Historical – Page 9 – Silah Report

The Last Gunsmiths of The Khyber Pass

June 9, 2020August 23, 2019 by Abdullah K.

Fog clings to a never-ending row of low-rise buildings down the length of a dusty road, it’s early, around eight o’clock on a cool April morning. The fog clears and voices breakthrough and you see the first glimpses of the large bazaar, sounds of shutters slamming open, doors being unlocked and people greeting each other as their day starts. The occasional chatter of gunfire can be heard as firearms are test fired nearby.

Darra Adam Khel. This bustling town is situated in modern-day Pakistan, a stone’s throw from the Pak-Afghan border. What makes it so special? You may ask and the answer lies within the myriad of myths and legends put out over the years.

Further into the “Egyptian Thompson”

August 20, 2019 by Miles

Earlier on Silah Report we wrote about the so-called ‘Egyptian Thompson” from what little information that was gathered by Mr. Lawerence on his website devoted to submachine gun designs. Recently Mr. Lawerence contacted us regarding some updates on the “Egyptian Thompson” and has kindly provided us with some details on its fit, finish, and handling characteristics. In a separate note, while on a recent foray in Egypt, Silah Report staff learned about the possible presence of some “Egyptian Thompsons” still in the country. We’ll be looking more into them as time goes on.

Mannlicher Model 1900 Pistol Presented to Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II

September 11, 2019August 3, 2019 by Hrachya H

Rock Island Auction Company has published the digital catalog of their upcoming September 2019 Premiere Firearms Auction and as always, it is full of rare, unique, historically significant and incredibly interesting lots. One of these lots is a cased and engraved presentation grade Mannlicher Model 1900 pistol which was presumably presented to the 34th Sultan of Ottoman Empire Abdul Hamid II.

When Uzi Won- The Story of the Forgotten K-12 Prototype Submachine Gun

July 30, 2019July 25, 2019 by Yoel Mizrachi

It has been the most successful and recognized submachine gun of all time. The Uzi has been sold more than any other small arm of its type and its bulky silhouette has become a cultural icon.

Silah Report Podcast Vol.1: Kalashnikov Heat Treatment in Darra, Egyptian Hand Grenades

July 30, 2019July 5, 2019 by Miles

Welcome to Silah Report’s inaugural podcast! Today we had Hrachya, Adham, Abdullah, Vladimir, and Miles discussing everything from barrel heat treatment in KPK to obscure Egyptian hand grenades.

The podcast can be listened to here on Soundcloud, but stay tuned here and follow along because we share a number of the images that are being discussed in this post.

TARIQ Pistol Attributed to Saddam Hussein

July 30, 2019December 26, 2018 by Hrachya H

In Rock Island Auction Company’s recently ended December 2018 Premiere Firearms Auction, among a huge variety of rare and unique firearms, there were a couple of lots that should be especially interesting for the Silah Report audience. Particularly, in this article, we’ll take a brief look at the Tariq pistol that was allegedly presented to Saddam Hussein.

Sinai Bedouin Equipped With IMI Makleon

July 30, 2019December 23, 2018 by Adham S

Since the terror attack that occurred on the 24th of November 2017, many Bedouins in Sinai rushed to join the Egyptian Armed Forces’ fight against Sinai Province (ISIS’ branch in Sinai) as a sanctioned militia. Although they do receive armament and supplies from the military, they are already well armed with smuggled weapons that came from Libya, Sudan, and even Israel as seen in this photo!

Tokagypt: Egypt’s Forgotten Handgun

July 30, 2019November 4, 2018 by Adham S

In 1957, the Hungarian conglomerate “FEG” (Fegyver- és Gépgyár-Arms and Machine Manufacturing Company) received a contract from the Egyptian Armed Forces requesting 30,000 Tokarev handguns. The Tokarevs would be in 9mm Parabellum instead of the 7.62 Tokarev round, magazines would have finger supports, a one-piece plastic grip, and a safety catch on top of the left side of the receiver.

Egyptian Female Volunteers in Suez Crisis and Their Armaments

July 30, 2019October 30, 2018 by Adham S

Whenever you think of female warriors in the Middle East, the very first thing that crosses the Western mind is the YPJ (Women’s Protection Units), an all-female Kurdish militia that fights with other Kurdish militias such as the YPG (People’s Protection Units). Of course, with the war raging against ISIS, and the terrible atrocities committed against women, the global media fixated their spotlights on the female warriors who fought tooth and nail against a patriarchal, barbaric and medieval-minded opponent.

Within modern Arab history we have examples where women carried arms and fought as well.

French MAS Rifles in Syria, The Syrian Civil War

July 30, 2019October 29, 2018 by Miles

This guest article is brought to us by Bruce Marduel, taking a look at the French MAS series of bolt action and semi-automatic rifles in service throughout Syrian history, and in this case, the current Syrian Civil War.

MAS 36 is the oldest rifle is the MAS family, and even if it entered production before WWII it is still used in an impressive number of countries, including Lebanon and Syria. A MAS 36 was first visible in a 2013 picture of the Syrian Conflict, limited information is available, but it seems that MAS 36 are actually used in combat.