AK Sponsor
Posted: 7/24/2006 8:22:28 PM EDT
|
A friend of mine who served in Afghanistan sent me these pictures. These are his unit's back up patrol weapons, extremely rare, almost sixty year old Kalashnikov rifles. He and his men used these weapons on patrol and used them under fire on several occasions. The first weapon is dated 1947, Type I Russian Underfolder, serial number 78 now approaching nearly sixty years in combat use among the most rugged terrain on the planet. The second is a Type II Russian Fixed Stock approaching nearly 55 years in use. They kept these AK's primarily because they knew not only the rarity of these items but also these weapons have proven themselves for over half a century in countless wars before them. My friend said his Type I never failed him during his tour as he kept it by his side always at the ready. Upon leaving, he passed it down to those whom replaced him, as others had done for now over a half century of combat. These two old soldiers, now approaching sixty years in age, Kalashnikov variants, performed their duties flawlessly as they have done for decades before. The outside of the weapons have been stripped of almost all their finish, having been dragged across sand, and rock through countless battles being passed from one generation to the next, without leave for sixty harsh years. The weapons may show their age, pocked with rust, dings, signs perhaps of the battles they endured- yet still they stand ready without end in their tiring duty for perhaps another half century of future unknown wars. These two old soldiers have seen combat long after those whom carried them into battle have come home, as now both weapons are approaching nearly sixty years of combat, true veterans that stand as a testament to their design. Rifles perhaps created in the hands of Kalashnikov himself, yet still carry on even as their creator sees the twilight of his years. Creeper     
|
| Hopefully JL chime's in on this thread since these are really his pics. He is an avid Ak collector, knew right away what these were when he found them, and decided to use them on patrol throughout his tour. The Stamped underfolder variant Type I, is dated 1947, serial number 78, perhaps assembled by Kalashnikov himself. |
I once heard a truism: That in any country, of the number of working toilets is inversly proportional to the number of automatic weapons that are there. Too bad, I like both. |
| How far does the front trunion go into the receiver on the underfolder? The rivets look to be way out of place compared to other AK's. And make sure those rifles end up in a museum and not the smelter because they are historical artifacts that need to be preserved. |
AK Sponsor