Is It a Pistol? Is It a Carbine? It’s the CAA RONI
If your trusty GLOCK or SIG ever aspired to be something more, perhaps jealous of the 1970s-vintage Beretta Model 93R machine pistol, now there’s an option to put your pistol on steroids. While CAA advertises it as an “assault rifle” conversion, “carbine” is probably a more accurate characterization—after all, it will still be spitting pistol-caliber rounds at pistol-ammunition velocities.
The RONI is essentially a polycarbonate and aluminum shell that accepts the pistol in a “docking station.” It adds a foregrip and buttstock that permit a much more stable weapon hold, allowing accurate fire at much greater ranges than is typically possible with a handgun. CAA advertises a five-second installation with “no special tools, pistol disassembly, or gunsmithing.”
The RONI’s charging handle is attached to an armature that grips the pistol’s slide, enabling rifle-style cycling of the action to chamber a round or clear a jam. The ejection port is quite large to ensure casings can clear both the pistol’s own ejection port and the RONI, and for weapons that have only a grip and/or trigger safety, the RONI features a trigger well shroud safety that physically blocks access to the trigger.
The forward grip can be folded down to the vertical position or tucked back to offer a flat, “traditional” rifle-style foregrip. It also has a thoughtfully-designed finger guard to ensure skin doesn’t inadvertently come into contact with the hot muzzle sleeve.
Of course, the great advantage to putting a pistol into a rifle’s body is the wide range of toys—uh, excuse me, tactical accessories—that can then be added. The RONI has four Picatinny rails just waiting to be loaded up, and CAA offers a variety of accessories such as mounts for lights or lasers in multiple positions, tactical lights, flip-up iron sights, and an Aimpoint Micro H1 sight. A single-point sling mount is also available.
Since its introduction in 2010, the RONI family has grown steadily. CAA now offers the RONI for a respectable list of pistols:
- GLOCK Model 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 31, 32, 34, or 35
- Beretta FS92 and PX4
- H&K USP 9mm or .40 caliber
- SIG SAUER 226, 226 Elite, or 2022
- Springfield XD
- CZ Duty 07
- Jericho
- BUL Cherokee
- Bersa Thunder
For the Glock models, CAA recently introduced the G2, or second generation, RONI with some minor but important tweaks to improve functionality.
Oh, and for maximum enjoyment (or tactical effectiveness), extended-capacity magazines are highly recommended. It might not be the 9mm carbine you want, but it could be the 9mm carbine you need…
CAA can be found in Booth B601 at this year’s Eurosatory defense and security exhibition in June.
