While many Westerners focus on the Mosin Nagant and Kalashnikov rifles, Russia has a very long history of submachine guns (SMGs). SMGs are typically fire weapons that use a pistol cartridge as opposed to an intermediate- or rifle-sized round.
In this cool 25 minute video, Jmantime takes you on a journey with a lot of historical video footage starting with the experimental Tokarev Model 1927. It was a blowback operated 7.3 pound SMG that fired the 7.62x38R round that the Nagant M1895 revolver.
On to more modern weapons that we see currently such as the PP-19 Bizon.
And my current favorite, he also has footage of the PP-29-01 Vityaz-SN:
He also covers many, many others such as the PP-40, PPSH-41, PPS-43, OTs-39, and PP-2000. Here’s the 25 minute video – I think you’l find it very interesting — I just wish the clips were higher resolution :-):
This 3:40 promotional video from Kalashnikov Concern was released in 2017 but I am unclear as to exactly when it was made. You’ll note that they spend a lot of time showing their assault boats and they were unveiled in 2015.
You’ll see small arms, AGVs, optics and assault boats. Pretty cool! You can definitely see they are expanding their product line.
In the old days, kids I mean like the 1970s and 80s in my case, you went to the library and read old magazines or asked your friends about what they knew. These days, we tap into the web and can watch videos and read reviews. I tell you, it’s pretty amazing what you can find. So, when I was researching what small precharged pneumatic (PCP) pistol or bullpup to buy for discrete pest control use mostly in 10-15 yards vs. my .22 Hatsan Gladius Long, I hopped on and started digging.
I quickly got my selection narrowed down to the Hatsan AT-P2 QE as I mentioned in a previous post and then bought it. What I want to share with you are some of the third party review videos that I found very helpful during the selection process.
Here’s the best video on the AT-P2 QE specifically:
The following is a review of the base AT-P2 without the integrate Quiet Energy (QE) moderator:
I hope these help you out. I am very please with my pistol so far and would recommend anyone needing a discrete powerful and accurate .22 PCP repeater.
While I am not fond of eBay’s antigun sentiments there are deals to be found there – especially when individuals are listing stuff for sale. So, I want to give you some tips and also have the system run you some real-time results of searches so you can see what is out there.
Buyer Tips
Watch out for the scammers. Folks will list stuff and make claims. So, know what you are looking for and don’t buy blind.
If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is a scam.
Watch the shipping price. I’ve watched sellers enter a low price and then have a very high shipping charge to recover the difference.
Businesses sometimes have good deals but many will price stuff high and just let them sit there until a buyer comes along. All things being equal, try searching only on auctions (not Buy It Now (BIN)) and have the eBay system list them in the order of auctions ending soonest. You might be surprised what turns up. Under Advanced Search, you can change a number of search criteria to dig around in your favor.
Watch the seller rating – I put a lot of stock in the number of transactions and the seller’s score. If you have a seller with very few transactions and is relatively new, then there is more risk. I will not bet a fortune on an unknown seller but I might take a small risk and see what happens. Statistically, if they have more than 30 sales and a good score, you have a pretty good indication that the buyer is legit.
Don’t freak out of the seller doesn’t reply right away. Folks do go on vacation, get sick, etc.
Save your searches so you can re-use them and get emailed results.
Realize that if you are really specific you may not find stuff listed differently. For example, I will list the country and bayonet in case they say AK, rifle, AK47, AK74, etc. and throw a really tight search off.
Look at the photos carefully. I’ve bought stuff after looking at an item on a smart phone and missed problems I would have seen on a larger monitory.
Learn the prices. If you jump right in you may pay too much. In some cases you will see one buyer asking multiples of the going price – he/she may be counting on people jumping in and buying with little to no knowledge of prices.
Be objective – if an auction starts exceeding what you want to pay then bow out. Don’t get emotionally attached and feel that you need to win the auction.
If you buy something international, you will want to understand shipping charges and any regulations you may encounter either in the seller’s country or in your own.
Searching on a eBay
This is your basic search page in eBay.
You’ll notice it is set to “Auction” only and the sort is set to “Time ending soonest”. Lastly, the heart under “Accept Offers” means I checked the box to save the search.
