An often-misunderstood subject is how Khyber gunsmiths make their extensive selection of arms in the modern day. A major myth propagated by misinformed persons is the belief that gunsmiths of the Khyber region fabricate the parts for their firearms from scratch, by hand. The truth is, we aren’t living in the early to mid-1900s anymore and these smiths have no need to make these by hand – for the most part and haven’t done so for a few decades now.
Underground Military Production In Gaza – Part 2
In the first article of this series on Palestinian underground weapons manufacturing, we reviewed some of the weaponry made locally by Hamas including pistols, submachine guns and anti-tank rifles. In this article, we will continue to explore more of their production capabilities. Check out part one of this series here.
The American ‘Grease-Gun’ In The Pak-Afghan Region
The M3 and M3A1, famously also nicknamed the ‘Grease Gun’ due to their appearance, are a straight blowback submachine gun design, chambered in the U.S. military’s then standard issue pistol round – .45 ACP cartridge, and designed in the USA. The M3 was first adopted by the U.S. military in a limited capacity in early 1943, eventually supplanting the M1 and M1A1 Thompson submachine guns. Fascinatingly, a significant number have also been seen in the Pak-Afghan Region.
The Furniture of the Middle East
Throughout the MENA region, we see the private sale of firearms online but they often get in the way of the more interesting things in the photographs – the furniture! In this article, we will examine some of the vibrant and varied furniture spotted in numerous Middle-Eastern countries, written as a joint project by several Silah Report contributors.
The Egyptian Hakim Rifle
Silah Report’s editor in chief, Miles Vining, recently published a new TFBtv video discussing the history, mechanics and use of the Egyptian 7.92×57mm Hakim rifle.
V31: Persian Fire and Steel With Dr. Manouchehr Khorasani
In this episode, Miles and Dr. Manouchehr Khorasani dive deep into the amazing history of firearms in Persia throughout different time periods as well as the cultural and religious relation with weapons. Dr. Khorasani is a historian who has delved deep into the history of Persian arms and armor, including Persian martial arts. He has an incredibly vast knowledge of the subjects and authored seven books and won three major book prizes.
Albanians Fighting in Syria: Xhemati Alban in 2020 – Part 1
This article is the first of a four part series where we will focus on the weapons seen in the propaganda of Xhemati Alban, an ethnic Albanian insurgent group operating in Syria, published in 2020.
Egyptian Vickers Gun
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.
Underground Military Production In Gaza – Part 1
From 1948 to the present time, many battles had taken place in the Middle East as part of the Arab-Israeli conflict, some countries have been relying on external sources to supply them with weapons needed for fighting, but historically it has not only been official governments which have clashed with Israel. There are also some political parties and militias which couldn’t simply import weapons officially from a foreign source so they have to resort to plan B – making their own tools of war themselves. In this article we will take a look at one of the main players in the Middle East conflict; the HAMAS movement and its military wing the Ezz el-Din al-Qassam brigades, who operate in Gaza-Palestine.
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.