Japanese Plug Fire Gun Collection
Posted by AmenBreakSample@reddit | ForgottenWeapons | View on Reddit | 21 comments
These are PFC (plug fire cartridge) guns made in Japan. Similar to blank guns, they shoot no projectile but fully cycle the guns when fired with small 7mm explosive charges, similar to a much more powerful cap gun charge. Each cartridge is reusable and its power source is fully self contained, the cap sits in the cartridge and when it detonates it forces the internal piston of the cartridge forward against the so called detonator, a small diameter round plug in the chamber that nests inside the hollow tips of the cartridges. This inertia, stopped by the detonator pin, forces the cartridge back via the explosive pressure, cycling the gun. Each of these guns are near identical in internal mechanisms to their real steel counterparts, just made with high quality resin/abs construction with steel and zinc internal parts. The detonator also serves to keep real ammo from being chambered, and the firing pins are flat faced plastic dowels instead of pointed metal. The mp40 has no firing pin, as it relies on the detonator by itself to ignite the round.
WrinkledCrime@reddit
I have one of these made in the Philippines, it's an M1921 Thompson replica. Pretty cool thing but it's missing the drum mag and any ammo. Does have a 20rnd however. Pretty neat things.
InitialLandscape@reddit
Was OBSESSED with these as a teen lol. Had some blank firing guns in 8 and 9mm PAK here in belgium, but the law states that all non-pressure bearing parts had to be made from Zamak, so most of those guns broke after less than 100 rounds...
Those weren't PFC guns tho, they used real blanks with smokeless powder, but my experience with those scared me away from ever buying a PFC gun. Since Japan has crazy laws when it comes to what toy guns are allowed to be made of. I'm pretty sure only the screws and sling swivels were allowed to be steel.
Because someone converted an Asahi M40 to fire real .22lr rounds once. Or at least that's what i heard decades ago.
Uranium_Heatbeam@reddit
When I resided in Japan, I first got introduced to these when a group of young neighborhood kids were running around shooting at each other with them in a game of cops and robbers.
Seeing real muzzle flash, cycling actions, and shells being ejected, I had a brief moment of thinking they were real guns.
Theater departments in school and universities will sometimes have them, but they're rare in the US owing to how toy guns are regulated.
Uomodelmonte86@reddit
Jeeeeeeez all of this sounds expensive
AmenBreakSample@reddit (OP)
Quite. Unless you are actually in Japan (which I am not), no store sells the 7mm explosive caps and pretty much the only way to buy the guns new themselves are the very limited selection sometimes available on some hong kong airsoft websites. Most on the market seem to have been brought in from japan by individuals on trips or Collectors Armory(?) which imported them in limited number in the 90s I believe. The MP40 i got used, its a 1997 production. All the others are new, and I have only been able to get them through a direct contact with someone I know in Japan. I rely on a steadily dwindling supply of the caps, and unless I was to arrange international Dangerous Goods cargo shipments for absurd money, there isnt a way to import new caps because they are explosives.
nzdastardly@reddit
Can you reload them like traditional ammo?
AmenBreakSample@reddit (OP)
Not really, you need to have the actual caps as they A) dont use readily available powder (they use Armstrongs Mixture powder, which is more powerful per gram than blackpowder but less powerful than smokeless), and B) the powder isnt loose, it has to be formed into a singular homogenized puck that sits in a plastic cap shell and C) the plastic cap shell actually plays a part in creating a temporary seal to maximize pressure in the shell and provide sufficient power to cycle. Ive been trying to find alternative power sources, but there isnt really any documentaion on doing that and its a bit nerve-wracking with how rare these are and only being made to handle specific pressures.
Runnlikehell3@reddit
I believe I had one of these when I was younger! I've been trying to find information about it forever. Mine was a c-96.
AmenBreakSample@reddit (OP)
This particular one is an mp40 by marushin. I know A!CTION makes a new pfc c96, yours would probably have been either a tokyo marui pfc one or an MGC one.
Runnlikehell3@reddit
Oh man thank you so much for finally helping me solve the most important mystery of my childhood! I could almost hug you. I've been trying to figure it out for the last 15 years or so.
AmenBreakSample@reddit (OP)
Happy i could help! :)
MlackBesa@reddit
The Dolphin slide omg 🤌🤌🤌 instant throwback to 2009.
I used to mess with PFC guns a while ago, it was fun
StrangerOutrageous68@reddit
Very interesting!
I wonder if zinc alloy internal parts are deliberate or absolute cost saving such it always is.
AmenBreakSample@reddit (OP)
They are mostly due to safety, each gun must pass the STGA (Safety Toy Gun Assosiation) as well as government tests that prove that it is incapable of firing or being converted to fire live ammunition. Part of this process is using weaker materials in construction where possible. High stress internal parts like the ejectors, extractors, pins, and other various bits are made of steel, along with the magazines, but the main bodies are plastic or zinc-impregnated resin and the smaller external parts are zinc or aluminum. Keep in mind these are also mostly made by airsoft manufactures who already use die cast parts and have the infrastructure to readily and economically do so.
Tokena@reddit
Neat.
walt-and-co@reddit
It’s a deliberate choice, there are restrictions (mostly self-imposed by the industry rather than by law) on what materials can be used and for what parts. The very first generation of automatic guns (often called MGC 68s by collectors) used a lot more steel and could be relatively easily converted to live fire, though lacking a rifled barrel.
AmenBreakSample@reddit (OP)
Yeah, i believe it was in the 70s that the law changed to prohibit full metal guns
ovr9000storks@reddit
That grip looks like bloomed chocolate and I can’t get past it
HerrGronbar@reddit
Samurai Edge.
Dalek_Chaos@reddit
These would be awesome for the cast to use at airsoft sim events.
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