If you look to the right of the search button, you will see “Advanced” and this is where you can do all kinds of cool stuff to your current search or a saved search including:
Words to exclude – this is powerful if you are getting unwanted stuff in and it happens all the time. This can make your search far more likely to turn up what you care about. For example, you could tell it to exclude airsoft and model.
You can search just in specific categories. Be careful with this one – bayonets for example can be in a number of different categories.
You can search in title and description, completed listings, and sold listings.
By specifying a price range you can skip stuff like frogs/scabbards. For example, you might tell it to only show you items between $14.99 and $200
It again let’s you select from Auctions, Buy It now and Classified Ads.
You can specify the condition new, used or not specified.
You can list specific sellers you care about.
Items with Free shipping or located somewhere.
And much more
Russian and Soviet Bayonets
Here I am searching both ways – I tend to find people do not always realize the difference between the USSR and Russia when they list an item. It’s set to auction only and sorted by items ending first.
Bulgarian Bayonets
Same thing but in addition to saying “Bulgarian Bayonet” I will use the slang of “Bulgy Bayonet” too. It’s also auction only and sorted by items ending first.
East German Bayonets
I didn’t see any auctions when I wrote this post so this search is for all items, not just auctions, sorted by “Price + Shipping: Lowest First”. This is an example where you tend to see a lot of frogs and scabbards show up first due to their relatively low pricing.
Polish Bayonets
Here’s an example where you can get weird stuff like shoe polish so I will exclude the word shoe. It’s also auction only and sorted by items ending first.
Romanian Bayonets
We need to search both for Romanian bayonets and Romy bayonets. Now when I created this search, no auctions turned up so I am showing any items that match the keywords and am sorting “Price + Shipping: Lowest First”. Some of the prices I am seeing are nuts. I would not pay over $20 for a Romy AKM bayonet – sorry.
Yugoslavian and Zastava Bayonets
On this one we need to get more creative and will search using variations of Yugo, Yugoslav, Yugoslavian, and Zastava, I did need to exclude “WWI” and “WWII” because of all the WWI and WWII bayonets that come up. Not a great deal came up when I was writing this so the search is for all items and is sorted “Price + Shipping: Lowest First”
Conclusion
I hope this helps you out. There are a lot of search capabilities in eBay and you need to learn how to use them in your favor.
AK-47 Image Source: By Allatur, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16254298
Before I bought my Hatsan AT-P2 QE Pistol, I did a bunch of research. I wanted a very compact yet powerful and accurate pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) carbine or bullpup that was a repeater for quick and accurate follow up shots for pest control of tree and ground squirrels.
I needed something smaller than my Gladius Long, lighter and did not need the power levels that the Gladius Long bring to the table. The Gladius Long is an absolutely wicked PCP bullpup but for what I need most of the time – discrete firepower to dispatch squirrels and rabbits inside of 12-15 yards most of the time – it was overkill. I love it and am not selling it, but definitely needed a different go-to airgun.
So, I watched a ton of videos and decided on the Hatsan AT P2 and decided to go with the QT-P2 QE Pistol. It was compact, lighter, had solid reviews and had both an adjustable stock and in integral noise moderator built in. Hatsan refers to these as their Quiet Energy (QE) line.
In this next photo, I literally set the AT-P2 QE on top of the Gladius Long and tried to line up the muzzles as best I could so you can see the size difference.
So here’s the comparison of the two:
As you can see the actual package weight including the scope of the AT-P2 QE Tact is 4.6 pounds lighter that the Gladius Long and it is 6-5/8″ shorter.
In terms of energy, I did a lot of reading and can’t tell you for certain. Hatsan themselves says the Gladius Long will produce the following power levels but they don’t tell you the velocity or the weight of the pellet.
From the 2018 Airgun catalog, Hatsan reports the AT-P2 QE in .22 has a muzzle energy of 27 joules. All things being equal, that puts it between power levels 3 and 4 of the Gladius Long. I tend to switch between those two settings so for me, the power of the AT P2 is right in the sweet zone of what I wanted.
In terms of sound, the Gladius is relatively quiet at 3 and louder at 4. The AT-P2 QE is remarkably quiet. To me as the shooter, cocking the pistol is louder than firing it!
