The FAMAE SAF is a submachine gun produced since 1993 by FAMAE. Since 1999, Taurus have signed an agreement with FAMAE to produce the SAF under license in.40 S&W caliber for Brazilian law enforcement.
Design
The SAF is a blowback-operated select-fire gun, firing from a closed bolt. It is based on the Swiss SIG SG 540assault rifle which was produced under license in Chile in the 1980s. The design is a shortened version of the SIG 540 rifle, but the rifle's rotating bolt has been replaced with a simple blowback bolt. The SAF also has a bolt hold-open catch that engages after the final shot. Otherwise, the receiver, stock, fore-end, trigger/hammer assembly and floating firing pin design are from the SIG 540. The upper and lower receiver, as well as the trigger guard are steel, pistol grip and handguards are all made from polymer. The ambidextrous safety/fire selector switch, as well as the interchangeability with SIG 552/553 handguards, is a feature found on the latest versions. Older versions used its own handguards. The 9mm magazines are transparent plastic made from polymer, allowing the number of available rounds to be determined visually. The magazine is fitted with protruding lugs on one side and corresponding slots on the other, allowing two or three magazines to be clipped together for faster magazine changes. The.40S&W magazines are steel and hold 30 rounds. The selector has four settings: safe, single shot, 3-round burst and fully automatic. Some models were made in a semi-auto only configuration for law enforcement and civilian customers. Semi-auto models manufactured by FAMAE are mostly marketed for sale in Canada.
Variants
The SAF is manufactured in four versions: the standard model with a fixed polymer buttstock, standard with a left-side-folding tubular metal buttstock, a model with an integral suppressor and folding buttstock, and the Mini-SAF. The Mini-SAF is very compact, at only long. It has a short barrel, no shoulder stock, and a vertical foregrip. The Mini-SAF can use the standard 30-round magazines, but comes with special 20-round magazines for a smaller profile. All versions have post front sights with adjustable elevation, and aperture rear sights, adjustable for windage. A new version, the SAF-200 Bicentenary Edition, is being tested by FAMAE and the Chilean Army. It includes a new, retractable and foldable stock, a new handguard and Picatinny rails provided for optics and lateral attachments. The rails are optional for other SAF models, but standard on the SAF-200.
