Official Bucharest did not disclose in its reports the volume and other details of military aid to Ukraine that has been delivered since the beginning of russia's full-scale invasion The only exceptions are reports indicating that Romania has supplied Ukraine with a battery of Patriot air defense system and that a training center at the Romanian Air Force's 86th air base is training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft we can only make assumptions based on publicly available data Romanians are beginning to complain that classifying information from this segment is pointless The Romanian publication called Defense Romania released a podcast featuring military correspondent Radu Hossu had the opportunity to visit the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the most intense front-line areas The Romanian military correspondent expressed the view that the official policy of concealing Romania's supplies to Ukraine lacks practical sense Romanian-made small arms and ammunition bear the Cugir marking which indicates the place of production - the Cugir Arms Factory (Uzina Mecanică Cugir) which was particularly active during the Warsaw Pact and now is part of RomArm state defense corporation as russian propaganda actively exploits the issue for disinformation campaigns against official Bucharest the Romanian authorities may have concealed data on actual supplies to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for misguided reputational reasons as aiding a country defending itself against aggression is always moral the authors of Defense Romania have so far limited themselves to speculating on the range of Romanian supplies to the Armed Forces of Ukraine Romania's supplies could include small arms and ammunition from Uzina Mecanică Cugir 122-mm howitzers (likely Romanian copies of the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer) and TAB-71 armored personnel carriers from the Warsaw Pact it is worth noting that the main question in this case is whether Romania transferred its decommissioned MiG-29s and T-72s as part of military assistance to Ukraine in February 2022 Earlier Defense Express reported that Romania had provided the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a BM-21 Grad MLRS copy called the APR-40 The WASR-10 is a semi-automatic AK-47 variant manufactured at the Cugir Arsenal in Romania and imported to the US by Century Arms Amidst the AK variants seen around the world over the second half of the 20th century the WASR-10 is arguably now a classic in its own right especially on the civilian-commercial side WASR-10s have been both the benchmark and a fixture for a no-frills but dependable 7.62x39mm AKM-pattern rifle in the United States rifle market since the mid 1990s The Cugir Arsenal traces its roots back to 1799 and the Austro-Hungarian empire and a little over a century later it evolved into a modern operation with a major expansion in 1926 Cugir manufactured a suite of Combloc firearms including the famous PSL-54 DMR rifle and most importantly The WASR-10 itself is directly based on the PM md and the name is an acronym coming from Wassenaar Arrangement a multilateral arms export control accord based near The Hague in the Netherlands during 1996 The Wassenaar Arrangement Semi-automatic Rifle (WASR) is a genuine factory built semi-automatic AK. On its face, this doesn’t sound like anything special, but due to the way American federal import regulations work, acquiring factory built AKs isn’t straightforward in the same way as buying a Bergara rifle from Spain or a Beretta shotgun from Italy is most AK-47-pattern rifles sold in America are re-assembled from new or original parts before being sold and the build quality can vary receivers or rifles made directly in the original European arsenals that built genuine military-grade AK rifles during the Cold War have always been considered more desirable These include places like the aforementioned Cugir in Romania AK-pattern firearms work via a gas-actuated long-stroke piston action with a rotating bolt designed by the famous Soviet firearms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov the WASR-10’s central feature is its Romanian-made 16.25 inch long chrome-lined and cold-hammer-forged barrel made to original AKM specifications The rest of the rifle’s features follow the same AKM-pattern: 14x1mm left-hand threaded muzzle The WASR-10 reviewed here has hardwood furniture and looking at the grain structure it looks like oak and beech The stamped steel receiver itself is typical except unlike most other stamped receivers the WASR-10 lacks the signature dimples found on either side right above the magazine cut-out These dimples are typically pressed into the metal to reinforce the receiver over the magazine area but the WASR-10 instead has internally welded metal brackets that buttress the same area the WASR-10 also omits the under-barrel cleaning rod as a cost-saving measure handling an AK will feel coarse and uncouth or maybe “rustic,” but others might call this its own charm AKs are typically finished with a surface treatment and then painted over and the paint on the metal surfaces of the WASR-10 very easily picks up dings and character marks not unlike how leather goods get their one-of-a-kind weathered character with use My review rifle was brand new out of the box so metal-on-metal surfaces have some wearing-in and mating to do but it’s nothing that would impede actual function I suspect more use and reload practice will help in this department WASR-10s include Century Arms’s RAK-1 triggers which are similar to the old Tapco G2 units and provide a clean single-stage break I put 220 rounds of 7.62x39mm between three different types of factory cartridges through the WASR for this review These rounds consisted of both slow-fire accuracy for groups and chronograph data in addition to close-range shooting to get a feel for the rifle AK barrels are relatively thin and have a tendency to heat fairly quickly This was certainly the case when I fired two 30-round mags at targets between 15 to 25 yards Experienced AK shooters typically wear gloves for protection from burns the WASR-10 had no problems cycling any ammunition whatsoever It cycled cartridges from both the included US Palm magazine and the different Magpul 20 and 30 round magazines I brought; ejection was vigorous as it should be on a properly functioning Kalashnikov My ammunition selection included Hornady’s American Gunner 123-grain HP Match cartridges Sellier & Bellot 123-grain soft-points and some steel-cased 123-grain Wolf cartridges from a time when it was easier to source it uses a 12-MOA triangle reticle that favors CQB shooting Shooting smaller targets at distance will require much more finesse classically styled civilian-legal AKM variants available for sale in the United States This is due to its direct connection to the Romanian PM md There’s certainly something to be said about being able to buy an AK-47-pattern rifle made in an “original” arsenal like Cugir but also that’s still easy to find across most gun shops in the US in 2024 Times are changing and the world of AKs isn’t as carefree and affordable as it once was 7.62x39mm ammo is still widely available but is now as expensive as 5.56 NATO ammo The cost of a WASR or other AKs also is more expensive than 20 or even 10 years ago Whether the WASR-10 makes for an ideal defensive carbine will depend on the individual and his or her needs the WASR-10 is built on one of the most proven firearms mechanisms the world has seen is also chambered for a proven intermediate cartridge and still enjoys a robust parts-and-accessories aftermarket–so it can certainly work because it’s patterned on firearms dating back to 1959 (AKM) and 1963 (PM md the WASR-10 is now a true retro-rifle and can be fun to have for those reasons as well Hornady American Gunner 123-grain Match JHP Muzzle velocities taken with a Labradar chronograph at the muzzle The armed citizen needs to know more than just defensive tactics and how to shoot Carry your pocket pistol on your waistband The new 8.6 BLK cartridge looks to be a step closer to the general-purpose role the .300 BLK was originally intended to fill Two configurations of the CN-22 were displayed on ROMARM's stand at BSDA 2024 – a medium version with a shorter 13.5 inch barrel (top) and a standard version with a 16 inch barrel (bottom) a subsidiary of Romania's state-owned ROMARM holding company displayed two configurations of its CN-22 assault rifle at the Black Sea Defense and Aerospace (BSDA) 2024 exhibition held in Bucharest between 22 and 24 May Development of the CN-22 began in 2023 in response to a requirement from the Romanian Armed Forces for a new NATO-standard service rifle to replace its inventory of Romanian derivatives of the AK-series of assault rifles The design leveraged work from the earlier CN-20 which was essentially an AK-series rifle modified to accept the 5.56×45 mm NATO-standard cartridge the CN-22 is chambered for the 5.56×45 mm cartridge and its internal components are largely based on the AK gas-operated system unlike the CN-20 it is configured to allow for fully ambidextrous operation and to accommodate three Picatinny rails for mounting accessories According to a specifications sheet that refers to the CN-20 but contains images of the CN-22 the rifle has a minimum effective range of 350 m and a rate of fire of 550 rounds per minute