Notes: This is a semiautomatic weapon of bullpup design. The 9mm Parabellum caliber is standard, but a conversion kit allows the weapon to use .45ACP, .40SW, and .22LR ammunition. It is a very compact weapon. The AGM-1 was originally supposed to be a military submachinegun, but there was no interest in that area or by the police, so it was sold on the civilian market as a semiautomatic only weapon; it still got little success.

Notes: This is a traditional-styled semiautomatic rimfire rifle. It is a very simple rifle consisting mainly of a cylinder-shaped receiver, Monte Carlo-combed stock, and simple sights (a adjustable leaf rear and a blade front). Barrel length is 21.65 inches. The weapon is grooved for a telescopic sight. There is also a deluxe variant called the AP-61L, with a stock made from better wood and with skip-line checkering on the pistol grip wrist and fore-end.

Notes: A small-caliber copy of the AR-15, the AP-74 has all of the features of the AR-15, and can mount an M-16-type bayonet. However, due to US legal requirements, the AP-74 is incapable of firing rifle grenades. The AP-74 has basically the same operation as the AR-15 (modified for the ammunition, of course), and sights modified for the ammunition but also similar to those of a standard AR-15. Construction is also similar, with an aluminum alloy receiver, synthetic stock, and plastic handguards and pistol grip. The magazine looks similar to an early-style AR-15 20-round magazine, but a close look will reveal the cutout well for the .22 Long Rifle magazine. The AP-74 was later banned by the Brady Bill due to that bayonet-mounting capability, and had to be redesigned to remove the bayonet lug (and flash suppressor), as well as the magazine redesigned with a block to allow the loading of only 10 rounds. Later, after the sunset of the Assault Weapons Ban, the flash suppressor re-appeared (but not the bayonet lug). I actually fired a pre-ban version of the AP-74 of these that belonged to my platoon leader when I was in the National Guard; it handles very much like an AR-15A1 (but is a bit shorter), and the recoil is about like an AR-15A1 firing blanks (almost none).

Variants of the AP-74 include a version chambered for .32 ACP, the AR-74 Carbine (with a sliding stock, but a full-length 19.75-inch barrel; however, the AR-74 Carbine has carbine-length handguards, leaving a pretty good length of exposed barrel). The AR-74 Commando Carbine uses a 16-inch barrel, the carbine-type handguards, and a wooden stock rumored to be based on the old Uzi wooden stock. A "luxury" version of the AP-74 also exists, with a stock, pistol grip and handguards made from premium wood which is laminated, weatherproofed, and polished.

Notes: This rifle was introduced in 2002. It uses gas operation, and a number of exotic materials and manufacturing techniques to produce a rifle like no other. The receiver cover is of hardened steel of a type more normally used in spacecraft. The barrel is attached to this so rigidly that there is no play whatsoever, and on top of this is a carbon-fiber mount for telescopic sights. The barrel itself is free-floating, and the receiver is made of composites. The inclination of the stock in relation to the rest of the rifle can be changed with spacers, and there is a thick recoil pad on the butt. The Argo comes in the standard version with matte black composites and steel, and the fancier Argo Special with a silver-colored receiver and better grades of wood in the stock (though both use walnut). Both are identical for game purposes, though the Argo Special is made only to fire .30-06 Springfield.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This rifle does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: This is a gas-operated semiautomatic rimfire rifle introduced in 1995. It is a simple, average sort of rifle, using inertia locking and having no real remarkable features. The rear sight is adjustable, and the weapon has a hardwood stock. There is also another version, the Athena Elegant, which uses a fine walnut stock, a longer barrel, and oddly enough, a long flash suppressor (the combination of the .22 Long Rifle round and a flash suppressor is not really necessary). The Elegant is also grooved for a telescopic sight.

Notes: The R-1 is a semiautomatic gas-operated rifle designed by the same group at Benelli that normally designs their semiautomatic shotguns. This leads to an interesting blend of rifle and shotgun sensibilities, such as an operating system derived from the Argo (which itself was derived from the Benelli M-1014), a fine-quality walnut stock and fore-end which is beautifully-finished and more of the quality one might expect from an expensive competition shotgun, a magazine whose lines blend perfectly with the receiver, and an ergonomic recoil pad much thicker than is normally used on a rifle. The Argo gas system is much shorter than the standard sort of gas operation system, making stoppages due to fouling less likely and generally allowing a shorter weapon while having the incidental effect of slightly reducing recoil. Metalwork is generally blued, except for the stainless steel operating parts, and the pistol grip wrist is checkered. Barrels are cold-forged, with 2 barrel lengths available for the .30-06 chambering (20 and 22 inches), 2 for the .300 Winchester Magnum chambering (20 and 24 inches) and one for each of the other chamberings (24 inches for .300 Winchester Short Magnum and .270 Winchester Short Magnum).

