This Vektor H5 is one of a handful or semiauto rifles converted to pump action for sale in countries where self-loading rifles are or were restricted (another example is the PAR-3 Romanian pump action AKs that can still be occasionally found in the US). This one is in Australian, where a very small number were imported in the late 1990s (thanks to Reddit user MrSeacucumb3r for the photos!).
Interestingly, these never came into the US – probably because they use what are essentially original full-auto Galil receivers with full-auto fire control groups. The safety has been redesigned as a simply safe/fire switch in front of the trigger, but the internals and receiver are compatible full automatic, which would certainly catch the eye of ATF here. Actually converting one to self-loading functionality would require replacing pretty much everything except the receiver, of course. What guns like this basically did was replace the gas piston on a bolt carrier with a connecting rod attached to a shotgun style pump handle, so the pump duplicates the action of the gas system.
The H5 originally came with 5- and 12-round magazines and a wooden thumbhole stock. This one has had the stock replaced with an AR stock adapter and aftermarket AR stock (and Galil stock or adapter will fit the receiver). The magazine shown here is also a converted AR magazine, as Galil/H5 magazines are very hard to find in Australia. The top cover differs from that of a standard Galil because the rear sight block has been removed (along with the front sight block and gas block).
I want to say that I have seen one for sale Stateside.. DSA Arms offered them for sale at one point. But I could be confusing them with something else.
Almost every state in Australia at that time had banned weapons with pistol grips.
I suspect this was either Tasmanian or from the Northern Territory; both states that had less restrictive gun laws at the time.
After the ’96 Port Arthur Massacre in Tasmania that state brought in very restrict weapons laws to the point that paintball has only recently become legal again (after much legal wrangling)
This came with the original wooden thumb hole stock but the length of pull was way to long for me so I got the adapter made for it. It was originally sold in Queensland to the first owner.
I suppose you could slam-fire this like the Winchester 1897… perhaps that’s why the ATF wants the Vector H5 banned. If it were possible to revert it back to gas operation, some idiot bureaucrats would run around screaming “Mommy” in sheer panic.
“semiauto rifles converted to pump action”
Interesting, this give me other tough: most gas-operated full-auto rifle can be changed into straight-pull-bolt-action easily by welding shut gas tube. Obviously ergonomics of such weapon might be dubious, as full-auto rifle were NOT designed to be cycled manually every time.
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BTW: When I first see top photo I though: oh, firearms build from haphazardly selected elements.
I used to have one of these when I lived in South Africa. You can’t slam fire it- the trigger has a disconnector. The trigger is pure Galil/ AK- rough and heavy. There is a return spring in the forearm that surrounds the barrel, so you only pull back. Mine had a folding stock and a plastuc firearm, it was a bit more tacti-cool than the rifle in the photo. The barrels were of good quality- about a 2 MOA rifle despite that trigger. You’d need 5.56 Galil magazines if you ever came across one.
Jakes Cronje,
Can you use the pump-handle as a forend to pull the rifle into your shoulder? Or is it just the bolt handle moved forward? Most firearms designed as pump-actions have a bolt lock so you can use the forend normally.
No, there was no bolt lock.
That should read plastic forearm. The dust cover is fitted to the receiver with an allen bolt, and the whole assembly is quite rigid, but the zero would shift ever so slightly when the dust cover was removed and replaced.
A few were imported and sold by DS Arms in the mid nineties. They do exist in the wild here albeit uncommon.
http://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/59/272
here is one that
If it ever comes up, a post on the Valmet series would be much appreciated
Maybe this was before anyone figured out that a much easier way to dodge the semi-auto gun ban is to modify the “assault” rifle with an “every-round bolt hold open” feature, like they sell in the UK and perhaps elsewhare.
It makes wonder, if this country were to ever implement Australian-style gun control laws, would the government’s gun-buyback program reimburse collectors of expensive firearms at anywhere near their true market value?
Since Hillary Clinton has expressed particular admiration for Australia’s successful gun eradication regime (as well as promising to implement gun control via executive order if elected) perhaps the United States might soon be looking more like Australia .
If Hillary tries that here, I don’t expect to see anyone react at all that calmly. It might even be the trigger for armed insurrection, especially if she gets into office after massive perceived vote fraud.
The wannabe statist thugs might want to reflect on what was the actual trigger for the first American Revolution: Seizure of the arms and munitions at Concord. I don’t think the outcome would be that much different, to be honest.
If the post-Hurricane Katrina mass-confiscation program in New Orleans could serve as any sort of example, it would seem that virtually no one would actually resist the government when they come to take their guns. Not only did the people of New Orleans fail to match armed force with armed force, the vast majority openly cooperated with that blatantly illegal police order without complaint.
the more recent examples of the gun and magazine registration requirements in NY,CT, and MD are more telling.
they have a 90%+ noncompliance rate. there may not be an armed insurrection right off the bat, but there will be a lot of “I will not comply” and then cops refusing to go round these people up.
BTW Kirk, the arms and munitions in Concord were stolen 5 months earlier from the british fort of William & Mary in Portsmouth,NH on the nights of December 14th and 15th 1774. the first night they took all the muskets and powder, then on the second night, they came back for the cannons, and got about half of them.
it wasn’t so much an attempted seizure but a recovery operation.
what leads you to believe that there is a 90% compliance in MD?
The state police website states that it is not illegal to go to VA or PA and buy high cap magazines and return with them to MD-
As for gun registration, you can still buy AR15’s over the counter, if they are the HBAR variety. No waiting period. If the gun was here before the law, no need to register. Only new guns need to be registered – which brings up the question of how they will know when the rifle entered the state…
Gun control in MD is largely a Martin O’Malley feel good measure to polish his image with the Dems nationwide. Impact on residents, zero.
Oh, why not just tie Hillary to railroad tracks and hit her with a freight train? Problem solved, controversy over…
Most people got paid above market value, they had to dangle a carrot otherwise no one would bring their non-registered guns in. The government had no idea how many were in circulation, and that was part of the problem the government faced, they estimated $30 million total cost but it ended up many times over that closer to $150 million.
Great to see mine documented for the ages, great write up, very much appreciated!
lols, all the ones I’ve seen including my own, Had the select fire trigger group in them. Never saw a 5 round magazine either. When i bought mine, It came with 3 x 12 round magazines and 1 x 20 round magazine. Still have a bunch of 20 round mags too..
I am searching for gold – in need a operators manual for the Vector H5.