No, it’s not a blaster. This is the futuristic Vector CRB semi-automatic rifle

By TOC On Jul 12, 2020

An amazing review the semi-automatic rifle Vector CRB made by Darina Romanova. The point of view expressed in this article is authorial and do not necessarily reflect BM`s editorial stance.

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MOSCOW, (BM) – One of the oldest cartridges in the world, but at the same time has not lost popularity to this day, is the .22 Long Rifle – aka .22 LR, aka 5.6×15.6 mm R.

The history of this small-caliber unitary cartridge began in 1845 with the invention by Louis Flaubert of a ring-ignition supply (Rimfire), where only the energy from the combustion of the capsule mixture is used as a source of pressure on the bullet.

According to legend, Louis invented this ammunition for entertaining shooting his nephews in the yard – and, as history has shown, his idea is alive and thriving. Low power and quiet sound for such a task were very welcome.

Another advantage of this solution was the simplicity of manufacturing weapons for such a cartridge – there was no need to use complex locking systems, and the requirements for strength were minimal.

Flaubert’s cartridges and weapons for them have survived to this day and are available in various calibers, up to 9 mm inclusive. This caliber has successfully gone around the world and achieved popularity.

But we are not talking about Flaubert’s cartridge, but about .22 LR, remember? Quickly enough, amusement shooting lovers wanted to increase the ammunition power – and they just added gunpowder to it.

So a whole family of Rimfire cartridges came into being; some of them – for example, the .56 Spencer for the rifle of the same name and the .44 Henry – even managed to take part in the US Civil War.

Hit the top ten

But fortune to go down in history smiled at no one Joshua Stevens, owner of the J. Stevens Arm & Tool Company, who “guessed” to cross two round-shaped ammunition cartridges .22 Long and .22 Extra Long, taking from the latter a heavier 2.6 g bullet, and from .22 Long – sleeve 15 mm long. As a result, the world’s most massive .22 Long Rifle cartridge appeared. Despite his venerable age, this is the only rifled cartridge that is still represented in Olympic sports (bullet shooting and biathlon), and more recently in my favorite applied shooting – IPSC.

A good start

Mini-rifle (carbines chambered for .22 LR) – a completely new class of weapons in competitions according to IPSC rules. Despite the dismissive attitude to the “mini” among the “adult” carabiner, serious matches began to be held in 2019, and a number of them have already been planned for 2020, including even matches of the 3rd level (regional championship). There are actually several reasons for the growing popularity of applied shooting in the .22 LR:

the price of entering this sport is much lower than any other shooting, and semi-automatic carbines of this caliber due to a simpler design are much cheaper than their older brothers under the central battle cartridges;
shot cost: .22 LR cartridge remains the cheapest on the market
it is three times cheaper than pistol 9×19 or 9×21 for carbines for pistol ammunition (PCC) and five times cheaper than the most common carbine .223 Rem;
Separately, it is worth noting the dynamism and speed of this class. The mini-carbine combines both some features of performance at competitions with a gun and a pistol (for example, shooting at metal targets at short distances), and shooting at paper at considerable distances and the speed of manipulation characteristic of a carbine. A separate advantage of this discipline is the ability to conduct training and competitions at any shooting ranges and in any shooting ranges equipped with a gun or a gun.

In the new shooting season, I myself began preparing for a performance in this discipline. My weapon was a carbine on the AR-15 platform – Defiance DMK22C from KRISS USA in .22 LR caliber (after updating the lineup it will be called KRISS DMK22C). This is a great example, compatible with most of the tuning and accessories of “adult” rifles of the AR-15 family.

However, at the SHOT Show 2020, recently held in the “Sin City” of Las Vegas, KRISS USA presented us all with a surprise and presented the second carbine in this caliber in its lineup – the legendary KRISS Vector in the “small” version!

American swiss

KRISS USA, formerly known as Transformational Defense Industries, or TDI, is a North American manufacturer of firearms and a subsidiary of the KRISS group of companies headquartered in Bern, Switzerland.

The history of the company began with an extremely futuristic KRISS Super V submachine gun. In addition to the unusual design, it has an interesting automation system – it used a semi-free shutter scheme with a movable recoil of the bolt group downward at a large angle – according to the patent of the French designer Renault Kerr.

