WDS 2022: The Small Arms of Sudan

Generally, there isn’t much information about Sudan’s military industry in general and their small arms in particular. The country has been sanctioned and isolated from the international community for a long time as a result of bloody civil war, genocide, and war crimes committed during the War in Darfur. While very little information is available, some Middle East defense exhibitions, such as IDEX in UAE and World Defense Show (WDS) in Saudi Arabia give us a unique chance to take a glimpse of what is going on in the Sudan arms industry.

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Small Arms of the War In Ukraine

It’s now three weeks since Vladimir Putin’s Russia invaded Ukraine. We have seen the Ukrainian Armed Forces put up an impressive fight while Russia’s forces have stalled since their initial attempts at a lightning advance failed. While images of burnt-out or abandoned Russian armoured vehicles have dominated the news and social media there have been some interesting small arms seen. Everything from the newest Ukrainian AR-15s to Russia-backed separatists with Mosin-Nagants.

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Generation 2 XTech MAG47, MAG47 Mil, and MAG47 10/30 Released

Outside of a handful of popular options, finding affordable, reliable, and durable AK47 magazines can be a difficult task. That is why XTech Tactical is excited to announce the release of its Generation 2 MAG47 line of AK47 composite magazines. The MAG47 Gen 2 will be available in three different varieties including a California-compliant one and all three new variants will include improvements to both their construction and reliability factors.

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WDS 2022: Upgraded AK by Egyptian Military Factory

Historically, throughout the 20th century, Egypt had a strong and extensive firearms industry. Hakim and Rasheed rifles, Helwan pistol, Egyptian-made AKs called Maadi or MISR were used domestically and exported throughout the world. But at the beginning of the 21 century, most service weapons in Egypt, especially with the Ministry of Interior, are imported, which means that political turmoils can easily compromise procurement and supply of spare parts for the currently issued firearms. To decrease the country’s military dependence on exports, the Egyptian Military Factory is slowly trying to modernize the firearms they currently manufacture. Two examples of such efforts are the “upgraded 7.62x39mm automatic assault rifle” presented at EDEX-2022 in Cairo and World Defense Show in Riyadh.

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POTD: Custom Saiga 9×19 PCC

Our daily article Photo Of The Day will take you to some very exciting and unusual places. Today we take a look at a very custom Saiga 9mm PCC. Jelena from Russia is the owner and the brain behind the paintwork. She’s an avid competitor in IPSC and dynamic shooting. The question is why does your own 9mm PCC Carbine look so boring compared to this one?

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Meridian Defense Corporation 7 Sins AK Series: The 7th Sin - PRIDE

The Special Projects Division of Meridian Defense Corporation has released another rifle of their 7 SINS series of custom AKs. The new build is the 7th Sin – Pride. It is a milled receiver Bulgarian pattern underfolder stock rifle. It’s a classic pattern gun with no modern upgrade parts but let’s still quickly go over its features.

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Zastava Arms USA Now Offering Factory California Compliant M70

Some of us aren’t fortunate enough to live in a state that allows for things like threaded barrels, standard capacity magazines, or even pistol grips. Before some of you inevitably chime in with “jUsT MOvE“, please understand that moving to a whole new state is a lot more involved than leaving your parent’s basement. You’ll find out one day I’m sure. I’m getting off-topic. Living in states like California does make enjoying our hobby more difficult, but not impossible. And Zastava Arms USA is there for you with their California Compliant M70.

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WBP Imports the Jack 5.56 Rifle for the US Market

WBP Rogow of Poland has finally decided to import the Jack 5.56 rifle from their already well-regarded lineup of Kalashnikovs. This classic AKM style rifle is sure to help skirt any imported ammo shortages by being chambered in the already plentiful (though not the currently cheapest) caliber available here in the US – 5.56x45mm or .223 Remington.

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Slav In a Box: Kalashnikov USA's Russian Starter Kit

Kalashnikov USA is very well known for its high-end American-made yet true to form Russian AKs. Kalashnikov USA’s rifles and pistols are all built on the true, original Russian designs and are not simply copies or kits of Kalashnikov rifles and shotguns. If you’ve got the thirst for a quality AK rifle but don’t quite feel comfortable yet walking around with it, then Kalashnikov USA has the Russian Starter Kit to make you feel right at home with your fellow Gopniks.

