Danuvia VD-01

Last updated
Danuvia VD-01
Type Machine pistol/semi-automatic pistol
Place of originHungary
Production history
Designer Róbert Vörös
Manufacturer Danuvia Engineering Industries, and Intermodul Weapon Shops [1]
Produced1990-1998(Danuvia), 1998-?(Intermodul) [1]
No. builtover 100 until 1998 [1]
Specifications
MassWithout magazine:
2.00 kg (4.41 lb)
Magazine, empty:
0.45 kg (0.99 lb) [1] [2]
Length303 mm (11.9 in) [1] [2]
Barrel  lengthRifled bore length:
127 mm (5.0 in) [1] [2]

Cartridge 9×19mm Parabellum
Action Short Blowback
Rate of fire 330 rds/min [2]
Muzzle velocity ~350 m/s (1,100 ft/s) [2]
Effective firing range75 m (82 yd) [2]
Feed system33-round helical magazine
Sights Iron sights, can have various sights mounted [2]

The Forte VD.01 [2] (often called Danuvia VD-01) is a pistol manufactured, for a short time, by Danuvia Engineering Industries from 1990. In 1998, the rights to manufacture were sold to Intermodul Weapon Shops. [1] The gun has gained some international attention as an oddity due to its unorthodox appearance and helical magazine, and is often compared to the Calico M590 and M960A. [2] The gun has polygonal rifling. [3]

The Danuvia factory, having taken over prototypes by Róbert Vörös, only produced 50–60 examples of the pistol in the early 1990s. Due to difficult economic conditions at the factory caused by the deliberate downsizing of Hungarian arms production, production was limited. A submachine-gun version was produced as a prototype, but never entered mass production. It’s likely the designers considered developing the submachine-gun variant during the design draft, supported by the high magazine capacity, the submachine-gun-like controls, and the magazine’s construction.

Some prototypes of a machine pistol version were built. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Article in Kaliber magazine (in Hungarian)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Fegyver- és Pirotechnika - Forte VD.01 pisztoly (in Hungarian)
  3. Jonathan Ferguson (26 June 2023). The best helical magazine ever? With firearms and weaponry expert, Jonathan Ferguson. Royal Armouries. Event occurs at 5:05-5:15. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  4. "Vörös-Danuvia Pistol Model VD-01".