Don't tell Mikhail - Kalashnikov to be dropped by Russians

[Sandgroper]

Note the AK-108 in 5.56 Nato.

:|

They did that with the AK-101 as well. Basically an AK-74 in 5.56mm designed for the export market.

[Robin128]

Aren't they in Nato?...One day they may be fighting side by side with our troops and using same ammo...logistics efficiency?

Opens up the market somewhat on ammo as well as guns especially for civvy use?

[Sandgroper]

Aren't they in Nato?...One day they may be fighting side by side with our troops and using same ammo...logistics efficiency?

Opens up the market somewhat on ammo as well as guns especially for civvy use?

The Russians are definately not in NATO and as far as I am aware are not looking to join. Remember Georgia - that kicked off because the Georgia was getting too close to NATO and Russia felt NATO was meddling in it's sphere of influence. As a result the Ukraine has gone quiet about possible NATO membership.

If the Russians where fighting alongside NATO troops, it could possibly be an advantage to have a Russian weapon as the enemy will probably be using Russian ammo as well. However, the 101 and the 108 are marketed at those looking for a weapon that combines the logistical compatibility of the 5.56x45 NATO round with the reliability and familiarity of a Kalashnikov.

[Watcher]

- but if they do, they'll probably go "up", maybe a 6.5mm or something - the US has been toying with that idea for years.

You mean to something like the .280 British?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.280_British

[Sandgroper]

- but if they do, they'll probably go "up", maybe a 6.5mm or something - the US has been toying with that idea for years.

You mean to something like the .280 British?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.280_British

Or the 6.5x39mm which is big in NZ, made by Gunworks Canterbury.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =407964951
The 6.5x39mm is the one on the right (if you were wondering? :-P )

6.5x39.jpeg (9.03 KiB) Viewed 755 times

I have some reloading data as well!

[IainWR]

I just re-read the article and it's a bit misleading.

The Russian army is opting not to buy any more Kalashnikovs, the legendary rifles that still kill a quarter of a million people every year in every corner of the globe. They did not buy the AK-74, a more recent version than the AK-47, in 2011, and do not plan to do so in 2012 and 2013.

The Defense Ministry explained that “all the warehouses are full of them,” but they have not been modernized for a long time, Izvestia reported.

Going by the above the Russians don't need to buy any more AK's as they have plenty.

Ah. Now I understand. This is like when the British Army finally packed in buying 1 million horseshoe nails each year as a matter of routine - sometime in the late 1980s if I recall correctly.

Iain