Type 92 / QSZ-92

5.8mm Type 92 / QSZ-92-5.8 military pistol for PLA

5.8mm Type 92 / QSZ-92-5.8 military pistol, partially disassembled

9mm NORINCO CF-98 pistol, an export version of the police-type 9mm QSZ-92-9 handgun

9mm pistol NORINCO NP-42

Partial disassembly of the 9mm QSZ-92-9 pistol

The Type 92 / QSZ-92 is a modern military pistol which is now a standard sidearm of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and many police organizations inside China. Designed during early 1990s and currently manufactured by state-owned ordnance organizations, it is now available in two externally similar, but internally different versions. The first one, intended for military use inside China, is the QSZ92-5.8. It is chambered for indigenous 5.8×42 DAP-5.8 ammunition, which is loaded with pointed, steel-core bullets. Second version, known as QSZ92-9, is primarily intended for police use, and is chambered for ubiquitous 9×19 Luger ammunition, which is known in Chinese service as DAP92-9. The latter version is also manufactured for commercial, export sales as NORINCO NP-42 and CF-98, with slight variations in markings and external appearance. The CF-98 is also available chambered for 7.62×25 Tokarev ammunition.

Type 92 / QSZ-92 pistol is a semi-automatic pistol with polymer frame and long removable frame insert made of steel, which hosts slide rails and entire trigger / hammer unit. Trigger is of conventional double action type, with exposed hammer and ambidextrous frame-mounted safety levers. Type of action differs between two versions. The QSZ-92-5.8 features delayed blowback action with non-recoiling rotary barrel, similar to that used in old US-made Savage pistols. The QSZ-92-9 pistol and its commercial siblings use locked breech, short recoil action with rotary barrel locking. Pistol is loaded using double stack, double feed 20-round box magazines in 5.8mm versions, and 10- or 15-round magazines in 9mm versions.