PLA Small arms

AZaz09dude

Junior Member
Registered Member
I can't quite put my finger on this second one. It resembles existing models but has obvious features I haven't seen before, such as a flat muzzle brake, an accessory rail (just in front of the stock), etc. It could be a modernized QJZ89 or Type-80 maybe?
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QJZ171, the new lightweight HMG
 

by78

General
Yep, we have seen this HMG quite a few times before. I think the first pictures emerged around 2018 during the Zhuhai air show or even earlier.

If I remember correctly, we have also seen pictures of it being used by another unit in the Army, but a lot of the photos are blurry.

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QJZ171, the new lightweight HMG


Yes, that's the one. The name on the ammo boxes confirms this is QJZ-171. Still waiting for clear images.

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The Observer

Junior Member
Registered Member
Yes, that's the one. The name on the ammo boxes confirms this is QJZ-171. Still waiting for clear images.

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I'm not sure why, but seeing the pistol grip design reminds me of Czech Uk vz.59 GPMG in that It seem to use the pistol grip assembly to cock the gun. Maybe the paddle in front of the trigger guard is used to secure/relase the pistol grip assembly.

When you want to cock the gun just pull the paddle to release the pistol grip assembly, push it all the way forward until it catches the bolt, then pull it back and your gun is cocked. That would also mean the ejection port is at the bottom of the receiver.
 

The Observer

Junior Member
Registered Member
Found an old video of
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with some pretty good close-up shots ( it's from 2017... I don't know if it's been posted before or not). The instructor said it's using a combined short-recoil and gas operated mechanism (I'm pretty sure most of us already know this). When firing, the barrel recoils back 13mm to lower peak recoil. The video didn't say if it's gas-piston operated/ direct impingement, but from the gas tube, direct impingement seems more likely. It's aimed with a combination scope that has 2 lenses (the lower one for ground target, the upper one for air target) and single eye relief.

The operators are 5 men (1 gunner, 4 ammo carrier), supplied with ~300 rounds. The gun weighs 26,5 kg (probably gun+tripod, no ammo). The ammo is ~126 grams apiece, 50 in a box, color-coded at the tip (black is AP, green is tracer, red is incendiary. Multiple color bands indicate multifunction round, i.e. black+red bands = AP incendiary, black+green = AP tracer.)

Note: The video has obnoxious ads, but the content seems pretty good.
 

Sunbud

Junior Member
Registered Member
Not necessarily small arm news, but related. Good to see a more practical and improvised efforts within the PLA with regards to using some sort of masking tape to camouflage the rifle. Not seen this much thought into practical application in PLA before. Screenshot 2020-12-30 005837.png
 

SpicySichuan

Senior Member
Registered Member
Not necessarily small arm news, but related. Good to see a more practical and improvised efforts within the PLA with regards to using some sort of masking tape to camouflage the rifle. Not seen this much thought into practical application in PLA before. View attachment 66967
Did he cover the ejection port of his own rifle??? That's a nice way to cause a perfect battlefield jam...worse thing that could happen to a solder.
 

LawLeadsToPeace

Senior Member
Staff member
Moderator - World Affairs
Registered Member
More images of QBZ-95s retrofitted with handguard rails and smart grips. This appears to be an interim solution to quickly upgrade a large number of existing stock.

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In the bottom picture, both rifles have peq boxes, which is something rarely seen among PLA infantry and even spec ops.
 
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