GunRiot

The following excerpt was taken from Superior Arms, a monthly publication featuring news, reviews, and specifications on the latest firearms, military-grade tech, and cutting-edge gear available on the market. [Article originally published 10 years ago.]

Cheaper They Are, Hawder They Fall…
By Rou Zondi

Marketed as an inexpensive alternative to the Mura-110, Hawder Firearms’ Zemini (pronounced ZEH-MIN-EE) made headlines at the International Arms Expo last month, even being selected as most anticipated submachine gun of the year. Two days later, Hawder announced that the Zemini was the highest pre-ordered item in their catalog.

Last week, the Zemini was released and everyone here at Superior Arms was just itching to get their hands on it. When I received this review assignment, needless to say, I was tickled pink. Being something of a submachine gun aficionado, I’ve spent countless hours with the much-praised Mura-110. While I never expected the Zemini to match Hawder’s previous effort, my hopes remained high. Less than ten minutes later, those hopes came crashing down.

Hawder Firearms billed the Zemini as affordable, reliable, and comparable to the best blowback-operated submachines gun on the market. They were right on one count—the Zemini is cheap. It defies belief how many corners were cut to keep down the price tag, all at the expensive of operation, quality, and performance..

Hawder’s Mura-110 is a staple in military, law enforcement and security markets, but that is an honor the Zemini will likely never see, for more reasons than can be listed in this review. In full-auto, the Zemini’s accuracy is staggeringly low—more so than any submachine gun I’ve ever fired. At three-round-bursts, shockingly, it fared no better. Recoil and muzzle rise were borderline ridiculous, and easily the worst offenders out of any Hawder firearm I’ve reviewed (I’ve reviewed dozens). Granted, given the Zemini’s size, this may be your weapon of choice if you and your target were in close proximity—perhaps a broom closet? Otherwise, don’t count on hitting them from across the dinner table.

It doesn’t end there, unfortunately. In just under an hour of using the Zemini it jammed on me twice. At this point, I was convinced we received a defected model. So, we brought in a second one. Things were looking up—until around twenty minutes, when the replacement jammed as well.

Unlike the Mura-110, which is partly built with Absilon-grade steel, the Zemini uses much cheaper Yorite steel as a substitute. Even when holding the gun, it feels flimsy.

The standard 32-round magazine is nothing to scoff at, yet nothing particularly exceptional. Available extended magazines include 40- and 50-round magazines. While other high-capacity magazines are offered in Hawder’s catalog such as 70-round and 100-round drums. For this review I tried the 32- and 52-round magazines—both of which I had a hard time getting in and out of the Zemini. On one occasion, after I pressed the magazine release button, I simply could not remove the magazine. I had to set the gun down force it out with the help of a friend.

Hawder may have a sterling reputation when it comes to submachine gun, thanks primarily to the Mura-110, but the Zemini is sure to leave more than a little of tarnish on their name. My advice to consumers is to stay as far away from this submachine gun as possible—and if anyone from Hawder is reading, get this gun off the market as soon as possible.

GunRiot. Story by Midnight. Art by Kuraikabe1990.