NationStates Jolt Archive

-Argus Equinox Series-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/jay3135/guns/EQt.png
EQT model shown

Origin-
The Equinox series of pistols was developed in late 2006 as a dedicated combat sidearm for both law enforcement and military personnel serving in the Amastoli Royal Guards. As such; strict reliability requirements were put on the design as this pistol was designed to go into harms way regularly. Weight was also a major concern of the designers as this pistol was to be carried full time by a large number of service men and women in the field. When Argus Industrial Manufacturing (AIM) began its investigation into the current needs of military personnel it discovered a generally unsatisfied market that was flooded with a large number of semi-standardized foreign pistols, all of which had been purchased individually by the majority of general staff and officer corp. Knowing this unsatisfactory and with several thousand interviews worth of data, the Equinox team set about developing what would come into its own right as THE pistol for the Amastoli Military. Though the initial government contract for the Equinox stated that the Equinox would be only an interim replacement for the Amastoli Royal Guards were until such time as a proper military investigation and abstract could be concluded, it has served for over a year thus far with almost not attempt or current desire to begin such inquiries within the senate.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/jay3135/guns/EQSpreadmini.png (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/jay3135/guns/EQspread.png)
Equinox Series of pistols, click for larger image

Overview-
The Equinox series of pistols vary in capabilities and sizes, however all are polymer framed, double-action/single-action semi-automatic pistols designed specifically for the harsh environments of Amastol and the unforgiving Antarchon climate. The frame of the Equinox is constructed of impact resistant Zytel polymer with metallic inserts. These inserts help reinforce the internal rail system for its all-metal milled slide. The use of an internal rail system compared to the more common external rail system increases accuracy and reliability in combat situations. The stamped steel frame inserts add rigidity and provide a smoother bearing surface for the slide rails to act on. These inserts, as well as the hammer assembly are secured in part by the slide release levers cross bar. The internal hammer components at the rear section of the frame (comprised of: the main spring, hammer, and sear) is internally braced as one removable piece for cleaning or replacement, and attached to the frame via a set of lever bars which secure under the slide release bar that runs along the mid-section of the frame. The lever bars also act as feed way assists for the ammunition rising up from the magazine, improving feeding reliability and decreasing the weapons 'pickiness' when feeding foreign or military surplus ammunition. In order to keep the number of controls at a minimum and thus the number of moving parts, thus the Safety also acts as a de-cocking lever allowing for the weapon to be placed truly in safe for storage or carry without worrying about spring fatigue of the hammer spring. An M1913 specification rail runs the first three inches of the frames front allowing for many after-market accessories to be easily fitted. The rail is actually form molded over a metal ‘I’ shaped bar to act as a support for the rail and better integrate it with the frame, unlike the frame inserts which are also secured by a pin, this is physically part of the frame itself. This bar also acts as the forward retainer of the steel frame supports, which are secured by a steel pin and by hooking under the end extension of this rail. The sights for the Equinox series are composed of two sets of sight units. The first set is the front post sight, which is milled from the frame itself increasing the strength of the front sight significantly. By milling the front sight from the frame itself with the assistance of modern CAD/CAM manufacturing the sight is significantly more rugged than the traditional dovetail, and pin design. Since the front sight is often the primary sighting component used in close range combat shooting it has been given special attention and made integral with the weapon itself. The rear set of sights is of Adjustable Novak style. Both sets of sights are installed standard with two-tone Tritium inserts for lightening fast low light acquisition. The top of the frame has been filed width-wise along its full length to deduce surface glare from the top of the frame allowing for accurate sight picture in any light, in any weather, at any time.

The delayed blow back system as used in the Equinox is based partly on Fabrique Nationale rotary delayed blowback system, as used in the Five-Seven pistol. The difference is that instead of using two small parallel lugs engaging a small lug on the slide, the Equinox uses two large inline lugs spaced equidistant along the barrel. This means that when the slide is in battery, the positive lock-up of barrel to slide assures perfect alignment of barrel and sights improving the weapons accuracy and first shot probability. The locking lugs used on the Equinox engage two beveled cutouts in the slides roof and apply the rotational torque of the barrel against the roof of the slide, thus preventing the slide from recoiling until the bullet has left the barrel. When bullet leaves the barrel, the slide is free to rotate the barrel partially and unlock and retract the lugs to cycle the action. This system of two inline lugs was chosen to improve the locking strength of the action and decrease the localized stress associated with such an operation, increasing the weapons overall reliability. By channeling part of the recoil energy into barrel rotation, and by partially absorbing the barrel and slide recoil shock through the central block before it is transferred to the frame, the Equinox achieves unusually low felt recoil with the additional assistance of its dual action slide spring and buffer. The slide spring of the weapon is located below the barrel in a dual action Volmer style captive telescopic buffer assembly. The captive ‘one piece’ system is composed primarily of two springs; the first spring is located inside two interlocking stainless steel tubes. The second spring is located outside of the interlocking tubes and acts as the primary recoil spring; both springs are of nickel-silicon construction decreasing its susceptibility to heat or corrosion damage. The resulting action is a very smooth deceleration in the final stages of recoil improving frame strength due to less impact shock, and decreasing barrel climb and recoil by nearly forty percent. The inside of the through-hardened milled steel slide is hard chromed, as are the major working components. The slide is also through hardened to improve its strength and reliability, while ample room remains between the internal working parts to prevent seizure by means of grit-induced friction.