Benelli introduced the ComforTech recoil-absorbing stock on its Black Eagle II semiautomatic shotgun quite a while ago, and it has since been used on several other shotguns to tame magnum shotshell recoil. However, Benelli figured that if the stock was good at absorbing the recoil of a magnum shotshell load, it ought to be great at absorbing the recoil of rifle rounds – and this thought resulted in the R-1 ComforTech. This is a version of the R-1 introduced in 2006, using that stock (which is synthetic and normally black in color), a slightly different (though equally thick) recoil pad, and comes only in two chamberings (though it is probable that more will be added in the future). Three recoil pad/butt plates are included with the R-1, allowing the user to adjust the rifle to his needs; in addition, optional raised cheekpieces are also available upon request. The R-1 ComforTech comes with a MIL-STD-1913 rail instead of the standard scope ring mounts found on the standard R-1. The pistol grip is checkered, the fore-end contoured with a palm swell, and the entire stock and fore-end is coated with Benelli’s GripTight – an over-coating that feels almost tacky to the touch, making sure that the shooter will have a good hold on the weapon regardless of weather conditions. Barrel lengths are 22 inches for the .30-06 chambering and 24 inches for .300 Winchester Magnum.

Twilight 2000 Notes: These rifles do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: The Carabine Automatiche Beretta is a light sport rifle designed for plinking, varmint hunting, and light competition. It is a simple .22 sporter. A variant is the Tipo Olimpia; this is fancier version of the CAB with a cheekpiece, checkering on the pistol grip and fore-end, an optical target sight, and a heavy barrel.

Notes: The Storm is a weapon that is as likely to be found in the hands of police as it is in the hands of civilians. It is a carbine chambered for pistol calibers, and is constructed largely out of polymers. They may use any magazine available for a Beretta pistol of the same caliber. The Storm is very simple to maintain and strip, using straight blowback operation. They can be easily modified for left or right-handed operation. The Storm is regarded as an ergonomic masterpiece.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: Though based on the Cx-4 Storm, the Rx-4 quickly diverges significantly from the Cx-4 design both internally and externally. It is designed for both police and civilian use.

Let’s start externally. While the shell of the Rx-4 is also constructed largely of high-strength polymers, the Rx-4 uses a collapsible stock which slides inward, and able to be locked in 5 positions for a total change in length of pull of 4.6 inches. (A standard non-collapsible stock is also available, with or without a pistol grip, primarily for civilians and for jurisdictions where such sliding stocks are prohibited.) Sights are ghost-ring type, with protective ears for the front and rear sight and adjustable for windage and elevation on both the front and rear sights. A MIL-STD-1913 rail is also mounted above the receiver, and more may be added atop, on either side, and below the barrel shroud. A total of nine sling swivel attachment points are provided. The metalwork is steel, with 12.5-inch and 16-inch barrels available. Civilian versions (which have 16-inch barrels only) may be had that have no provision for a flash suppressor or muzzle brake (depending upon local laws); the 16-inch barrel version may also have a permanently-mounted flash suppressor, and the 12.5-inch barrel model may have a threaded muzzle to allow a flash suppressor or muzzle brake to be used. All fire controls are easily reversible, as is the charging handle.

Internally, operation is somewhat similar to that of the Cx-4, but the Rx-4 also uses the ARGO gas system which reduces fouling and increases reliability, by automatically regulating the amount of gas required for changing conditions in the gas system. Feed may be from any magazine compatible with the AR-15/M-16 series, but Beretta normally sells the Rx-4 to civilians only with 5 or 10-round magazines (again, depending upon local regulations.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Rx-4 is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: Like many of the world’s nations, Italy found itself with a need to train soldiers in basic marksmanship skills, but found the cost of such training a bit steep. And like many other nations, their solution was to a rifle firing cheap .22 Long Rifle ammunition instead of using normal issue weapons firing more expensive 5.56mm NATO or 7.62mm NATO ammunition. This approach also saved wear and tear on the actual issue weapons, and the soldiers only required some familiarization, having already learned the fundamentals of marksmanship. The weapon they used for this purpose was the B/TR, a basic semiautomatic rifle design. The B/TR was also sold on the European market as a light hunting rifle.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Italian military B/TR’s were handed out starting in late 1998 to civilians for home defense.

Notes: This is a simple semiautomatic recoil-operated rimfire carbine. It has a simple semi-pistol grip wrist stock made from walnut and metal parts of steel. The normal magazine used is a removable rotary magazine with a capacity of ten rounds, but the Sporter can also be had with an internal magazine with a capacity of two or three rounds, for export to countries where hunting weapons are limited to these small capacities. The safety button actuates a simple mechanism which locks the trigger. The rear sight is an adjustable leaf, and the top of the receiver has a raised dovetail rail for the attachment of a scope mount.