TFB Exclusive: The B&T Universal Service Weapon

TFB has obtained an exclusive look at the new B&T Universal Service Weapon in 9mm that is going to accompany the Aimpoint Nano sight release later today. The USW is being billed as a duty weapon that will be able to stand in for a pistol caliber carbine when needed for police and military.

UPDATE: We have confirmed with a source within the company that the USW is produced with Sphinx 3000 parts obtained from the failing Swiss company.

In the sales sheet that we obtained B&T references the terror attacks that much of the world has become all too aware of stating “The current threat is not anything like Europe has faced before. The terrorist chooses the time, place and exact moment to strike”. B&T aims to give each officer the opportunity to deploy an accurate pistol caliber carbine in as little as 1.5 seconds from the included level 3 holster. B&T claims that the USW is capable of 1.6″ groups at a range of about 27 yards, or 40mm groups at 25 meters making the USW very capable in a trained officer’s hands. Head shots on an armored suspect at distances nearing 100 yards would be very possible, stopping the threat quickly.

Looking over the photos and little information that we were able to get our hands on it appears that the USW shares some design elements with several well known pistols. The locking system is very similar to just about every common polymer pistol; the controls, take down marks, frame shape, full length internal slide rails and grips smack of CZ-75; also using a separate material for the steel slide, alloy frame and grip is very reminiscent of the Sphinx SDP (also a Swiss design). B&T is planning on a polymer framed version of the USW that will be striker fired available in 2017.

B&T also says that the stock on the USW is built into the frame of the firearm and is non-removable, bad new for those of us who wouldn’t mind buying a handgun version of the USW. Sadly this firearm will not be offered in full auto at this time, only semi automatic. As I mentioned in the Aimpoint Nano post the optic was designed especially for the USW and will not be available separately and will be mounted to the USW with a non-reciprocating mount that is tied into the frame and appears to be closed off. I wonder what field stripping the USW looks like as a result, it must be a reasonably complicated process.