Magazines for the Equinox are made from powder-coated stainless steel with indexing ports at 5, 10, and 15 rounds (if capable). The magazines floor plate is made of the same impact resistant Zytel polymer as the frame, and acts as a finger stop to better assist in the weapons handling when using a proper two-hand grip. The floor plate of the magazine uses a single vertical screw and a rail system for its attachment and ease of disassembly. The self leveling follower of the magazine is constructed of high density polymer that’s 2% Teflon by volume for dry lubrication and is dyed one of several bright colors, neon orange being the most popular due to its visibility. The trailing edge of the follower acts a gasket between the magazine and the housing. This ‘gasket’ decreases grime intrusion as well as forcing any built up grime to be scraped from the housing walls during loading, allowing for self-cleaning and ease of function. The resulting debris can be easily shaken from the magazine afterwards or removed via the floor plate if time allows. In order to provide the best compromise of corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance and strength the magazine uses a heat-treated stainless steel spring. Feed lips of the magazine are rounded and polished to soften their edges and prevent creasing on stored rounds, this combined with a compression stop on the self leveling follower prevents the spring from exceeding its elastic limit and allows for long term storage of rounds in magazine without worry. The grip panels of the Equinox are unusual in that they taper towards the front of the grip so that the front is thinner than the backstrap. This improves the grip comfort and control of the pistol to nearly being comparable to single stack magazine pistols, but with the advantage of a double stack magazine. The magazine well is also beveled inward very slightly to assist in quick reloading and indexing in low light, however, the strength of the frame is taken as a primary concern over excessive beveling of the magazine well.

Disassembly of all of the pistols in the Equinox series is simple, and is designed for easy accomplishment without tools in any environment it is likely to see action. To disassemble the pistol for cleaning the owner first safeties the weapon, and removes the magazine, then checks the chamber for a seated round. While holding the frame and slide in a ‘pinch’ grip with the non dominant hand, then rotate the Slide Release lever one hundred and eighty degrees so that the end of the release is pointing towards the muzzle. While still holding the slide with the non-dominant hand, grip the frame with a dominant hand and gently pull the Slide forward off of the Frame. After approximately thirty millimeters the frame will slide forward easily under pressure from the recoil spring, let it continue forward under the control of your non-dominant hand until free of the frame. This leaves the Barrel and its separate captive spring to be removed from the frame simply by a lifting it off of the Slide Release Levers’ Bar. The Frame now only requires the ‘Hammer’ unit to be removed from the frame by removing tipping it up and forward and free of the slide release lever. Total disassembly can be completed in less than fifteen seconds; though such speed is rarely needed. The weapon however has been tested to function without liquid lubricant for five thousand rounds due to its hard chromed and molybdenum-disulfide coating, though this is hardly recommended due to service life issues it is capable of performing in the worst environments when called on to do so.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/jay3135/guns/EQCGSFmin.png (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/jay3135/guns/EQCGSF.png)
Equinox Combat model fitted with Grip safety and Extended barrel with silencer attached, click for larger image

Specifications-

Type: DA/SA Semi-Automatic Pistol

Operation: Delayed Blowback

Versions Available: Equinox Eclipse (EQE), Equinox Tactical (EQT), and Equinox Combat (EQC)

Chamber(s): 9x19mm Parabellum, .357 Sig, 9.8 ACP, 10mm Auto, .40 S&W, .40 DDI, 41 AE, and .45 ACP (EQD: 9x19mm Parabellum, .357 Sig, 9.8 ACP, .40 S&W)

Weight: 670 grams unloaded, 800-950 grams loaded (EQD:400 grams unloaded, 550-575 grams loaded)

Height: 138 mm (EQD: 118 mm)

Overall Length(s): 133mm Defender, 183 mm Eclipse, 193 mm Tactical, and 203 mm Combat

Barrel Length(s): 62.5mm, 103 mm, 113mm, or 123 mm (respectively)

Sight Radius: 113mm, 155 mm, 165 mm, or 175 mm (respectively)

Sights: Fixed Front, Adjustable rear; Three dot, Self Illuminated (tritium)

Safety: Manual, Automatic firing pin safety, Trigger bar disconnect, Loaded chamber indicator

Trigger pull: 3.1 kg at toe for the first shot, 1.3 kg at toe for each shot following

Capacity: 16+1 rounds of 9x19, 15+1 rounds of 9.8 ACP, 14+1 rounds of .357 sig/10mm Auto/.40 S&W, 12+1 rounds of .41AE/.40 DDI/, and 11+1 rounds of .45 ACP (EQD: 10+1 rounds of 9x19, 8+1 rounds of 9.8 ACP, 7+1 rounds of .357 sig/.40 S&W)

Special Features: Integrated M1913 specification rail underneath the slide for accessory attachments on all models but the EQD.

Cost: 330.00 NSD, 800.00 NSD, 850.00 NSD, 950.00 NSD (respectively)

Variants-
-EG[X]G: The [X]G series replaces the manual thumb safety on any selected model (including EQC-SF) with a grip safety, this is available upon request for no additional cost. The lever that had previously acted as a safety operates as the manual de-cocking lever.

-EQC-SF: Designed for Special forces, this is a EQC pistol equipped with a threaded barrel extension protrudes eight millimeters from the slide and is normally protected by a non-glare polymer or powder coated steel screw on cover, however a quick attach style suppressor mount can be installed to decrease the times required to attach or detach a suppressor under combat conditions. This Variant costs a mere fifty NSD greater.

