Navigating corners has been a fundamental problem for infantry since the dawn of organized warfare. A corner represents a blind spot, an unknown where anything could be waiting. In modern urban combat, this challenge is amplified; you might encounter a tank, a machine gun, or a direct confrontation with the enemy.
Solving the Corner Problem
What’s the optimal approach to a blind spot? If you answered “pie the corner,” you’re correct. If you suggested any of the five ideas below, you’re at least creative! We’re exploring five high-tech methods for clearing corners that don’t involve bending barrels or “slicing the pie.” Do they work? It’s a mixed bag, but at the very least, they are intriguing firearm curiosities worth examining.
The CornerShot
Thanks to “Future Weapons,” every millennial gun enthusiast is familiar with the CornerShot. This Israeli invention isn’t a firearm itself, but rather a device to which a firearm—be it a handgun, submachine gun, or grenade launcher—can be mounted. Your chosen weapon attaches to a pivoting head connected to a stock system.
The head can pivot at various angles, up to 90 degrees. The CornerShot system utilizes a camera mounted on the weapon’s head, which transmits its view to a display lens for the operator to look through and aim. The CornerShot garnered enough attention that Pakistan produced a copy, the POF Eye, and China developed their own, the HD66. It’s unclear if they also copied the stuffed animal designed to sit atop the original CornerShot, making it resemble a cat!
Change-Line-Free Shooting Tactical System
We don’t often criticize China enough for some of its peculiar firearm innovations. The HD66 is their CornerShot clone, but they also developed the Change-Line-Free Shooting Tactical System—a mouthful. So, we’ll call it the CLF from now on. The CLF takes a low-tech approach, eschewing a camera and LCD screen in favor of a periscope that the user looks through.
To the user, it appears like a standard rifle scope, but it incorporates a sharp angle, with the view originating directly above the pistol. The periscope portion of the optic pivots with the pistol, allowing the user to adapt. This is a more basic take on the concept, and it might even be viable. I’d certainly consider purchasing one and configuring a handgun for it as a short-barreled rifle (SBR).
Russian Makarov “Thing”
This Russian Makarov “Thing” lacks an official name, as I haven’t been able to find one. Chris Eger of Guns.com reportedly discovered this device on a police social media page. It’s an experimental, one-off prototype Makarov PM equipped with a camera mounted on top of the gun, connected by a wire to a lens strapped to the user’s arm.
This system allows the user to point the gun around corners by simply bending their wrist. I appreciate the simplicity of the design. I have no idea how effective it was, but given that the Russians—who seem to adopt almost everything—didn’t implement it widely, I doubt it performed well.
Round Corner Module
The Singaporean military employs a rather futuristic-looking bullpup rifle called the SAR 21. Since the SAR 21 already resembles a firearm from a cyberpunk dystopia, why not attach a camera to its optic and call it a day? The Round Corner Module is essentially just that. You attach it to your existing optic and then push the optic around corners.
The camera display shows your reticle, enabling accurate aiming and firing of the rifle. While the view through the Round Corner Module appears small and cumbersome, the intention is sound. It seems utterly impractical, and it doesn’t appear to have transitioned to their newer rifle, the BR18.
Aimpoint Concealed Engagement Unit
The Aimpoint Concealed Engagement Unit might be the lowest-tech yet most ingenious solution for shooting around corners. It mounts behind your red dot sight, similar to a magnifier. It’s a periscope that allows you to push a rifle around corners and take accurate shots.
The CEU rotates, enabling the user to see around angles and over cover. The Aimpoint Concealed Engagement Unit attaches and detaches easily, making it the most well-thought-out solution to this problem. However, it remains a fairly niche tool that hasn’t seen widespread adoption.
Shooting Around Corners
Clearing corners is an inherently dangerous task. Blind spots are problematic, and while we have an abundance of technology to peek around them, it seems that employing sound tactics remains the best solution. “Pieing the corner” is still the most effective option, even in the face of cameras, periscopes, and even stuffed cats.
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