It seems like the American market will finally see a civilian-legal MP7 in the form of the SP7 and potentially the PCC7. These semi-auto MP7 clones are going to make a lot of people happy, even if they cost $2,500. That got me thinking: what other guns are on the wish lists of gun owners across the United States? What are the guns we would love to see civilian models of, but simply have not?
HK G36
Since HK might be delivering a semi-auto MP7 in a pistol format, why don’t we start with another HK we all want? The HK G36 is the descendant of the XM8 program, which aimed to replace the M4/M16 series. The XM8 might not have succeeded, but the Germans were not going to let their research and work go to waste.
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Thus, the G36 was born. The G36 is a short-stroke gas piston system that uses 5.56 and feeds from its own unique box magazine. The box mags have the neat little feature of being able to clamp a few together to “jungle clip” the magazines. The G36 used a ton of different polymers in its construction, which has admittedly been a bit of a controversy.
The G36 was adopted by several European countries and was only recently phased out in its homeland, Germany. Yet, the closest we have ever come to a G36 was the neutered SL8 series of rifles, which commanded a massive price tag for their restricted design. Of course, you could send them to Tommy Built to get a real G36, but HK has never officially released a G36.
The S243 seems to be the civilian variant they produce, but it has never made it to our shores, and I know it is on the wish list of a ton of gun owners. Come on, HK, do not take decades to release the G36.
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AA-12
We almost got a semi-auto, closed-bolt AA-12. For about three thousand dollars, you could order one, but then the ATF swept in, declared them machine guns unilaterally, and the plans seemingly were discontinued for a civilian AA-12. As of now, there are no attempts to bring a civilian AA-12 to the market.
That is sad because the AA-12 is a fascinating shotgun. The AA-12 would be a semi-automatic, box magazine-fed shotgun that used an AR-like layout to create a modern shotgun. It uses a fairly rare Advanced Primer Ignition (API) system of blowback operation. This is a fairly complicated, niche system of operation.
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The benefit of API blowback is that it significantly reduces recoil. Recoil has to fight both progression rearward and forward. This system is popular with cannon-type firearms, making the AA-12 a very soft-shooting gun.
If you do not believe me, go check “gun-tube” OG FPSRussia shooting one full auto with one hand. The AA-12 would still likely suffer from the same issues any box magazine-fed shotgun would. The ammo would deform if left inside the magazine for an extended period, but that is a small price to pay to make my Call of Duty dreams come true.
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An extremely light-recoiling, semi-auto, box magazine-fed shotgun would be interesting. Would it be the best choice for defensive use? Probably not, but the AA-12 has been on a lot of wish lists for a very long time. I am a bit surprised there has not been renewed interest in the AA-12 in the age of drones. A full-auto shotgun would seem pretty darn capable of swatting drones out of the sky.
Glock 46
The Glock 46 is the Glock we still have not gotten. It is one of the few models of the Glock that differs from every other model of short-recoil-operated design. The Glock 46 uses a rotary barrel design. The benefit of a rotary barrel is reduced recoil. The rotation absorbs some of that recoil, and who does not want less recoil?
I am not even the biggest Glock fanboy, but not being able to have this simple semi-auto pistol makes me want it even more. Why Glock has not released it is up for debate. Maybe it is because they do not want to change their brand or depart too far from what has worked for Glock for decades. It would certainly change the armorer’s course.
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Other than the rotary barrel, the Glock 46 is not all that different from a standard Glock. It is still an all-black, polymer-framed, striker-fired gun that uses the classic Glock magazines. The Glock 46 is the same size as a Glock 17 and was created solely for a German police contract.
Sadly, even with the reveal of the Gen 6, we have seen no sign of the Glock 46, and it is likely not going to be diluting the Glock brand anytime soon.
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STG 44
The STG 44 was the first successful assault rifle. Originally fielded by Nazi Germany, it was too little, too late to change the tide of the war. After the war, the STG 44 was not picked up or developed by any major power. They may have taken the idea of the STG 44, but the platform languished. That does not mean there is no demand for the gun.
We have seen companies like Hill & Mac try to bring an STG 44 to the civilian market in a semi-auto format, but they could not deliver. PSA bought the idea and tried as well, and even the behemoth of PSA has struggled to make it work. What makes it so tough to produce a reliable civilian STG 44 would be an article unto itself.
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Still, it is on the wish list. Who would not want the rifle that led to the current meta of small arms design? It is a classic that very few people have ever been able to own. Admittedly, finding ammo would be extremely difficult since PPU stopped importing it due to Serbia changing export laws.
Still, a 7.62x39mm STG 44 might be the practical ticket. Maybe even a 5.56 version? Until something big happens, the best we are going to get is a rimfire, blowback-operated rifle playing dress-up as an STG 44.
Arex Zero One .32 ACP
To be clear, I do not think a ton of people have the Arex Zero One .32 ACP on their wish lists. This likely only applies to a handful of internet weirdos who love the .32 ACP. Current production of .32 ACP firearms in the United States is limited to pocket pistols, the Bersa Thunder 32, and the 80X in .32 ACP from Beretta and Langdon Tactical.
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The Arex Zero One would be an extremely modern, striker-fired .32 ACP with a magazine capacity of 20 rounds. It is a full-sized gun in a pocket pistol caliber. This guarantees a smooth shooter that would handle like an absolute dream. The Arex Zero One series has proven to be capable in 9mm, so I do not doubt the .32 ACP variant would work fine.
Add in a light and optic, and you would have the ultimate low-recoil defensive firearm. Its recoil would be closer to a .22LR, but you would get centerfire reliability. There does not seem to be a legal reason that Arex could not import this gun, but it is likely due to a lack of demand. The .32 ACP simply is not popular in the United States.
It is doubtful that very many people would ever want to purchase a 9mm-sized gun chambering a more expensive, tougher-to-find cartridge. Still, it is on my wish list, and for the handful of other .32 ACP fans, it would be a dream come true.
The Magpul Waffle Maker
Technically, this is a wish list about guns, but I cannot avoid mentioning the Magpul Waffle Maker. The Waffle Maker was an April Fool’s joke that never ended. Magpul released some images over social media, cashing in on the firearms world’s April Fool’s tradition, and people laughed, but then they got serious.
They wanted it. They wanted it badly. Look at the majority of Magpul’s social media posts, and you will find people clamoring for them to release the Waffle Maker. Magpul is not a waffle maker company and likely lacks the resources to make one. They might be able to license the idea, but it is not like KitchenAid is going to jump to partner with a company involved in the firearms realm.
Their only choice would likely be overseas production of spotty quality, and if there is one thing to know about Magpul, it is that they do not make crap. If they ever made a Magpul waffle maker, it would likely be the best waffle maker ever produced.
The Wish List
We all have our wish lists. Guns they do not make, but we all want. Unfortunately, these guns would require a hefty investment to produce, and there is no guarantee the payoff would be worth the cost of production or importation. Still, we can hope, wish, and maybe just maybe we will get lucky, and a few will leave the wish list and find their way to our gun safes.
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