Folding Stock Forend
Folding Stock Forend
 |
 ATI Mossberg Six Pos Side Fold Stock Heatshield Forend  US $124.99
|
 ATI Winchester Six Po Side Fold Stock Heatshield Forend US $124.99
|
 ATI Remington Six Pos Side Fold Stock Heatshield Forend US $124.99
|
 Accuracy International AX Chassis 20222FCBL US $1,393.15 |
 Accuracy International AX Chassis 20224FCBL US $1,358.13 |
 ATI Mossberg Shotgun Top Folding Stock Heatshield Combo US $124.99
|
Developed in Israel as a personal defense weapon, the Uzi is now one of the most recognizable firearms in the world. It has been used by such organizations as the US Secret Service, where it was their standard submachine gun until about the 1990s. The Uzi has also been heavily associated with criminals. This is likely more of a Hollywood illusion, as Uzis are quite rare and extremely expensive. In warfare the Uzi has proven extremely effective at clearing out bunkers and as a PDW for tank crews. Over 2 billion dollars worth of Uzis have been sold to over 90 different countries since it was developed.
The Uzi was designed in the late 1940s by Uziel Gal of the Israel Defense Forces. Apparently he did not want the weapon named after him but his requests were ignored. It was selected for use by the IDF in 1951. In 1954 it was issued to Special Forces, and by 1956 was being issued for general use. It stayed in general service till the 1980s and was still being used until 2003. The Uzi is one of only a few automatic weapons that house the magazine in the pistol grip. The receivers are simply made from stamped sheet metal and were therefore cheaper to manufacture.
The main Uzi variants are the full sized Uzi, the Mini-Uzi, Micro-Uzi and recently the Uzi-Pro. The Mini-Uzi is lighter and smaller than the standard Uzi, and the Micro-Uzi is lighter and smaller still. The Uzi-Pro was introduced in 2010 and is essentially a redesigned Micro-Uzi. It is made entirely from polymer to reduce weight and features three Picatinny rails. The grip has also been redesigned to better incorporate two-handed firing. Civilian versions of the standard, Mini and Micro Uzi were produced with longer barrel lengths to make them legal for civilian sales in the US.
Uzis have long been a favorite in airsoft, most likely because of the image that is associated with them. They are also very easy to wield one-handed, making them great side arms for snipers. Also they can be fired akimbo which on second thought is probably the real reason for their popularity in airsoft. A number of companies produce Uzi replicas in all price ranges. They are particularly popular "cheapy" guns, and 1:5 scale full auto replicas are very common. High quality ones are produced as well, however, and many of these are gas blowback which makes them even more of a riot.
One such GBB Uzi is the HFC Assault Eagle. It is constructed mostly from ABS but with metal components and fires around 350 FPS using .2g BBs and green gas. It features a folding stock and comes packaged with a 40 round magazine which is not hi-cap and does not have to be wound. The best feature of the HFC Assault Eagle is the gigantic, almost cartoonish silencer. It doesn't do anything except look sweet, but man does it look sweet. The HFC Assault eagle is very affordable and makes a great first airsoft gun for Uzi enthusiasts.
Another blowback Uzi comes from Tactical Force, this one powered by C02. The TF11 is technically based on the Mac 10, a US designed weapon that is similar to the Mini-Uzi but is open bolt. For airsoft purposes they may as well be the same thing. This Mac 10 features full metal construction and a 50 round magazine. There is an adjustable rear sight and the Tactical Force TF11 Mac 10 fires around 300 FPS using .2g BBs.