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Olympic Arms OA-93
The OA-93, OA-96 and OA-98 Pistols
- 1993: Olympic Arms made an AR-15 pistol called the OA-93 which had a barrel shroud and the first model Phantom flash hider. Then the Omnibus Crime Bill of 1994 (also known as the Clinton Federal Assault Weapons Ban) outlawed the OA-93 a short while after its introduction. However, the OA-93 was still made available available to Title II dealers and Law Enforcement in both semi and select fire modes.
- 1996: As a result of the banning of specific cosmetic details, Olympic Arms released the OA-96 Pistol, which had a permanently pinned 10 round magazine (which "looked like a 30 round magazine"), thus not being 'detachable' the OA-96 could keep the barrel shroud and flash hider. Sales were dismal however, and few were made. No one wanted a pistol that you had to disassemble in order to reload. There are no documented cases of an OA-96 appearing in any film or television show.
- 1998: In an attempt to built another pistol that 'could' have a detachable magazine, Olympic Arms released the OA-98 Pistol, which had the look of a 'skeleton' in that most of the metal and plastic had been cut away, to keep the pistol under the arbitrary "50 oz. weight limit" imposed by the Clinton Ban. Once under this weight limit, they could add the detachable magazine and still not be an assault weapon. But the flash hider and barrel heat shield had to go. Arguably one the ugliest pistols on the planet (and called that by many firearms authors), it too did not sell well. There are no documented cases of an OA-98 appearing in any film or television show so far.
Most AR-15 pistols seen in television and movies may either be a Freedom Arms 7" AR-15 Pistol or the same gun as a kit built on another manufacturer's registered full auto lower receiver, or the Olympic Arms OA-93. The OA-93 was unique in that it sported a 6.5" barrel and the distinctive recoil assembly above the upper receiver, which eliminated the need for a buffer tube with spring.
What is interesting is that in most (if not all) appearances of the Olympic Arms OA-93, there is a small buffer tube attached to the lower receiver, a feature that is NOT part of the OA-93 system. In order to allow the pistol to function fully-automatic, a small tube had to be added to the rear of the lower receiver in order that there was room for a full-auto bolt carrier to cycle within in the pistol. The tube itself has nothing to do with the recoil sping assembly which was still housed along the operations rod atop the barrel. Contrary to some reports, movie armorers never had had difficulty making the OA-93 cycle blanks. As a matter of fact, it cycles so well and so fast that it had a tendancy to burn out the gas tubes in short order.
Specifications
(1993-present)
Type: Compact carbine (legally a pistol)
Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
Feed System: STANAG Magazines
Fire Modes: Safe/Semi
The Olympic Arms OA-93 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear and Present Danger | Willem Dafoe | John Clark | 1994 | |
| Bad Boys | Will Smith | Detective Mike Lowrey | 1995 | |
| Batman Forever | Various actors | Two-Face's thugs | 90-round drums with neon detailing | 1995 |
| Strange Days | William Fichtner | Officer Engelman | 1995 | |
| Mercenary | Nils Allen Stewart | Bad Dave | 1996 | |
| Bulletproof | Various actors | Colton's thugs | 1996 | |
| The Long Kiss Goodnight | Various | Assassins | . | 1996 |
| Spawn | Michael Jai White | Spawn | 1997 | |
| Lethal Weapon 4 | "Human Tank" | 1998 | ||
| Once Upon a Time in Mexico | Various actors | Cucuy's thugs | 2003 | |
| Once Upon a Time in Mexico | Antonio Banderas | El Mariachi | 2003 | |
| Miami Vice | Yero's henchman | Fitted with a carbine stock and a C-More red-dot sight | 2006 | |
| Miami Vice | Justin Theroux | Zito | 2006 | |
| Looper | Henchman | 2012 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note/ Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Various actors | Bank robbers | "Inside the Box", Fitted with telescoping stock | 2000-??? |
| True Detective | Andy Mackenzie | Ivar | 2015 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears As | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F.E.A.R. | "SM15 Machine Pistol" | Heckler & Koch HK416-style handguard, top rail and front sight | OA-93, full-auto capable, only available in Xbox 360 version | 2005 |