CMMG DL44 pistol: the Star Wars blaster is back
CMMG introduces a limited edition of 100 DL44 Blaster Mk4 .22 Long Rifle semi-automatic pistols, inspired by Han Solo's "Blaster" from the Star Wars franchise
CMMG DL44 pistol: the Star Wars blaster is back
One of the most iconic weapons in science fiction movie history – the DL44 "Blaster" used by Han Solo, the character played by Harrison Ford in the Star Wars movie saga – lives again in real life thanks to CMMG, which on May 4th (a significant date, to use an euphemism, for the Star Wars fanbase) officially launched the DL44 Blaster Mk4 semi-automatic pistol, chambered in the ubiquitous .22 Long Rifle rimfire caliber.
A handful of companies offered clones of the DL44 Blaster and of other weapons that appeared in the Star Wars movie saga in the past – and many still do. In most cases, however, those clones are manufactured by small companies, including niche, independent single-gunsmith shops.
On the other hand, CMMG is a fairly large "mainstream" brand in the civilian firearms industry, well known particularly in the United States for their high quality line of AR-15 clones and other modern sporting rifles. That's definitely a testament to the heritage and impact of the Star Wars franchise on the global popular culture.
CMMG DL44 Blaster .22 Long Rifle semi-automatic pistol – right side
CMMG DL44 Blaster .22 Long Rifle semi-automatic pistol – left side
The original Han Solo DL44 Blaster was built around a Mauser C.96 "Broomhandle" semi-automatic pistol fitted with the muzzle booster of an Mg.42 machine gun, a series of cooling fins welded in front of the magazine well, and a side-mounted Hensoldt-Wetzlar Dialyt 3x scope for Kar.98k rifles.
It goes without saying, CMMG could not use the same basic components; it decided to follow the stylistical steps of the original, however, by elaborating on their own Banshee Mk4 – a straight blowback, semi-automatic AR-15 based semi-automatic pistol chambered in .22 Long Rifle.
CMMG's DL44 Blaster Mk4 pistol is essentially a Banshee Mk4 pistol with a full battle-worn Cerakote grey finish and a 11,43 cm / 4.½" 4140CN steel barrel, without a handguard, featuring a conic barrel nut and a clone of the Mg.42 muzzle booster installed on a ½x28 thread at the muzzle.
Being an AR-15 variant, the DL44 Blaster Mk4 is built around a 6061-T6 billet upper receiver and a forged 7075-T6 lower, and comes with a CMMG Zeroed ambi charging handle and a non-ambidextrous AR-15 style safety, magazine catch, and bolt release button.
The Broomhandle-style grip, patterned after the original DL44 "Blaster" design, is hand-crafted out of wood and provided by Blackwood Trading Co.; CMMG's DL44 Blaster Mk4 must do without the front cooling fins and the side-mounted collimator, but comes from factory with a full-length top MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny rail for optics or iron sights and a vertical Picatinny lower receiver end cap allowing for the installation of an armbrace or a stock.
The magazine well is sized for 5.56mm USGI/STANAG magazines, but being chambered in .22 Long Rifle, the CMMG DL44 Blaster Mk4 feeds through Black Dog Machine X-FORM single-stack magazines – providing the outer form factor of a classic 20-rounds USGI magazine while featuring an internal reduced-size feeding column and follower specific for .22 rimfire; each magazine offers a capacity of ten rounds.
Standing at 35,3 cm / 13.9" in overall length and weighing in at 1,49 kg. / 3.3 lbs, the CMMG DL44 Blaster Mk4 .22 Long Rifle semi-automatic pistol is offered in a limited edition of just one hundred samples – with dedicated serial numbers in the 0-100 range – and comes from factory in a metal box reminiscent of the popular Star Wars lunchboxes of the 1970s and 1980s, issued with a CMMG Zeroed enlarged magazine well, a CMMG Zeroed single-stage trigger with a 2,5 kg / 4.5 lb pull weight, and three ten-rounds magazines.
MSRP for the CMMG DL44 Blaster Mk4 pistol on the US market is set at $1,474.95; for further information, visit the official CMMG website.