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Type 80 (pistol)
Type 80 (pistol)
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The Type 80 (Chinese: 80式衝鋒手槍; pinyin: 80 Shì chōngfēng shǒuqiāng) is a close-combat machine pistol that was used in China in the 1980s by the People's Liberation Army of China. It was developed by Norinco in the 1970s, influenced by the design of the German M712 Schnellfeuer.

Key Information

History

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The Type 80 was design in 1970 as a personal defense weapon for officers and special forces team in the People's Liberation Army of China.[1] It was meant to replace the Type 54.[1] The Type 80's design was finalized in 1980.[1]

Design

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The Type 80 was created by refining and upgrading the design of the various Chinese copies of the imported German selective-fire M712 Schnellfeuer version of the Mauser C96 "Broomhandle" semi-automatic pistol that were produced and used in China in the 1930s.[2]

The internal design is derived from the basic Mauser action, with a slight recoil of the barrel enabling the locking piece under the lightweight bolt. This enables the bolt to drop out of engagement and borrows from the later Westinger (rather than the Nickl) selector mechanism. There is an obvious family resemblance outlined with the C96 having the magazine well in front of the trigger, slender barrel and exposed hammer. The pistol has a permanent unregulated sight set at a distance of 50 m (the maximum effective distance when firing in bursts). The rate of fire is believed to be around 850 rounds per minute.

The pistol's fire selector switch is set to single or full auto,[1] which is placed at the left side of the pistol. It can be loaded with either 10 or 20 round magazines.[1]

The detachable metallic shoulder stock can be pulled to use a hidden combat knife when required to fight in close quarters.[2] Otherwise, it can use a wooden holster/shoulder stock.[2]

Disadvantages

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The Type 80 was designed as a machine pistol for use in close combat situations. The pistol proved too unsuitable for sustained fully automatic fire. After cycling approximately thirty cartridges, the barrel would overheat.[3][4]

References

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from Grokipedia
The Type 80 is a selective-fire developed by in during the late 1970s as a for vehicle crews and other requiring greater firepower than standard handguns. Chambered for the cartridge, it features a short-recoil operated, locked-breech mechanism with a rectangular bolt housed in the barrel extension, locked by a tilting locking piece, and operates in both semi-automatic and full-automatic modes with a reported cyclic around 850 rounds per minute. Designed with inspiration from the German "Schnellfeuer" automatic variants, the Type 80 incorporates a single-action trigger with an external hammer, a combined and mode selector on the left side of the frame, and fixed . It uses detachable box magazines of 10- or 20-round capacity that insert from the top with a forward slant, and the pistol's grip is slotted to accept a detachable steel shoulder stock that also serves as a holster, featuring a concealed in some configurations. With an unloaded weight of 1.16 kg, an overall length of 300 mm, and a 140 mm barrel, it achieves an effective range of up to 100 meters in semi-automatic , though full-automatic mode is limited by rapid barrel overheating after short bursts. Although produced for the , the Type 80 saw limited adoption due to its specialized role and remained relatively rare, with no major variants documented beyond options; its combination of a long barrel, high-velocity cartridge, and enhances controllability and range compared to conventional pistols, distinguishing it from earlier Chinese copies.

History

Development

In the late 1970s, the Chinese military identified a need for an updated suitable for vehicle crews and other personnel not typically issued full-sized rifles, leveraging the existing inventory of domestically produced copies that dated back to the Republican era. These earlier semi-automatic copies, such as the Type 17 and Hanyang variants, had provided foundational experience with the C96 platform, while prior automatic derivatives suffered from reliability shortcomings such as overheating and jamming. The Type 80 emerged as a direct evolution of these designs, drawing primary influence from the German M712 Schnellfeuer machine pistol—a selective-fire variant of the C96 that had previously imported and copied during the . Development efforts focused on refining the mechanism to mitigate overheating and jamming issues inherent in prior automatic C96 derivatives, incorporating improved materials and selective-fire controls while retaining the core broomhandle layout. Norinco, China's state-owned arms manufacturer, led the prototyping and extensive testing phases, addressing iterative feedback from military trials to enhance overall durability and controllability. The project culminated in the final design's certification for production in 1980, marking a deliberate modernization of legacy pistol technology for contemporary tactical roles.

