#ConcernKalashnikov

Caliber wise, here’s a list of how each model is chambered.

The Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte announced on 11 October that Russia would donate a substantial amount of defence hardware in support of the Philippine military’s fight against pro-Islamic State militants that have occupied city of Marawi since May. While exactly what equipment will be donated has not yet been confirmed the donation is said to include 5,000 AK-pattern rifles, 1 million rounds of ammunition and 20 military trucks, which would be a substantial boost to the Philippine military’s inventory.

Before we all go crazy let us make this clear, the online ordering does NOT include any real, working firearms.

Every competitive shooter wants a recoil-less rifle. With the Saiga MK-107, or “recoil-less AK” we’re getting closer to that dream.

Our fearless leader, Steve, sent me an email that he learned the mother of all AK companies, Kalashnikov Concern, appears to be building unmanned aerial vehicles under the Zala Areo brand. A bit of back story on Kalashnikov, not only do they build AKs, trucks and other military weapons under the Kalashnikov brand, they also build a ton of other stuff like biathlon rifles under the Izhmash name, hunting shotguns and sporting rifles under the Baikal brand, even special purpose boats. Sadly we don’t get to see their products on US shores anymore as a result of some political posturing that prevents importation.

Today’s POTD is a little different. I don’t normally feature company marketing photos but today I am sharing with you the new Kalashnikov Group promotional images sent to the press. The first photos are for Kalashnikov, the sub-company of the Kalashnikov Group that is focusing on military and semi-automatic rifles. The next set of photos are for the re-branded Baikal, which focuses on hunting, especially traditional European hunting.

A number of news sources ( BBC, The Guardian, Moscow Times, and RT) have reported that arms maker Kalashnikov, Baikal, and Izhmash, sub divisions of Kalashnikov Group, have changed their brand logos as unveiled at an industrial meeting in Moscow. The change seems to be apart of a broader spectrum of changes to reintroduce Kalashnikov firearms as a symbol of peace and stability in the world. This is also the second time in almost a year that the company has changed it’s logo or brand name.

Released earlier today as part of a new line of “targeted” sanctions, the US Department of Commerce has banned all financial transactions with Izhmash & Kalashnikov Concern. While not a outright ban on imports, prohibiting companies from dealing with the manufacturer or its interests monetarily will kill the supply.

Concern Kalashnikov is releasing some upgrades for the IZ-132, the new upgrades help with 922(r) compliance for the US market and sporting purposes.  The SU2 Saiga upgrades will now accept the 30rd double stack magazines and have a collapsible butt stock, and also fit the 5.45 chambered IZ-240 as well.  Check out the press release from Concern Kalashnikov below for more info on the planned upgrades for this fall!