Two configurations of the CN-22 were presented at BSDA – a medium version with a 13.5 inch barrel and a standard version with a 16 inch barrel These barrels are rated for a minimum of 15,000 rounds Both configurations of the CN-22 displayed at BSDA were equipped with flip-up iron sights but they will also be offered with the ACS-X1 magnified red dot optic from Romanian company Stimpex Gain unlimited access to Janes news and more.. Delivering trusted intelligence to warfighters to protect national interests Providing mission users with faster access to quality data to pre-empt threats and protect national security Assured interconnected OSINT to deliver informed Solutions Insights About Contact Request a demo Customer Login Store Receive the latest developments in defence and security as well as keep informed on Janes news and events Janes Intelligence SummaryA fortnightly update featuring the latest analysis In part 1 and part 2 of this article I talked about the history of Romanian AKs and their most unexpected users Now it is time to talk about the production of those guns and some of the issues I experienced while inspecting and repairing them some people thought that the demand for weapons will quickly disappear But that wasn’t the case for Romanian AKs the Yugoslav war created a huge demand for robust and cheap firearms right at the Romanian border The guns that were made to repel both Soviet and NATO invasions ended up in the hands of paramilitaries fighting in the bloody civil war with their former neighbors Unlike other Warsaw Pact countries that generally concentrated their Kalashnikov rifle production in one place There were a total of four factories that at some point in time produced Romanian AKs Cugir Factory was founded in 1799 as an iron-processing facility and began manufacturing firearms in the early XX century It was the first plant that started manufacturing AKs in Romania and still makes them to this day This is the factory that made WASR semi-auto AKs that are still available in the US Sadu factory (Uzina Mecanica Sadu) located in the district of Gorj in the town of Bumbesti was founded in 1939 and quickly became one of the leading Romanian manufacturers of ammunition adding to its product line two different things – refrigerators and md 65 AK rifles Manufacturing of ammo and firearms are two vastly different processes the quality of Sadu-made rifles was often questionable that has a stamp that looked like a pizza slice with the number 11 in the center Unfortunately very little is known about this factory The newest Romanian AK manufacturer is called Nova Modul They started manufacturing firearms around 2014 and are better known for the 9mm pistol caliber carbine DRACO NAK9 imported to the US by Century Arms after we reviewed the history of Romanian AKs and looked at the main manufacturers let’s address the issue mentioned in the name of the article Why do Romanian AKs have a controversial reputation Let’s look at the gun part by part and see what usually goes wrong with it The barrels on Romanian AKs are almost flawless: durable and chrome-lined with good corrosion resistance I personally never had a problem with a Romanian barrel My friends complained about chrome lining damage inside the barrel but the guns never keyholed or showed significant loss of accuracy I wanted to test the accuracy of some Chinese AKs and Romanian Kalashnikov was used as the benchmark I was testing against an old Romanian AK was almost twice as accurate as a newer Type-56-2 with side-folding stock Romanian receivers are what separates them from the rest of AKs I don’t know what was going on at the factories but many Romanian full auto receivers had some serious problems with hardness Ceaușescu jailed many top managers from defense factories disrupting the production of arms which led to decreased quality My friend is a chief armorer of a police force in one of the African countries I interviewed him to get some additional data from someone who had to deal with Romanian AKs more than I did but he had to deal with thousands of guns over a long period of time The most common problem they have with Romanian guns is cracking receivers They crack on the right and left sides of the pistol grip and in front of the mag release and the auto sear trip on the bolt carrier wears out prematurely a security guard came to me with this exact problem the bolt carrier on his Romanian AK was stuck in the rearward position and the rear of the receiver was clearly stretched out beyond spec One hammer hit and the part of the receiver that I hit bent inward like it was made out of aluminum it is really hard to bend it back in spec and not destroy the bolt carrier rails I need to take a closer look” – I told him I was desperately trying to look professional and sent the guy away so he won’t see my embarrassing attempts to fix something I just broke I started to slowly bang the receiver back into its original shape It only took a couple of light hits with the same plastic hammer and the bolt carrier moved without a hitch and every time it felt like some Romanian AK receivers are made out of recycled Coke cans the majority of the Romanian rifles don’t have that problem but that is how mass production works: some batches are perfect There was this one rifle in Baghdad, Romanian AK made in 1988. One of the very few guns I could never repair, cause the barrel was loose in the trunnion, and the gas block was also wobbling. I even recorded a video about it One more Romanian AK from the same factory was the only gun I’ve seen that had a headspace so tight that it didn’t seat rounds all the way in the chamber You could never close its bolt on a GO gauge I’ve never seen that before or after on any factory-built gun The rifle had the original bolt with the matching serial number but it was just the way it was put together – with minimal attention to detail and quality control which can be deadly when you’re dealing with weapons and considering the tragic history of Romania and the things the country went through it is not surprising to see that sometimes factories didn’t care that much about quality factories survived the fall of Communism and these days Romanian AKs remain to be one of the best value guns for the money on the international defense market and Romanian parts kits in the US are often used for some of the most premium kit build AKs More by Vladimir Onokoy both my sar1 and sar2 are excellent aks.the 2 (5.45x39) was setup with a rom side folder and is comfortable to shot I was keeping an eye on the part two article for a link to part 3 and it never showed up then just scrolling through my old emails I saw the email mentioning this article a month old The spectrum of student and faculty research projects at Cornell University in Ithaca and the potential for GIS to enhance inquiry and display spans traditional disciplinary boundaries Whether plotting invasive plant species in China or mapping social factors in Spain GIS provides a critical tool for academic exploration Developed with funding from the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative Agreements Program CUGIR is one of two NSDI Clearinghouse nodes in New York State and one of the few nodes developed and maintained by a university library The CUGIR repository offers free and open online access to GIS data from 10 federal and local data partners with special emphasis on natural features relevant to agriculture CUGIR work group members also provide answers to technical inquiries and general GIS questions initiated via the Web site Because the vast majority of users experience CUGIR remotely CUGIR has become an important outreach service from Mann Library to the citizens of New York State A repository such as CUGIR can never remain static and over the past two years the CUGIR work group has restructured CUGIR using relational database capabilities cross-referencing 7,000 data sets by thematic category original assumptions about data uniformity proved insufficient and the new database driven structure now accommodates data by diverse geographic units including watersheds and individual regions within the state CUGIR also supports archiving and the distribution of multiple data sets With additional seed funding from an FGDC Cooperative Agreements Program grant CUGIR recently gained an important new feature: Web-based mapping Any CUGIR user can now interactively preview popular CUGIR data sets online The CUGIR work group chose ArcIMS 4.1 on Windows 2000 for generating the maps from data stored in ArcSDE 8.3 with Oracle9 on Linux Data sets originally stored and distributed in the form of individual maps have been merged into seamless statewide ArcSDE layers for the map service providing users a new perspective on statewide spatial data patterns and the freedom to browse across map boundaries The CUGIR Web mapping interface also features enhanced map service interoperability patterned on the U.S. federal Geospatial One-Stop E-Gov Initiative site (www.geodata.gov) Visitors can visualize and overlay data from the CUGIR collection and a variety of preselected map services from the U.S Users more familiar with GIS may also connect to any map service published using the native ArcIMS mode or the Open Geospatial Consortium Web Map Service format by entering the appropriate parameters This level of interoperability across multiple map servers and multiple formats assures access