Armsel Striker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Armsel Striker | |
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| Type | Shotgun |
| Place of origin |  South Africa |
| Service history | |
| In service | South African Police and Defense Force |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Hilton Walker |
| Designed | 1980s |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 4.2 kg (empty), 4.4 kg (loaded) |
| Length | 792 mm 508 mm (stock folded) with 12 in barrel: 800 mm 600 mm (stock folded) |
| Barrel length | 305 mm 12 in, 356 mm (14 in) |
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| Cartridge | 12 gauge |
| Feed system | 12-round revolving magazine |
The Armsel Striker (Also known as Striker-12, Protecta, Protecta Bulldog and Street Sweeper) is a revolver 12-gauge shotgun created for the purpose of riot control and combat.
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[edit] Creation
It was created in Rhodesia by Hilton Walker in the early 1980s. After Rhodesia fell, Walker moved to South Africa, bringing with him the design for the Striker shotgun. His shotgun became a success, and found its way to all parts of the world. Even though it was successful, the shotgun still had its flaws. The rotary cylinder-type magazine was bulky, had a slow reload time, and the basic action was not without certain flaws.
Mr. Walker redesigned his weapon in the late 1980s, removing the cylinder rotation mechanism, and adding an auto cartridge ejection system. Mr. Walker's new shotgun was named the Protecta.
[edit] Design and features
The reason one would favor the Striker over an ordinary shotgun would mainly be because of the weapon's magazine capacity and its capability of semi-auto firing. The weapon's action is similar to that of a revolver, using a rotating magazine. Since the Striker used a more or less conventional DAO trigger, and a very large and heavy cylinder (compared to handguns), the trigger pull for the conventional design could be flawed. Walker added a pre-wound clock-work spring to revolve the magazine. This proved to be a slow and ineffective way to load the weapon. The design was changed so that there is now a cocking lever on the right side of the barrel.
The Striker shotgun has a modern tactical design, appearance, and color. This gun has often been labelled as an "assault weapon" unsuitable for non-governmental civilian possession. However, the counterpoint to this is that the Striker functions mechanically in a way similar to any revolver or pump shotgun where one round is fired for each pull of the trigger. Unlike most real military guns with magazine interchangeability, the drum magazine does not detach from the gun and must be manually reloaded once expended.
The first designs were criticized as having a slow and cumbersome firing mechanism. The most advanced design has a pump-action style lever used to clear the chamber as other pump-action shotguns do. The Striker is seen as somewhat unique for a shotgun because of its twelve round capacity and short overall length. The significant width of the drum magazine serves to limit its concealability however and, indirectly, its preference by criminals. The Striker's short length makes the gun favorable to some individuals as a home defense weapon for tight hallways and the close quarters of a small urban home. Its shot ammunition, as opposed to a solid bullet, also limits travel through walls and doorways, an important consideration for the urban dweller. The Striker is difficult to (legally) procure in the United States of America as it has been labelled as a destructive device under the National Firearms Act with no sporting purpose by the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
[edit] Variants
- Armsel Striker-this is Hilton Walkers first design and noted that one had to wind the drum before firing the shotgun.
- Armsel Protecta-An improved version of the Armsel Striker. The need to wind the drum before firing was removed and the weapon's reliability was improved.
- Armsel Protecta Bulldog- An extremely shortened, stockless version of the Armsel Protecta. It is intended for building entry and vehicular duties.
- Cobray/SWD Streetsweaper-A clone of the Armsel Striker, notable as having a limited parts commonality to the original weapons system.
- Cobray/SWD Ladies Home Companion- A reduced caliber version of the Streetsweeper. The triggergroup is attached to a .410 gauge drum and barrel.