Both pistols have the noteworthy Hatsan Quattro adjustable trigger. I thought the trigger of the Gladius Long was the best factory airgun trigger I had tried until shooting the AT-P2 QE. From the factory, it is light! I need to measure it but it is a dream to shoot because I can hold it rock solid on target effortlessly. On the point of accuracy, it can shoot 1/2″ groups at 10 yards over and over using JSB Exact Jumbo Diablo 15.89 grain pellets.
Summary
I’m keeping the Gladius Long for distance shots and/or when I want more power. I will be using the AT-P2 QE for my normal close-in pest work.
6/29/2020 Update: Still very happy with both airguns. We now have replacement fill-probe O-rings and caps to keep your fill probe clean. Click here to learn more.
Hatsan Arms Company is an innovative builder of air guns and shotguns that was founded in 1976 and produce over 300,000 units per year. Hatsan is located in Kemalpaşa, which is a large town located in the Izmir Province of Turkey. There they product Hatsan airguns, Escort shotguns and Optima shotguns.
One interesting facet of Hatsan is that they handle all facets of production – machining of wood, machining of metal parts, heat treatment, finishing of work such as honing, different types of chemical plating & bluing, injection molding, metal injection, mold making, welding, barrel manufacturing, laser marking, laser engraving on wood & metal parts, camouflage coating, assembly, quality assurance testing, and test shooting.
Hatsan has over 650 workers, 599 machines in 35,000 square meter production area. To produce products to high standards, Hatsan uses total quality management (TQM) and are ISO 9001 certified.
You’ll note factory looks well used, is relatively organized and bright.
Work centers are organized and appear well equipped.
Substantial automation including a variety of CNC systems.
This is an interesting 5:28 video that showcased their facility in 2015:
Hatsan is a Turkish company that was founded in 1976 and makes a number of airguns as well as shotguns. My first Hatsan was .22 Long Gladius Precharged Pneumatic (PCP) bullpup air rifle. The Gladius is amazing but I really wanted to find something smaller and more discrete. Even though the Gladius is a bullpup, it is still fairly big and heavy. I started looking for something else and ran across the Hatsan AT P2 and found what I was looking for.
Hatsan comes up with some radical designs that are well thought out and executed. I was very happy with Gladius so when I saw the AT P2 and that it had their proven Quatro trigger, was a PCP repeater, used their great 10 round magazines, and had integral Quiet Energy baffles, I was pretty much sold but kept reading 🙂
I prefer .22 caliber airguns for dealing with larger pests. The AT P2 claims 780 FPS so that will make around 19.8 ft/lbs of energy at the muzzle. This matters to me because I need the carbine for pest control – chiefly ground squirrels, tree squirrels and rabbits – all of which tear up our gardens. These animals typically need about 3-5 ft/lbs to be dealt with provided accurate shot placement. This means you need an airgun that can put pellets on target in an area of 1″ or less at the range you expect.
I am typically taking care of pests within 10 yards and rarely out to 20. In digging I read reports that the AT P2 was surprisingly accurate, had a good trigger and could hit surprisingly hard with for 10-20 pellets. Unlike the Gladius, there isn’t a power adjustment plus you are talking about a fairly small 50cc air tank compressed to 200 bar (2900 PSI).
Hill Mk4 Hand Pump
Another reason for my buying the AT P2 was that I could continue to use my Hill Mk4 hand pump that really has proven itself to be exemplery. The Gladius and AT P2 use the same air fill probe so I didn’t need to worry about changing probes or buying a second pump.
I actually find the smaller air cylinder works in my favor with the Hill pump. I shoot one magazine and top it off again to 200 bar. It doesn’t take too many pumps to do that compared to a bigger cylinder where you need to put more air into the tank.
UTG 3-9×21 Mil-Dot Bug Buster Scope
So, I ordered the carbine and a UTG 3-9×21 Mil-Dot Bug Buster scope with an adjustable objective. UTG makes great scopes and I’ve used them extensively on airguns and firearms that are not mission critical. I don’t mean this as a negative to UTG – It’s just that I will go to Vortex for those situations.
