East Systems SA2
| East Systems SA2 | |
|---|---|
 East Systems SA2 in GP8 Specification | |
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin | Grasmere |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1983-Present |
| Used by |
 Grasmere |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Brad Smyth |
| Designed | 1972 |
| Manufacturer | East Systems |
| Produced | 1982-Present |
| Number built | 1,000,000+ |
| Variants | SA2 NEO |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 37 oz (1,000 g) |
| Length | 8.5 in (220 mm) |
| Barrel length | 5.2 in (130 mm) |
| Width | 1.49 in (37.8 mm) |
| Height | 5.72 in (145.3 mm) |
|
| |
| Cartridge | 9x19mm |
| Action | Short Recoil Action, (DA/SA) |
| Effective firing range | 50 m |
| Feed system | 15-round box magazine |
| Sights | 3-dot, adjustable rear |
The East Systems SA2 is a Grasmeran semi-automatic handgun chambered for the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge.
History
The SA2 was originally designed as a Grasmere Defense Systems product in 1972 by Brad Smyth, who conceived it as a low-cost, reliable sidearm using cheap ammunition to sell to police forces and armies with tight budgets. However, the design never left the planning stage and development was halted in 1975. After the dissolution of GDS in 1978, the plans for the weapon were moved to the newly created East Systems, who continued to keep them in a drawer. In 1980, the Grasmeran Armed Forces announced a program to procure a new service sidearm to replace the ageing GP6. Brad Smyth's new eponymous company was the favorite to win the competition with his latest design, the .45 ACP Smyth SP7. East Systems had been experimenting with .45 pistol designs as well, but their prototypes could not match the reliability or accuracy of the Smyth. With the deadline for consideration drawing near, East decided to dig up Smyth's old design, the SA2. The eight-year-old design proved to be just as reliable as Smyth said it would be in 1972, and it eventually won the procurement competition after East demonstrated that the pistol could be manufactured and sold for significantly less than the Smyth. Judges also appreciated the ease of maintenance, and the fact that the 9mm ammunition and relatively high weight made the pistol extremely composed, proving more accurate than the SP7. The pistol was adopted by the Grasmeran Armed Forces in 1983, under the name GP8.
The SA2 served for over 20 years as the standard sidearm of Grasmeran Forces. In the early 2000's, the Grasmeran Armed Forces once again instituted a program to procure a new service sidearm. East modernized the SA2 into the SA2 NEO, which featured a polymer frame and a picatinny rail in place of the old, proprietary frame rail. Despite these improvements, it was bested in the competition by the lighter, more powerful and more modern Smyth S3P. Production of the old, military spec model ended in 2004, and after further development a model based on the NEO was introduced in 2006 as the "new" SA2, for sale to police and private customers.
Design
The original SA2 features full metal construction, and a proprietary frame rail for mounting accessories. It uses a conventional short recoil operation, and is only available as a double action/single action model. It features a frame mounted safety that doubles as a decocking lever. The weapon is primarily designed for reliability, and is capable of firing thousands of +P load rounds with no stoppages.
Users
- Grasmere: Grasmeran Naval Special Forces, Military Police, and several local police departments. Former service sidearm of the Grasmeran Armed Forces, in service as GP8.