to a broader range of data than any individual server provides allowing users to compare the quality and appropriateness of data from multiple sources without having to go through the effort of downloading and integrating the data on their own computers Support for interoperability across multiple map services also greatly facilitates GIS projects that span political boundaries The CUGIR work group is currently collaborating with GIS data providers in Ontario Canada; Pennsylvania; and Vermont to offer seamless data viewing across borders further extending the value of GIS data beyond any single jurisdiction CUGIR will leverage more ArcIMS capabilities for data extraction For more information, contact Jeff Piestrak, computer support specialist, Cornell University (e-mail: jmp36@cornell.edu, tel.: 607-255-9569), or Jon Corson–Rikert, programmer/analyst, Cornell University (e-mail: jc55@cornell.edu Author Jaime Martindale was a contributor to CUGIR and to enhancements made to Mann Library GIS services during her tenure as the library's GIS librarian Contact Us | Privacy | Legal | Site Map 2018Romanian emergency officials say a woman employed at an arms factory in western Romania has died in a blast at the plant An explosion occurred Monday in a tunnel where weapons are tested at the plant in the city of Cugir Nineteen people were working a shift in the tunnel when the blast occurred They all managed to escape apart from a 50-year-old woman who reportedly returned to retrieve her handbag a spokesman for the Emergency Inspectorate told The Associated Press that officials later found the woman's body Fogarasi said firefighters extinguished the blaze after two hours The state-owned plant manufactures a variety of pistols and other weapons It employs 1,000 people and opened in 1799 An investigation into the blast is underway The tragic blast has impacted one of the US’s top AK manufacturers Florida-based Century Arms said in a statement the plant accident puts the future of Romanian imports for its WASR rifles and Micro Draco pistols in doubt is saddened to learn of a recent event at a factory of one of the company’s sourcing partners in Cugir “We support our Romanian partners in this tragic loss and time of need.” With reporting from Military Times GearScout It's commonly thought that technological advancements are a primary driving force in firearm innovation and design propellants and bullet designs certainly play a role politics are often just as influential in the course of firearm development A good example of this is the Romanian PSL 54 designated marksman rifle (DMR) the President of the State Council of Romania made one of his most famous public addresses which boldly denounced the Warsaw Pact nations' invasion of Czechoslovakia This speech further solidified the Romanian government's 12-year effort to assert its independence from Moscow Although this stance against Soviet Union policy worked to consolidate Romania's independence movement it also created serious tensions with Russia the United States and China supported Romania the Romanian PSL 54 looks a good deal like the Russian SVD Dragunov Needless to say, the Russians were hesitant to share the Dragunov's specifications so the Romanians set out to build their own platform Originally manufactured at the Uzina Mecanică Cugir in Cugir the rifle that would be designated the PSL 54 (Puşcă Semiautomată 7,62 mm cu Lunetă) was launched in 1974 This rifle is still in production 50 years later and available in configurations suitable for both military applications and civilian markets The PSL 54 is not a clone of the Dragunov but a beefed-up AKM Today, Century Arms imports an authentic PSL 54 that is wholly manufactured by the Cugir Arms Factory in Romania meaning a mish-mash of surplus parts and American-made components but a factory-fresh rifle with all original components The iconic steel-capped thumbhole stock is on the shorter side with a 12.625” length of pull It should be noted here that the PSL 54 is not a clone of the SVD Dragunov It may be cosmetically similar to the Dragunov sniper rifle and intended to fill the same roles these two rifles are mechanically different The only three components they share in common are ammunition optics and bayonets for those PSL 54 models sporting bayonet lugs meaning it has been shaped to accommodate a reinforced The external control and rock-in motion required for inserting the magazine will be utterly familiar to AK-type rifle fans Breaking down this rifle for routine cleaning follows the same steps as other AK rifles safety lever and the trigger-guard-mounted magazine release lever are operated in typical AK fashion The left side of the receiver has a riveted optics rail that proved to be compatible with the Wolf Performance Optics military classic PO 4x24, which is a replica of the famous Russian illuminated sighting system. This optic, which I tried for the first time with a Molot Vepr also chambered in 7.62x54 mm R was used throughout the course of testing the PSL 54 The thumb-hole grip shoulder stock is one of the distinctive features of this model It's made of light-color laminated beech wood with a steel grip cap a sling loop and a corrugated stamped sheet steel buttplate This stock provides a 12.625" length-of-pull (LOP) which is either "compact" or "too short," depending on the operator's body shape This model features the Century Arms RAK-1 Enhanced Trigger Group, which provides a consistent and smooth trigger pull weight of 4 lbs., 12 ozs. according to a Wheeler Engineering digital trigger gauge 10-round magazine has distinctive X-shaped stampings on the left and right sides These markings distinguish it from the Russian Dragunov and Chinese Norinco magazines which feature waffle pattern stampings and are not interchangeable with that of the PSL 54 This already-long gun is made 2.75” longer with a muzzle brake which is pinned in place On top of the rifle is an AK-style sighting system with a height-adjustable post up front and a fully adjustable rear sight with markings for shots out to 1,100 meters The Romanian 24.5" long barrel is chrome-lined with four-groove This particular model ships with a pinned muzzle brake that adds another 2.75" to this rifle's impressive overall length of 45.5" The gun I tested tipped the scales at 9 lbs. mounting the Wolf optic increased the weight by another 1 lb. Although the PSL 54 is certainly one-man portable by military standards no one is going to call it a lightweight any time soon The test was conducted using a replica of an illuminated Russian rifle optic a military-grade coarseness to the construction one does not usually see with commercial rifles I could not find anything to complain about with this particular example of the platform All of the rivets were properly placed and neatly rounded and the wood-to-steel fitments were clean and precise This is not a kit gun or a knock-off but a professionally assembled rifle clearly made by folks who know what they are doing The PSL 54 proved to be utterly reliable with all ammunition tested the PSL 54 proved to be a bit stiff at first But the controls and action settled in and smoothed out nicely making for an enjoyable shooting experience the venerable 7.62x54 mm R cartridge is comparable to the .308 Win in regards to performance potential and levels of felt recoil When fired from a bench-rested semi-automatic rifle that's about 11 lbs This combat rifle is intended to hit man-sized targets within 1,000-meter distances, so it's not necessarily a precision competition rifle. As for the test ammunition, I had to dig into the loads that were squirreled away for a rainy day. They included a steel-cased Hornady 174-grain, boattail hollow-point, which is no longer in production, and a Wolf Polyformance 174-grain full-metal jacket load The third round consisted of a Russian bi-metal 150-grain full-metal jacket bullet seated in a copper-washed case and shipped in a "Spam" can This last load was provided by Century Arms for another review some time ago Those folks who take an interest in designated marksman rifles like this one generally agree that the Romanian PSL 54 does not exhibit some of the refinements or the mystique of the Russian SVD that played a role in its development This has contributed to the Romanian rifle taking a prominent military role around the world knocked out the above 2.52” five-shot group the Century Arms PSL 54's sleek profile and storied history make it an authentic military collectible that is enjoyable to own and to take to the shooting range I'll admit that some folks are going to flinch at the suggested retail prices of $2,721 with a scope included or $2,586 for a non-scoped rifle that ships with a single magazine but a stroll around the Internet dealer sites looking for other DMRs can be informative As of this writing, I found the Serbian Zastava Arms M91 rifles with real-world prices starting at $3,150 with an optic included. A fairly scarce Chinese Norinco recently sold at auction for more than $7,000, and the Molot Veprs were banned from importation several years ago And if you do lay eyes on the unicorn of DMRs then you may have to talk to your spouse about skipping a few mortgage payments in order to add it to your collection it's safe to say that if these semi-automatics are your cup of tea then the Century PSL 54 is worth a closer look Century Arms PSL 54 SpecificationsManufacturer: Cugir Arms