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All-American AK – Century Arms BFT47

The Century Arms BFT47 – who could have imagined that all-American-made AKs would ever be a thing? Well, here it is, with a bulged and forged 4140 steel front trunnion, a carburized 4140 steel bolt and a 16” 1:10 chrome-moly 4150 steel barrel.

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Are AK Recoil Buffers a Necessity or Just Snake Oil?

As time has rolled on from the heydays of AK ownership in the US (the mid to late ’80s and the mid-2000s), something that has always been around, whether in the back of a sportsman’s catalog, Gun Rags, or your favorite firearm accessory website, you can find AK recoil buffers for sale. Touted as a solution to the violent recoil (let me just roll my eyes for a moment … there, that’s out of the way) of the AK rifle, as well as its apparent tendency to beat itself to death due to over gassing.  The droves of people new to the AK scene might not know what these are or if they actually work.

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Rifle Dynamics Quickhatch AK Pistol

Quickhatch, another name for a wolverine, is how the new AK pistol by Rifle Dynamics called. Inspired by the Krinkov, the Rifle Dynamics Quickhatch adds modern features to the original concept and is chambered in 7.62×39 which I’d say is a better cartridge for a weapon of this size. Let’s take a closer look.

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New Palmetto State Armory PSAK-101 and 102

I know some of you fellow AK lovers out there are already saying that. But in a world of Russian ammo bans, and uncertainty as far as other imports go given current events, the idea of an AK in a very common cartridge here in the USA is a very tempting and practical proposition. The Palmetto State Armory PSAK-101 and 102 are just such guns and with their introduction they are adding more competition to what was originally a very limited amount of 5.56 offerings from Zastava, WBP, and Arsenal USA.

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[SHOT 2022] Zastavas in .308 Win: M77 Semi-Auto and M07-AS Bolt-Action Rifles

Zastava Arms USA brought to SHOT Show 2022 two new firearms chambered in .308 Winchester – the M07-AS bolt-action rifle and the M77 semi-auto rifle. While the former has already made its way to the stateside and can be found on the Zastava Arms USA’s website, it is not yet known if they will import the M77 too.

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[SHOT 2022] NEW Kalashnikov USA KR-101 .223/5.56mm AK

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves is at the Kalashnikov USA booth to check out their new KR-101 .223/5.56mm AK.

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[SHOT 2022] Dead Foot Arms AR Underfolder, Quasi MP5 and Killdozer Build

At SHOT Show 2022, Dead Foot Arms released several new products and had head-turner builds displayed in their booth like their Killdozer AR, themed after  Marvin Heemeyer‘s bulldozer. I am not sure how a bulldozer blade shaped muzzle device will perform. Is it a blast diverter, flash hider or maybe a flash enhancer?! Go ahead and name it in the comments section.

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[SHOT 2022] What's New At Arsenal?

Arsenal’s lineup of Bulgarian/American AK-pattern rifles is being joined by the Custom series. Various colors and camo patterns will be available for purchase, either as single guns or small batches (e.g. a signature model for a specific retail shop). If you have been hankering for Arsenal quality with a factory Cerakote job of your dreams, this is your chance.

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[SHOT 2022] Yes, It's a .308 AK: Zastava M77/Z77 .308 AK-47

Zastava has gone from being merely imported to the US by third parties to importing their own AKs and taking the market over. Today on TFBTV, James Reeves is at Zastava’s booth at SHOT Show to check out their new Z77 or M77 rifle, a .308 AK-47 made in Serbia. It’s possible for Zastava to import these rifles, however, the logistics of doing so are difficult, so it’s unclear that it will happen, but it *is* possible. Anyways, check out how sweet this gun is.

