UAE 50TH ANNIVERSARY
The first exercise engaged by XDB in the field of Special Edition Pistols, has been the 50th Anniversary from the foundation of the United Arab Emirates: 50 unique Serial Number, Gold and Polycrhomic Enamels engraved Caracal Lynx firearms, landmarking half a Century of the Arab State.
Being the project a real technical and artistic challenge, XDB teamed up with a world leader in the engraving of firearms: Stefano Pedretti from Gardone Val Trompia. With his trust and relentless work and experience, we produced a true icon, most likely the very first semiautomatic pistol bearing Polycrhomic Enamels ever made.
50 SHOTS FOR 50 YEARS
The Caracal Lynx 50th Anniversay Pistol bears the 50Th Logo, deeply inlaid with 24 Ct. Gold on the front of the slide left side, added with the stylized Falcon emblem of the Country. As a further and demanding technical piece of wizardry, Pedretti added the 50th Anniversay official Logo, which is a stylized map of the Country, divided into the 7 Emirates segments, filled with Polychromic Enamels in the colours of the Flag. The whole picture is then completed with the acronim UAE, again deeply engraved in 24 Ct. Gold, standing for United Arab Emirates.
For the unprecedented occasion, Lahab Light Ammunition, the UAE national ammunition manufacturer, also made special 9x19 Luger cartridges with the unique headstamp and box UAE50.
SPIRIT OF THE EMIRATES
Richly engraved in 24 Ct, Gold by Italian Master Engraver Stefano Pedretti, only 5 pieces of this magnificent pistol were made for official UAE Government State Gifts to Presidents and other high ranking Officials.
XDB, in partnership with Caracal, launched the Spirit of the Emirates Commemorative Pistol in 2022, on time to be showcased at Adihex 2022 in Abu Dhabi, raising huge interest and praises for the amazing gold inlay by Stefano Pedretti.
The pistol encompasses the two main statements ever made by the late Founder of the United Arab Emirates, H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, the first President of the UAE and by his elder son and second President of the UAE, the late H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan.
The two statements are harmonically fused into a falcon, the emblem the the UAE, flying over and embracing the slide of the pistol. Only 5 Spirit of the Emirates were made, for an equal amount of Royals and Kings, as an official State Gift by the current President, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayedl al Nahyan.
CARACAL COMMITS TO ARTS AND CRAFTS
The 2021 year has been a milestone for the history of the United Arab Emirates and, broadly speaking, for Arabic culture’s acknowledgment too. In 2020, UNESCO added Arabic calligraphy to its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, describing it as “the artistic practice of handwriting Arabic script in a fluid manner to convey harmony and grace.” The biennium 2020-21 has been devoted to evaluating and preserving this ancient art. Exquisite engraving applied to firearms is a customary example of art combined with fine handcrafting and avant-garde technical performance.
In this wake, Caracal consciously chose to celebrate this glorious moment in the UAE’s path towards the future and this crucial acknowledgment of Arabic cultural legacy in a unique project, the first one of this kind. In order to devise the Spirit of the Emirates pistol, Caracal called to contribute one among the top-tier artists and engravers worldwide: Master Engraver Stefano Pedretti, who has been delivering engraved weapons to Royal Families in Europe, as well as high ranking Collectors worldwide. The Spirit of the Emirates pistol came to light according to a thoughtful concept that wants to celebrate traditional arts and crafts while committing to preparing a secure and sustainable future
LIWA: A MARVEL COMES TO LIFE
XDB and Caracal proved, for the first time in history, that hard researched and masterfully executed, engraved firearms and precious cultural and heritage statements can be intimately Arab-centric and not only European-centric with small references to the Arab world, as it has been proposed until now. This perspective unchains a world of opportunities and endeavours which are now being elaborated by our Team of amazing talents.
THE MAKING OF THE LIWA PISTOL
To design, build and engrave a special project, fully functional and Proof House compliant modern semiautomatic pistol is not an easy task. The endeavour starts with designing a new and more engraving-suitable pistol components profile, such as for instance the slide and upper frame, which in the case of the “Liwa” pistol are rounded rather than sharp-edged, as for the other standard versions of the well-established Caracal 2011 Sport Pistol.
After the metal new design, the project itself takes shape: beginning with the meetings of the conceptual and industrial teams, the Artists and the advisers to the CIP-compliance requirements.
MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS
The Liwa Pistol has been designed and built without compromise: all the parts are made strictly from solid billets of metal, without using any casting or simplified manufacturing, as per large serial products on the world markets.
The Slide and Upper Frame are machined from solid billets of high tensile steel 39NiCrMo4, while the Under Frame Grip is machined from a single billet of Aerospace Alloy AL7075 “Ergal”.
The Barrel, chambered for the caliber 9x19 Luger, is also made from a solid bar of 36NiCrMo3 steel and fully coated with Titanium Nitrite, the same wear impervious material used to coat milling plaques.
All steel components have been vacuum heat treated, to respect best tolerances and dimensional properties, while the light alloy parts are Hard Anodized for ever-lasting use and conservation over decades.
