#Izhmash

Welcome to another edition of TFB’s Photo Of The Day. We don’t get contributions from readers too often, but it happens. Today is such an occasion, and it’s a pretty interesting one. Mike Owen of Meridian Ordnance LLC sent us pictures of various Russian AKs taken in the Horn of Africa.

TFB’s Photo Of The Day, the One And Only. Today we’re proud to show you some unique pictures. Please take your time to admire what’s on here. These firearms are owned by a private enthusiast, and I think it took some time, money, thinking and effort to get to this point. Dedication at its best.

Welcome everyone to the 31st edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this Gat a sweet deal or only have Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

The sanctions on Russian companies have hit the American AK enthusiast hard – no longer can we import inexpensive Izhevsk Kalashnikovs to feed the beast. Yet, there is a silver lining: Domestic AK production is on the rise to meet the demand, and one company in particular is staking its name – the biggest name in the business – on American-made AKs done right. That name being, of course, Kalashnikov USA.

Although the Russian Kalashnikov assault rifle is the one that is most famous, it is arguably the Chinese Type 56 AK that made the bigger impression on the world in the 1960s and 70s. This rifle was initially developed with Russian technical assistance just before the Sino-Soviet split beginning in 1956, but subsequent development took place without Russian input, leading to an entire family of unique AK variants. The name “Type 56” actually refers to this entire family of Chinese AKs, which includes milled receiver variants derived from the Russian Type 2 AK, as well as stamped versions similar to (but distinct from) the AKM. These guns showed up all over the world, and for many they are THE iconic “AK-47”. They were the primary weapon of the North Vietnamese Army in the latter half of the Vietnam War, were exported by the Chinese to Africa, Asia, and South America. It was the most used AK variant by the mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan War, up against Russian AK-74 rifles. Too this day remains one of the most common if not the most common AK variant, and it’s the Chinese Type 56 with its distinctive integral spike bayonet that is famously depicted as a symbol of liberation on the Flag of Mozambique.

This is a guest article from our reader Brandon covering the development of metallic magazines for the AK-47 and AKM rifles. Thanks, Brandon!

Syvat sent this in to us. He asked the guy, that he got it from, what it was from. The anonymous guy said it is a a secret. Syvat thinks it is perhaps a customized AR lower. Anyone know Cyrilic? What do the markings say?

The AK-12 has just been approved for use in the Russian Army, but what else do we know about the weapon? TV Zvezda has released a helpful video describing the rifle to the public:

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.

RT produced this 25 min documentary about the Kalashnikov. For those of you who are not familiar with the AK-47 this video will give you some good background info on the infamous weapon. I dare say this video makes me want to buy a Izhmash AK now.

It deeply saddens me to write that Izhmash, which was founded over 200 years ago by Tsar Alexander I, has officially been renamed to Kalashnikov. The (Google Translated) press release is below …

RIA reports that our favorite Russian gun maker Izhmash, makers of the AK and Saiga rifles, has just won a $400 million ($13 billion rubles) contact to produce  Vikhr-1 missiles, long-range anti-tank missile usually fired from attack helicopters. This will go a long way to helping the struggling company back to solvency.

Izhmash has unveiled a prototype sniper rifle called the VS-121. This bullpup rifle uses an action based on the Dragunov sniper rifle action. With its heavy profile 24.4″ barrel it weights just under 10 lbs. It will be chambered for 7.62x54mm, 7.62x51mm and a new cartridge Izhmash is developing.

Lenta.ru reports that Izhmash is working on producing a next-generation bullpup rifle along with a new cartridge for it.

Izhmash will debut the long anticipated Saiga MK-107 at the IWA show in Germany tomorrow. This gun is the first ever civilian-legal variant of the AK-107 / AK-108 with its famous balanced recoil system.