Ngai-Cuong rifle
| STB-43 Ngai-Cuong rifle | |
|---|---|
 A BTC rifle on display in the Quenminese Army Museum in Cam Ðoc | |
| Type | Semi-automatic rifle |
| Place of origin |  Empire of Quenmin |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943 – present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | See Conflicts |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Tạ Công Ngải and Chow Siu Keung |
| Designed | 1941 – 1943 |
| No. built |
|
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3.85 kg (8.5 lb) |
| Length | 1,020 mm (40 in), M59/66: 1,120 mm (44 in) |
| Barrel length | 520 mm (20 in), M59/66: 558.8 mm (22.00 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.62×39mm NC |
| Action | Short stroke gas piston, tilting bolt, self-loading |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic rate: 35–40 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 735 m/s (2,411 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 400 metres (440 yd) |
| Feed system | 10-round stripper clip, internal box magazine. |
| Sights | Hooded post front sight, tangent notch rear sight graduated from 100 to 1,000 meters. |
| Quenminese name | |
|---|---|
| Standard Quenminese name | |
| Standard Quenminese | Bán tự động Triệu Cường, mẫu 1944 |
| Mactongese name | |
| Mactongese | 苦艾蕭強半自動,一九四四型號 (Fu2 Ngaai6 Siu2 Koeng4 Bun3 zi6 dung6, Jat1 Gau2 Sei3 Sei3 Jing4 hou6 ) (Fu-Ngai-Siu-Keung Semi-Automatic, Model 1944) |
The STB-43 (Quenminese: Súng trường Bán tự động, mẫu 1943, "Semi-Automatic Rifle, model 1943"), also recognized without its number as the Ngai-Cuong rifle or simply Ngai-Cuong after its other name, the "Ngải Cường Semi-Automatic, Model 1943" (Bán tự động Ngải Cường, mẫu 1943), is a semi-automatic rifle designed by arms manufacturers Tạ Công Ngải and Chow Siu Keung in the aforementioned year.
The Ngai-Coung's distinct features include in most variants a permanently attached foldable bayonet and a hinged and fixed box magazine. The rifle has a maximum capacity of 10 rounds, and loaded via stripper clip. Compensating for its accuracy are its ease-of-use, ease of maintenance, reliability, sturdiness, and cost-effective manufacturing.
The Imperial Quenminese Army sought for a new semi-automatic rifle in 1941 to replace the VCST-40. The reasons stem from the problems encountered by the rifle and its performance against more practical Allied rifles, such as the M1 Theimer. After approving Ngải and Siu Keung's design, which fixed the issue of vertical shot dispersion and guaranteed ease of maintenance, the Army General Staff ordered its production starting June 1943, and distributed to military officers, elite troops, and other frontline units to supplement the Trinh-Hoang 91-13. From late summer 1943 until the end of the war, the Ngai-Cuong saw service in the Second Europan War by Quenminese troops and Lorican resistance, and it proved capable in guerilla warfare during the Invasion of Quenmin. After the conflict, the rifle was exported and manufactured by various nations, including Lorica. The Ngai-Cuong became the standard issue rifle of the Royal and Imperial Quenminese Armed Forces from 1947 to 1960, until its replacement by the AR-4. Despite rendered obsolete in all armed forces, the rifle remains used among militias, in military training, and in ceremonial activities in various countries.
Since 1987, the Ngai-Cuong remains a popular rifle among hunters, especially in Quenmin, Trabia, Rubrum and Concordia.
Variants
Quenminese Ngai-Cuong
- M44: Due to the increasing demand of standard issue arms coupled with the deteriorating Quenminese war effort, the Imperial Arsenals were required to drop the foldable bayonet to enable troops to attach their issued bayonets.
Bethausian Ngai-Cuong
Lorican Ngai-Cuong
- Type 54
Conflicts
Within 70 years of its usage, the Ngai-Cuong was used in the following conflicts:
Users
Current
Bethausia: In service for militia and military training
Indiae: Used for ceremonial purposes
Lorica: Type 54, used for ceremonial purposes
Quenmin: In service for militia, ceremonies, and military training
Taoyuan: In service for militia and military training
Holy Trabian Empire: In service for militia and military training
