Kevin ZP98 (usually just Kevin) is a 9 mm/.380 ACP sub-compact

semi-automatic pistol A semi-automatic pistol is a type of repeating single-chamber handgun ( pistol) that automatically cycles its action to insert the subsequent cartridge into the chamber (self-loading), but requires manual actuation of the trigger to actuall ...

manufactured in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. It is manufactured and sold in the United States by Magnum Research as the Micro Desert Eagle (ME380).

Description

The Kevin is a small self-loading pistol designed for short-distance fire up to 15 m, primarily as the secondary (concealed) weapon for law enforcement officers and for personal protection. Its frame is made of a high-strength aluminium alloy, the barrel and slide of steel, the grips from a reinforced rubber compound. The pistol has a dynamic breech, DAO trigger mechanism, and fixed sight. It does not have a safety lever, and has a patented blowback system with gas retardation to control recoil. The pistol was developed at the end of the 1990s by weapon designe
Antonín Zendl
for the company ''Zbrojovka Vsetín - Indet'' (''ZVI'', originally established in Vsetín in 1937 as a part of Zbrojovka Brno). In January 2013 ZVI laid off most of the workers. However, production of the pistol in Vsetín and ammunition in Slavičín remained.

Technical data

Uses

Kevin became popular in the Czech Republic for everyday concealed carry. The right to sell the pistol in the US was given to Magnum Research; the slightly modified pistol has been manufactured and assembled there under the name Micro Desert Eagle since 2008. For Eastern Europe markets Kevin was modified to use the 9mm Makarov cartridge (2007, model ZP06 or Kevin M). A 9mm P.A.K. (blank and tear gas) model (name: ZVI Night Hawk) was developed in 2003, and a 9mm P.A.Rubber (non-lethal rubber projectile) variant (name: ZVI Wasp-R) was developed in 2008.

References

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External links

Manufacturer's page
Semi-automatic pistols of Czechoslovakia .380 ACP semi-automatic pistols 9×18mm Makarov semi-automatic pistols