Ordering Information: Please list in rough numbers (since exact numbers obviously may not be known or may be vague) how many pistols and of which model you would like to purchase. Please do your own math, and reply in an official manner. Limited Domestic Production Rights are restricted to orders over one million pieces, and cost is negotiated based on the maximum amount of pistols produced per run, or dividend per produced item. Domestic Production rights will allow you to produce the Equinox series of choice locally, however you do not have the right to sell this item for profit. Should the Equinox be re-sold under a different name, strict legal action will be taken against the offending nation.

The Equinox Series is in Service with-
The Amastoli Royal Guard (1.3 million)
Skibereen Military (10 million)
Cottish Military (35 million)
Macabean Fuermak (50.08 million)
Kampferian Military (45 million units)
Spizanian Military (240 milion units)
Zinaireian Military (2 million units)
Tnemrot Military (250 million)
Layerteb Military (35 million)
Allanean Civilians (20 million)
Stevidian Constabulary (90 million)
Total: >778 million units

Image is copyright of the author, 2008

To Whom it may concern,



While the ErininArms Arms manufacturing Corporation has ventured away from the military and moved towards the niche sports market it can not turn a blind eye to the venerable weapon from Argus.

To that end, ErininArms seeks to purchase Domestic Production and Area sales rights(with implied exclusivity) for the nation of Skibereen.

This would include all the series models, and variants.

Sales Projections First Year: 10m units.

To: ErininArms Arms manufacturing Corporation
From: Argus Industrial Manufacturing Inc., Sales Department, International Production handling.

Dear sirs and/or madams,

Limited Domestic Production Rights are available to nations who intend to order a large number of units, however we will provide only the tooling, and design information. You will be responsible for all materials acquisition and as such we do require that the resulting pistols be marked with your national identity so that quality control concern disputes may be prevented should the weapon or weapons be recovered overseas. We do not see this as a potential problem due to your experience in manufacturing however our legal team must earn their pay thus we were required to inform you of that condition. For an estimated ten million units with Domestic Production in your nation for all models would come to Three point Five Billion NSD and zero cents (3,500,000,000.00 NSD) with a further 10% of the export cost paid per pistol depending on model. With your pre-order discount this comes to Two point Nine Seven Five Billion NSD and zero cents (2,975,000,000.00 NSD) If this is acceptable we will exchange account information and close the terms.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

OOC: EDIT I forgot your pre-order discount, just a sec...

Official Transmission

Dear sir/madam,

The Realm of Cotland has anticipated the release of the Equinox series for quite some time now, having gone so far as to pre-order the weapon. Therefore, the Realm of Cotland hereby wishes to fullfill the agreement which was agreed upon during the pre-order negotiations, and hereby places an order for a total of
Equinox EQT 30,000,000 units
Equinox EQC-SF: 5,000,000 units

We require all weapons to be chambered in the 10x23 MM DDI round, also known as the .40 DDI, and we also wish to aquire Domestic Production Rights for both variants purchased so that we can indiginously produce replacement parts and weapons in the event of "wear and tear" and if we decide to arm our Law Enforcement Officers with this pistol. These weapons will be constructed at Våpensmia Ltd., and will be marked with a Royal Crown and the letter "V" beneath the crown in order to identify the weapons as Cottish in origin.

The funds for the weapons ordered has been calculated to cost a total of $28.75 billion, which minus the 15 % discount we have graciously received due to pre-ordering the weapon will come to a total of $21.5625 billion which will be wired to your accounts upon confirmation of this order.

Sincerely
Viseadmiral Ørjan Bakke
Procurement Division
Royal Ministry for the Defense of the Realm
The Realm of Cotland

Dear Viseadmiral Ørjan Bakke,

We have received your order and are quite pleased to approve it for the total listed, Tooling and design information for domestic production will be hand delivered no later than one week from today due to international travel distances and proper government clearance for entry. Please note that a 10% surcharge is expected to be paid in annual installments for each slide produced, however individual components such as the frame and internal workings may be produced without charge.

Your official order itself will be leaving Port Arase within the week as our Quality assurance team completes its exit check of requested items. We pride ourselves on the weapons quality and will delay it no longer than necessary to deliver only items that meet our strict demands. The weapons will be shipped in sealed 100 item hard cases with 200 cases per standard ISO container.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

Communiqué Directed To: Horatio Auser, Sales Department, Argus Industrial Manufacturing
From: Gen. Daví Tenebrill, Head of Armed Forces Next-Generation Sidearm Program [NGP]
Subject: Procurement Interests with the Equinox Pistol

Greetings Mr. Auser,

As you may or may not have known, the Fuermak has recently begun a 'next-generation sidearm program' - or the NGP, for next-generation pistol - which was organized specifically to look over many foreign pistol designs and choose the sidearm that we believed was the best for our non-commissioned officers, officers and 'special personnel'. The program leadership had a keen interest for the Equinox since the beginning of the pistol's development program, as indicated by our interests in pre-ordering the pistol. Given the sheer amount of sidearms that the Equinoxwill replace, and past procurement mistakes, including the Hali-42, the amount of deliberation over our next sidearm has been unmatched in our nation's history of small-arms procurement. Therefore, we're glad to say that the Equinox has been chosen as the NGP.

