Fort-12

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Fort-12
Type Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin Flag of Ukraine Ukraine
Service history
In service 1998-
Used by Ukrainian Army, Police
Production history
Designed 1998
Manufacturer RPC Fort
Produced 1998-
Variants Fort-12R[1] (Rubber bullets)
Fort-12RM[2]
Fort-12T[3]
Fort-12G[4]
Fort-12 CURZ[5] (9x17 мм CURZ)
Specifications
Weight 830 g (empty)

950 g (loaded)

Length 180 mm
Barrel length 95 mm
Width 32mm
Height 131 mm

Cartridge 9x18mm Makarov
9x17mm
Caliber 9mm
Action Double Action, semiautomatic
Rate of fire 40 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity 320 m/s
Effective range ~50 m
Feed system 12 round box magazine

The Fort-12 (Ukrainian: Пістолет ФОРТ-12) is a semi-automatic pistol which was designed in the late 1990s by Ukrainian firearms designer RPC Fort.[6]

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[edit] History

The Fort-12 pistol is an attempt of the independent Ukraine (one of the former USSR republics) to develop its own police pistol to replace Soviet era, aging Makarov PM pistols. To accomplish this task, Ukrainian state-owned FORT factory purchased Czech machinery from Česká Zbrojovka Uherský Brod factory, and by the late 1990s developed its first pistol, the Fort-12. Currently, this gun is issued to the Ukrainian police and security forces and also sold on civilian market chambered for non-lethal rubber ammunition or tear gas ammunition. Early production Fort-12 pistols were reported as only marginally reliable, but at the present time most of the teething problems are gone, and Fort-12 pistol provides some improvements over the older Makarov PM in the ergonomics, accuracy and magazine capacity. The only visible minor flaw of the Fort-12 design is the lack of the safe decocking facility.

The Fort-12 is a blowback operated, double action pistol. Frame and slide are made from steel. Manual safety is mounted on the left side of the slide only, and locks the hammer either in cocked or in lowered position. Guns are manufactured in standard grade with matte finish, or in presentational grade, with gold inlays and engravings. Magazine is of double column type, and holds 12 rounds of ammunition, magazine release button is located at the base of the trigger guard, on the left side of the frame.

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