We’re all familiar with the somewhat intriguing Beretta PX4 9×19mm self-loading pistol but there is another Beretta on the market! Well, it may not actually be a genuine Beretta product or easily available at your local dealership but it certainly has the look and appeal of a Beretta firearm at the very least.
Handguns
Podcast V29: Michael – IDF Veteran Paratrooper of Yom Kippur War
Welcome to the 29th episode of the Silah Report Podcast! We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Michael, a former veteran paratrooper in the Israeli Defense Forces who participated in the Yom Kippur War (known in the Arab world as The October War). Michael shared his experiences in the IDF starting with his training, which had a lot of surprises hidden for us, all the way up to his role in the Yom Kippur War in 1973. We also enquired about the types and origins of firearms he encountered during his service that his Arab adversaries had used. Later on, Michael would end up serving as a firearms instructor (specializing in Warsaw Pact weaponry) and after that a firearms specialist for a private firm.
Note: The views of the individuals we interview on the Silah Report Podcast represent themselves only and not the views of Silah Report. In Silah Report, one of our core tenets is to remain apolitical and unbiased when it comes to our research. Indeed, in Silah Report we have members from different ethnicities, religions, and political views. We do not let our personal convictions affect the quality of the content we provide to our audience and we do our best to provide you with the most accurate and unbiased information available.
Six Day War Tactics and Equipment: Sinai Front
Israel’s infantry tactics had changed drastically since the 1955 Suez Crisis, in which Army Chief of Staff Mosha Dayan focused almost entirely on traditional infantry and airpower, neglecting armor and logistics. The British and French had significant success with armored assaults on Egyptian forces during the Crisis. This proved to Dayan that a strong mechanized infantry and armor corps would be the key to success for Israel in the inevitable future warfare over Sinai. Finkel and other commentators refer to this as the “cult of armored warfare”, which neglected defense for offensive capability entirely.[1] By the time the 6 Day War began, in 1967, Israel’s forces were better equipped but no more well trained than the army had previously been. This would prove to be a major issue.
‘Delta Defence Group’ Part Three: The “Glock”
This is the third part of a series of articles about weapons of the “Delta Defence Group”, of which the first two parts were published in late 2019 and early 2020. The first part about the pistol can be found here, and the second part about the rifle can be found here. In this article we will examining the Delta Defence Group ‘Glock’ pistol.
Podcast V28: Noori, The Iraqi Gun Engraving Artisan
Welcome to the 28th episode of the Silah Report Podcast, we recently had the pleasure of speaking with Noori, an artisan who runs a business of handcrafting decorations on firearms in Iraq. We have covered Noori’s interesting work in past articles here at Silah Report. To say that the quality of his artwork is incredibly professional and its quality is extremely beautiful would be an understatement. In our interview with him, we enquired in-depth abut Iraqi gun culture, his background, how he entered the field, his business in a war-torn country, the challenges he faced and what does think the future holds for him.
Podcast V26 – Part Three: Galal Abdo Hashem – Defiance, Victory and the Dream
In our journey to uncover wartime stories from all sides during the Arab-Israeli Conflict, we managed to meet Galal Abdo Hashem, an Egyptian living in his home city of Ismalia, a city that has witnessed the horrors of war more than once during the 20th century. Galal Abdo Hashem is not a war veteran with military training, in fact, he never fired a single shot towards his enemies, but he decided to do something instead that gained him notoriety and his name written on Egypt’s Honor List. To this day he gives lectures, speaks with journalists, and appears on TV shows to speak about his experience and journey during a time when Egypt was at war with Israel. This article is the story of one of Egypt’s civilians who, despite taking up arms to defend his homeland, decided there was another way to contribute to the war effort – art.
Pen Guns of Kabul
In recent weeks we’ve seen a large number of media reports stemming from an AFP report which was picked up by numerous outlets reporting on pen guns confiscated in Kabul. The clandestine nature of the pen guns no doubt amplifying international interest. AFP or Agence France-Presse is an international news agency and the story was picked up by news outlets around the world including the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia. A cache of some 48 pen guns was discovered during Afghan National Police operations.
Origins: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Clear Frame Glock Pistols
The Glock line of rugged and reliable polymer-framed, self-loading pistols have become a staple of the firearms market and community – military and law-enforcement alike – worldwide. Still, features pop up that can’t be attributed to Glock and this is true for these mystery clear-frame Glock pistols which have become available on the Pakistani market in recent years. Who makes these clear frame Glock copies though? Where did they come from? What is the purpose? Do they even work? All these questions and more have been asked by people the world over. To understand why and how these came to be, we must first look deeper.
The Work of Iraqi Firearms Engraver Noori Sabeh
Noori Sabeh (نوري النقاش) is a professional engraver from Iraq who has made a presence on social media with some excellent engraving work, considering his lack of access to materials and tools otherwise very prevalent in Europe and North America. The majority of his work is focused on traditional wood and metal engraving of various bolt action rifles, shotguns, and handguns that customers send in. He originally started out in the jewellery business and has been engraving for several decades.
Podcast V27: Gunning in Kurdistan, Kobra Tactical Training
Welcome to the 27th episode of the Silah Report Podcast! We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Hamed, a Kurdish firearm instructor and contractor situated in Erbil. We discussed with him his history as a Kurdish contractor, the environment in Erbil for private security contractors and his project, Kobra Tactical. Through his project, he aims to give Kurdish security forces and shooters a chance to further their small arms marksmanship. He also explained to us the “cultural mindset” of many Kurds and their “resistance to modernization/adoption of better combat tactics”.