Sanna 77
Dan Pienaar Enterprise Limited · Carbine · Discontinued · 1977
Also known as: Rhino, Sanna
Overview
The Sanna 77 is a South African semi-automatic carbine chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum. It is an unlicensed civilian-market derivative of the Czechoslovak Sa 25 submachine gun, itself influenced by the Israeli Uzi. Built from tooling originally created in Rhodesia, the design replaced the Czech original's folding metal stock with a single polymer stock and removed the automatic fire mode, restricting it to single-shot semi-automatic fire. It uses a blowback action and feeds from a 40-round detachable box magazine. Production ran from 1977 to around 1983, with several hundred made primarily for civilian self-defence and security buyers in South Africa, where it earned a poor reputation for reliability.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2800 g (98.8 oz) |
| Overall Length | 650 mm (25.59") |
| Folded Length | 450 mm (17.72") |
| Barrel Length | 290 mm (11.42") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 40 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 366 m/s (1201 fps) |
| Effective Range | 76 m (83 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Polymer |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Folding Stock, Semi Automatic Only, Iron Sights
Service history
Operators
- South African civilian and private security market · adopted 1977
Production
Production years: 1977-1983
Several hundred units produced for the South African civilian and security market
Origin
Country of origin: South Africa
Designer: Dan Pienaar
Discontinued: 1983
Notes
Restricting the weapon to semi-automatic fire and its perceived lack of advantage over a large pistol limited sales. Most surviving examples in South Africa have broken polymer stocks and a poor reputation for reliability.
Background
The Sanna 77's lineage traces from the Israeli Uzi to the Czechoslovak Sa 25, whose tooling was carried into Rhodesia and then relocated to South Africa, where Dan Pienaar Enterprise turned the wartime submachine gun into a civilian semi-automatic carbine.