At the beginning of the Second World War Britain ordered 200 Vickers medium machine guns, chambered in .303, to be sent to Egypt. The guns were ordered directly from the Vickers-Armstrong company and were to be used by the Egyptian army. The Vickers MG Collection & Research Association recently shared an interesting video examining one of these Egyptian Vickers.
Military/LE
Iran Unveils New 7.62×51mm MASAF Series Rifle
The state Defence Industries Organisation (DIO) of Iran recently unveiled a new 7.62×51mm self-loading ‘battle rifle’. This is an addition to Iran’s MASAF series of rifles which first emerged in 2016. The first variant of the MASAF was chambered in the NATO 5.56×45mm cartridge. The new rifle was unveiled at the 13th Hazrat Ali Akbar Soldier Young Festival in Tehran, Brigadier General Amir Hatami, Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Support, attended the unveiling of the weapons.
The Armalite AR-7 in Israeli Service
The story of the Armalite AR-7 and its adoption by the Israeli Defense Forces is one of obscurity and spans almost half a decade. From its inception as a civilian survival rifle in Southern California to Israel’s heavily modified military version, the Armalite AR-7 has filled the role of a reliable survival firearm well. And while not as well-known as the Beretta 9×19mm pistols, or the 5.45×39mm AK74SU carbines (commonly found in the Middle East), commercially it is one of the most prolific .22LR firearms the world has ever seen.
Palestinian Factions Hold Joint ‘Tough Corner’ Maneuvers in Gaza
On 29th December, 2020, all of the Palestinian armed resistance factions in Gaza organized and participated in joint maneuvers under the name of “The Tough Corner”, the reason behind that name is the message they wanted to send: (‘Our Unity Is Our Tough Corner’). Also the date was chosen to correspond with the 12th anniversary of the Gaza War that took place in 2008/2009.
The Riyadh Rifle in Egyptian Hands: Archival Footage and Popular Media
In this article, we will examine the documented Egyptian usage of the ‘Riyadh’ rifle, which was originally known as the Czechoslovakian-made 7.62×54mmR chambered ZG-51 91/30 bolt-action rifle, a Mosin-Nagant variant. We will examine appearances of the Riyadh in both archival photographs and footage as well as Egyptian popular media such as films.
V30: Israel’s Premier Attorney in Security Law – Perry Novotny
In Silah Report’s 30th and final podcast episode recorded in 2020, we interviewed an amazing guest from Israel, Perry Novotny. Perry is one of Israel’s premier security law attorneys, a former police instructor and a former member of the Israeli Defence Forces. In this episode, Perry enlightened us about the legal framework for firearms in Israel, gave us a deeper insight on the Israeli culture in relation to firearms in contrast to what is being seen on popular media and the selection of firearms in the security field (as well as his own taste in firearms).
Guns and Roses – The Bulgarian AK Connection
In the late 1940s and 1950s, the Cold War was well underway. The Western powers had sponsored the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and formed NATO. In response, the Soviets initiated several countermoves such as the creation of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and the formation of the Warsaw Pact which bound the Soviet satellite states of Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania into a mutual defense agreement.
Tactical Analysis: How Hamas Captured an IDF Tavor X95 From the Nahal Oz Pillbox
During Israeli military campaign against Gaza in 2014, Hamas and its military wing, the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam brigades, released a video showing a group of their fighters from the وحدة الأنفاق ‘Tunnel Unit’ raiding an Israeli Army’s pillbox in the Nahal Oz area east of the Gaza strip. Footage from the operation was broadcasted on Al-Aqsa TV (a Palestinian television broadcasting station), which was a smart propaganda move to contribute to the psychological war against the Israelis and raise the morale of the Palestinians. The entire operation was captured on video, although some segments were edited to hide operational techniques. Hamas fighters also displayed the Tavor X95 5.56x45mm rifle captured from an Israeli soldier – the topic of this article. We will examine the footage and analyse the tactics used by the fighters who carried out the raid and captured the rifle.
Egypt’s Forgotten Weapon: The Riyadh – Egypt’s clone of the ZG-51
Egypt at one point produced clones of an incredibly rare rifle, the ZG-51, which is the older brother so to say for the better-known Czechoslovakian Vz54. The ZG-51 is a bolt action rifle that uses the 7.62×54mmR cartridge and is considered a variant of the Russian Mosin-Nagant 91/30. Indeed, the rifle is shrouded in enough obscurity that researching it online will yield very limited results, thus making the ZG-51 (and the ‘Riyadh’) one of the most mysterious firearms related to Egypt right after the crudely made “Egyptian Thompson” which we have examined in other articles. We will present here all the materials and information we managed to find on the ZG-51 and its connection to Egypt.
Forgotten Weapons Reviews Into Helmand with the Walking Dead
Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons has reviewed, Silah Report’s editor-in-chief and co-founder, Miles Vining’s new book ‘Into Helmand With The Walking Dead‘. The book includes passages from Miles’ friend Kevin Schranz, another former Marine combat veteran who sadly took his own life in 2015. The book brings together their experiences in Helmand and after. Miles was also recently a guest on Ian’s channel and discussed Iraqi Tabuk AK-pattern rifles.