Why Do I See CF98, The Chinese Service Pistol, In My Nightmares?

By Vladimir Onokoy

In the US and Europe, many gun owners feel like a Glock or a SIG are pretty dull and boring pistols available to everyone. But when you venture to the Middle East and Africa, things change dramatically. “Normal” Western pistols become expensive and hard to find and you start seeing more and more Chinese handguns, the most popular being the CF-98.I’ve seen plenty of those in both East and West Africa, and since Iraq recently started production of the same pistol under the name “Babylon”, I am sure we will see more of those sidearms all over MENA in the coming years.Even now, when you shop for a (relatively) modern pistol in Somalia, CF 98 is essentially your best option. That is why I had to deal with this gun and actually failed to repair one, which still occasionally haunts me in my dreams. In my defense, I had zero spare parts available.

Basic field strip of CF98

When

Source: The Firearm Blog