Jackhammer
The Pancor Jackhammer (English jackhammer , German air hammer ), also MK3A1 or Mark 3 A1 , is a fully automatic shotgun in Bullpup design that was developed in the USA in the 1980s .
The Pancor Jackhammer was and is a prototype that, although the result of a military order, never went into series production due to its unusual technology and futuristic appearance. The weapon became popular mainly through its use in films and computer games.
technology
As a fully automatic weapon, it reaches a rate of fire of four rounds per second. The trigger mechanism is unusual in that in the semi-automatic mode the trigger is two-stage , similar to a Steyr AUG - the jackhammer trigger is however reversed, with the fully automatic pressure point in front of the semi-automatic.
The jackhammer is loaded with pre-assembled and welded drum magazines in which ten cartridges are arranged like in the drum of a revolver . When the gun is empty, the empty drum is ejected from the gun and a new drum is inserted.
The weapon works according to the blow-forward principle : the barrel of the weapon can be moved lengthways; the drum and the shock base are firmly attached to the housing. When firing, the barrel is propelled forward by the pressure of the gases. A lever engages in control cams on the drum and rotates it one chamber. When the barrel slides back, the hammer is cocked and then the next shot is released.
| caliber | 12 (18.5 mm) |
| magazine | ten rounds in exchangeable drum magazine |
| effective firing range | varies with different types of ammunition |
| function | Gas pressure loader ( blow forward ), fully automatic, semi-automatic |
| length | 787 mm |
| Weight (not loaded) | 4.57 kg |
| cadence | 240 rounds per minute |
| Barrel length | 457 mm |
| Muzzle velocity | varies depending on the type of ammunition used |
legality
Like almost all fully automatic weapons (see USAS-12 ), the jackhammer corresponds to the machine-gun classification of the ATF , and is practically not for sale due to the existence of only one known specimen. Export is also impossible without the approval of the US State Department , which made export (e.g. for sale to foreign armed forces) almost impossible even at the time of the manufacturer. However, there is at least one copy in private hands.
Others
In the late 1990s, the then patent owner, Mark III, sold all patents, manufacturing rights, and prototypes for $ 350,000.
literature
- Ian Hogg : Infantry Support Weapons, Volume 4 . 1st edition. Motorbuchverlag, 1997, ISBN 3-613-01843-8 .
Web links
- Description on Militaryfactory.com. (English)
- Ian McCollum: Pancor Jackhammer: The Real One . In: YouTube . Forgotten weapons . September 12, 2015. (Video; 25:52 min, English). Detailed functional explanation of the Pancor jackhammer.