#Romania

Did you ever check out TFB’s Photo Of The Day archives? After almost 10 years in service, the collection is absolutely massive. Romania is not a place we visit too often in these articles, but today we have the East-Coast-based U.S. Naval Special Warfare Operators (SEALs) on a visit. They’re conducting live-fire weapons training with the 164th Romanian Special Operations Forces near Constanta, Romania, and the images are from November 2023.

Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! This ongoing series is all about the rimfire firearm world and its various types of guns, gear, ammunition, and history. Last week we talked about the Volquartsen Summit straight-pull rifle. This nifty yet expensive rifle is “near perfect” when described by those who own it but I think what holds a lot of us back from purchasing one is just the sheer upfront cost of one. The Volquartsen Summit is already $600 or more for just a completed receiver. However, I’ve seen people spend way more money on far less refined products within this industry so don’t let me influence your purchasing habits, I’d probably have one too if I had the money! This week, we’re diving back into a bit of both history and affordably priced firearms – the Romanian M69 full-sized 22LR military trainer rifle. Military trainer rifles chambered in 22LR are nothing new but I’ve often heard examples of some of these fairly old and fairly simple rifles outperforming a lot of modern dedicated 22LR designs. While I was out in Finland, I got to talking with my buddy Calvin who runs the YouTube Channel Firepower United. Some of you who’ve been here for a while will remember him from his collaborations with TFBTV’s Alex C in the early days. Calvin and I got to talking about gun collections and it turns out he has a litany of 22LR military trainers and this week he’s graciously allowed me to use one of his as an example for this edition of The Rimfire Report. Be sure to check out his YouTube channel and Instagram if you like humourous takes on some of gun culture’s biggest jokes and tropes.

Our  Photo Of The Day article series brings together some of the most eye-catching and visually appealing images. You won’t find a lot of pictures of sunsets, flowers, or tourist landmarks here, instead, the photo selection spans from soldiering, firearms, special units, snipers, and the odd knife or two. Today we have Polish Armed Forces running security during a wet-gap crossing exercise in the Danube River, located near Bordusani, Romania, as a part of Saber Guardian 23, June 6, 2023.

In part 1 and part 2 of this article, I talked about the history of Romanian AKs and their most unexpected users. Now it is time to talk about the production of those guns and some of the issues I experienced while inspecting and repairing them.

In part 1 of this article, I talked about the first Romanian AKs and the ironic role one Romanian AK had in the dismantling of the Ceausescu dictatorship.

Many people in Africa, the Middle East, and the US would have a hard time finding Romania on the map. But there are at least two products originating from Romania that have worldwide acclaim – the stories about Count Dracula from Transilvania and Romanian AKs.

Welcome to our Image of the Day feature! Except we call it Photo Of The Day here at TFB. Each day, we showcase at least one (stunning) image that captures the beauty of our world of firearms. Join us as we take a look at Romanian soldiers assigned to the 30th Mountain Battalion, as they provide security during Exercise Combined Resolve 18 at Hohenfels Training Area, Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Germany. These images are relatively fresh, from May 5, 2023. The firearm above looks to be a Romanian Paratrooper RPK chambered in 7.62×39.

What a fantastic time to be alive, and it’s Photo Of The Day time again! We have a great example of an awkward shooting position above, but staying behind a large wheel for protection is great if you’re getting shot at. We see the Canadian C7A2 5.56-mm Automatic Rifle, which is a mid-life program upgrade from the C7 and C7A1 variants. The upgrade came with ambidextrous controls, and a new configurable buttstock all painted in a low infrared signature. There’s also a possibility to fit it with a bayonet for close combat. The weight is 4.58 kg and it fires 5.56×45 NATO ammunition. The Canadians also use the C8A3 Carbine.

To the best of my knowledge, the rifle in today’s Photo Of The Day is a Pușcă Automată model 1965 (Automatic Rifle Model 1965 chambered in 7.62×39mm. It’s made by Romarm National Company / Cugir Arms Factory, established in 1799. If you know better, you’re welcome to correct my error in the comments below.

This week’s Wheelgun Wednesday has us looking at an ungainly, unconventional late 19th century Romanian-designed and partially British produced revolver: The Gatling Dimancea.

Photo Of The Day – We have a Romanian sniper that provides overwatch as elements of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2-503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment “The Rock”, and 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion are taking part in a series of assaults on a simulated occupied town.

A woman working at the Cugir Arms Factory was reportedly killed in an explosion and subsequent fire on the 12th November. The Romanian factory is a state-owned company which produces various firearms including WASR semiautomatic AKs and the Micro Draco AK pistols.

Circle 10 AK, with the permission from  Century Arms, has published on their social media pages the announcement of a new Century Arms AK-based 9x19mm pistol called Draco NAK9. This gun is made in Nova Modul in Cugir, Romania and imported to the USA by Century Arms.

Found these photos on WeAreMighty.com. The shallow focus looks great and brings the person into full focus and draws your attention.

In a recent announcement, the U.S. Government has released a 7 million dollar award modification notice for Colt Defense’s over 35 million dollar contract to provide M4 and M4A1s in the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. This modification notice specifically mentions the countries of Georgia, Lebanon, Iraq, Slovakia, Pakistan, and Bahrain.This latest modification tacks on another 7 million dollars for the additional countries, specifically mentioning the number of 8,730 M4/M4A1 carbines. The numbers bring this to around $800 per carbine, but we assume the actual cost per rifle is much lower with the extra cost being taken on by other equipment.