Yesterday I wrote about a Chadian solider with a tricked out AKM. I suspected the solider may have belonged to a special forces group. It turns out he is a member of the FAS (Forces Armées et de Sécurité), an elite group of desert warfare commandoes. That AK [Read More…]
A reader emailed us the above frame taken from a video about the French intervention in Mali showing a Chadian fighter. His AKM is very interesting. It is outfitted with accessories that would make soldiers from far better funded armies jealous. The stock is a CAA [Read More…]
FOG HORN blogs about the Parabellum Armament Company’s upcoming MARS Magazine Release Lever For AK. It allows right-handed users to actuate the magazine release on AK-style rifles with their right hand (pistol grip) thumb. It’s a clever idea.
Christie’s Products Inc. offers a selection of mag loaders designed for specific weapons. While the Uzi and Mac loaders resemble Glock issue mag-loaders the MP5, AK, and AR15 loaders feature a drop-in hole for the ammo. Knowing this could be rather good or [Read More…]
The Keymod system, a standardized method to attach accessories to rifle fore-ends without the need for picatinny rails, was first unveiled at last year’s SHOT Show and later open sourced by VLTOR allowing any manufacture to make KeyMod accessories. Strike [Read More…]
A new scope rail for the AK platform from Strike Industries allows for secure mounting of a primary optic and a secondary optic at a 45 degree angle. From the press release … The AKRR2 is a vastly innovative improvement on the first Strike Industries AKRR. The [Read More…]
This image of a DIY AK bullpup conversion has been making the rounds online for years but I had not seen it until a reader email it to me. I cannot identify the 7.62mm AK (or derivative) it was built on. Does anyone know? Some have suggested the VEPR Hunter, but the [Read More…]
Inspired by the infamous shovel-AK photo, a member of the Northeastshooters forum converted a $2 shovel into an AK rifle! The barrel is made from a $30 AK barrel blank. Boris did not bother machining it down to the standard AK profile, instead he just cut it down to [Read More…]
XKCD recently discussed if it was possible to build a jet pack out of AK-47 rifles. I would say it is not possible because finding enough AK-47 rifles would be very hard given their relative rarity. The AK-47 was succeeded by the AKM and AKS not long after its [Read More…]
The hottest gun of 2013 could be the Izhmash AK-12. The company is planning on delivering a semiautomatic version in 2013 chambered for .223 Remington and 12 Gauge. The drawings of the proposed sporting models are below. This is exciting news. Gun enthusiasts around the [Read More…]
A reader emailed me a scan of a photograph in a recent issue of the Economist. He asked if I could identify the rifle being held by an Indonesian soldier. I quite certain that the rifle is a 5.56mm chambered Norinco Type 84, but the Type 84 is supposed to be a civilian [Read More…]
The 5.56x45mm chambered SLR-106UR is the latest pistol from Arsenal … Arsenal, Inc. introduces the all-Bulgarian SLR-106UR Pistol in 5.56x45mm NATO. The SLR-106UR Pistol is manufactured entirely at Arsenal’s factory in Kazanlak, Bulgaria using components [Read More…]
Arsenal Inc. is importing milled-receiver SLR-101S 7.62x39mm AK rifles from Bulgaria. To get around the BATFE restrictions on the importation of non-”sporting guns”, the rifle is imported in parts along with a hammer forged receiver blanks from Arsenal Co. [Read More…]
In 2010 the Russian tanker Moscow University was captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The Russia anit-submarine ship Marshal Shaposhnikov was nearby and quickly recaptured the tanker. The Somali pirates were carry the usual gear, rusted AK rifles (with no [Read More…]
Members of Russia’s special forces groups competed against each other practical shooting competition. It is interesting to see how Russia’s elite choose to customize their AK-74 rifles. Photos by Oswald … [ Many thanks Val for the tip. ]
The Izhmash subsidiary Vyatskie Polyany Machine Building Plant (aka. MOLOT) have developed two new tactical-style versions of their VEPR rifle, one chambered in .308 Win. and the other in .223 Remington. The biggest new feature on these rifles is non-reciprocal forward [Read More…]
Strike Industries sent me a photo of their prototype AK rear sight rail. Unlike their current production model, this version is designed for scopes so the rail is lower down and it features an optional 45-degree angled rail for adding a backup holographic or red dot [Read More…]
Izhmash has designed an airsoft version of AK-74M. The press release seems to indicate that they designed it and will be manufacturing it. Most gun companies just license the name to an Asian manufacturer. The dimensions and weight will be the same as the real AK-74M. [Read More…]
In a badly translated press release, the Azerbaijan’s Minister of Defense Industry says the country is not abandoning the Azerbaijan Khazri AK… “Azerbaijan doesn’t intend to abandon the usage of AK-74 automatic submachine gun and plans to produce [Read More…]
[ Many thanks to Halfbear for emailing us the link. ]
Azerbaijan is going to replace their AK inventory with locally produced IMI Tavor rifles. This is part of a $1.6 billion arms deal with Israel, which includes the purchase of a fleet of Israeli-manufactured drones. About six months ago the Azerbaijan Ministry of Defense [Read More…]
I reported back in 2009 that Russian state-owned arms maker Izhmash, manufacturer of the AK-xx and Saiga rifles, was facing bankruptcy. The company is now officially bankrupt (Google translation follows) … The claim of bankruptcy “Izhmash” gave the [Read More…]
The EFFIN A Compensator is finally available in 7.62mm. It features 28 exit ports (7 columns and 4 rows), any of which can be blocked by inserting a screw. Users can selectively block ports to tune the compensator’s blast so that the rifle always returns to the [Read More…]
DuraCoat is now selling zombie-color paint. Graveyard Black, Tombstone Gray, Blood Red Green, Biohazard Yellow, Zombie Green and Rotting Flesh (Tan). The full kit containing all the colors and templates will set you back $82. Please be classy and stick with [Read More…]
A nifty new sight rail from Strike Industries , one of my favorite accessory makers. It replaces the AK’s rear leaf sight. Screws provide tension to prevent the rail from moving off zero. The downside, of course, is that you no longer have a backup iron sight. [Read More…]
The following artwork is by Peter Gronquist from his “The Evolution Will Be Fabulous” collection … Not something I would put in my house, but pretty nifty. [ Many thanks to Erik for emailing us the link. ]
More photos of new Izhmash AK-12, and the first video I have seen, have been published by Russia Today. Russia Today is calling the AK-12 the Kalashnikov 5.0. I declared it the 5th generation AK back in November and so am very pleased to see I counted up the AK [Read More…]
Izhmash has officially unveiled the first working prototype of the AK-12 Assault Rifle. According to Max Popenker there will be two models, a Light model (5.45x39mm, 5.56x45mm and 7.62x39mm) that accepts all magazines that work with existing AK rifles, as well as a new [Read More…]
No longer do you need to be a dictator of a small country or a drug lord to afford a gold plated AK or MP5. ATI will soon be importing gold plated versions of the GSG-522, GSG Kalashnikov and GSG-5PK. It is real gold plating, not a faux-gold finish. They are far to [Read More…]
US Palm has developed quad stack magazines for the AK platform. They will first be available in 45 round and 30 round capacity. The advantage of the quad stack 30 rounder over a regular 30 rounder is that it is a lot shorter (you no longer need to use your magazine as a [Read More…]
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