As a 'first tranche', we're looking to arm the standing armed forces (Ejermacht, Laerihans and Kriermada) with around fifty million pistols (50 million), and the Díenstadi Régulies with approximately ten thousand pistols (10,000). Orders for our reserves may materialize later, but our current budget is limited due to sister procurement efforts and money necessary for post-war reconstruction in the Empire, northern Safehaven, Guffingford and Theohuanacu. Of the 50,010,000 pistols ordered for the first batch, we're looking for 70,000 to be of the EQC-SF version for 'special personnel', around twenty-five million to be 'tactical' and the rest to be of the 'combat' version. As a consequence, the total procurement price tag should be $45,013,000,000.

We're hoping to be able to pay this over a period of a decade, and so payments would come in the form of $4.5 billion per year. If this is unacceptable, we're sure that we can come to an agreeable price payment table.

We thank you for your patience and time,

- Gen. Daví Tenebrill, NGSP Head

Dear General Daví Tenebrill,

We have received your order and recalculated your order including your 15% pre-order discount which we owe you due to your dedication and support along its long development process. We are glad to accept your financing suggestion and the new per annum cost comes to 3.8 billion per year, with a total of 38,261,050,000 NSD due in full by FY2018.

We will begin shipping as per standard protocol in four days with several ships leaving Port Arase containing your order over the course of the next six weeks for the long trip to your locale. If you encounter any problems please do not hesitate to contact me personally or our customer service department at any time.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

OOC: It's "Cottish", not "Cotish"...

OOC: It's "Cottish", not "Cotish"...OOC: Sorry about that ^_^''

Bump

..::Class 5 Industrial Message, No Encryption::..

TO: Argus Industrial Mfg
FR: Polaris Arms Inc
SUB: Domestic Production Rights

The Joint Strategic Command of the Imperial Armed Forces has recently put out a tender for a standard pistol to go with the already standard 10mm Imperial (Caseless) round. While we at Polaris Arms are capable of designing and manufacturing such a pistol on our own, we firmly believe that the end result would be very similar to your Argus series and we feel that it would be a better investment to simply acquire domestic production rights. That being the case, certain modifications would be necessary for the Argus to be accepted into service.

1) Obviously the internals would have to be adjusted to accept caseless rounds, specifically piezoelectric ignition instead of a standard striking pin.

2) Since our infantry regularly use battlearmour and therefor lack the fine motor control available with unaugmented hands, a grip safety is required.

3) The tender requires a 16+1 magazine capacity, so we request standard 10mm Auto mags with a two round extender.

We hope to hear back from you soon on the feasibility and/or status of our request.

..::End Class 5 Message::..

To: Polaris Arms Inc

Dear Sirs and/or Madams,

We are confident we can meet your requirements with one exception. Due to no major experimentation with caseless rounds we are not as experienced as you are in that field, and lack the proper facilities for developing such a system at this time.

As such we would like to propose a collaboration, we will modify the grip, frame and magazine assembly designs, and produce the variant for your use. We will then ship the pistol assemblies to your country for fitting of the peizo-electric ignition system/final assembly. This would allow for local jobs for you, and with our assistance the fitting of the modualr unit should be near seamless. This should at least in theory allow us to play to our strengths and create the variant with the best possible results for your needs.

If this is acceptable we would be happy to continue the discussion of terms and amounts needed.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

To: ErininArms Arms manufacturing Corporation
From: Argus Industrial Manufacturing Inc., Sales Department, International Production handling.

Dear sirs and/or madams,

Limited Domestic Production Rights are available to nations who intend to order a large number of units, however we will provide only the tooling, and design information. You will be responsible for all materials acquisition and as such we do require that the resulting pistols be marked with your national identity so that quality control concern disputes may be prevented should the weapon or weapons be recovered overseas. We do not see this as a potential problem due to your experience in manufacturing however our legal team must earn their pay thus we were required to inform you of that condition. For an estimated ten million units with Domestic Production in your nation for all models would come to Three point Five Billion NSD and zero cents (3,500,000,000.00 NSD) with a further 10% of the export cost paid per pistol depending on model. With your pre-order discount this comes to Two point Nine Seven Five Billion NSD and zero cents (2,975,000,000.0 0NSD) If this is acceptable we will exchange account information and close the terms.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

OOC: EDIT I forgot your pre-order discount, just a sec...

Dear Mr. Auser,



The price set forth is agreeable.
The markings on the units will include a 'Seal', ErininArms Serial Number and if applicable a production number in accordance with your records for number of weapons produced globally. Each of the main components will receive 'Seal' and ErininArms serials.


Sincerely,



Donovan Redford
Vice President

[TO] The esteemed Argus Industrial Manufacturing
[FROM] Department of War, Purchasing Subdivision, Kampfers

The product you have is quite a piece of workmanship, and for that, Kampfers is willing to reward you handsomely. Every single service is in need of a pistol, yours. That means that your pistol has been chosen to be the service pistol for the Kampferian Army, the Kampferian Luftwaffe, the Kampferian Kriegsmarine, the Kampferian Intelligence Bureau, and the numerous sects of secret divisions dedicated to protecting the Fuhrer and other top tier individuals in Kampfers, as well as some of the police forces within Kampfers. As such, Kampfers will require a full 40 million Equinox EQC and a full 5 million Equinox EQC-T, all chambered for .40 DDI. The total for this order should come to 38.5 billion, 38 billion for the EQC's and .5 billion for the EQC-T's. Thank you.

