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.
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The most famous Pakistani Kalashnikov from Darra Adam Khel
This post originally appeared on The Firearm Blog in August of 2018,but has since been updated with some new content.
Every field has its own mysteries and mystifications. And if we are talking about the history of Soviet small arms, the biggest puzzle is the notorious AKMSU. If you look it up on Russian gun websites, you can find a lot of fascinating information, for example:
Silah Report Podcast Vol.1: Kalashnikov Heat Treatment in Darra, Egyptian Hand Grenades
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.
The AK Milled Faux-Stamped Receiver Types of Darra & The Khyber Pass
An often-misunderstood topic in regards to Darra-E / ‘Khyber’ AK’s, is the type or variation of receivers that are produced in the Pak-Afghan, FATA, tribal region. Particularly noted are a variation of milled receiver that are machined and fashioned in such a sense, they imitate a standard stamped receiver so well that at a glance you would not be able tell if it was a genuine stamped receiver or not.
The AK M4geries of Darra & the Khyber Pass
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit some of my friends and colleagues in Darra, nestled in the mountains of the Pak-Afghan borders tribal territories during a visit in April and May of 2019. I was fortunate enough to handle, film and test-fire a few of the firearms I encountered (and they urged me try out as many as I wanted) on my trip so this is the first of a few that are to come. I am sure that a lot of you have glimpsed images of this outstanding bit of engineering and creativity previously but this video is a closer look with a little more detail and background information in an easier to digest package, of course in English.
Afghan SOF small arms photo essay
This essay originally appeared in December of 2015 on The Firearm Blog.
This post is about the Afghan SOF community, or at least what they want to allow to show us on their official Facebook page. Apart from browsing through pictures of “Commandos” (all the red patches in the photos are their official insignia, MARSOC wore it in Helmand), I’ve worked with them in Helmand.
Lee Enfield Patterned Rifle Added to Reference Collection
This SMLE No.1 Mk.1 was recently purchased as a de-milled rifle from Numrich Gun Parts Corporation and was added to the reference collection. The description states that the rifle was apart of a shipment from Pakistan where it was produced in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. We’ll be able to take some better photographs of the piece when we get to see it in person.
Azeri Machine Guns and Anti-Materiel Rifles from 2015
This post first appeared on The Firearm Blog as “Developments from Azerbaijan”.
At the recent IDEF Istanbul exhibition held this past May, Azerbaijan had some interesting developments of various small arms on display. Interestingly there wasn’t any demonstration of their service rifle, the Tavor (similarly, it appears most of the military still has 74s while the Tavor is making its appearance in parades).
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province Small Arms Photo Essay
This post first appeared on The Firearm Blog as “Showcasing Peshawar”.
The Durrand Line has divided the countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan since 1893 when the British Empire created it with the king of Afghanistan. More for territorial reasons than ethnic, the line literally splits the Pashtun tribe in two, half of it’s people in Afghan provinces and the other half of them in Pakistani provinces.
Afghan and Pakistani Craft-Produced Kalashnikov Variations
This post originally appeared on The Firearm Blog in March of 2018.
What does an average person know about the Pakistani weapons and the military-industrial complex? Nothing. Ordinary people are not interested in this kind of weird stuff. OK, so what does an average gun enthusiast know about Pakistani weapons? Probably not much either.