Factory, RomaniaImporter: Century ArmsAction Type: long-stroke-gas-piston-operated centerfire rifleChambering: 7.62x54 mm RReceiver: stamped carbon steel matte black finishBarrel: 23.5"Magazine: 10-round detachable boxSights: adjustable left-side receiver-mounted optic railTrigger: RAK-1; 4-lb. pullOverall Length: 45.5"Drop At Comb: 1.125"Drop At Heel: 2.125"Length Of Pull: 12.625"Accessories: owner's manual lockMSRP: $2,586 (no optic)l $2,721 (factory-included optic) Long respected for its world-leading military small arms through its American factory and engineers shooters—and the new Concealed Carry 9 mm Luger micro pistol is poised to quicken it Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens Despite a slight decline in demand for new firearms the industry’s economic impact rose from $90.5 billion in 2023 to $91.7 billion in 2024 Kahr Arms has been most well-known for its single-stack line of concealed-carry pistols the company is moving into the double-stack market with its new Premium X Series Henry's Special Products Division has officially released its first line of unique offerings in its HUSH series of suppressor-ready lever-action rifles Built primarily from thick 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum is an incredibly robust and stable gun rest designed for use with pistols and long guns alike Eleven Selma men pleaded guilty this month to federal firearm offenses The men pleaded guilty to being in possession of a firearm after they were convicted of an unrelated felony offense George Armstead and Daryl Dewayne Struggs pleaded guilty to the federal offense Armstead was pulled over by Selma police in May and was arrested on an outstanding warrant the officer discovered a stolen Smith and Wesson .40-caliber pistol under the passenger seat who'd previously been convicted of first-degree robbery told police he bought the gun on the street for protection More: Selma police chief: Officer wounded in 'ambush' shooting Struggs was found in March 2017 with two 9mm Smith and Wesson pistols He was previously convicted of first-degree possession of marijuana Octavious Tyrone Peace and Antonio Demond Butler both pleaded guilty to their charges Sept Peace was found in possession of a .38-caliber Taurus revolver in May despite being previously convicted of bank fraud an possession of a forged instrument in Kentucky More: Selma police investigate 2 Sunday shooting deaths Butler had a 9 mm Taurus pistol in his possession Butler was convicted of possession of a controlled substance prior to his May arrest.  Jimmy Lee Woods and Willie James Collins Jr. all pleaded guilty to the federal offense.  Brenson was a passenger in a vehicle in June that was pulled over for failing to yield for an emergency vehicle The woman driving told officers she'd smoked marijuana and gave them permission to search her vehicle after they said they smelled the drug officers found a Romarm/Cugir WASR-10 rifle in the floor board where Brenson was seated.  Brenson conceited that the firearm was in his possession He'd previously been convicted of second-degree rape in 2016 Woods was found in possession of a .25-caliber Phoenix Arms pistol in May Woods had previously been convicted of third-degree burglary convicted of third-degree receiving stolen property was found in December with a .45-caliber Glock .556-caliber ATI rifle and a .22-caliber Mossburg pistol.  Jermaine Butler and Chadwick Blake both pleaded guilty to the charge on Tuesday Butler was arrested in May after marijuana was found in his vehicle during a checkpoint Police found a loaded Zastava N-PAP DF rifle in the back floorboard upon searching the vehicle Butler was previously convicted of first-degree assault in 2015 Blake was arrested in October after a parole officer found one round of 9mm ammunition in his pocket the officer found a 9mm Taurus Millennium pistol Blake was on probation for a second-degree assault conviction from 2015.  Dwight Contrell Tanker and Brandon Dejuan Ward both pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  convicted of first-degree possession of marijuana was found with a .380-caliber Taurus pistol in April Ward was found in possession of a 9mm High Point pistol a year ago after he was convicted of first-degree burglary receiving stolen property and firing a gun into an occupied building.  The cases were investigated by Selma police Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the Alabama Attorney General's Office.  The Ultimate Firearms Destination for the Gun Lifestyle Home » Guns » M+M Industries M10X+: Swiss Soviet Shooter We’re all gun nerds at heart here at RECOIL So while it’s neat to check out the latest and greatest AR or the umpteenth refinement of a Glock we love seeing weapon systems that stray off the beaten path M+M Industries is based in Colorado and was started by two fellows named Mike he also lived in Venezuela before moving to America Meier saw firsthand the economic and political upheaval there including the new government disarming citizens and instituting changes This solidified his belief in the importance of firearms ownership building a particular expertise in the FN FAL space the company graduated to building their own guns they designed the M10-762 AK-pattern rifle Starting with the Romanian PD MK63 AKM design they incorporated a 90-degree gas block reminiscent of the East German Wieger rifles and made other modifications for regulatory compliance.  M+M began installing new-production parts as well as modern furniture and accessories and M+M started working on its own design for a new rifle that it would manufacture itself Meier had worked on numerous projects related to the SIG SG 550 and SG 553 rifles Combined with his experience over the years with the FAL and AK platforms Meier was inspired to create a simple design incorporating aspects of all of these great weapon systems.  M+M chose to base the gun around 7.62x39mm and AK magazines due to their ubiquity and affordability in the U.S you might think the rifle’s some sort of an AK variant but the long-stroke gas piston operating system is actually inspired by the SIG 55X family.  Gas bleeds off through the gas block on the barrel and through a five-position adjustable gas valve The piston is fixed to the bolt carrier group by the charging handle and sits inside the gas cylinder The recoil spring actually wraps around the gas piston The monolithic aluminum handguard contains a billet steel insert that’s the actual receiver of the gun The bolt group rides on rails in the steel receiver It’s topped off with M+M’s own muzzle brake design a single chamber brake with tines that also function as wire cutters if you don’t mind expending one round per wire with three major components — the handguard It has several rows of M-LOK slots on the sides and bottom as well as 18 uninterrupted inches of top rail.  The lower trigger housing is stamped steel and uses an AK-style fire control group inspired by the AKM It takes any AKM pistol grip; the included grip is ribbed with storage inside A typical AK paddle magazine release is at the front of the trigger guard while a SIG- or AR-like ambidextrous rotating safety selector sits above the grip As you’d expect with an AK magazine-based system there’s no bolt-hold-open when the gun runs dry The buttstock mounts to the rear trunnion; M+M affixes Magpul’s folding Zhukov stock since the operating system doesn’t extend to the rear you can fire the gun with the stock folded Shown here is the third generation in the M10X line The gas piston has been modified from prior versions with a heat shield and bushing to help it stay cooler and cleaner and gas port have been tweaked to boost accuracy potential.  a new rubberized recoil buffer was added at the rear of the upper to prolong the service life of the rear trunnion and recoil spring The steel receiver is now milled for tighter tolerances; the first generation was also milled but the second was cast so you can feel better about bimetal and corrosive ammo if so inclined Previous iterations were button-rifled and nitrided skeletonized to reduce weight and increase cooling It also has additional fasteners securing it to the receiver and barrel assembly for more support The trigger group features a new braided hammer spring that hits with an additional pound of force for more reliable ignition on hard primers in surplus ammo One thing we love about Glocks is how few parts there are impressively managing to reduce the total number of parts in the rifle to 63 — roughly half of that in an AK or AR first remove the magazine and ensure the gun is unloaded and the two pieces will open up on the hinge pin Push on the end of the charging handle and turn it clockwise 90 degrees which will rotate a spring-loaded hook on the opposite side that secures it to the bolt group.  you can slide the bolt carrier group out of the receiver; since the recoil spring is on the gas piston there’s no spring tension to overcome and the BCG comes right out with no fuss push it in and rotate it to release the bolt’s lug from the corresponding track in the carrier.  