PDWs...and other small arms.

[LRRPF52]

This discussion of PDWs certainly has cut a wide swath. There appears to be a lot of passion about slings and knives and tomahawks and pistols, that is for sure -- but the question remains what is a PDW, and what role does it fill, and what will it replace if anything.

Here are the classifications of PDWs as I see them:

Pistols (not a suitable form of PDW in my book, maybe ok in others, but straight-walled pistol cartridges are weak performers, and will be even more so going into the future without generational leaps in propellant and projectile technology for them)

SMGs: Generally pistol caliber, suffer the same issues, but are easier to aim with the stock. Outdated 20th Century instrument of war.

1990s-era PDWs: This is where several NATO members recognized the failings of pistols and SMGs, and sought to replace them with better cartridges and weapons systems. Belgium developed the 5.7x28 PDW cartridge for the FiveSeven Pistol and P90 PDW, while Germany developed the 4.6x30 PDW for the HK MP7 PDW. Bill Alexander actually worked on several projects with the UK MoD, including .224 Boz in Glocks and MP5s, which spit a 50gr projectile out at 2500fps IIRC. It was never adopted by the UK for some reason. It would be nice to have Bill chime in on it.

As we are now well into the 21st Century, I see a lot of old school designs with new packaging on them, often based on the AR15 receiver arrangement, but chambered in uninspiring 9mm, but with some better human interface than the MP5 ever had.

We can do much bette than this, starting with the cartridge. Since the military isn't asking for it, I'm not sure how you would get the ball rolling on a 21st Century PDW with funding, but I would like to see 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP relegated to the 20th Century trash bin, to be honest. Very unimpressive fight stoppers most of the time according to statistical analyses covering thousands of different shooting incidents with them on unarmored civilians.

I envision a new PDW that has near-rifle performance, in a small package, that is streamlined and compact, that can be worn on a belt without being a snag hazard.