Varan PMX90
Clarbex (Pty) Ltd · Pistol · Discontinued · 1990
Also known as: PMX-80, PMX-90
Overview
The Varan PMX90 is a South African single-action semi-automatic pistol chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum. Mechanically a copy of the Browning Hi-Power, it was designed by Rhodesian engineers Tony Blackshaw and Stewart Beecham (originally as the PMX-80) and built on a hybrid milled-and-stamped steel frame. Its defining feature was extensive ambidexterity: removable and swappable safety levers, slide releases, and magazine catches, with early models even using a top-facing ejection port. Only around 2,000 were produced before the design was discontinued.
Specifications
| Action Type | Short Recoil |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action Only |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
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: Ambidextrous Safety, Ambidextrous Slide Release, Ambidextrous Magazine Release, Hybrid Milled And Stamped Frame
Production
Estimated total produced: 2,000 · Production years: 1990-1993
Commercial venture that was never a market success; produced in South Africa during the apartheid-era arms embargo
Origin
Country of origin: South Africa
Designer: Tony Blackshaw and Stewart Beecham
Discontinued: 1993
Notes
Early production pistols used transparent plastic magazines that discoloured to opaque yellow and cracked with exposure to gun oil; later black plastic magazines partly addressed the problem. Built in South Africa during the international arms embargo against the apartheid government.
Background
The Varan was engineered around total ambidexterity years before it became a mainstream feature, yet it is remembered as much for its transparent plastic magazines, which turned a cloudy yellow and cracked once they met gun oil.