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QSZ-11

The QSZ-11(Chinese: 11式手枪; pinyin: 11 shì shǒuqiāng) or Type 11 pistol is a compact semi-automatic pistol designed and manufactured by Norinco and issued since 2011 for officers, guards, reconnaissance personnel, security details, and taikonauts of the People's Liberation Army.^[1] The pistol's designation "QSZ" stands for "'light weapon' (qīng wŭqì)—'pistol' (shǒuqiāng)—'automatic' (zìdòng)".

History[edit]

The development of the QSZ-11 began in 2008 and was adopted by the People's Liberation Army in 2011.

In 2014, during the Hong Kong Garrison open day, the QSZ-11 was shown and prompted media attention and much discussion from Chinese milbloggers due to its compact size and exquisite appearance.^[2]

Design[edit]

The QSZ-11 is a compact, aluminium alloy frame pistol^[3] that operates with a recoil-operated, locked-breech and has a rotating barrel locking system. Like the QSZ92 5.8mm pistol, the QSZ11 can only be put on safety when the trigger is ready to fire, which ensures safety in use and the ability to fire quickly with a round in the chamber.^[1] Similar to most modern handguns, the QSZ-11 has a single-action/double-action trigger with a combined safety.

The QSZ-11 uses the traditional patridge sight. Due to the double-stack single-feed magazine of the QSZ-92 often being criticised for its poor reliability, the QSZ11 pistol adopts an 8-round single-stack magazine, equipped with a window displaying the ammunition, so that the remaining ammunition is clearly visible. The QSZ-11 pistol fires the 5.8x21mm DAP pistol ammunition and 5.8x21mm DCV05 subsonic rounds.^[4]

The aesthetic design of the QSZ-11 was a key factor in the development stage, as high-level officers would be armed with it, and many well-known designers and art schools in China were consulted for the design. The grip of the pistol features walnut timber with a carved design. The holster used is also very retro and references the 1960s style.^[1]

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