The Alien is a semi-automatic pistol designed by Czech firearm design company Laugo Arms. The Alien features several uncommon design features for a commercial pistol, such as low bore axis, gas piston delayed blowback, fixed barrel, and non-reciprocating top strap.[1]
History[]
The Alien was designed by Slovakian firearm designer Ján Lučanský, the founder of Laugo Arms, and also the designer of the CZ Scorpion EVO 3. Lučanský had no specialized education in firearms design, and designed the Alien and the Scorpion as a hobby. Lučanský conceived the idea of a pistol with a low bore axis and nonreciprocating slide in 2003, while he was designing the Scorpion prototype. Lučanský began formally developing his Alien idea after he left CZ in 2013, and spent three years designing and building prototypes.[2]
The Alien was first teased by Laugo Arms on their social media in 2018.[3] The pistol was officially released at the IWA OutdoorClassics trade fair in Germany in March 2019. A limited introductory production run of 500 pistols is scheduled in 2019.[4]
Design Details[]
The Alien is a hammer-fired gas-delayed blowback pistol. A gas piston channel is mounted above the barrel, in which the gas piston and recoil spring unit is placed. The barrel is mounted very low, giving the gun a very low bore axis. The reciprocating mass is very low, and extends downward internally into the frame.[2][5]
The barrel is fixed and does not move when the slide reciprocates. The top strap is locked to the barrel (specifically a hook above the gas piston channel) instead of the slide, and also stays static when the slide recipeocates. The hammer is mounted on the top strap and swings downwards in order to conserve space inside the gun. The trigger releases the hammer via a vertical transfer pin that presses up on the sear.[6]
All of the unusual design traits present on the Alien are intended to minimize the effects of the recoil on the user and improve accuracy. The gas piston slows the movement of the slide and reduces the momentum of its impact, the low bore axis reduces muzzle flip, the fixed barrel increases accuracy and the fixed sights makes follow-up shots more accurate.[2][7]
The top strap/upper rail can be easily swapped to change sight options.[7]
See Also[]
- Heckler & Koch P7, similar gas-delayed blowback system
- MTs-3 Rekord, similar top-mounted hammer
- Margolin target pistol, similar non-reciporcating sights
References[]
- ↑ Alien pistol - Laugo Arms Czechoslovakia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Laugo Alien Pistol – Completely New Design – GunsAmerica Exclusive
- ↑ https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/10/02/laugo-arms-alien-pistol/
- ↑ https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/12/13/laugo-arms-to-launch-the-alien-pistol-in-2019/
- ↑ First look at ALIEN pistol from Laugo Arms
- ↑ Laugo Alien: Real Innovation in Modern Handgun Design
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Exclusive: Alien Pistol from Laugo Arms | RECOIL