[Signed]
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w107/imdmill/750f824a.png

OOC: Oh god this post sucks. Expect an edit tomorrow when I have my senses back. I sleep now

[[OOC: I’ll Give Kampf time to edit while I make an announcement]]

Argus adds New Equinox Defender to their lineup-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/jay3135/guns/EQCON.png

Overview-
After the Overwhelming success of the international sales for the Equinox series, Argus has decided to release the Equinox Defender for Civilian and Law Enforcement sales. Designed as a compact but powerful semi-automatic handgun for self-defense, the Defender retains most of the features that made the Equinox series so popular, including the series diehard reliability. With 10+1 Rounds of 9mm available the Defender doesn’t pull any punches on capacity, and its price at more than half the cost of the Eclipse is priced just right for those looking for a compact pistol that you can bet your life on.

Buy one for yourself? Buy one for your Senator? How about all your senators? Why not give your leader the gift that keeps one giving when it matters most?

Specifications-

Type: DA/SA Semi-Automatic Pistol
Operation: Delayed Blowback
Chamber(s): 9x19mm Parabellum, .357 Sig, 9.8 ACP, .40 S&W
Weight: 400 grams unloaded, 550-575 grams loaded
Height: 118 mm
Overall Length(s): 133mm
Barrel Length: 62.5mm
Sight Radius: 113mm
Sights: Fixed Front, Adjustable rear; Three dot, Self Illuminated (tritium)
Safety: Manual, Automatic firing pin safety, Trigger bar disconnect, Loaded chamber indicator
Trigger pull: 3.1 kg at toe for the first shot, 1.3 kg at toe for each shot following
Capacity: 10+1 rounds of 9x19, 8+1 rounds of 9.8 ACP, 7+1 rounds of .357 sig/.40 S&W
Cost: 330.00 NSD

It has come to our attention that the "Equinox" pistol line is an amazing weapons system that would serve well in the Confederate Armed Forces both in the present, and in the future.
We would therefore like to place a rather.... substantial order for both the EQC Equinox Combat Pistol and the shorter EQD Compact Weapon.


120 Million EQC Equinox Combat Pistols in 7mm CAP (Confederate Automatic Pistol)
120 Million EQD Equinox Defender Pistols in .357 SIG

If the mathmatics of the accounting division is correct, this should require a payment of $153,000 million NSD, which will shipped by the next available Confederate Airways Zeppelin flight to Amastol in the form of Ingot Bearer Bonds.

To: Henrick Zetterburg, DoW, Kampfers

Dear Sir,

We are glad to approve your order and confirm your prior registration of pre-order for the Equinox series of pistols, as such your total comes to 34,212,500,000.00 With your discount removed. Stocks are starting to become scarce but luckily a new factory is scheduled to open in Marsa later this week, which should complete your order within the month. What stocks we have on hand will be shipped as per our standard protocol after a thorough quality assurance check just prior to loading for its long trip to Haven.

We thank you for your time, dedication and the wisdom of choosing a superior product.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

-=-=----------------------------------------------------------------------

To: the Spizanian Ministry of Defense

Dear Sirs and/or Madams,

Your order has been recorded as the largest single order for Equinox pistols currently in its short time frame, and has single handedly quadrupled the record breaking sales of its first weeks release. As such we will gladly remove the cost of re-chambering the pistols to your national caliber due to the size of the order.

Due to the large demand for the pistol we will be forced to delay this order only shortly to allow for our fourth local factory to 'spin' up to current manufacturing standards, as such we will begin shipping your order in 30 equal installments starting by the end of this month (less than two weeks from today) and continue in regular intervals over the next few months. As current demand has temporarily outstripped our surplus we do apologize for the delay but hope the final product will more than satisfy your needs for a dependable service pistol.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

http://img.skitch.com/20080510-egwgm6w8m4d76wm1prwm222s4u.png

Zinairian Military Authority
Department of Procurement
19 National Plaza, Zinaire City

We would like to purchase two million EQC-SF pistols chambered at .45 ACP. The total cost will come to $2 billion USD. Money will be wired upon confirmation.

Sir Logan Montelimar Sr.
Chancellor of Procurement

To: Polaris Arms Inc

Dear Sirs and/or Madams,

We are confident we can meet your requirements with one exception. Due to no major experimentation with caseless rounds we are not as experienced as you are in that field, and lack the proper facilities for developing such a system at this time.

As such we would like to propose a collaboration, we will modify the grip, frame and magazine assembly designs, and produce the variant for your use. We will then ship the pistol assemblies to your country for fitting of the peizo-electric ignition system/final assembly. This would allow for local jobs for you, and with our assistance the fitting of the modular unit should be near seamless. This should at least in theory allow us to play to our strengths and create the variant with the best possible results for your needs.

If this is acceptable we would be happy to continue the discussion of terms and amounts needed.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA


..::Class 5 Industrial Message, No Encryption::..

TO: Horatio Auser, Sales Department, Argus Industrial Mfg
FR: Polaris Arms Inc
SUB: Domestic Production Rights

Your suggestion is agreeable. We eagerly await your proposal.

..::End Class 5 Message::..

I wish I could do a crazy deal where I get to rip these off completely, giving Amastol some credit while taking all the 'wows' and generally being brilliant in return for hideous amounts of money.

But that'll never happen...

