The Black Campbell

From Russia with Love introduced James Bond fans to the AR-7 .22 survival rifle. A modern take on the survival rifle is produced by TNW in Oregon: the Aero Survival Rifle. The Aero (or ASR) can be purchased in a solitary caliber, or in a kit that allows for multiple calibers and includes a backpack designed for carrying the weapon. The calibers available are 9mm, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, 10mm, and .460 Rowland, and changing the barrel and bolt face allows for a rapid change between loads. The ASR also uses the nearly Glock magazine. The ASR ships with an extended magazine to places without ammunition limitations. The weapon is lightweight, quick to bring to bear, and can be equipped with iron sights or other optics. The butt is adjustable for reach.

The following are the specs for the ASR in 9mm or .357 SIG: PM: +1   S/R: 2   AMMO: 10/17/30   DC: G   CLOS: 0-15   LONG: 40-100   CON: n/a   JAM: 97+   DRAW: 0   COST: $700US; GM INFORMATION: The .40 S&W version has a AMMO: 10/15/28.

The 10mm and .460 Rowland ASR: PM: +1   S/R: 2   AMMO: 10/15/28   DC: H   CLOS: 0-15   LONG: 40-95   CON: n/a   JAM: 97+   DRAW: 0   COST: $800US.

My new acquisition made me check the blog to see if I had covered this before, a lo! I had not. So without further ado…

Walther PPQ 9mm

Introduced in 2011 as a follow on to the P99, the new PolizeiPistole Quick Defence, or Police Pistol, Quick in English is a 9mm striker-fired semiautomatic pistol with a 15 round capacity. Unlike the P99, there is no “single action” mode, rather the pistol functions similarly to most striker fired pistols. The trigger safety is modeled on the Glock, with a small trigger lock that is depressed when the trigger is pulled, but which should not catch on clothing and cause an accidental discharge. This trigger is exceptional for a striker pistol — the weight is about four pounds, with an incredibly short reset that makes it is very fast to string follow up shots. The polymer frame is topped by a heavy slide which mitigates much of the felt recoil, and the grips have palm swells with slight finger grooving to improve handling. The backstrap is interchangeable with three different sizes to adjust for the shooter’s hand size. The magazine release was originally a German styled paddle on the trigger guard (now the M1 version), and a later M2 release swapped this for the American-style magazine release…because learning a very easy manual arms was too hard. Extended ambidextrous slide releases and large gripping grooves on the slide make this easy to use with gloves and along with the paddle-style magazine release make it easy to use with either hand.

The accuracy of the pistol, out of the box, is hard to beat, and the speed and ease of follow up fire makes this an excellent combat handgun. The grip shape and thin width of the weapon make it easy to conceal. Magazines with longer buttplates allow for a 17 round capacity.

PM: +1   S/R: 3   AMMO: 15   DC: F    CLOS: 0-3   LONG: 8-18   CON: +1   JAM: 99+   RL: 1   COST: $550

GM Information: With the extended magazines, the AMMO is 17 and CON: 0.

In .40S&W the PPQ stats are as follows:

PM: 0   S/R: 2   AMMO: 12   DC: G   CLOS: 0-3   LONG 8-19   CON: +1   JAM: 99+   RL: 1

Black Campbell comments: This is, hands-down, the single best handgun I’ve ever used in 30ish years of shooting. The trigger is on par with the 1911 for crispness and reset, the accuracy is top-notch out to about 30 yards. (Free standing, I did a sub 3″ group last week!) The ergonomics can’t be beat, and the size and shape of the pistol, being on par with the Glock 19, but more rounded and thinner hides well and comfortably in an IWB holster. I cannot recommend this Walther enough. If you don’t like the German-style magazine release on the trigger guard (and I’m a leftie, so it worked much better for me), there’s the M2 version that has the usual American-style “bullet button”.

HUDSON H9 9mm

Hudson manufacturing in Temple, Texas wanted to combine the best features of the old 1911, striker fired pistols, and create a firearm with a very low bore axis to aid in mitigating recoil and muzzle flip. they succeeded with the H9, a 15 round 9mm semi-automatic with a crisp, straight-pull trigger, excellent grip angle, and a unique locking system that helped get the recoil impulse channeled into the shooter’s hand. The result is a highly accurate pistol capable of quick follow-up shots. The weight of the pistol is on par with a 1911 or CZ-75 steel service firearm, but it does have a larger front end. The Hudson features an accessory rail for tactical light or laser on the underside of the recoil spring chamber, and it uses the easy to find S&W 5906 magazines.

PM: +2   S/R: 3   AMMO: 15   DC: F   CLOS: 0-4   LONG: 12-18   CON: +1   JAM: 99   DRAW: -1 COST: $1200

Note: Aaaaaand like all good things, this too shall pass. Hudson has declared bankruptcy, which is a damned shame, because I got to shoot one of these and it was fantastic. Keep an eye peeled; the prices will plummet, then tick up hard in a few years as they become a collector’s item, like the Bren Ten.

Here’s a little something from the way-back machine for those of you who set your campaign in the classic era of the early Cold War. The Maserati A6 was a fantastic example of Italian grand touring cars from the 1950s, and was a popular platform for taking a car and having custom coachwork made for it. The most popular variant for this was the A6G two-seater coupe, which had bodies from Zagato, Pininfarina, Pietro Frua, and Ghia, to name a few.

Made from 1949 to 1956, it featured a 1.5 liter, and later a 2 liter inline-six cylinder motor that turned out between 80 and 100hp, depending on the model year. The 2L version was used in the A6GCS and produced 170hp that, through a 4-speed manual transmission, had a top speed of about 130mph.1953 Maserati A6GCS

The car above is a prime example of a Zagato-bodied A6GCS with the larger motor.

PM: +1   RED: 5   CRUS: 60   MAX: 130   RNG: 200   FCE: 2   STR: 5   COST: (new) $2,050; (in 2017) ~$2.3 million

Wilson Combat has long been associated with producing high-quality combat and competition 1911-style pistols. The new XDC X9 was specifically created for concealed carry, and is an excellent choice for law enforcement and other agencies requiring concealability, the accuracy of the 1911 platform, and the high capacity of modern firearms.

The XDC is essentially a double stack 9mm 1911 using a widened aluminum frame. The pistol has a 4″ cone barrel with fluting in the ejection port area and a 4″ long extractor to ensure function. Loaded with 15 rounds of 9mm, it comes in at just over two pounds, a full pound lighter than it’s closest rival, the Rock Island and Para-Ordinance 2011A1 style handgun (but they pack another two rounds…) Light, small, and highly accurate, this is a great choice for those who want the ergonomics of the 1911.

PM: +1   S/R: 3   AMMO: 15   DC: F   CLOS: 0-7   LONG: 10-18   CON: -2   JAM: 99+   DR: 0   RL: 1   COST: $3000

GM Information: Magazines on this pistol are proprietary and rare. If the agent were to lose one, it would require a 50XP to have them replaced, and it would still take 24-48 hours.