On the right side of the gun next to the gas valve is a spring-loaded pin Partially depress it to release the gas valve which you can rotate to remove from the gas cylinder rotate the cylinder to release its lugs from the upper receiver Reassembly is the reverse of the above steps The M10X+ has a funky Swiss-Soviet aesthetic to it and our sample gun was Cerakoted in a handsome burnt bronze color Vortex’s bronze Razor line was a great match The Razor HD Gen II-E 1-6x scope has long been a favorite of both top 3-gunners as well as top-tier operators and Mil-scale reticle make it a delight to use at either 1x or 6x Due to the position of the buttstock relative to the top rail typical AR scope mounts will be very high on the M10X ADM’s super-low AD-RECON-SL mount worked perfectly placing the Vortex just above the top rail and providing a comfortable cheek weld The mount features ADM’s time-tested quick detach levers and is available for 1-inch to 40mm scopes you could procure a cheek riser for the Zhukov stock so we affixed a SureFire Mini Scout Light Pro in tan but still works well for our fifty-shades-of-bronze theme The compact torch is a good match with the medium-length handguard on the M10X+ but outputs plenty of light and the swiveling Picatinny rail mount keeps the light tucked tight against the handguard Rugged Suppressors’ Razor762 silencer keeps things civilized it’s compact and effective with reduced gas blowback we started on the bench to group and chrono the M10X+ It certainly liked some ammo better than others American Eagle 124-grain FMJ chrono’d at 2,361 fps and posted five-shot groups from 3.5 to 4.8 MOA Double Tap’s 123-grain Rifle Defense JSP averaged 2,150 fps with groups from 3.7 to 5 MOA.  with velocity of 2,235 fps and groups between 2.9 to 3.3 MOA Igman 123-grain FMJ and Red Army 122-grain FMJ turned in the best groups of the day at 1.9 and 2 MOA but we also had some flyers pushing some other groups out to 3.5 MOA keeping the rifle pretty neutral for follow-up shots It’s light and pretty smooth but a little mushy with a fair amount of travel Handling is intuitive if you’re familiar with running AK mags The safety selector is much more ergonomic than AK safeties but not nearly as smooth and easy to actuate as an AR M+M offers optional extended safety levers that would probably help with this You can swap the charging handle to either side of the gun within seconds We positioned ours on the right side for the full AK experience also saving our knuckles from banging on the scope mount on the left side.  The buttstock folds conveniently and is comfortable though we found the length adjustment to be fiddly There are QD sling sockets built-in to the front of the handguard and the rear trunnion; the rear one was a bit too tight for some of our QD swivels we’d like to have seen Magpul’s optional QD sling socket accessory included with the Zhukov buttstock there’s chatter on the Internet about previous iterations of the M10X — some folks encountering reliability and accuracy issues especially during the pandemic; for instance they had some issues with some coatings applied at that time.  The list of updates for the third generation of the platform is squarely aimed at addressing these potential concerns from the premium barrel to the numerous revisions to boost reliability and consistency M+M also emphasized that their guns come with a lifetime warranty and upgrades are designed to be backward-compatible so you can always update your older-generation guns including steel Bulgarian mags provided by M+M The M10X+ ran 100-percent through all of our range sessions it felt like getting a new rimfire gun and looking for a load that works well without any clue as to which it’ll be But we figure based on our results that you should be able to find a load that’ll deliver 2 to 3 MOA accuracy Its unique SIG-FAL-AK mashup has to speak to you you’ll really enjoy its clever design touches and shootability Just look below at the rifle fully kitted out — that’s pretty damn sexy If you can live without the lightened handguard and hammer-forged chrome-lined barrel M+M configured their new M10X-M models to save some money; they’re about $350 less.  there are also M10X+ variants with short handguards and exposed gas tubes that give off serious funky AK vibes for $145 less RECOIL remains the premier firearms lifestyle publication for the modern shooting enthusiast hands-on testing and expert analysis on everything from firearms and survival equipment to watches and vehicles.  Our reviewers are the backbone of our operation and come from diverse shooting backgrounds: Former law enforcement seasoned hunters and plain old firearms enthusiasts but dedicated journalists who adhere to the strictest standards of our profession.  editorial independence is the foundation of everything we publish and the cornerstone of reader trust writers and content creators make all editorial decisions independently That boils down to: advertisers don’t dictate our coverage the outcomes of our reviews or what we recommend in our buyer’s guides our commitment is to our audience—ensuring every review and article is accurate and driven by real-world experience.  Whether you’re selecting your next firearm, upgrading your gear, or exploring the latest innovations in the shooting world, RECOIL provides the trusted insights you need to make informed decisions. Learn more about our Editorial Standards and how we review products. I am the “former” owner of M+M Industries M10 XZ Zhukov Folding Stock AK 7.62×39″ 16.5″ M10XZ bought in 2020 Watch the videos on the Military Arms Channel regarding this rifle or no feeds at all using all kinds of ammo I CAN’T forgive a company that KNOWS it has problems with a product they sell but decides to SHOVEL them out the door anyway Some poor putz may rely on this piece of crap to defend themselves and their family you state that the model you got was back in 2020 and was an M10X-Z series rifle If you look at their Youtube channel M+M said that they discontinued that model a few years ago Just like in this article they cover many of the changes they have made to improve their product Based on this article along with some of the videos that are recent I imagine the problems are out as the only negative responses seem to be from people stuck in the past 5-7 years ago… I have owned the same since 2023 and it runs flawlesly I have been using the M10X + for the past three months I am utilizing MFS ammunition from Hungary and I consistently achieve sub-2 MOA accuracy at 100 yards I cannot recommend this rifle highly enough; it has become my go-to firearm The quality and performance of this company’s products are truly commendable It really makes you wonder who he’s working for Excellent review of a rifle I’ve been following for a while I finally had a chance to shoot it last weekend and I was truly surprised by how good it felt with the ammo I had on hand and ever since I put my finger on the trigger of this one I’ve spent over $2k in accessories customizing my gun and I was able to hit a target at 200 yards with ease I have one of their Gen 3 rifles and cannot stop saying good things about it The best MOA I can get out of it is 2 MOA with GECO 124gr ammo and overall really impressed by the gas system and reliability Old Gen 2 M10X-Z series rifle owner with ~13,000 rounds down it and still getting a tad over 1MOA at 100 I met the team from M+M Industries at the NRA show in Texas and they convinced me to give the M10X a try We’ve been using it suppressed for coyote and hog hunting I love that the M10X is 100% made in the USA which is rare nowadays when so many manufacturers outsource most of their production it’s worth every penny for the quality and reliability Save my name & email in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" I am the "former" owner of M+M Industries M10 XZ Zhukov Folding Stock AK 7.62x39" 16.5" M10XZ bought in 2020 I CAN'T forgive a company that KNOWS it has problems with a product they sell Based on this article along with some of the videos that are recent I imagine the problems are out as the only negative responses seem to be from people stuck in the past 5-7 years ago... This work, Multinational weapons range expands Soldiers’ horizons, by 2LT Robert Bannon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright In this article you will meet a brand new Romanian Cugir WS1-63SB chambered in 7.62×39 mm The rifle is available for just a little short of 900 Euro or roughly 1 000 US Dollars in Germany Step by step it will transform, like Dracula, into an AK47 Short Barrel Rifle clone Cugir Arms Factory is a Romanian state-owned defense company that is one of the oldest defense companies of Romania For more information about their history check out Cugir’s homepage and suggestions which parts to chose if you’re interested in a similar build I have inserted links to the company or directly to the product for your convenience – you’re welcome Below: Here you see the muzzle end of the gun The Magpul Zhukov-U handguard fits perfectly and helps keeping my hands away from all hot parts a picatinny rail and an Arisaka Gunworks fingerstop as well as two QD sling attachment points (on the other side of the handguard) And as a finishing touch I replaced the Tapco birdcage flash hider with a .30cal Nightbrake from Manticore Arms I ordered several different muzzle devices and that’s the one I like best so far The project is now finished!Let me introduce you to my own personal AK47 SBR clone and let me show you some of its features: So here you have it – Shromo’s take on the AK47 SBR The only part I’m still searching for is the Venom Tactical gas block / front sight combo The factory gas block is slightly canted to the left But