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[SHOT 2022] PSA Shows off their 5.7 Rock Pistol and Some PSAKs

Palmetto State Armory showed off a variety of new products today, including the widely rumored and eagerly anticipated 5.7 Rock handgun. They also had their PSAK-105 pistol that I shot yesterday, a PSAK in 5.56, and a clone of the Chinese “Spiker” AK in 7.62×39.

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[SHOT 2022] Kalashnikov USA Show off their KR-101

Kalashnikov USA was eager to show off their 5.56 KR-101 rifle on the SHOT show floor today. I spoke with Dave, Kalashnikov USA’s VP of marketing, about it.

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[SHOT 2022] PSA Shows off their PSAK-105, Tease 5.56 AK

Today at Industry Day at the Range for SHOT 2022, Palmetto State Armory showed off their PSAK-105, a 5.45 AK variant. I got a chance to see and shoot it, and I have to say that I was very impressed. The staff at the booth also teased a 5.56 AK, but unfortunately did not have one at the booth itself today.

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WBP Brings the Mini Jack 5.56 Pistol to US Shores

Through distributors like Arms of America and Atlantic Firearms, WBP of Poland has been sending high-quality AK pattern rifles and pistols to the US for several years now. The latest of which is the Mini Jack 5.56 Pistol. This short AKM style pistol is chambered in the ever-popular 5.56x45mm cartridge and offers an alternative AK pistol for those who want a gun that takes standard furniture and accessories.

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SMAR-100BPM – New Bullpup AK Variant from Belarus

Before we talk about SMAR-100BPM in detail, we need to understand the circumstances that led to the creation of the modern Belarussian small arms industry.

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The Unknown History of Russian AK-12 Kalashnikov Rifle: Part 2

In the previous article about the history of the AK-12, I talked about the “Ratnik” program and the earliest known prototype of the rifle. Now, it is time to talk about the second and third prototypes, which will be much easier, since I was personally involved in the trials and testing of those guns, as well as many demos and media events.

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Kalashnikov USA releases the new KUSA KR-104 SBR

Kalashnikov USA has been busy the past few months developing and releasing variants of their 7.62x39mm KR-103 rifle. Now after many requests from the community, they have finally added the much desired KUSA KR-104 short-barreled rifle for sale. Based on the Russian AK-104 assault rifle, this is a 12.5 inch barreled, 7.62x39mm chambered factory SBR equipped with a left-side folding stock.

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The Unknown History of Russian AK-12 Kalashnikov Rifle: Part 1

In the last 75 years, dozens of different Kalashnikov variants were developed all over the globe. At least 32 countries produced various AK rifles, hundreds of engineers tried to improve them. But, in all these years, not a single new variation of an AK has received as much attention from the media as the AK-12 assault rifle.

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Kalashnikov USA Releases the VISKOV Rifle

Kalashnikov USA has just added a new variant to their already extremely popular KR-103 line. This new model is the KUSA VISKOV rifle. An upgraded KR-103 with some quality of life upgrades, for the more tactically minded AK connoisseur. These upgrades include an attached flip-up Picatinny top cover, collapsible stock, and M-LOK rail system among a few other things.

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TFB Review: Palmetto State Armory AK-V Pistol

9mm AK-style firearms have been mostly nonexistent until recent years. Two years ago Palmetto State Armory came out with their AK-V pistol and it has been hugely popular. Surprisingly, we have not reviewed an AK-V, that is until now. When PSA asked if we wanted to review some of their firearms, I jumped at the opportunity to check out the AK-V pistol. I had some issues out of the gate, some of it was the gun and most of it was the ammo but other than that, the gun is awesome. Let’s take a closer look at this AK-styled PCC.

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POTD: The KR-103 from Kalashnikov USA

It’s been a while since we hade some Kalashnikov content, but in today’s Photo Of The Day that is luckily changing. Who would have thought that one day you could buy Kalashnikovs Made in the USA?

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Guns And Gear To Buy Now Rather Than Later

During every gun rush, it always goes through my head the amount of things I should have bought while I could have gotten them. There’s a number of things that are trickling back into stock so it’s never a bad idea to stock up on things you need before products either become tough to find or elevated in price. Let’s take a look at a few guns and gear to buy now rather than later since they are getting back into stock.

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