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…]
I recently wrote about the ASh-12, the new 12.7x55mm assault rifle developed at TsKIB SOO (KBP). Its older brother, or maybe third-cousin-twice-remove would be more accurate, is the KBP VKS Sniper Rifle. The KBP VKS is technically chambered for the same 12.7x55mm [Read More…]
EnglishRussia has posted high-quality photos taken at a Russian military Sniper training school. Very interesting. [ Many thanks to Rolf for emailing us the link. ]
TsKIB SOO, a subsidiary of KBP (Instrument Design Bureau), have developed a new bullpup rifle called the ASh-12. It is chambered in a new family of 12.7x55mm cartridges they developed for the rifle. The 12.7x55mm is a thumper of a cartridge. It is similar in size, and [Read More…]
I have read criticisms of Kalashnikov for having made the selector/safety go from safe to full automatic (and then semi) and that he made this decision because of Soviet “pray and spray” doctrine. The truth is that the beauty of the AK-47 selector is that [Read More…]
In a Russian AK manufacturer Molot, who are a subsidiary of AK-74/AK-1xx maker Izhmash and who make the VEPR AK-style rifles, announced at the Moscow ARMS & Hunting ’11 expo that they would be producing an AR-15 style rifle called the HPE-140 (впо-140). The [Read More…]
TsKIB SOO, a subsidiary of the well known Russian firm KBP Instrument Design Bureau, decided to try removing the stock from their MTs-255 Tactical Revolver Shotgun and cutting the barrel down to 7.87″. The result is the OTs-62 12 Gauge “Service Revolver [Read More…]
Yesterday I blogged about the comments made by Russia’s Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Minister of Defence General Nikolai Makarov who said that the Russian Army had too many AK-74 rifles and would not be ordering more of them until 2014. I pointed [Read More…]
Russia has had a major impact on the development of the 20th century small arms but it is not known for producing accurate weapons. While the West obsessed about firearm accuracy, in the East they instead focused on reliability and ease of maintenance. Whenever I see [Read More…]
A reader emailed in the below photo which was taken by a friend of his on a visit to the Russian Central Army Museum at Moscow. On display is a Mosin Nagant rifle with a huge suppressor (labeled ’6′). On the far left is a submachine gun which appears to have [Read More…]
Degtyaryov’s infantry machine gun, aka. DP / DP-27 / DPM (modernized), with its large pan magazine, is one of the most distinctive weapons of WWII. The pan magazine proved not to be the best idea and after the war the Soviets developed the RP-46, an ingenious [Read More…]
Last month I posted photos of a Mosin Nagant rifle that broke just in front of the chamber. I had never seen that happen before. Surprisingly, it has happened again to a high-end HS Precision rifle. The rifle was being used in a shooting competition in Russia when it [Read More…]
The three-barreled Toz TP-82 was carried into space by Soviet and Russian cosmonauts until 2006 when the ammunition expired and it was replaced with a regular semi-automatic pistol. The top two barrels chambered 12.5x70mm (about 40 gauge) shotshells and the lower barrel [Read More…]
Shooting Illustrated has published a detailed account of the fascinating AN-94 “Abakan” rifle. In 1993, a mysterious rifle appeared at an arms display at the elite Taman Guards Division outside Moscow. The strange new rifle was labeled “ASN”—a Russian [Read More…]
Kit Up reports that the US Army would like hyper-burst capability (firing multiple rounds at incredibly high rate of fire) for the next generation carbine. It is not an official requirement yet for the potential M4 replacement, but could be in the future. Matt Cox [Read More…]
LuckyGunner has published an article about Tula and Ulyanovsk Ammunition (branded as TulaAmmo in the US market). The article is very interesting and well worth reading. I was very surprised to learn that Tula is 100% privately owned. I had always assumed it was part of [Read More…]
A Canadian gun retailer is expecting a shipment of Izhmash Record-338 rifles this month. The Record rifle is based on the military SV-98 sniper rifle. [ Many thanks to snmp for emailing me the info. ]
Backyard Safari has blogged about the pistol shooting technique used by Russian officers in the early 20th century. It does not look like a steady shooting stance, nor does it look like it would be fast to get back on target. UPDATE: Apparently this was an April fools [Read More…]
Russian mil-blogger Vitaly Kuzmin was kind enough to email me photos of the MTs-255 Tactical Revolver Shotgun. I blogged about the MTs-255 last year but was only able to find photos of its hunting counterpart. The Tactical model is really one bad-ass shotgun.
Just when I thought I had seen everything … Popular Mechanics reports … I’m at a dress rehearsal at Zhukovsky test center, about 25 miles outside Moscow, for a theatrical performance called The Invincible and the Legendary, set to debut the next day at [Read More…]
Two Russian firms, PMG LLC and PROline, have developed a 10 round drum magazine1 for the Saiga-12 shotgun. The SD-10 looks pretty nifty. It is slightly shorter than than standard 5 round magazine while holding twice the capacity. The final product will be made of black [Read More…]
Many thanks to Val for emailing me these photos. Lots more photos after the jump … (more…)
Yesterday I blogged a video of an AR-15 being fired underwater. This fascinating video shows the infamous APS underwater assault rifle and SPP-1 underwater pistol being fired in a pond. [ Many thanks to David for posting the link. ]
The AK47 Talk blog posted a link to an auction on Gun Broker for a rare AK-74 quad stack magazine. It hit $900 but the reserve was not met! Lets hope that the Magpul quad magazine is cheaper 😉 This diagram is apparently from the magazine’s patent …
You gotta love these post-Soviet Russian presidents. When not hunting bears bare chested they are firing sniper rifles in suits. Pure style. [ Many thanks to Val for emailing me the photo. ]
The next generation AK has finally been given a name: AK-200. Last year I posted photos of the prototype. It featured a 60 round magazine, folding stock, plenty of picatinny rails and a bipod/handguard. The final model retains the rails and 60 round magazine but now [Read More…]
English Russia has posted a collection of portraits of Russia special forces veterans. [ Many thanks to Dave for emailing me the link. ]
The 6P62 is a beast of a gun. It is a magazine fed machine gun that chambers the Russian 12.7x108mm cartridge, a round that is slightly more powerful than a .50 BMG. Its short barrel reduces the velocity of the 12.7mm ammunition to 2099 fps (down from the 2800 fps of a [Read More…]
This is a game changer. The Russian state-owned Molot plant that used to produce RPK light machine guns will now produce a range of Beretta pistols and sporting guns. Aviation Week reports … Russia continues to gradually open its defense market for foreign [Read More…]
I have seen photos of guns on Google Street Maps before, usually of men outside gun shops, but never any as close up as this photo which was captured by maps.Yandex.ru, a Russian equivalent to Google Street Maps. The images seem to have been taken outside a gun or [Read More…]
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