Weird Guns Used in the Russo-Ukrainian War
Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog
https://www.battleswarmblog.com/?p=54559“AK Guy” Brandon just dropped the fourth installment of his “Weird Guns Being Used in Ukraine Right Now” on YouTube, showing some of the funky, modified, and just plain ancient weapons be used in active combat there. The first installment is age limited and non-embeddable, but the other three are below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYMgYpavdB4Highlights:
• Both sides are using he original Maxim belt-fed machine guns, a World War I mainstay “patented in 1883. Timeline-wise this weapon was designed closer to the beginning of the American revolution in 1776 than it was to the current Ukrainian conflict.”
• PKM machine guns taken off armored vehicles and converted for individual use. Which is more difficult than it sounds, since the firing mechanism is triggered by an electric solenoid.
“They had to rig up an entirely new firing system to rig up to these things, and quickly, and frankly I’m impressed. Ghetto gunsmith to ghetto gunsmith, crisp internet high five.”
• Chechen soldiers (assuming there are any of them still around) are better equipped than Russian soldiers.
• “You’re seeing all sorts of modern munitions, anti-armor stuff, aircraft drones. But then in the exact same confrontation, you’re also having guys that are carrying around weapons that are so old that their great grandfathers could have easily carried in the Great War to end all wars. And while the reality of war is obviously very tragic, the significance of some of the stuff being used in the field is extremely interesting.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJoAam1m9cE&t=1sHighlights:
• “Modified mortar RPG rounds…in guerrilla warfare, it’s always useful to have a couple of rednecks around.”
• That ridiculous “six antipersonnel grenades attached to an RPG” thing.
• “Some poor Ivan got handed a squirrel killer (a Chinese QB-57 single shot air rifle) and was thrown into the middle of 21st century combat with drones and tanks and was told good luck, have fun. It’s no wonder a lot of young Russian men are leaving the country rather than being conscripted…nothing says the government cares about your well-being quite like being tossed into bleep combat with a Red Ryder from A Christmas Story.”
• Russia is also using World War II era DPM or DP-28 Degtyarev machine guns. “It’s basically like a PKM, if a PKM wasn’t belt fed and was instead fed by a pizza dish. It’s the closest thing to a full dinner plate most Soviets ever got to see.”
• Other World War II era machine guns seeing combat: MP40s, Sturmgewehr (STG) 44s and MG 42s.
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