The Bug Buster scopes are just ideal for this type of application. They are compact, bright, clear and pretty reliable. I’ve had a few over the years and haven’t had one break or fail to hold zero.
They have a number of models of Bug Buster scopes and I don’t think you will be disappointed in any of them. Here’s the one that is on my AT P2:
If I had it to do over, I would buy a scope that has turret for adjusting the illuminated reticle. The push buttons work fine but I prefer the simplicity of a turret – I guess I am just old school. A lit reticle can make a low light shot either early in the morning or at dusk way easier. Here’s what I would recommend:
Plano 1502 Hard Case
I already had a basic Plano 1502 hard case to store everything in. It comes with a little hard case from Hatsan but I wanted to have enough room to put the carbine with the scope attached inside.
The only con in the case of the 1502 is that it has an interior length of 50-7/8″. That is really long relative to the AT P2. I have the stock extended one click and that makes the overall length 32-/34″ and the height from the bottom of the grip to the top of the scope turret is just under 10-1/2″. The AT P2 could have gone in a far smaller case but I made do with what I had.
JSB Exact Jumbo Diablo 15.89gr Pellets
I really like JSB pellets. I’ve shot over a thousand of the 18.23gr pellets through my Gladius. I wanted something lighter to try for better in flight ballistics and less over-penetration so on a gamble I ordered the 15.89 gr pellets.
How did it turn out?
I’m really happy is what it boils down to. I needed to oil the safety lever to smooth it out but other than that, it shoots like a dream. I tell you what, it definitely takes care of tree squirrels – head shots are no problem at all and the trigger is remarkable.
One thing that surprised me is the target grip. It comes with a right hand only grip set that is remarkable comfortable. If you are a Lefty, you can contact Hatsan USA and they will send you a left hand set.
The removable adjustable stock is clearly innovative. I find it way to big to be a pistol plus I want the stability. I didn’t buy it to use without the stock. Removing the stock is simple – push the big detent button and pull straight back.
As mentioned, it is a big pistol as this next photo shows. Unless I was resting it on a fence or something there is no way I would be able to control it. If you have a lot of arm strength and can keep a big pistol steady, then maybe but not me.
The stock can adjust four clicks to be quite long. I just need to go back one click and I am 5′ 8″. The cheek piece is adjustable but I did not need to do so.
This is what it looks like for me:
It’s also remarkably quiet. I haven’t run it side by side with my Gladius to compare the sounds at equivalent feet per second but I can tell you it is way quieter than by Gladius on power setting four. I think the cocking is louder than the report of the airgun and it will put a tree squirrel down hard. Headshots tend to stop in the cranium but heart and lung shots go through the body.
Conclusion
It’s performing exactly the way I had hoped. It is compact, quiet, powerful and also very accurate. I’d definitely recommend it.
I always find turnaround stories interesting. While we often focus on the older AK rifles, there is a fascinating story about how Kalashnikov Concern modernized and developed world class capabilities. They produced the video that spurred me to write this post to share with you.
In the 1990s, Izhmash and Izhvesk were in tough shape. They were only using 10% of their capacity and government orders were reduced. By 2010, they were in a deep crisis. In 2012, the two groups were consolidated into the Kalashnikov Concern as part of RosTec — I’ll just say “Kalashnikov” going forward.
Kalashnikov leadership embarked on a large scale improvement journey leverage lean quality management concepts, CNC automation, and significant IT investments (ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning, MES – Manufacturing Execution System and WMS – warehouse management system are mentioned or briefly shown).
Kalashnikov wisely focused on their people — and I think this last part is key. They addressed a poor work environment with medical facilities, a cafeteria and training in modern methods. They even have a university that produces 300 graduates each year. Getting people to learn and change are always the hardest things to do yet also the most critical.
As a result, they improved productivity by 2.5 times, shrunk their time to market and removed a considerable amount of waste.
This video is a few years old but is a fascinating 8 minute journey starting with their origins through their turn around story. There are a lot of photos of CNC systems, brightly lit and clean factory areas, the warehouse, class rooms and more. It’s very impressive.
If you are interested in more information on the Kalashnikov Concern, click here.