*hopeful look*

An Insider’s Look at the New Equinox Pistol
A Special Operations veteran and attaché to Argus Industrial Manufacturing offers his experience with the hot, new pistol.

- Fer Gíon

When Argus Industrial Manufacturing began the development of what would become the Equinox pistol, the Fuermak of the Second Empire of the Golden Throne took a keen interest. This was especially true in respect for the servicemen of the Fuermak’s special operation units, such as the Ejermacht’s Reketés. At the time of the development, the principle sidearm of the officer corps and noncommissioned-officer cadre was the Hol-24, which has been in service for almost four decades and had seen around six hundred million manufactured since its inception. Unfortunately, the Hol-24 uses an antiquated caliber, is heavy and is not at-all reliable. As a consequence, the Fuermak was allowed to state itself as a probable buyer of the new Equinox and the Ejermacht actively contacted Argus Industrial Manufacturing for possible cooperation between themselves and the Reketés. This resulted in the high command sending yours truly to Amastol in an attempt to oversee development and offer suggestions in hopes of finalizing a contract for the Equinox special-forces variant. Over the development time I became acquainted with the weapon and ultimately my opinions brought about the government’s decision to procure over fifty million copies of the pistol in a first tranche. The pistol is already in service with Díenstadi Régulies units in Theohuanacu and special forces, as well. Before I go in depth, I should mention that the plan to convert the principle pistol caliber from 9x18mm to .45ACP is one of the wisest the military has decided upon, barring the conversion from .221 to 6.64mm as our rifle caliber.

The first thing that should be praised in the Equinox is its reliability, otherwise the Equinox would had come under fire the first day it appeared in Theohuanacu. Officers and non-commissioned officers who used the combat version of the pistol in combat have attested to the weapon’s utter ability to withstand the build-up of grit, which can’t be cleaned every day if the unit is in combat. Much grime is immediately cleaned, to an extent, by the sealing gasket created by the trailing edge of the follower, which allows the dust and dirt to be wiped off during the loading operation. For the situations in which the build-up of grime is impossible to avoid, such as in extended combat operations, the chrome-built parts reliably survive the wear and tear and allow for operation even when the pistol is not considered in serviceable conditions. Since the pistol has been introduced into service and sent to Theohuanacu to equip ‘important units’ there have been many less complaints about unserviceable pistols after combat operations, as soldiers have found the pistol ready for action after a quick clean. The improvement over the HOL-24 does not even have to be mentioned, given that the HOL-24 was notorious for its troubles to withstand harsh treatment and the poor manufacture of its parts. As a veteran, I can also attest that the Equinox preformed better than other pistols considered for the HOL-24 replacement program, in regards to surviving the build-up of grit over multiple days. In fact, the Equinox is simply incredible when regarding reliability.

It is important to mention the easiness and quickness of cleaning the armament, given its easy disassembly. It’s designed to be disassembled without tools, which makes it perfect for cleaning if the soldier is still in a combat environment – in a respite, so to speak – and the parts can be individually removed at a fast pace. This is because, after putting the weapon on safe and removing the magazine (which should be second nature to any soldier), it only requires to rotate the slide release towards the muzzle, while holding the frame and slide, and then pulling the slide forward off the frame. As this happens, the recoil spring’s force will also push the frame forward, and when this is completed it only requires the user to remove the hammer. Due the rate of disassembly, it allows soldiers to quickly pass over parts in need of major cleaning. The pistol can survive five thousand or so shots, according to the manufacturer, without lubricant, making the need to lubricate the weapon whilst in a combat zone unnecessary and allows a soldier to wait until he arrives to his fire base. Disassembly and assembly should take no more than forty seconds for a trained soldier, meaning all he needs is a good one-and-a-quarter minutes to clean the weapon a bit and be ready for combat again. In fact, Doomani Régulies are known to have cleaned the weapon while counting the local population during an occupation operation. During these operations, a pistol can fire over one thousand shots which makes the pistol’s reliability all the more important and the ease of cleaning quintessential.

The pistol’s polymer frame makes it competitive in the private sector, although the metallic inserts may not. Nevertheless, the pistol has received much hype in the Empire’s civilian gun market, and it’s expected that a civilian person of the Equinox Tactical and the Equinox Eclipse will soon be released in 9x19mm Parabellum. The cheap price tag of the former will also attract a large number of sales. Preliminary numbers suggest a market for over two hundred million pistols per year, and Argus Industrial Manufacturing is hoping to achieve at least 20% of that lot. This would signify approximately four to six billion roikmerks, which is quite the sum. Given the lack of a local supplier, this will make AIM’s job at introducing the gun into the civilian sector much, much easier. The HOL-24’s market has been eliminated, almost completely, by superior foreign competitors, although modified HOL-24s remain fairly successful in regards to competition shooters. Hopefully, by the time this article is out the Equinox will already be in the civilian market.

Another market still open for the Equinox is that of the military. Despite the purchase of fifty million units, it’s rumored that the military will approve the procurement of another eight hundred units of the Equinox Eclipse for an unnamed unit in the Ejermacht. Furthermore, the Empire will continue to purchase replacement units as pistols are put out of action by their continued use in the warzone. All in all, AIM has sold militaries world wide over three hundred and eighty million units in the first few weeks of its entry on the market, and this could quickly grow four fold or more. In short, the Equinox is one of the most successful weapons to be exported in the history, in numbers relevant to the weapon – perhaps the Equinox will even be able to claim parity or superiority in exports world wide to the Nakíl main battle tank! There is no doubt that civilian exports will be many times greater than those sold to militaries, and therefore the Equinox has perhaps been AIM’s most successful market entry and will guarantee it millions of sales for future products, as well. AIM has gone from a company looking to enter the market with cooperative designs such as the Swift Kill, to a world leader.

