PDWs: Modern Concept or Clever Marketing?

The term PDW today generally refers to either the FN P90, or the HK MP-7. This makes sense in a way, after all they were the finalists for the NATO PDW trials. While understandable, this conclusion is based on a flawed premise, NATO wasn’t testing to select a new PDW platform, they were testing to select a new PDW caliber to replace 9mm. “New” would be the operative word there, every country in NATO had already been issuing and fielding “PDWs” for decades, irrespective of what they were officially called. 

In fact I would tend to agree with the camp that says the first PDW was the M1 Carbine. In broad terms, the M1 Carbine was to the 40’s everything the P90 and MP-7 were to the 90’s. It was much smaller and lighter than its contemporaries, it fired an acceptable and for the time very modern cartridge, and was intended to be issued to troops whose main duty was not fighting. It wasn’t specifically called a PDW but it filled the same role. Similar cases exist through the rest of the 20th century: SMGs for tank crews, the AKS-74U for Soviet armor and helicopter crews, the L22A1 in British service, the new GAU-5A quick disassemble AR for the USAF, and as made famous in Black Hawk Down, MP-5s for American helicopter crews. So, what exactly is a PDW?

The problem with defining a PDW is that as the list above details, there aren’t really any universal characteristics that you would normally use to define a category of firearm. Are PDWs pistol caliber? Well not necessarily, even the ‘prototypical’ PDWs in the P90 and MP-7 use rounds that are more like mini rifle rounds as opposed to true rifle calibers. That’s leaving aside other PDWs such as the AKS-74U and the L22A1.

I think the definition of PDW can be reduced to much simpler terms. My definition (and the only correct definition going forward obviously) for a PDW is: A firearm with three points of contact (stock grip and fore end/VFG), that is not your day job. The P90 and MP-7 are actually great examples of this. In their original role for a truck driver, tank crewman or anyone else whose day job isn’t shooting people in the face they are PDWs. In the hands of the first man through the door on the Bin Laden Raid? They are both simply sub machine guns. The M4s issued to helicopter crews would be defined the same way. Yes, the M4 is an assault rifle (technically a carbine but here we are), but when issued to someone whose main task is not using small arms it falls into the category of PDW.

There are of course grey areas, what about a stocked pistol such as the B&T USW or old school Hi Powers with stock holsters. I would argue no, without a fore end or VFG those remain sidearms. [Editor’s note: I think that the USW for sure counts as a PDW -S_S] Are they more useful than a typical pistol? Debatably, but not as useful as a PDW. Another note, I don’t care how small it is or who it is issued to, a shotgun is always a shotgun, not a PDW.

What about PDWs for civilians? Well being civilians by definition our day job isn’t shooting people in the face so does that make all of our rifles, carbines, and PCCs actually PDWs? If you have it on your person or in your vehicle ala a truck driver’s P90? Sure, it’s a PDW, knock yourself out.