When talking about the gun markets of the Middle East, military type weapons usually take center stage, but shotguns are as popular in this part of the world as anywhere else, be they for self-defense or sporting purposes. This article is intended as an overview of the range of shotguns that can be found in the region in order to get a better understanding of this lesser studied side of the weapons markets.
Shotguns
The Khyber Diaries: A Glimpse Into An ‘Antique’ Arms Shop
An often-nostalgic thing to do is reminisce of the arms shops in the days of old. Those well-stocked dealerships. They were once a lot like Aladdin’s cave with large arrays of plentiful, but now hard-to-find arms on display and for sale, at extremely affordable prices by today’s standard. Luckily, we can occasionally encounter some remnants of these days in Pakistan where an abundance of now-antiquated firearms are still to be found in the arms bazaars of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within places like the infamous town of Darra Adamkhel and to a lesser degree, in those within and close to Peshawar city.
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 V25: Ali – A Pakistani Firearms Collector
In this episode, we interview a small arms collector in Pakistan, Mr Ali. Ali has vast experience in the small arms market of Pakistan and was willing to share his knowledge on how it operates, the availability of certain weaponry and the price ranges, as well as the legal regulations and laws that are getting stricter in Pakistan.
He also runs an Instagram page, guns_pakistan, which shows his collection of armament and that of dealers he knows. Do check it out, you will not regret it.
The public SoundCloud version below includes the first thirty minutes of the podcast, our supporters on Patreon can access the entire interview, which is over an hour long. So if you haven’t already please support us in our mission to bring you the best examination of MENA small arms culture we can!
Podcast V24: The State of the Turkish Firearms Industry
In the 24th episode of the Silah Report Podcast, we interviewed Mustafa from Turkey, a professional in the Turkish firearm industry, and discussed in-depth the manufacturing of small arms in Turkey, covering a range of weaponry such as handguns, rifles, and shotguns.
The public SoundCloud version below includes the first forty-six minutes of the podcast, our supporters on Patreon can access the entire interview, which is over an hour long. So if you haven’t already please support us in our mission to bring you the best examination of MENA small arms culture we can!
V17: Smalls Arms in Kurdistan Region and the Local Laws
In the 17th episode of our podcast, we had a new guest from the Kurdistan region who was well versed in the small arms market in the region. The host for the episode was Adham and we had Miles, Daniel, Khyber Abdullah, Mick, our patron Nate and last but not least, our guest from Kurdistan, Rasty.
Firearms Seized in Former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev’s House
Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic has published a press release telling about the small arms found in the house of recently arrested former president Almazbek Atambayev. The police raid of Atambayev’s compound took place on August 9 in the village of Koy Tash. The police forces faced armed resistance by former president’s supporters but eventually, Atambayev was arrested.
The Arms Smuggling Hub of Egypt: The South
The southern region of Egypt is known for its green pastures lying on both sides of the Nile River, Abu Simbel Temple which tourists from all over the world travel to see, Lake Nasser that was formed by the Aswan High Dam, Luxor’s Karnak Temple. Valley of the Kings and so many more. Yet, there aren’t many tourists who would venture out and try to deal with the local inhabitants, who have their own unique Egyptian Arabic dialects, own unique traditions, and culture, which separates them from the dwellers of Cairo, Alexandria, and Northern Egypt.
Shotgun Pistol: Criminals’ Favorite Silah in Egypt
It’s cheap and easy to manufacture, it’s relatively concealable (different sizes exist), and it allows you to carry a machete or any other melee weapon in the other hand, how practical! The iconic DIY shotgun pistol of Egypt since the 25th January Revolution became extremely popular among the poor, the violent activists and of course, criminals.
Kral Arms at SHOT 2018
Kral Arms brought out their “Compact” 12 Gauge bullpup semiautomatic shotgun at SHOT 2018 this year. Essentially the “Compact” is the companies previous 12 Gauge XPS Kalashnikov patterned shotgun fit into the polymer frame of a bullpup. It retains the safety lever externally. There is a trigger bar that extends to the Kalashnikov trigger mechanism in the rear.
The shotguns are offered with red dot sights, plain BUIS sights, or an improvised A2 handguard that extends the entire length of the Picatinny optics rail. Magazines offered are either a 2, 5, and 8 shell configuration.
There are four available finishes: Black, Burnt Bronze Cerakoted, Dark Earth Cerakoted, and OD Green Cerakoted.
Specifications are as follows-
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Caliber
12 ga
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Choke
Tactical Muzzle Brake
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Chamber
76 mm
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Body
2 + 1/5 + 1/8 + 1 3 Magazines Included
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Weight
3.90 kg
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Length
78 cm
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Barrel Length
47 cm
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Trigger Range
41.5 cm
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System
Magazine Feed Shotgun
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Stock
Tactical Polymer Body Kit