The designer himself for a long time collaborated with the FN Herstal concern and developed this system, already being an employee of Gamma AVG – the ancestor of TDI and the KRISS company itself. I will not dwell on other technical details of this weapon, I will only talk about the modern model range.

Currently, the KRISS Vector SMG automatic version and semi-automatic CRB, SBR and SDP versions (without stock) are available in 9×19 Luger, 9×21 IMI, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, 10 mm Auto and .45 ACP calibers.

The company also manufactures carbines on the AR-15 platform under the name Defiance DMK22C (KRISS DMK22C) in .22 LR caliber and SPHINX family pistols in 9×19 Luger. Of these, the KRISS Vector SBR Gen II SE 9×21 IMI models in several color schemes are presented on the Ukrainian civilian market, Defiance DMK22C carbines (also in several colors); and now the hero of our story has joined them – KRISS Vector CRB G2 16 ”.22 LR.

KRISS Vector CRB G2 16 ”.22 LR

The design is familiar to the KRISS Vector family: the top polymer receiver is made integral with the pistol grip, it has a trigger and a fuse that locks the trigger. On top of the entire length of the receiver installed Picatinny rail for mounting mechanical, optical or electronic sights.

On a clumsy adapter – the Defiance butt familiar to me, very convenient, albeit heavy. There is a very reasoned version that both the plastic receiver and the butt are made for KRISS USA by Magpul – but who will tell us.

The main difference between Vector in .22 LR and the usual version is, of course, the principle of the shutter. The small-caliber version uses the usual free shutter, which greatly simplified the design and greatly affected the overall cost of the product.

A long 16-inch barrel along with the bolt group is traditionally located in a steel lower receiver with plastic lining, the magazine shaft is in the front part, and the magazine fixation button is located on the left side of it.

Also on the left side there is a slide delay lever and a folding cocking handle fixed when shooting. In the basic configuration, the carbine is equipped with a long freely hung forearm with an M-LOK interface, which allows you to hold it with a long grip and not be afraid to lose the store.

If desired, on the forend, you can install the fire control handle or other accessories. Dismantling takes place regularly, three pins connect the upper and lower receiver, the fourth holds the trigger. The mass of a carbine without cartridges and sighting is approximately 3.3 kg.

Now about the most painful issue for all the “minics” – the store. The Vector .22 LR comes with a 10-round magazine, visually similar to the 17-round Glock pistol magazine. These stores are available for sale.

The company also announced a 30-charge store – it is he who must unleash the potential of this carbine in sports, because most competitive models are equipped with stores with a capacity of not more than 20-25 rounds, or even less. Large capacity will be an undeniable advantage.

Now about personal

This should be understood as my impressions. In short – I am amazed.

Firstly, it works. Yes, yes, I just took the carbine out of the box, and the cartridges from the pack – and started shooting! You may have found it funny in this place – but those who have had experience with self-loading carbines under .22 LR know that often they require, if not filing, then at least a special selection of brand of cartridges for the most stable operation of automation.

The weather during the shooting was bad: it was raining, and the thermometer was only 3-4 degrees above zero. Osalka on cartridges was already frozen, but this did not prevent the “Vector” from working without a single plug.

We even managed to shoot some kind of PRS exercises out of it and at the same time hit all targets. I am still impressed.

The KRISS Vector .22 LR will be an excellent choice for a beginner shooter, to get some family members involved in shooting, just for entertaining shooting for a very modest budget – and, of course, for fans of the KRISS Vector design, because the small-caliber version is half the price his older brother!

Small-caliber Kriss Vector completed the first exit without a single problem!

If you search, then in this carbine you can find a couple of minuses. On the one hand, he has an unnecessarily long trunk. On the other hand, such a barrel made it possible to put a long forend and eliminate the problem of grip on the receiver, in which it was possible to accidentally hold the shutter-release lever or press the store reset button, as sometimes happens on a short “Vector” in the absence of experience in handling it.

But I’m more accustomed to shoot, laying my hand exactly in the place where the store reset button is located – and I have not lost a single store.

Well, the biggest minus – KRISS Vector .22 LR will not leave anyone indifferent. Someone loves him, someone does not (and calls him “stapler” or “blaster”); but believe me: nobody will remain indifferent, and you will be given increased attention in the shooting gallery or at the shooting range.

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Editorial team