Adoption

The Type 80 machine pistol entered production with in 1980, following its development in the late as a specialized for military personnel in close-quarters scenarios. It was adopted by the in the 1980s, with issuance primarily to vehicle crews, officers, armored personnel, and forces to provide enhanced firepower beyond standard sidearms. The pistol's niche role contributed to low-volume production, and its design finalization in facilitated service entry by the mid-1980s after routine military evaluations, though no specific trials are publicly documented. The Type 80 saw no significant exports and remains extremely rare outside , with only isolated examples appearing in international collections.

Design

Features

The Type 80 pistol operates on a short recoil-locked breech mechanism, enabling selective fire in both semi-automatic and full-automatic modes to provide versatile engagement options for users. This system features a rectangular bolt housed within the barrel extension, locked by a tilting locking piece, ensuring reliable cycling under the high-pressure cartridge. A distinctive ergonomic element is its broomhandle-style grip, inherited from the design lineage, which offers a secure hold despite the weapon's compact form. The grip panels are reshaped for improved handling compared to earlier models, complemented by a combined and fire mode selector switch located on the left side of the frame above the grip for intuitive operation. It accepts detachable box magazines in 10- or 20-round capacities, allowing quick reloads suited to its role as a . The includes a detachable that serves dual purposes as a stabilizing brace for aimed fire and a holster for carry, enhancing its portability when not in use. This incorporates a concealed , adding utility for close-quarters engagements. As a hybrid , the Type 80 emphasizes close-combat suppression capabilities, bridging the functionality of a and for vehicle crews and similar personnel requiring compact yet potent firepower. Its design draws brief inspiration from the M712 Schnellfeuer, adapting the full-automatic "broomhandle" concept to modern Chinese production.

Specifications

The Type 80 pistol is a selective-fire machine pistol chambered in 7.62×25mm Tokarev, utilizing a short recoil, locked breech action capable of both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Key physical and operational specifications are summarized below:
ParameterSpecification
Overall length300 mm
Barrel length140 mm
Unloaded weight1.16 kg
Cartridge7.62×25mm Tokarev
Feed system10- or 20-round detachable magazines
Action typeShort recoil, locked breech, selective fire (single/full auto)
Cyclic rate of fire850 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity470 m/s
Effective firing range100 m
Maximum range1,000 m

Disadvantages

The Type 80 pistol exhibits significant vulnerability to overheating during sustained full-automatic fire, primarily due to its light and slim barrel design, which lacks sufficient heat dissipation capabilities. After firing approximately 30 rounds in automatic mode, the barrel heats excessively, rendering the weapon temporarily unusable and risking damage or incidents, thereby severely limiting its utility in prolonged engagements. In automatic mode, the Type 80 suffers from high recoil and poor controllability, exacerbated by its lightweight frame and the energetic 7.62×25mm pistol-caliber cartridge, which generates substantial and reduces practical accuracy beyond very short ranges of 50 meters or less. Effective control in full-auto requires the use of its detachable shoulder stock, but even then, the high cyclic rate of around 850 rounds per minute amplifies these issues, making it suitable only for brief, emergency bursts rather than controlled . The pistol's design incorporates several obsolete elements directly inherited from the early 20th-century and its M712 selective-fire variant, including a short-recoil mechanism and dated that prioritize compactness over user comfort. These features, such as the forward-angled magazine well and rudimentary grip geometry, contribute to handling difficulties during extended use and make the Type 80 ill-suited for modern combat scenarios involving prolonged engagements or diverse firing positions. Due to these inherent flaws, the Type 80 was confined to a niche role as a for vehicle crews and select military personnel requiring enhanced firepower over standard pistols, resulting in limited production runs and its eventual phase-out in favor of more reliable and ergonomically advanced systems like modern personal defense weapons.
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