those Venom gas blocks are next to impossible to get over here in Germany The Venom Tactical AK47 / AK-74 Gas Block can be found in this link but seems hard to get in Europe get to a standstill due to difficulties sourcing parts What do you think of Shrombo’ s take on the AK47 SBR Would you have built the same or used other parts Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics More by Eric B For AK it is overpriced and under-strength for its weight but Triangular side-folder combloc length is perfection A woman working at the Cugir Arms Factory was reportedly killed in an explosion and subsequent fire on the 12th November The Romanian factory is a state-owned company which produces various firearms including WASR semiautomatic AKs and the Micro Draco AK pistols Romania’s main state-owned defense company The factory itself was first founded in 1799 and most recently has produced variants of Soviet-pattern firearms such as the PM md.63/65 Today the factory continues to produce AK-pattern rifles a number of heavy machine guns and ammunition of various calibres The Associated Press state that an explosion occurred in a weapons testing tunnel beneath the factory The explosion caused a fire which took firefighters two hours to extinguish A shift of 19 people was reported to have been working in the tunnel at the time of the explosion all were evacuated but a 50-year-old female employee reportedly returned to retrieve her handbag Her body was found after the fire was put out The factory built a number of firearms imported by Florida-based Century Arms America’s leading AK manufacturer and importer of classic firearms is saddened to learn of a recent event at a factory of one of the company’s sourcing partners in Cugir This factory produced a number of firearms imported by Century Arms including the popular WASR rifles and Micro Draco pistols While the company has a small quantity in stock future delivery status of these products is uncertain We support our Romanian partners in this tragic loss and time of need Intriguingly, Cugir’s website has a short statement regarding the explosion which suggests the accident did not occur at the factory: did not take place at the Cugir Mechanical Plant Company We mention that the Cugir Mechanical Works Company operates in normal conditions TFB has reached out to the Cugir Arms Factory for further comment on the matter Sources: 1 2 3 More by Matthew Moss They must have hit the 5,000 round count on an RAS47 I hope no piles of factory-second rifles were (further) damaged, as then it'll affect CAI imports... Send help right to the people and causes you care about Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee We take no responsibility for the accuracy of the translation German auto giant Daimler is operating a transmission plant called Star Transmission A large majority of the workers wanted to join a union while local management tried to prevent it IndustriALL Global Union's auto director Georg Leutert reflects on a difficult but successful organizing drive and what elements are needed for successful transnational cooperation together with a colleague from the Daimler World Works Council and a manager from Daimler travelled to Cugir to meet the local union At the plant we meet our colleague Calin Giurgiu who has been maintaining the demand for a union with his colleagues for months And in front of the factory we meet a man in a hooded sweatshirt with a huge wolf on it as management does not want to talk to him A complicated and questionable procedure ensues; we talk inside and then go to the gate to talk to Suba again and again employees can only register with a representative trade union if the company states the total number of employees in an official letter This is because a union is only eligible for collective bargaining if it has organized more than 50 per cent of all employees the company agrees to deliver the critical letter We travel back and hope that a decisive breakthrough has been achieved the union registration process is quickly completed But management continues to intimidate employees and the start of the collective bargaining is constantly delayed plans for a planned workshop with the Romanian union and part of the management good news arrive from Romania: the trade union has an office at the plant and on collective bargaining began on 22 June Transnational cooperation can be effective In Cugir all the elements were in place and we will do everything we can to keep it that way The current bargaining is only slowly proceeding which is a clear indicator that the achievements made so far are only a beginning IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliates represent over 50 million workers in 140 countries in the mining We take up the fight for better working conditions and trade union rights around the world © Copyright 2018 - IndustriALL - We care about your personal information and data. Take a look at our Privacy Policy PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County School District police have identified a parent accused of bringing a loaded gun to Bear Lakes Middle School on Monday 27-year-old Christopher Freeman showed up at the school and was visibly upset because of an incident involving his son Police said the school's Assistant Principal called Freeman earlier in the day A school resource officer said he found Freeman in front of the main office with a gun sticking out of the front of his pants I've got something for him," according to his arrest report Officers put the school on a Code Red lockdown and searched Freeman where they found a loaded Romarm/Cugir AK-47 Mini Draco pistol Freeman said he received a FaceTime call from his son at 3 p.m He claimed his son was crying and said a teacher had slammed him Freeman said he was upset and came to the school but didn't realize he was carrying the weapon because he carries it all the time for protection Freeman said he didn't intend to harm anyone Freeman is facing several charges including possession of a firearm on school grounds he'll be on house arrest and can't have any contact with witnesses must stay at least 500 feet away from any Palm Beach County school The M+M M10-762 rifle for this review was provided by the Kentucky Gun Company Thanks to Century Arms and their crappy-ass 2005-2008 era WASRs, conventional wisdom is that Romania generally takes the prize for making the worst AKs in the history of the world ever. Well, maybe not as crappy as those homemade Pakki Darra models that GIs sometimes encounter in the ‘Stan, but pretty crappy nonetheless. So when I heard that the M+M M10-762 was a Romanian-made rifle But after six range visits and well over 1000 rounds downrange on the whole I’ve been very pleasantly surprised   but has six unique and/or “custom” features that set it apart from the pack: One of the first things I noticed about the M10 when I picked it up was that it’s fairly light for an AK This rifle is more nimble than other fixed-stock AKs I have handled The overall length of the gun is 36″ with the fixed “Warsaw Pact” length stock M+M has imported a folding stock version as well for those seeking a more compact carry gun Unlike a lot of the AKs on the market these days The marking – in my case “13 RO” – denotes a new Romanian-built rifle made in 2013 10 U.S.-made replacement parts are added to make the rifle 922r compliant The mag well is a common source of complaints on modern imported AKs The BATFE will only allow the importation of small arms that are for “sporting purposes.” As a result when these rifles are brought into the country they feature a small mag well opening intended for use with a single-stack 10-round magazine Once here, certain foreign-made parts are removed and replaced with U.S.-made replacements. As many of you will know, this is the so-called “922r compliance” process It is named after the law that sets forth the rules under 18 USC Ch   Having said all that, the front-to rear fit of the mag well is a little on the tight side. It works perfectly with the Tapco magazine that’s provided by the factory, but many of my other steel AK mags were a bit too tight to work well. However, it was an easy fix which took me all of about 10 minutes with a file to complete L to R: Tapco Smooth side The M10-762 ships with one 30-round Tapco Intrafuse® “Smooth Side Low Drag” 30rd Magazine the Tapco smooth side has the same external dimensions as a traditional AK mag I didn’t torture-test the Tapco magazine for durability;  there are plenty of YouTube videos on that topic  I did put many hundreds of rounds through it without any problems and it certainly didn’t strike me as being unacceptable the Tapco mag is lighter than a traditional steel AK magazine these so-called “smooth sides” will fit into standard-sized AK mag pouches   the UTG doesn’t allow the operator to co-witness optics with iron sights the optic sits high on the rail which also tends to mess up the operator’s cheek weld the UTG rail appears to be well-made and does the job for a fraction of the cost of other rails on the market   The M-10 also includes a CNC-machined side-mounted optical sight attachment rail when I compared it to other AKs in my personal arsenal I found that it sits a little higher on the receiver than it should I like to keep my optic as low as possible and this rifle’s side rail sets the optic up almost ¼-inch higher than the rails on my other AKs While not a total deal killer, it’s certainly not ideal. I had a K-Var KS-04S rail on hand but I didn’t like how high it placed my optic I might have to try a Midwest Industries mount to see if that will bring the optic down a little lower you can see how the M+M’s side plate is mounted higher on the receiver compared to a Bulgarian AK variant   The M+M labeled handgrip is manufactured by Hogue so it’s sized correctly for large-pawed corn-fed Americans as opposed to the tiny commie-era factory grips you typically see on AKs The standard commie grips (two examples shown above) were made to fit five-year-agricultural-plan under-fed 1950’s era Soviet bloc peasants and it’s a “must-replace” part for most American shooters I’ve been running Hogue and Ergo grips on three of my AKs for years and I highly recommend both grips The big difference is the Hogue has more pronounced finger grooves and the grip angle seems a little different than the Ergo It probably comes down to personal preference as to which one you like better   The M10-762s arrive from Romania with thumbhole stocks Warsaw Pact-length Tapco polymer stock (shown above compared to an olive drab U.S.