QSZ92 9mm/5.8mm Pistol

Last updated: 10 March 2007

The QSZ92 (als known as Type 92) pistol was developed by Chongqing Changfeng Machine Manufacturing Ltd in the late 1990s as a replacement for the PLA’s existing 7.62mm pistols. The weapon is available in two versions: the QSZ92-9 pistol that fires the international standard 9X19mm Luger/Parabellum cartridge, and the QSZ92-5.8 pistol that fires the DAP92 5.8X 21mm ammunition. Based on the QSZ92 design, Changfeng also introduced the 9mm NP42 pistol for the commercial export market and the 5.8mm QSW06 silenced pistol for the special operations forces (SOF).

The PLA began to develop a new generation pistol in 1987 to replace its existing 7.62mm Type 54, Type 64, and Type 77 pistols. Because the design team members could not agree on the calibre of the new pistol, two versions with 9mm calibre and 5.8mm calibre respectively were developed in parallel. By 1992, five designs were proposed for further tests and evaluation. The new pistol development programme officially began in 1994.

QSZ92 9mm Pistol

The 9mm QSZ92-9 pistol passed the initial trial in 1996 and was design certified in 1998. The weapon is chambered for the international standard 9X19mm Luger/Parabellum cartridge and fires the Chinese indigenous DAP92 9mm ball bullet featuring a steel-made penetrator core which tip protrudes from a brass jacket. It can also fire the NATO standard 9X19mm cartridges. The weapon has been adopted by the Chinese police forces.

The pistol is 190mm in length, 135mm in height, and 35mm in width. The barrel length is 111mm. The weapon weights 760g when empty and 943g when fully loaded. Frame of the pistol is made from polymer.

The QSZ92-9 pistol is a recoil-operated, semi-automatic weapon that uses a lock-breech design. The weapon uses a rotating barrel to lock and unlock the slide on recoil. Trigger mechanism is double action, with external hammer and ambidextrous safety/unlock lever, mounted on both sides of the frame.

The pistol uses a double-column, double-feed box magazine that holds 15 rounds of ammunition. Front part of the frame under the barrel is shaped as an accessory rail to accept laser sights or flashlights. Fixed sights have luminous inserts for low light conditions.

QSZ92 5.8mm Pistol

The 5.8mm QSZ92-5.8 is almost identical to the QSZ92-9 in appearance, but it differs to the latter in internal design. The development of the QSZ92-5.8 had been slow and the weapon did not pass the trial until 2001. The pistol may have already entered operational service with the PLA as a personal self-defence weapon for field commanders, special operations forces and airborne forces.

The QSZ92-5.8 is 188mm in length, 131mm in height, and 35mm in width. The barrel length is 115mm. The weapon weight 760g when empty and 879.2g when fully loaded. The recoil-operated semi-automatic weapon fires the Chinese indigenous DAP92 5.8X21mm steel core cartridge specifically designed to pierce individual body armours and light vehicle armouring. The weapon is fed from a double-column, double-feed box magazine that holds 20 rounds of ammunitions.

NP42 9mm Pistol

The NP42 9mm pistol is the updated version of the QSZ92-9 for the export market, featuring improved reliability and accuracy. The weapon was said to have been developed using the U.S. Army standard and has a failure rate (<0.12%) comparable to that of the U.S. M11 9mm pistol. The barrel life of the weapon has been increased from 3,000 rounds of the QSZ92-9 to 10,000 rounds.

The standard version NP42 pistol is 190mm in length and weights 760g when empty. The barrel length is 111mm. The long-barrel version NP42 is 200mm in length and weights 774g when empty. The barrel length is 121mm.

The NP42 pistol can use four types of magazines: 15-round double-column, double-feed; 15-round double-column, single-feed; 10-round double-column, double-feed; and 10-round double-column, single-feed magazines. All four types of magazines are fully exchangeable and can also be used by the original QSZ92-9 pistol.

Specifications