To: Sir Logan Montelimar Sr.

We have received your request and have placed your order on the list with production set to begin before the end of the month. We apologize for the slight delay but world demand has quickly outstripped our current surplus and we have been forced to construct a new factory which does again unfortunately take time to reach its full manufacturing capacity.

Once production has begun we foresee no future delay in presenting your order to you, with shipping already having been commissioned for its delivery. As such you can consider your order confirmed however we would prefer you belay payments until final loading of the shipping vessel has been completed.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

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OOC: Nope Antigr, it wont...
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To: Polaris Arms Inc

Dear Sirs and/or Madams

Considering the breadth and complexity of the contract Argus is willing to provide the all component parts for the EQCGSF, and deliver the finished product and magazines to your location for final fitting of the ignition system and final assembly. As such the estimated cost per pistol come to 900.00 NSD per pistol due to reduced labor and component cost. Once assembled however we do ask that the frames will be additionally engraved or stamped with your makers mark and/or separate serial number so as to properly distinguish the weapons origin in the case of its potential for world wide distribution, the exception being weapons for special activities groups in which case they are permitted to remain 'sterile' due to the nature of their operations.

If this is agreeable I do believe we may close the terms and begin facilitating your order.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

..::Class 5 Industrial Message, No Encryption::..

TO: Horatio Auser, Sales Department, Argus Industrial Mfg
FR: Polaris Arms Inc
SUB: Domestic Production Rights

We find the price listed agreeable. The weapon will be stamped as the M55 Pulse Combat Pistol and will not be sold on the civilian market, as we feel any orders should be directed to your company.

..::End Class 5 Message::..

Official Communique

http://www.forsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/General/seal-tnemrot.png

Priority: High
Recipient: Horatio Auser, Sales Department, AIM/DRA
Origin: Tnemration Department of Defense
Classification Level: Encrypted
Subject: Equinox Procurement


The Tnemration Department of Defense has eyed the Equinox with anticipation. Now that it has become available, we wish to procure enough to outfit our entire military. The Equinox will become the standard sidearm of the Tnemration military and it shall also be distributed through the national police force. We wish to procure 250,000,000 units of this pistol as an initial order with the option to procure up to 500,000,000 more units. Due to the size of our order, we wish to inquire about producing it domestically. We wish to know if our order qualifies for a price discount and are eager to know when we can begin production.

Sincerely,
Secretary Frank Vallens
Secretary of Defense


Classification Levels

Standard: Standard classification is the normal level of encryption. It is equivalent to the standard levels of encryption seen on most secure e-mail clients.

Confidential: Confidential classification is a higher level of encryption than "Standard" but it is not heavily encrypted. It is used mostly for flash traffic to foreign countries and requires some additional decoding time. It uses 512-bit RSA encryption methods and has several key ciphers that change unpredictably.

Secure: Secure communiques use 1024-bit RSA encryption and several key ciphers within them that change unpredictably to ensure that message traffic is not hacked or decoded. Access to said messages would require heavy cracking software and significant resources but it is not "uncrackable." It can be a viable level through 2010.

Encrypted: Encrypted classification is the second highest level of classification. It is uses 2048-bit RSA encryption and multiple key ciphers within it to ensure that cracking it would take such a significant amount of time to accomplish that, should it be done, the message's usefulness would have already expired. Though anything is crackable, because of the methods employed, this level is often considered "uncrackable" by current capabilities. To ensure revolving protecting, ciphers and encryption algorithms will change unpredictably. This level is sufficient until 2030.

Maximum: Maximum classification is the highest level of classification available. It uses 3072-bit RSA encryption and multiple key ciphers that change unpredictably. It can provide protection past 2030.

Experimental: Currently not a fully recognized level, experimental denotes a category using 15360-bit RSA encryption and multiple key ciphers that change unpredictably. It is not in full operational use as of yet.

Official Communique

http://www.forsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/General/seal.png

Priority: High
Recipient: Horatio Auser, Sales Department, AIM/DRA
Origin: Layartebian Defense Corporation
Classification Level: Encrypted
Subject: Equinox Procurement


The Empire is greatly impressed with the Equinox series pistols and wishes to procure 35,000,000 units for our military and reservist forces. At present, various sidearms in use by government agencies and local police forces are being evaluated against the Equinox. Should they be determined to be inferior, they will be replaced by the Equinox. The Equinox shall enter service with the Imperial Layartebian Military as the M120 Equinox and replace the previous standard sidearm, the M105 Tactical Defense Pistol. Please advise on the possibility of domestic production.

Sincerely,
Alexander Rojas
Vice President of Purchasing


Classification Levels

Standard: Standard classification is the normal level of encryption. It is equivalent to the standard levels of encryption seen on most secure e-mail clients.

Confidential: Confidential classification is a higher level of encryption than "Standard" but it is not heavily encrypted. It is used mostly for flash traffic to foreign countries and requires some additional decoding time. It uses 512-bit RSA encryption methods and has several key ciphers that change unpredictably.