-made NATO length stock by K-Var The Tapco stock is a copy of the Bulgarian design except for the notable absence of the trap door in the buttplate for the cleaning kit I’m not sure what happens to all of those old thumbhole stocks and other parts removed off M+M rifles but it wouldn’t surprise me if they are shipped back to Romania to be installed on the next batch of import AKs exhibit an ever-so-slight amount of movement in the receiver to stock fit – not enough so to send it back but just enough to make you wonder if it would hold up in a critical situation If I was going to be jumping out of airplanes or low-crawling through the bush with this thing It has a 1:10 right-hand twist rate with four lands & grooves The barrel is rather ‘skinny’ when compared to other AKs in my collection It measures .56 inches in diameter one inch past the gas tube whereas my other AKs measure somewhere between .61 and .65 inches in that same vicinity the M-10 barrel experiences a very small POI shift when it gets hot but it’s not nearly as bad as I expected it to be I like the weight reduction you get with that svelte barrel   whereas the M10’s brake is acceptable the M+M brake can theoretically also be used as a barbed wire cutting device by jamming the wire into the muzzle brake’s prongs and then pulling the trigger to cut the wire…if you’re into that sort of thing   The M-10 sports a Tapco G-2 single-hook trigger kit. The Tapco trigger seems to be the gold standard for “cheap” AK triggers, and for good reason. While not perfect, the G-2 is probably the best of the non-custom triggers on the market. Sure, companies such as Red Star Arms offer adjustable milled triggers that will outperform Tapco’s but you’ll pay a steep premium for those units [October 2014 Update:  If you google “Tapco sucks” you will see that there are some high-profile gun gurus that have expressed dislike for the G-2 on account of durability problems I will express no views on the topic other than to say I have not had a problem with any of my G-2s after many thousands of rounds] The steel fire control group retaining plate compliments the G2 fire control group The plate locks the hammer and trigger pivot pins in place and the plate itself is held by the selector I wasn’t very familiar with this plate and I put the rifle together incorrectly on one occasion causing the charging handle to get stuck in the rearward position It allows for quick detail disassembly of the trigger group and will likely have better service life than a standard wire retainer The test sample’s trigger exhibited some of the typical AK creep over its ¼ inch pull It also is devoid of that annoying “trigger slap” that is typical on many AK builds I preferred the M+M’s trigger to the trigger on the $1000+ Arsenal SLR 107 that I tested  I own a really nice Vector Arms AKMS built from a Polish Radom parts kit but the stock trigger on that rifle was nasty due to a wicked slap The Tapco G-2 solved that slapping problem as well   The rear sight is probably one of the best features on the M+M the rear sight is adjustable for elevation only The M+M has that same feature – in this case graduated to 1000 meters in 100 meter increments – but it also adds an RPK-type rear sight which is adjustable for windage (above left) there’s no true “windage” adjustment capability You can adjust the sights in the horizontal plane by using a tool to press on the front sight adjusting block (i.e. the cylinder-shaped part that holds the front sight in place) time-consuming method you can really only accomplished on a range but the addition of a true field-adjustable no-tools-required windage sight is a big plus I suspect that other firms will follow this example the Valmet removed the rear sight from its typical location near the front trunion and moved it to the back of the receiver’s dust cover the M+M retains the typical AK rear sight despite having the 16-inch barrel The downside to this is that it lowers the sight radius from the typical 14.9 inches to 11 inches the big question: is there any advantage to the M+M design I suspect that M+M was just going for a unique look for aesthetic reasons when it chose the design It does make it possible to “SBR” the rifle by removing four inches or so of the barrel be sure to submit your Form 4 and pay your $200 tax I remember going to a gun show about eight years ago and seeing a gun dealer with 20 to 25 WASRs in a rack was in the $275-300 range which was extremely attractive But after inspecting the shoddy workmanship Assuming you can believe what you read on the internet, it turns out that all those early pre-2008 Century Arms WASRs were made with parts from the Romanian Sadu arsenal that were rejected for use in military grade weapons What I can confirm is that the M+M M10-762 doesn’t appear to display any of the shoddy workmanship I witnessed on those early pre-2008 WASRs or other AK builds made by Century   the M10-762 is manufactured out of brand new high quality parts — everything is newly manufactured to be US 922(r) compliant The receiver and major parts are made in Romania by F.A Many of the recent WASR imports are made by Cugir and I have to admit they look way better than the junk I saw that that gun show the M10 doesn’t look as cosmetically nice as a Bulgarian Arsenal In comparing it to other AKs in my collection it has a number of sharp edges inside the receiver similar to the early 1990s-era Chinese Norinco MAK-90s I would rate the workmanship of this rifle as acceptable the M+M has proven to be highly reliable and accurate L-R: Polish Radom Tantal Although it may be difficult to see from the photo above the Cugir (farthest right) isn’t as refined Hungarian and Chinese bolts have been rounded off to improve their handling characteristics this may just be nit-picking on my part — this is an AK we’re talking about One non-cosmetic issue I noticed: the dust cover on the M-10 was made using metal that was noticeably thinner and lighter than most of the dust covers found on my other AK variants It seems strong enough to get the job done   I’ve had the opportunity to spend time in various tropical jungles in Southeast Asia and I can attest to the fact that jungles are extremely hostile environment for firearms Petroleum-based lubricants tend to wash off in torrential never-ending rains and the extremely high daytime temperatures combined with cool humid nights cause virtually everything metal to rust Even aluminum tends to corrode in those environments their generous tolerances and lack of small precision parts make them well-suited for jungle operations Whereas other guns with more precise tolerances have a tendency to have parts “weld” together overnight due to rust powerful long-stroke piston and beefy extractor tend to minimize the welding effect to a large degree heavier .30 cal bullets tend to do better in terms of penetrating thick jungle vegetation   If you ever get a chance to shoot a magazine loaded up with tracers into thick vegetation at night you will quickly understand the advantage that the M-43 ball (123 grain) 7.62 x 39 has over the M-193 ball (56 grain) 5.56 x 45 round do it after a heavy rain so you don’t start a forest fire!] my T&E budget doesn’t include a trip to Thailand or the PI I not only fired 1000 rounds of ammo over a period of about three months I also left it out wet in the rain overnight while camping to see how well the finish held up to rust The weapon was 100% reliable using everything from TulAmmo Federal American Eagle and Winchester White Box to corrosive Yugo military surplus And the finish held up surprisingly well to the cold soggy Pacific Northwest weather   To further test the performance of the M10 I shot it side by side with what is perhaps the gold standard in factory AKMs: the Arsenal (aka: “Circle 10”) SLR-107F made in Kazanlak The particular Arsenal used for the test (shown on top with ergonomic features such as the Krebs safety Ultimak rail and a knurled charging handle knob from Tromix which make it a relatively expensive AK My conclusions from shooting these two rifles side by side are as follows: the M10 acquitted itself quite nicely against the vaunted Arsenal rifle Given the extreme price difference between these two the M+M provides a lot of value for the money Note:  