A bit of real world firearm technology. In 1997 Chinese began issuing in large scale the QBZ-95 assault rifle to members of the Peoples Liberation Army or PLA. The QBZ-95 was a major milestone for the Peoples Republic of China because it was not only completely new design but it also chambered a new cartridge developed for the Chinese forces. The 5.8x42mm.

Along with the new 5.8x42mm cartridge the QBZ-95 also took a new look at how you go about designing a firearm. In most cases the receiver is considered the foundation from which you build the weapon around. Barrel, trigger, magazine and stock are all anchored to the receiver. I believe that this goes back to the day when the lock, flintlock, wheelock, percussion, matchlock, snaphaunce, formed the core which defined the firearm. As firearms evolved this tradition continued.

Apparently the Chinese engineers decided to take a different route when designing the QBZ-95. They decided that the barrel would be the focal point and the various sub-components would attach it instead. In fact the receiver is reduced to a rather overgrown magazine well. This subtle change in orientation had a profound effect on the balance of the weapon. Many people find bullpup style rifles to be rather butt-heavy because of the traditional type receiver behind the pistol grip/ trigger. This is not the case in the QBZ-95

Also the QBZ-95 apparently has one of the better of triggers found on a bullpup rifles. Because there is a rather long distance between the trigger and the trigger sear most bullpups have lengthy linkage bars or cables to make things go bang. That and many rifles, bullpup or traditional format, use a pivoting hammer to strike the firing pin. This can require more hefty sear to ensure safe operations.

In the case of QBZ-95 the pivoting hammer is replaced with a linear hammer/striker mechanism. This mechanism is lighter and produces less vibration both in the trigger and the overall weapon.

Now the QBZ-95 is not without its flaws. Like many bullpups it is right hand eject only. It has a relatively short sight radius and people find the magazine release behind trigger/ pistol grip to be awkward. Finally the safety/selector is located near the butt of the rifle. Far from either of the operators hands.

Like the rifle the 5.8x42mm cartridge is source of some controversy. The cartridge is not intended for the QBZ-95 only. Brother to the QBZ-95 is the QBB-95 which is the squad automatic rifle version of the family. Separate these is QBU-88 sniper rifle and QYJ-88 general purpose machine gun or GPMG. Both the QBU-88 and the QYJ-88 were intended use a heavy bullet load version of the 5.8mm. This means it was designed to replace not one but two cartridges in the PLA's inventory. The 7.62x39mm and the 7.62x54R.

While possessing excellent penetration for a small caliber intermediate round the 5.8x42mm has not been able to completely replace the 7.62x654R for the long range support role. This is not unexpected since there is radical difference in bullet weights between the cartridges.

Of possibly longer term trouble is that in an economic move the Chinese have apparently decided load the 5.8x42mm with a corrosive propellant. This decision is exacerbated by the use of lacquered steel cases which may cause not additional corrosion to the weapon unless regularly cleaning, but also to the cartridges while they are in storage.

While it might seem penny-wise and pound foolish to use such a combination for the PLA it must be remember that the Chinese need procure equipment on a scale that few countries can imagine. At this scale even a fraction of a cent can add up quickly.