CZ's "Beautiful" PDW: A Sadly Unfinished Project
In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves is at CZ headquarters to talk about the CZ “Beautiful” PDW. The “Beautiful” is a secret CZ project that was never finished and never revealed to the public – until today. The “Beautiful” was given this nickname probably because it is aesthetically hideous, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and James and Karl both think the “Beautiful” is one gorgeous PDW. Will this ever be finished and released? Probably not, but at least we get to share it with you.
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Owner, Neutral Ground Gun Co. NRA/Louisiana State Police certified concealed weapons instructor, 2012-present Maxim Magazine's MAXIMum Warrior, 2011 TFBTV Executive Producer Champion, Key West Cinco De Mayo Taco Eating Competition Lawyer Instagram: gunshorts Twitter: @jjreeves
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I just wonder why no one has considered .357 Sig or 9x 25 Dillon as a PDW cartridge? I know that there were attempts to produce a 10 mm variant of the MP5 but the cartridge recoil caused cracks in the weapon, IIRC.
TFB-TV has finally beaten Ian McCollum on the discovery of a forgotten weapon! Congrats!
If I had to guess as to why this prototype was abandoned (other than the obvious issue of funding during an economic downturn) I would wager that the claw tended to do one of two undesirable things: first, it would probably tend to push the cartridge back down into the magazine instead of grabbing the rim (especially when the mag was almost empty) AND/OR it would slam the front of the bullet into the front of the magazine, and seat the bullet deeper into the case, causing occasional high-pressure issues. The latter could be mitigated or eliminated by having a strong "seat" at the top of the mag that would support the shoulder of the cartridge, but I cannot think of an easy, surefire way to keep the claw/fork from occasionally jumping the rim by forcing the round down into the mag.
Another observation: how many rounds is that magazine? It looks like a coffin magazine, like it might be quad-stack on the bottom, and double or single stack at the top? Any insights would be appreciated on that front, but overall, it's a pretty neat design.