The Aimpoint T-1 on the Arsenal SLR-107F crapped out midway through testing leaving me stuck using the mediocre AK iron sights Turns out the battery cap had loosened up causing the battery to lose contact this experience demonstrates how important it is to have co-witnessed iron sights to back up the electronic optic   the M10 gives the user two locations for mounting optics: a front mounting location for red-dots and a side rail for magnified optics I mounted a Leupold LPS 3.5010 x 40 scope on a K-Var side mount and proceeded to bang out some impressive 100 yard 3-shot groups using American Eagle 123 grain FMJ:  .80 in. One group started with the first two shots touching in almost the dead center of the bull choked and dropped the third shot 1.7 inches away from the first two I had some trouble holding a consistent zero with the K-Var mount I’m not sure if I had everything tightened down perfectly or not but I suspect these side mounts for AKs are just not as sturdy as a traditional scope mount when using large heavy optics I’m not going to put much more effort into troubleshooting the set-up because it is obvious that a 3.5-10 x 40 scope has no real practical applicability on this rifle I did prove that the M+M M10 has a lot of inherent built-in accuracy I would have never believed that I could shoot consistent 1.0 to 1.5 MOA groups with a stock AKM   The image above is a “typical” 3-inch group using iron sights at 50 yards These shots were made using the “rapid aimed fire” technique (one shot every 2 seconds or so) using the dead center between the two shown circles as the point of aim I shot 13 rounds in this particular string The six shots in the middle probably approximate what the rifle is capable of The other seven off-center shots likely reflect my own aiming errors I will never claim to be an expert marksman using the iron sites on an AKM and I think I’m getting worse with irons in general as my eyes (along with the rest of me) gets older I’m definitely ready to add this Kalash to my collection especially if you don’t want to lay out the extra bucks for an Arsenal The M+M M10-762 rifle for this review was provided by the Kentucky Gun Company and website in this browser for the next time I comment and insights to help you stay informed on the latest trends in gun culture Compelled by historical necessity and amidst the Russian Federation’s comprehensive territorial expansion campaign, Romania must (re)arm itself Tens of billions of Euro worth of contracts are up for grabs with the bidding list including some of the world's top arms manufacturers What is the place and role of the Romanian defense industry in this context and how do its products fare technologically compared to those of foreign origin We found some of the answers to these questions at the recent “Black Sea Defense & Aerospace” exhibition attended by manufacturers from all over the world Over a quarter of exhibition areas were taken up by manufacturers or products belonging to the Romanian defense industry this share does not mean Romania can rely on its defense industry to equip its army in line with the standards of its NATO allies In addition to domestically manufactured combat vehicles belonging to the land forces such as the TR-85M1 tank and the MLI-84M combat vehicle (both based on Soviet models and impossible to manufacture today – due to the technological obsolescence of manufacturers) a “special” kind of vehicle towered by the entrance to the main exhibition area It is the latest attempt of Moreni Automecanica Factory at manufacturing an armored amphibious carrier to equip Romania's land forces although it was presented as a new and original product from Moreni it is a revamped version of the Soviet BTR-80 carrier (manufactured under license at Automecanica) which lacks all the elements specific to a modern armored personnel carrier And to make the situation even more dramatic for the local manufacturer talking to company representatives at the fair I learned that the only component of SAUR that can be manufactured at Moreni is the armored casing (consisting of homogeneous armor plates welded together) The SAUR amphibious carrier @Victor Sămărtinean Inside the pavilion, bordered by traditional foreign manufacturers, such as F(abrique) N(ationale) Herstal or Heckler & Koch which brought together part of the subsidiaries of this state-owned company at exhibition level Cugir Mechanical Plant and Cugir Arms Factory) most of them designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the ʾ50s and a single item in terms of novelty - the CN-20 assault rifle the latter is intended to mark the entry of the Cugir Arms Factory into the race for the basic weapon of the future Romanian infantry The weapon uses standard-issue NATO caliber ammo (5.56×45mm) and allows ambidextrous use It carries over some small functional and aesthetic elements of the American AR platform but the operating system is identical to that of the AKM it seems the production of a barrel reliable enough for the level intended for such a weapon faces a number of shortcomings which is why the CN-20 is currently lagging behind Western competitors short-barrel version of the CN-20 @Victor Sămărtinean I found an entire wall “papered” with projectiles (or rounds to use the proper jargon) for grenade launchers made by Carfil Brașov and Uzina Mecanică Mija are Soviet models contracted for license manufacturing in communist Romania A cumulative round designed to be launched via a drone drew special attention on the exhibition stand It is the first adaptation of a contemporary war concept by a branch of the Romanian defense industry Drone-borne cumulative payload @Victor Sămărtinean as suitable to respond to the warfare challenges of the 21st century was accompanied by matching “dealers” A group of display cases by the exhibition area of Cugir which featured different types of grenades and warheads much to my bewilderment: the cases in question served as “pieces of furniture” on which various gentlemen and ladies were relishing their sandwiches their chatter and outbursts of laughter rising louder than the hustle and bustle of the fair Noticing my efforts to photograph the exhibits without including them in the frame one of the gentlemen leaning against the showcase asked me: “Interested in buying a couple of kilos of grenades?” next to a private company from Romania that develops a whole line of drones (from heavy ones I came across one of the exhibition areas of the Military Technical Academy in Bucharest It was displaying the “Ultra 60” drone of his own design and production The unmanned vehicle can boast a number of technical features not to be neglected a flight autonomy of about 10 hours and a range of about 100 kilometers The “Ultra 60” drone can fly up to 5,000 meters and carry 25-kilogram payloads Romania being expected to procure 32 such aircraft (Block 4 version) in the first phase with the possibility this number might increase to 48 The importance of a wide array of unmanned aerial vehicles on the contemporary battlefield was also reflected in the exhibits presented on the sidelines of the fair World-renowned manufacturers such as Elbit Systems Insitu and General Atomics exhibited their most successful drones most of which have been used successfully in combat in the Smârdan training center in Galați County The technical features and the affordable price of this vehicle make it one of the favorites in the race for the future battle tank of the land forces Lynx KF41 Infantry Fighting Vehicle @Victor Sămărtinean As it was easy to notice at the “Black Sea Defense & Aerospace” exhibition is undergoing a “creativity crisis” Romania’s defense sector endures and even thrives owing to contracts for the delivery of arms and ammunition to Ukraine The differences are so great between an outdated and morally obsolete industry and foreign competitors that any whining from Defense Ministry officials who claim that the Ministry prefers to buy foreign products to the detriment of domestic products can only further incriminate them for allowing such a situation to happen in the first place 14.5-mm heavy machine gun produced by Cugir Mechanical Plant @Victor Sămărtinean Facing a war on its borders caused by the resurgence of Russia's imperial appetite Romania cannot afford to abandon its national defense industry Specializing in certain categories of weaponry and buying foreign licenses might be an option part of the arsenal with which the Soviet Union wanted to defeat the “capitalist West” in the ʾ50s and ʾ60s is displayed in Romarm catalogues and is available for delivery Moldova needs a good relationship with Romania several presidential candidates have promoted a sovereignist and one of them was declared persona non grata in the Republic of Moldova simultaneously promote messages containing sovereignist and anti-EU themes The messages are also featured on “apolitical” pages publishing mundane or religious content Networks that promote the same messages were identified in a comprehensive online study Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's efforts to consolidate his power at home have led to both the erosion of his regime and the deterioration of Turkey's relations with its traditional partners Razboi si propaganda: O cronologie a conflictului ruso-ucrainean" /> Razboiul lui Putin cu lumea libera: Propaganda, dezinformare, fake news" /> Developed by Treeworks