The last version has the clockwork winding mechanism removed, the ejector rod replaced by an automatic ejection system, and a cocking lever in the rod's place that winds the cylinder automatically. The Striker has a twelve-round capacity and short overall length. Compact variants hold 7 rounds.[2][6][7]

Availability in the United States

After a proposal by the Brady Campaign in 1993, Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen declared the Striker and Street Sweeper destructive devices under the National Firearms Act the following year, their transfer and ownership becoming regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).[8]

Variants
  • Armsel Striker—Hilton Walker's first design.
  • Armsel Protecta—An improved version of the Armsel Striker. Readying the weapon for firing was simplified and the weapon's reliability was improved.[3]
  • Armsel Protecta Bulldog—An extremely shortened, stockless version of the Armsel Protecta. It is intended for building entry and vehicular duties.[3]
  • Sentinel Arms Striker-12—A fully licensed and improved copy of the Armsel Striker for the American market made by Sentinel Arms Co. It was available with an 18-inch barrel and a 7-inch stockless version.[5]
  • Cobray/SWD Street Sweeper—A lower-end clone of the Armsel Striker, having a limited parts commonality to the original weapons system.[5]
  • Cobray/SWD Ladies Home Companion/ LHC[9]—A reduced caliber version of the Streetsweeper. The trigger group is attached to a .410 bore or .45/70 Government cylinder and barrel.[10]

See also

References
  1. "patent". Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  2. Wood, J B (2002). The Gun Digest Book of Firearms Assembly/Disassembly Part V - Shotguns. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p. 474. ISBN 978-0-87349-400-7.
  3. Cutshaw, Charles Q. (28 February 2011). Tactical Small Arms of the 21st Century: A Complete Guide to Small Arms From Around the World. Iola, Wiosconsin: Gun Digest Books. pp. 338–339. ISBN 978-1-4402-2709-7.
  4. Jones, Richard D.; White, Andrew (27 May 2008). Jane's Guns Recognition Guide 5e. HarperCollins. p. 355. ISBN 978-0-06-137408-1.
  5. Walker, Robert E. (2013). Cartridges and Firearm Identification. CRC Press. p. 369. ISBN 978-1-4665-8881-3.
  6. Lee, Jerry (2011). Standard Catalog of Rifles & Shotguns. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 1403. ISBN 978-1-4402-3014-1.
  7. United States. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (2000). Your guide to federal firearms regulation. Dept. of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. p. 109.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Smith, Al (November 2007). American Cultures: Readings in Social and Cultural History. Lulu Enterprises Incorporated. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-4357-0160-1.
  9. "HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP? Street Sweeper or Roadside Trash? -".
  10. Larson, Erik (27 July 2011). Lethal Passage: The Story of a Gun. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-307-80331-3.
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