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Ref. Firearms developed and manufactured in Southern Africa 1949-2000. By Olaf Vorster. Credit for this information goes to Pretoria Arms and Ammunition Ass. All rights are reserved. No part of this information may be reproduced, stored, manipulated in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any mechanical, electronic or digital form or by any other means, without prior written permission of the publishers. Any person who engage in any unauthorised activity in relation to this publication shall be liable to criminal prosecution and cliams for civil and criminal damages This pistol was manufactured in Johannesburg, South Africa by Republic Arms Company. Anton Hausler emigrated from Germany to South Africa in 1938. He was interned like many foreign nationals who was in SA during WW2. At this time the Union Defense Force discovered his special skills in the maintenance of navigational lights. This led to his release and his initial contact with the South African armed forces. After the war he founded Hausler Scientific Instruments in 1946. The family owned business sold surveying equipment and was the first company in the Hausler Holding group. Since he was a trained optical mechanic and machinist, Hausler secured the South African agency for Zeiss optical equipment, from their factory in Jena. After reunification in 1990 Zeiss Jena was integrated into Carl Zeiss AG, from Oberkochen in West Germany. This led to Hausler Scientific Instruments losing its primary source of optical equipment. The company was gradually transformed into an engineering enterprise with their biggest client being Armcor. However when the Angolan campaigns of the South African border war drew to a close, the company’s focus moved to the provition of security equipment. Products such as their model 65 handcuffs are still supplied to the Department of Correctional Services and the South African Police Service. Jeff Smale the current owner of Republic Arms immigrated to South Africa in 1973. He joined HSI in April 1976 as a technical representative. He had to promote sales of a range of metal surface finishing machines to the local manufacturing industry. HSI intendedto manufacture these machines locally. Republic Arms was established as a subsidiary of Hausler Holdings in 1968. The main purpose of the company was to house the supply activities of Hausler holdings. This allowed individual weapon system components to be manufactured by Hausler Scientific Instruments, while Republic Arms supplied the completed items to Armscor or other clients. In 1978 Republic Arms made its first foray into the supply of firearms, as opposed to supplying clients with weapon system components manufactured by HSI. This was a line of double action revolvers based on the Smith & Wesso J-frame. These revolvers known as the Model 10 and Model 11, were intended for both the civilian and law enforcement markets. The very early production revolvers were marked with a stylish “RA”. Walter Niermann the modern logo, which incorporated a crossbow. The crossbow was Republic ArmsInternal proof-mark. They had been authorized to proof-test firearmson their premises by the South African Bureau of Standards. In the early 1980s Armscor was sourcing revolvers for the South African Railway Police, the Medical Corps of the Sout African Defence Force and state owned entities such as the South African Reserve Bank. Republic Arms’s tender was accepted and the South African Police adopted the Mark 10 as their service sidearm in 1983. In the 1980s Armscor issued a request for a proposed new service pistol for the South African Police. Republic Arms at the time was not aware of the SAP’s strong preference for the Beretta 92 and decided to base their offer on the FN Browning Hi-Power. Three Hi-Power type pistol were manufactured by hand 1983 and submitted to Armscor as tender samples. The Armscor tender specified that the pistol should be fitted with a hammer drop safety and should be compatible with Beretta M92 magazines. In addition the tender samples were ambidextrous. The serial numbers for the three pistols all began with 83HP. The Republic Arms tender was unsuccessful as the Lyttelton Engineering Works Z88 pistol was selected as the new SAP service pistol. From 1974 to the 1990s South African Police, and after 1995 the South African Police Service, became increasingly involved in riot control.For this purpose the used they used a variety of commercially produced shotguns and the R1 assualt rifle, discharging batton rounds and teargas canisters. The most common of these shotguns was the Beretta RS202. But SAP was finding it to maintain their existing shotguns, as they could not source components due to international sanctions. This led to Armscor setting up a team to compile specifications for a new shotgun. Musgrave was contracted by Armscor to supply the new shotguns to the SAP, while HIS supplied the completed receiversto Musgrave. The Shotgun was namedthe Musler, an amalgamation of the Names Musgrave and Hausler. Production of this firearm ceased in 2007. RAP401 Republic Armes the Republic Armes Pistol (RAP) as a concealed carry pistol, at the request of SAP. This firearm was adopted by SAP as service pistol for Criminal Investigation Department personel and female SAP officers in 1990. The SAP presented the Astra A75 and the Star Starfireas examples of compact pistols acceptable to them, together with their requirement statement. Armscor then considered a number of existing pistols, including the Vektor concept pistol (which later evolved into the CP1). The pistol Republic Arms designed drew on features from both the Astra A75 and the Starire pistols, with the addition of a hammer drop saferty. The new pistol was designed by Walter Niermann and Erich Mickelat, and named the RAP 401 after the Armscor file reference: “Republic Arms Project #401”. It was adopted into service with the SAP in 1990. The biggest disadvantage of the SAP requirement was that they insisted on an all steel pistol, although well made and compact, was heavy compared to polymer framed pistols which became popular at the time. Serial numbers ran from R0001 to R15394, between 1990 and 2006. The RAP401 is a locked breech, short recoil operated pistol that uses the Browning tilting barrel system. It uses a barrel lug to cam the slide out of lock. The barrel locks the slide into battery by a barrel lug that fits into the ejection port. A bulge at the end of the barrel do the centering in the slide. The pistol uses a full length recoil spring guide rod. The extractor, external on the slide, pivot on a rol pin. The pistol’s safety features include a passive firing pin block, and a combination hammer safety that also allow “cock and lock” carry. When the safety catch is pushed below the fire position, it will drop the hammer safely. The fiurst shot can be fired double action. This blued or nickel plated, 9x19 pistol has a 8 round magazine. It is 165mm long and weigh 1010g loaded. Ref. Firearms developed and manufactured in Southern Africa 1949-2000. By Olaf Vorster. Credit for this information goes to Pretoria Arms and Ammunition Ass. All rights are reserved. No part of this information may be reproduced, stored, manipulated in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any mechanical, electronic or digital form or by any other means, without prior written permission of the publishers. Any person who engage in any unauthorised activity in relation to this publication shall be liable to criminal prosecution and cliams for civil and criminal damages

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