PM-30

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Pistolet Meissler modele 1930
TypeSemi-automatic pistol
Place of origin Yonderre
Service history
Used bySee Users
WarsSecond Great War
Operation Kipling
Production history
DesignerAdolf Meissler
Designed1920s
ManufacturerFabrique Nationale Collinebourg
Produced1930-1951
Specifications
Mass1,250 g (2.76 lb) loaded
Length23.5 cm (9.3 in)
Barrel length11.8 cm (4.6 in)
Cartridge9×19mm Parabellum
ActionRecoil operated, locked breech
Muzzle velocity350 metres per second (1,100 ft/s)
Feed system8-round detachable box magazine
SightsFront blade, rear notch

The Pistolet Meissler modele 1930, Burgoignesc for "Meissler's Pistol model of 1930", abbreviated as PM-30, is a Yonderian semi-automatic pistol of the Great War period used chiefly by the Yonderian Defence Force and the Burgoignesc Security Forces, particularly the Burgoignesc Foreign Legion. Considered to be of high quality, the PM-30 was well-manufactured and known to work reliably even in very cold conditions or when fouled, in no small part thanks to its bolt accelerator, an uncommon feature in pistol designs.

Designed by prolific Yonderian small arms designer Adolf Meissler, the PM-30 functions off of a recoil operated locked breech system and feeds from detachable 8-round box magazines, as was typical of pistols the Great War period. The addition of a bolt accelerator to the PM-30 was to ensure the performance of the pistol in cold weather conditions. Bolt accelerators are more commonly found in machine guns to increase the rate of fire. The bolt accelerator designed by Meissler works by having a crank lever strike the bolt of the pistol as it unlocks from firing, thus thrusting the bolt mechanically instead of relying on the momentum of firing alone to move the bolt back.

The PM-30 saw combat service in the Second Great War and Operation Kipling with the Burgoignesc Security Forces, particularly with the Burgoignesc Foreign Legion. The PM-30 also saw widespread use in Yonderre with both the Yonderian Defence Force and the Custodes Yonderre long into the Occidental Cold War period, and is presently a common pistol for shooting sports in Yonderre and Burgundie alike due to its high production numbers and quality of build.

Design

The PM-30 is designed with an angled pistol grip, the purpose of which is to allow the shooter to align the weapon more naturally when firing from a one-handed position with an outstretched arm, as was the typical style of the first half of the twentieth century. The PM-30 fires from a closed bolt with a concealed hammer, working by a recoil operated, single-action system supported by a bolt accelerator to ensure the weapon cycles even in very cold conditions or when poorly maintained. The PM-30 feeds from a single-stack, single-feed eight round box magazine. While in theory compatible with the prototype single stack 20-round stick magazines designed for the MM-26 sub-machine gun (another Meissler design), the pistol was never issued with these as they made it impractical to carry and use. While considered heavy for a modern pistol at 1,250 g (2.76 lb) loaded, the relatively heavy weight of the PM-30 granted it excellent recoil dampening, making it effective for relatively rapid fire compared with lighter pistols.

History

PM-30 with holster, spare magazine and cleaning rod

The PM-30 came about as a hobby project for profilic Yonderian small arms designer and gunsmith Adolf Meissler in the 1920s, initially intended more for shooting sports than military use. Initially chambered for 7.5x24mm, Meissler changed the design to 9x19mm Parabellum simultaneously with the change in the MM-26 sub-machine gun in 1925. The bolt accelerator came about in the winter 1926-27 when Meissler noticed the pistol would lock up in cold weather conditions if not lubricated extensively. Meissler entered his design into the Yonderian Defence Force's Army Procurement Command's service pistol trials of 1929 and comfortably bested his competition, eliminating designs submitted by Manufacture d'Armes de Gabion and Fabrique de Sainte-Catherine.

During the Second Great War, the PM-30 was adopted by Burgundie in 1934 as the Burgoignesc Security Forces expanded rapidly to meet wartime needs. Due to the extensive intake of Yonderian volunteers in the Burgoginesc Foreign Legion, preference of issue was given to Yonderian units who would have been very likely to be familiar with the weapon owing to universal Yonderian conscription policies. The PM-30 was well liked by the soldiers issued to it, not least for its accuracy, with volonderre Rachet d'Everard describing the pistol as "a natural extension of my arm".

The PM-30 was officially adopted at the first universal service pistol of the Custodes Yonderre in 1935, replacing the myriad of different designs used by the Custodes previously, although it would take almost a decade before the introduction of the pistol was truly universal as production was prioritised towards delivery to the Burgoignesc Security Forces. The PM-30 would remain in service with the Burgoignesc Security Forces throughout the Second Great War and into Operation Kipling, ultimately being replaced by the Yondero-Burgoignesc jointly developed pistol MAG-MAS Patron 50. The PM-30 would remain in service with the Yonderian Defence Force and Custodes Yonderre until the end of the Occidental Cold War, being replaced in the 1980s by the MAG-81.

Since the first PM-30s were made available to the public in the mid-1940s, the pistols have been popular for target shooting and shooting sports. With their general retirement from Yonderian military and police service in the mid-1980s, tens of thousands of PM-30s soon found their way to the public consumer markets of Yonderre and abroad, making them very affordable pistols for recreational or indeed personal defence use. The PM-30's rugged design and high quality production makes it very reliable as a low-maintenance firearm even into modern day usage.

Former users

See also

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