A NON-Banned Handgun, the AW93

One of the pistols at the Zion exhibition and sale is the Feinwerkbau AW93.

This gun is part of the overall group, because it is at a quality level comparable to the GSP and 208, but due to a minor technicality, is not likely to be included in the Assault Weapon ban.  Its potential uses including for assault and self defense are no different from the GSP or other "assault weapons."

The AW93 was a Soviet design from the 1980s, with some predecessors.  It has many features in common with the 208 and 208S, and SAKO TriAce.  The main difference is the presence of recoil buffers in the barrel.  These do not influence accuracy significantly, but reduce the perceived recoil of the gun, and the amount of recoil after the bullet has left the barrel.

This gun has become the preferred pistol for many of the US military competition teams, and is popular in Europe.  That popularity is not universal.  Some have tried it, and reverted to the 208 or GSP.  The grip angle on the gun is similar to the 208.

It is relatively insensitive to ammunition brand, but not quite as versatile as the GSP.

The trigger is 2 stage, but the first stage can be nearly completely eliminated, if desired.  Trigger pull adjusted down to about 500 grams safely, lower if instability is tolerable.  Canted grips also are available for the gun, which rotate it a few degrees from vertical.  These are used for shooter comfort or convenience, but otherwise offer no advantage and may actually worsen accuracy a little.

The test target show with this gun (10 rds at 25M) is a little better than the usual results with these guns.

The gun is heavier than the 208, and much heavier than the Pardini and Morini SP guns.  The grip is fairly large and true "small" grips can not be made to fit the gun due to the frame.  However, it is popular with many individuals with small hands.

Several of these will be available at the event.