In Pakistan, just as in the US, compact firearms such as submachine guns and carbines chambered in pistol calibre cartridges are a hot ticket. They are also popular in neighbouring Afghanistan. Pistol calibre ammunition is widely available, affordable, manufactured domestically and licenses for firearms chambered in it are relatively easy to acquire. This is a major factor in their popularity. In this article we’ll examine some of the pistol calibre AK-pattern firearms which have grown in popularity in the region in recent years.
Abdullah K.
AR15 Rifles from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Based Royal Arms Company
The AR15 or ‘M16’ & ‘M4’ pattern self-loading rifles are a very popular choice in many commercial and military markets the world over, Pakistan is no exception. Some Pakistani law-enforcement and military units utilise varying models of this platform already and a large prevalence of M4 and M16 5.56×45mm rifles of various types and manufacturers have been creeping onto the market slowly in the last few decades or so, none more so than the Colt or FN marked M4A1 and M16A2/A4 rifles seeping through from Afghanistan in the last decade. There is such a high demand for these particular firearms and a low supply and high price for genuine examples that various manufacturers stepped up-to-the plate and have started to manufacture their own copies within the ex-FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, mainly in Peshawar’s small-arms manufacturing zones but also within the infamous arms manufacturing town of Darra Adamkhel.
Colloquial Cartridge Nomenclature in Afghanistan and Pakistan
A cartridge or Bore / Goli as they are most commonly referred to as within Pakistan and/or Afghanistan, have held various names in the expansive Pak-Afghan region for decades. The most widespread and in current use is known to some; however, their etymology or source is unbeknownst to most. There are some names used which can be attributed to both a firearm and a cartridge, this can also be found to refer to multiple different types depending on a region. It is also important to note and understand that the sound, ‘V’, is mainly heard to be said as ‘PH’ with a pronounced H, because the ‘V‘ sound is not present in Pashto. Some speakers do pronounce the V as such, however, it is not common to hear it so. Let us cover the cartridges used, up to 12.7mm.
The STEN Gun: Darra & Khyber-Pass Edition
The British STEN 9×19mm submachine gun, is one of the iconic firearms of World War Two. The weapon’s name comes from the names of the weapon’s main designers: the ST from Major Reginald V. Shepherd and Harold Turpin, with the EN from the RSAF Enfield arms factory where it was developed. With over four million, of various patterns being made during World War Two, this was once a firearm which could be easily found. It was a cheap, simple and relatively reliable design, born of necessity rather than anything else. It was such a crude and rugged piece of kit that it was famously nicknamed the ‘Plumbers nightmare’ amongst others.
A Look Back in Time: Darra Adamkhel During The Soviet-Afghan War – 1983
The focus of this article is a video which has been around for some time, yet seems to be somewhat obscure. So far, I have yet to see it shared amongst the firearm community interested in the Pak-Afghan region’s cottage manufacturing of small-arms. A total of 37 years, as of 2020, have elapsed since it was made and although the quality isn’t great, it is a glimpse into the distant past, a look at what process are still the same and what has changed since then.
Pak-Afghan Finds: A Smith & Wesson Model 659 or Something Else?
The Smith & Wesson 59/659 series pistols are not among the most common to find outside of the US. They are a reliable and dependable self-loading 9×19mm all-metal pistols which, despite being obscure, are definitely the factors that have led to a Pakistani firearms manufacturing company to make a copy of one variation.
Bren Light Machine Guns In The Pak-Afghan Region
The Bren Light Machine Gun, most notable for its use during World War Two, with British and Commonwealth forces. It is an iconic piece of small arms history, its rugged and reliable design meant that it stayed in use for many years and in various calibres, from the late 1930s well up to the 1990s with the British military. It did see some limited use by other groups and militaries up until the mid-2000’s also. From our field work it now appears that there still a number of British Bren and Czech ZB vz.26-pattern guns in the Darra region.
The Afghan Mujahideen’s ‘Poison-Bullet’ – Then and Now
The 5.45×39mm intermediate round is of course not new, it has been around since the early 70’s when it was developed in Russia for the new AK project, later called the AK-74. This potent round was nicknamed the poison-bullet by Mujahideen in Afghanistan, during the Soviet-Afghan conflict of 1979-1989, due to its tremendous wounding effects on its target. Since then, the round has only gained in popularity within the Pak-Afghan region whilst other areas of the former Soviet-Union have moved away to different cartridges such as the NATO standard 5.56×45mm. The venerable 5.45 round is still in use by a small number of militaries, most notably the Russians.
A Mysterious Romanian Side-Folding AK – A Darra Special or Something Closer to Home?
What we have here is a Romanian PM md. 63/65 AKM-pattern self-loading rifle, chambered in 7.62×39mm, and dated to 1992. It looks to be in very good order, basically unused. This particular rifle is located in the United Kingdom, part of an anonymous collection and was deactivated some time between 1992 and 1994. This date range has been confirmed as the deactivation has been done to a UK specification that was phased out in mid-94 and was supplied with a certificate of deactivation. The most noteworthy thing about this rifle, which is a relatively common AK-variant to say the least, is the crude skeleton side-folding stock and mechanism that has been installed on it.
THE LEE-ENFIELD ACTION RIFLE OF THE PAK-AFGHAN REGION
The venerable Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifles were the backbone of the British Empire and indeed a mainstay of locally produced firearms in the Pak-Afghan region for decades until the advent of more modern firearms, most notably the AK-type self-loading rifle. Even though more relatively modern firearms have knocked these old-timers off their perch, original variations and copies can still be seen throughout the area in use by insurgents, militias, marksmen and occasionally even in armouries of police forces.