B&T USW-A1
- Category
- Personal Defense Weapon
- Barrel
- 110 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.00 kg
- Introduced
- 2017
About
What it is, and why it matters
The B&T USW-A1 (Universal Service Weapon) is a Swiss-made 9x19mm semi-automatic personal defense weapon-PDW hybrid built on a Sphinx-derived chassis. It features a side-folding spring-assisted shoulder stock, a frame-mounted Aimpoint ACRO red dot sight, suppressor-height iron sights, ambidextrous controls, and a 110 mm threaded barrel. Operating on the Browning short-recoil locking system, it accepts 17, 19, or 30-round magazines and is designed to deliver SMG-like precision and effective range out to roughly 75-80 m while remaining holsterable like a duty pistol. Designed for police officers, gendarmes, undercover operators, and intelligence officers responding to scenarios where a standard sidearm is inadequate but a long gun cannot be carried.
The USW concept revives an early-20th-century idea - pistols with shoulder stocks for extended range - last seen in the Mauser C96 'Broomhandle' with detachable wooden holster-stock and the Luger Artillery Model. B&T modernized it with a permanently-attached spring-folding stock and frame-mounted red dot, designed in response to European law-enforcement needs highlighted by terrorist incidents where standard sidearms proved inadequate.
Frame-mounted (not slide-mounted) optic is the defining feature - the red dot stays stable while the slide cycles. Original 2017 release was hammer-fired DA/SA (Sphinx-derived); current production A1 is striker-fired. Weight figures vary 980-1170 g across sources, likely depending on whether stock and optic are included. Built on an enhanced Sphinx SDP-derived frame architecture (separate polymer grip module + upper chassis).
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- B&T AG (Brügger & Thomet)
- Category
- Personal Defense Weapon
- Country
- Switzerland
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 2017
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 110 mm
- Overall length
- 470 mm
- Height
- 142 mm
- Width
- 43 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.00 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Short recoil
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 17
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Polymer
- Slide
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Black phosphate nitride
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 370 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 480 J
- Effective range
- 76 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Integrated red dot mount frame mounted
Side folding shoulder stock- Spring assisted stock deployment
Ambidextrous controls
Threaded barrel m13 5x1 lh
Picatinny dustcover rail
Suppressor ready
Suppressor height iron sights
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 54 personal defense weapons | 1.00 kg | 2.23 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 53 personal defense weapons | 470 mm | 582 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 55 personal defense weapons | 110 mm | 168 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 25 9x19mm Parabellum personal defense weapons | 17 | 20 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Its place in the rankings
Answers
Questions about the B&T USW-A1
How much does the B&T USW-A1 weigh?
The B&T USW-A1 weighs 1.00 kg (2.20 lb) empty. It is the 2nd lightest of 54 personal defense weapons in the catalogue.
What caliber is the B&T USW-A1?
The B&T USW-A1 is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the B&T USW-A1 hold?
The B&T USW-A1 holds 17 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the B&T USW-A1?
The B&T USW-A1 is 470 mm (18.5 in) long overall, with a 110 mm (4.33 in) barrel.
Who makes the B&T USW-A1?
The B&T USW-A1 is made by B&T AG (Brügger & Thomet) (Switzerland).
When was the B&T USW-A1 introduced?
The B&T USW-A1 was introduced in 2017.
How does the B&T USW-A1 operate?
The B&T USW-A1 uses a short recoil action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- European law enforcement (various agencies)
- Switzerland
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/bt-usw-a1' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "bt-usw-a1", "name": "B&T USW-A1", "manufacturer": { "id": "bt-ag", "name": "B&T AG (Brügger & Thomet)", "countryCode": "CH", "foundedYear": 1991, "website": "https://www.bt-ag.ch", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:43", "version": "92f8fc30d4932021beec6d4bd0c3f6f32f1a53e6214fbb44fd5ad17bb6b08494" }, "category": { "id": "personal-defense-weapon", "name": "Personal Defense Weapon", "description": "Compact firearms designed for non-frontline military personnel" }, "country_of_origin": "CH", "year_introduced": 2017, "barrel_length_mm": 110, "weight_empty_g": 1000, "action_type": "short_recoil"}