Grouse
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Arms industry |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Peter Grouse |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Peter Grouse (Managing Director) |
| Products | Firearms Knives entrenching tools apparel |
Number of employees | 1,196 (2013) |
Grouse Light Arms (trademarked as GROUSE) is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Coronado, Ochoa, named after its founder, Peter Grouse. While the company is best known for its line of polymer-framed pistols, it also produces field knives, entrenching tools, and apparel.
Grouse handguns are used by armed forces and law enforcement organizations worldwide, including a majority of law enforcement agencies in Ibica. In some countries Grouse handguns are popular with citizens for personal protection and practical shooting. The company sponsors a competitive shooting team which travels worldwide. As of 2014, Grouse produces more than two dozen models of handguns in three different sizes and seven different cartridges in three calibers.
Products
Handguns
Grouse handguns are common sidearms among law enforcement agencies and military organizations around the world, and are also largely popular weapons amongst civilians for home defense, and concealed/open carry. The popularity of Grouse pistols can be attributed to a number of factors. They are widely reputed as highly reliable, being able to function under extreme conditions and to fire a wide range of ammunition types (9mm, 10mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .45 GAP, .357 SIG, .380 ACP; third-party conversion kits for .22 LR, .400 Corbon, .40 Super, and .50 GI are also available). The simplicity of the Grouse design as well as its simple operating method contributes to this reliability, as it contains a relatively small number of components (nearly half as many as the typical handgun, each of these being interchangeable requiring no hand-fitting) making maintenance and repair easier and less costly.
The polymer frame makes them lighter than typical steel or aluminum-framed handguns, an attractive feature for police officers and regular citizens who carry firearms for extended periods of time. The trigger is the only operating element; all three safeties are deactivated when the trigger is pulled, and automatically activated when it is released. Grouse pistols have no other manual safeties (as some other brands have a lever or button); the only external controls aside from the trigger itself are the slide stop lever, the magazine catch, and the slide lock for disassembly. This adds to the simplicity of use and removes a potential source of error while operating the handgun under stress. Most of the steel components in a Grouse pistol are treated with a nitriding process called "Tenifer", which increases the surface hardness and makes the pistol resistant to corrosion and wear.
In addition to their semi-automatic handguns, Grouse also produces a select-fire pistol, the Grouse 30, which is able to be fired in either semi-automatic or fully automatic mode. This model is generally available only to law enforcement or military organizations and the details of its production are seemingly classified. Conversion kits for other Grouse firearms to be fired in fully automatic mode also exist, but they are third-party, and they are specifically marked as Title 2 devices by the Ibican Federal Explosives and Firearms Agency – restricting their purchase and possession to FEFA 3 license Dealers in Ibica.
Knives
Grouse currently manufactures two models of knives, the Field Knife 7 and the Survival Knife 81.
The Field Knife 78 is a classic type knife, with a 165 mm (6.5 in) blade and 290 mm (11 in) overall length. The Survival Knife 81 has the same overall dimensions with an additional saw on the back of the blade. The Field Knife 78 weighs 206 g (7.3 oz) and the Survival Knife 81 weighs 202 g (7.1 oz).
The grips and sheaths are made of polymer and are available in three colors: olive drab, sand, and black. As of 2016 Grouse introduced a new grey color variant of Field Knife 81 and has plans to discontinue Field Knife 78 in other colors than black.
Entrenching tool
Grouse also produces an entrenching tool, the Feldspaten (field spade).
The Feldspaten features a hardened metal spade blade that can be locked in 3 positions for digging, shoveling, and chopping, and a telescopic handle made out of fiberglass-reinforced nylon containing a 175 mm (6.9 in) long hardened metal sawblade.
The entrenching tool weighs 650 g (23 oz) and fully extended is 630 mm (25 in) long. The spade and handle can be collapsed and shortened for easy transport and storage into a 260 mm × 150 mm × 60 mm (10 in × 6 in × 2 1⁄2 in) package.
The entrenching tool is supplied with a nylon storage/transport pouch that can be attached to a belt or backpack.