Secure: Secure communiques use 1024-bit RSA encryption and several key ciphers within them that change unpredictably to ensure that message traffic is not hacked or decoded. Access to said messages would require heavy cracking software and significant resources but it is not "uncrackable." It can be a viable level through 2010.

Encrypted: Encrypted classification is the second highest level of classification. It is uses 2048-bit RSA encryption and multiple key ciphers within it to ensure that cracking it would take such a significant amount of time to accomplish that, should it be done, the message's usefulness would have already expired. Though anything is crackable, because of the methods employed, this level is often considered "uncrackable" by current capabilities. To ensure revolving protecting, ciphers and encryption algorithms will change unpredictably. This level is sufficient until 2030.

Maximum: Maximum classification is the highest level of classification available. It uses 3072-bit RSA encryption and multiple key ciphers that change unpredictably. It can provide protection past 2030.

Experimental: Currently not a fully recognized level, experimental denotes a category using 15360-bit RSA encryption and multiple key ciphers that change unpredictably. It is not in full operational use as of yet.

To: Frank Valens

Dear Sir,

We are glad you have made the right choice in the Equinox Series of pistol, and are also quite glads you have an interest of producing it domestically. With our current issue of surplus and continuing international demand we are glad to offer Limited Domestic Production Rights for your military. Our standard arrangement would be to provide tooling assistance and CAD/CAM development for the proper production of the Equinox series, since you will be handling materials acquisition, construction, and labor the cost per pistol is only 10% of the weapons listed cost. This is to be paid before production is allowed to begin and renewal of the license is quite easy as production may be required. We also require that all pistols produced domestically be stamped with a national or manufacturers mark and serial number to prevent issues of liability should the weapon come into the possession of someone other than your countrymen. if this is acceptable a license for your full run can be purchased for 10% of the base cost of the model you intend to purchase.

If those are acceptable terms we may move forard into establishing proper communication channels

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

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To: Alexander Rojas

Dear Sir,

We are glad to approve your order and will begin filling it in the early days of June due to current manufacturing hold ups and unexpected international demand for the Equinox series. We do apologize sincerely for the delay, but quality does take time, and even with several factories putting their full energies towards the production of a single series of pistols we have met our match with the hunger of the international market. Rest assured though, we will fulfill your order and with each pistol will come the quality you've come to Expect for AIM.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

OOC: Actually I wanted to produce them domestically under Layarteb too to ease your own burden of producing that many of them. All terms agreeable for Tnemrot. Don't feel like unlogging to log in to post. Is that okay?

OOC: ah, well then consider the same domestic production offer discussed after the fact with Layarteb.

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OOC: Nope Antigr, it wont...
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There was always hope.
Thanks for your time, anyway.

A good morning, bump ^_^

Official Message of the Freedom Firearms store chain

We wish to sign a contract to purchase 5 million of various Equinox pistols per year for civilian sales. We would also like to become the official provider of warranty service for Equinox pistols in Allanea.

Official Message of the Freedom Firearms store chain

We wish to sign a contract to purchase 5 million of various Equinox pistols per year for civilian sales. We would also like to become the official provider of warranty service for Equinox pistols in Allanea.We are glad to approve the contract for civilian sales only and provide the necessary pistols for such sales however we must deny your request to handle warranty service due to Public Relations, and quality assurance reasons.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

Dear Sir/Madam,

We here at the National Stevidian Constabulary is most impressed with this range of of pistols. While we are aware that these weapons are primarily designed for military use, the Stevidian Police Force would like to replace its agin, although reliable, 45mm USP arms for a more up-to-date fire arm.

Therefore the Constabulary on a whole will like to place an order for:

50 Million EQD pistols @ 330.00 NSD
40 Million EQC pistols @ 950.00 NSD

These weapons will be distributed to every armed response team in the country and to officers working in the four fortress cities in Stevid. These weapons will not be copied and cheaply reproduced for the benefit of the military. We will not require domestic production rights as the constabulary recruitment rate is not particulary high and armed crime is incredibly low.
We do not require any special additions or modifications to the weapons, we are merely defenders of the law and upholders of peace and lethal force is rarely needed but a high performance weapons will make officers feel a lot more safer.

Please to let let the fact that a police force rather than a national military is ordering your weapons put you off our request. We hope you take our request as seriously as any other and we look forward to hearing from you.


Total Expenditure: 54,500,000,000 USD

Dear Sirs and or Madams,

We pride ourselves in taking any request seriously, and have no issue supporting law enforcement officers from any nation. As such we have sought to approve your order and we will begin the first production batch within the following week with deliver in batches over the course of the next several months. We are glad you chose the Equinox series and hope that serves your country with the pride and strength that is inherent in our products.

-Horatio Auser,
Sales Department lead
AIM, DRA

http://img.skitch.com/20080510-egwgm6w8m4d76wm1prwm222s4u.png

Zinairian Police Authority
18 National Plaza, Zinaire City

We have heard that the Zinairian Armed Forces are very happy with the Equinox pistols that they have purchased. Therefore, on behalf of the Zinairian National Police Department, I would like to purchase 5,000 Defenders at 9x19 Parabellum and 5,000 Eclipses at .40 S&W.

Defender @ $330 x 5,000 = $1.65 million
Tactical @ $800 x 5,000 = $4 million

Total: $5.65 million USD

Sir Thomas Knight
Minister of Police