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Let’s play the “What is it?” game!

Before the Uzi there was a proto type Israeli 9mm revolver made with some U.S. help.
I know that much.

I’ll take it! You’re up.


A prototype revolver developed by pre-state defense organizations and the industrial group Ta’as in collaboration. This project started in the 1940s as an effort to design and produce a sidearm using the ubiquitous 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. The proliferation of Sten guns throughout the region meant a sidearm of the same caliber would simplify logistics significantly for the Jewish underground. 9mm Parabellum was also readily produced in pre-state Israel (prior to 1948 in a covert operation that included the Ayalon Institute) so it was a logical choice in caliber.

Experimentation with a 9mm revolver began at the Smith and Wesson factory in 1943. These early prototypes were made on N frames and were likely nothing more than hand-fit prototypes. This experimentation paid off when the Chinese Government requested S&W produce a revolver in “8mm Mauser”, although they likely meant 8mm Nambu, a much more likely caliber for a handgun. Since 9mm Parabellum was slightly more accessible in the US, S&W built three models in this caliber. These were serial numbers 3, 6, and 9, and were built on pre-war 5 screw N frames. Serial number 3 specifically had a 1.54-inch cylinder, 5-inch barrel, smooth walnut grips with an S&W logo inlay, and a lanyard loop on the butt. In June 1945 the US Army attempted to deliver number 3 to the Chinese but failed and no other sales were reported. At this same time, between 1944 and 1945, Ta’as, the clandestine arms industry of the Jewish settlement in Mandatory Palestine, sent a team to the US with orders to acquire military surplus, production equipment, and technical data packages. This team acquired some tooling and diagrams from S&W, although exactly what they obtained is unknown.

IMI_revolver9mm.png

In 1948, Chaim Slavin, the director of Ta’as and later Israeli Military Industries (IMI), began working on cloning S&W’s 9mm revolver in Israel for upcoming IDF Army trials. There is no documentation proving the Jewish underground produced any 9mm revolvers prior to 1948, but their acquisition of tooling to do so in 1945 would have made it theoretically possible. Either way, discrepancies between gun parts and production drawings they had obtained made it impossible to start full production. At the start of Army trials on 22 March 1949, only three revolvers had been produced. Reports by the Israeli Corps of Engineers indicated that the revolvers showed a number of repairable flaws. The Army also recommended changing the barrel length to 5 inches, down from 6 inches. IMI set about fixing their revolvers as requested and produced a batch of 50 upgraded models. These were externally similar to the Model 1917 apart from a different contour to the hammer and a slimmer grip frame. This batch was entirely made of hand-fitted parts that never got into serial production and that particular project was eventually dropped.

Slavin had not given up on finding a new sidearm for the IDF and sent another delegation to Smith and Wesson in 1949. The delegation was shown a Model 10 Hand Ejector revolver in .38 special with a 6-inch barrel. The delegation requested to have it rechambered in 9mm and wanted it to use the Model 1917’s half-moon clips. They also wanted the Model 10 to be scaled up from the medium-sized K frame to the larger Model 1917’s N frame. The 1917 frame suited 9×19mm Parabellum because its cylinder was already shorter for .45 ACP. Instead of modifying the Model 10, S&W started experimentally converting Model 1917 revolvers to 9mm between June and December 1949. Smith and Wesson finally prepared and sent production plans for this revolver to IMI in 1951. This model contained 73 parts, requiring 450 separate machining operations, and had 1,500 associated production drawings. Under their agreement, Israel was going to produce barrels and cylinders, while everything else was going to be made in the US by Smith and Wesson. They also planned to send Israel the necessary machine tools for the barrels and cylinders, but this ultimately never happened. It is possible Israel canceled the tooling order because the barrels used a 1 in 5 twist as opposed to the 1 in 4 used by the Uzi and Sten barrels and Israel wanted to keep production simple.

The story ends predictably in disappointment, as there was not enough enthusiasm or budget availability for a revolver by 1951. The Uzi submachine gun had just been accepted as the main sidearm for tank crews, artillery crews, and other rear echelon forces which would normally be equipped with handguns. IMI was ordered to shift production capacity to submachine guns, rifles, and machineguns. Instead, the IDF requested 30 presentation guns from the 50 produced back in 1948. These revolvers were of an incredibly high quality due to their hand fit construction and lack of use. These presentation guns include 5 and 6-inch barrel models, as well as fixed and dovetail adjustable rear sights. All guns include the IMI logo on the right side of the frame, the letters M.I.G (.מ.י.ג), meaning Weapons Production Plant, and a 5 digit serial number starting with 195. As of 2020, IMI’s 9mm revolvers are rarely seen, with examples showing up in auction houses and in private hands incredibly infrequently. As a final note, it should be mentioned that other online sources say these revolvers were in the service of Palestinian police or similar organization, but as far as my research has uncovered, this does not appear to be the case.
 
QUOTE:

"Under their agreement, Israel was going to produce barrels and cylinders, while everything else was going to be made in the US by Smith and Wesson. They also planned to send Israel the necessary machine tools for the barrels and cylinders, but this ultimately never happened. It is possible Israel canceled the tooling order because the barrels used a 1 in 5 twist as opposed to the 1 in 4 used by the Uzi and Sten barrels and Israel wanted to keep production simple."

Woah, wut?

This 9mm revolver was going to have a barrel rifling twist rate of
one turn in 4 or 5 .... what? Inches? Centimeters?
Neither unit of measure fits.
A common rifling twist rate for a 9 mm is one turn in 10 inches that would be about 25 cm or one turn in 250 mm.
 
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