STI Nemesis & the 7mm Penna

I like bizarre weapons, and I like bizarre calibers, so it was solely a matter of time earlier than I got here throughout the 7mm Penna and the STI Nemesis. STI as a result of the 2011/1911 firm earlier than they modified their identify to Staccato. In anticipation of SHOT, I used to be historic SHOT articles…going again so far as 2010! That’s after I ran throughout the STI Nemesis and the 7mm Penna spherical.

It’s powerful to seek out numerous data on weapons and their caliber. It bears mentioning that the Nemesis didn’t appear to have been constructed by STI however maybe imported. It’s not extremely clear, however it seems the Nemesis was constructed by an Italian agency referred to as QS Armi. Why would STI market or import an obscure gun and caliber from Italy? Properly, they have been additionally producing M1911s in each commonplace and double stack body varieties for the 7mm Penna spherical.

The Nemesis Pistol

Not a lot appears to be identified in regards to the QS Armi Nemesis pistol. We all know that it was a hid carry-oriented weapon. The journal held 13 rounds of 7mm Penna. From some studies of SHOT Present attendees, the set off was good, and the slide was simple to rack. It seems to be a reasonably small pistol.

The perimeters look largely melted, and the gun seems to be snag-free. The journal launch is a really odd design. It’s positioned to the rear of the grip and appears like a revolver cylinder launch. It appears to be the one factor near a snag level. Whereas unconventional, I attempt to withhold judgment till I can attempt it myself.

It seems to be about the identical dimension as a single stack 9mm for the period, however these 9mm usually held eight rounds. 4 further rounds aren’t unhealthy, however is it revolutionary?

The 7mm Penna

The 7mm Penna was developed by Leonardo Penna, who, unsurprisingly, was of Italian descent. He designed the caliber for IPSC, which could have you ever holding your horses. This caliber doesn’t seem like IPSC authorized, not less than by my calculations. Nevertheless, perhaps the Italian IPSC has a couple of completely different guidelines. The thought was to create a small, low-recoiling cartridge that allowed for larger capability. Why not simply use 9mm?

Properly, up till 2011, you couldn’t. Italy has some legal guidelines in place relating to navy calibers owned by civilians. Not all calibers utilized by the navy are banned for civilian use, however some are, and for a very long time, this included the usual 9mm cartridge. Plus, the 7mm Penna nonetheless provided decrease recoil and better capability than the 9mm.

Mr. Penna took a 5.7x28mm cartridge and necked it as much as settle for a .277 bullet, which really isn’t a 7mm bullet. It’s really 6.8 mm, however rounding up was possible a straightforward method to seize the minds of parents who assume bullet dimension is every little thing. Fiocchi would later produce the ammo as the one main producer who adopted the load.

The bullet could be gentle and quick. It’s powerful to seek out strong data on the completely different hundreds Fioochi provided, however a load that utilized a 68-grain bullet strikes at 1,400 ft per second from a 5-inch barrel. The smaller bullet allowed a single-stack M1911 to carry 13 rounds and a double-stack to carry 26!

Whereas the cartridge was designed for IPSC, it does appear to be they pivoted in direction of hid carry and self-defense. That’s the place the Nemesis pistol got here to be. Sadly, that’s the place the spherical and the gun ended. The 7mm Penna didn’t generate a lot curiosity, and it has since pale into obscurity.