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Infantry Small Arms / The Warfighter

RPC FOrt Fort-17

Semi-Automatic Service Pistol [ 2004 ]

The Fort-17 represents an indigenous Ukrainian solution for a semi-automatic service pistol for local forces.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/15/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The RPC Fort Fort-17 pistol is a modern military/police sidearm designed, developed, and produced in Ukraine and currently operated by the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is a largely conventional semi-automatic pistol constructed of composites and metal with an integral trigger ring, over-receiver slide, and pistol grip magazine well. It entered notable service in 2004 and has seen combat exposure in the current War in Donbass against Russian elements and separatists.

The gun is manufactured locally by state-owned RPC Fort, founded in 1991 and headquartered in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Production is ongoing as of this writing (2020).

The pistol is typically seen and operated through the widely-available 9mm chambering, a proven man-stopped the world over and making for a more manageable sidearm in terms of accuracy. The internal action is of Double-Action (DA), semi-automatic function, allowing one pull/squeeze of the trigger to fire the gun and introduce a new cartridge into the chamber while ejecting the spent case. During this quick action, the slide is managed rearwards and resets over the receiver in the usual way. Feeding is by way of a 13-round spring-loaded detachable box magazine fitted into the hollowed out grip. Muzzle velocity is rated at 325 meters-per-second. Overall length reaches 180mm with the barrel measuring 95mm. Weight is 810 grams loaded (680 grams otherwise).

Sights are set over the receiver, one component at the rear and the other nearer the muzzle for approximate placement of the bullet at range. The slide features ribbing along its sides for a surer grip when managing the slide assembly manually (such as in the initial cocking action). A safety mechanism is set at the slide towards the rear (near the thumb) and the exposed hammer protrudes from the rear of the assembly. The magazine-release button is situated near the trigger, giving quick access to the system for reloading, while the trigger itself sits within an uninterrupted ring which is oversized to accommodate a gloved hand. The grip's backstrap is removable/replaceable for some customization of the pistol.

The Fort-17 family line currently (2020) includes the base design as the "Fort-17". This model is chambered in the 9x18mm PM (Makarov) pistol cartridge. The Fort-17 Curz uses the 9mm "Kurz" (.380 ACP) cartridge while the "Kobra" is a sport shooter utilizing the Makarov catridge. The "Kordon" follows as another sporting entry but chambered in .22 Long Rifle and firing from a 10-round detachable box magazine. The Fort-17R and Fprt-17T are ant-riot variants firing rubber bullets for crowd control.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs is the largest global operator of this pistol series. Fewer numbers have also been sold to local police forces and security elements. In 2014, the series was officially taken on by the Ukrainian Army.

Despite Ukraine being at war with Russia,the Fort-17 made its way to Russia prior to the War in Donbass as it was openly exported until the middle of 2011. As such, some of these pistols have been used against the host country during the fighting that remains ongoing.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

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