Kalashnikovs of the Republic of Iraq
Excerpt from “AK-47 The Grim Reaper.”
By Frank Iannamico
Although Iraq manufactured its own variants of the Avtomat Kalashnikov rifle, AKs from every nation can be found in that country. Many Iraqi arms are named after ancient battles, and Iraqi AK variants are designated Tabuk, so named after the ancient Battle of Tabouk (also known as the Battle of Tabuk) that took place in October A.D. 630. The Iraqi government received a substantial amount of parts and technical assistance in setting up its AK production from Yugoslavia.
As a result, Iraqi-made AKs are nearly exact copies of Yugoslavian pattern AKs, including barrels that did not have their bores and chambers chromium-plated. The primary Iraqi arms factory was located east of Bi’r Musammad, Babil, Iraq, and the facility is now closed.
Assault Rifles
Iraq originally purchased a number of AK rifles from East Germany and Romania before starting manufacture of its own stamped-steel receiver 7.62x39 mm variant called the Tabuk; Iraq never produced a milled receiver AK rifle. The Tabuk bears a strong resemblance to the Yugoslavian M70B1 series with the heavy-duty RPK-type receiver and trunnion. Some Tabuks were fitted with integral flip-up sights on their gas blocks for launching rifle grenades. When the sight is raised, it automatically cuts off the barrel’s gas port, stopping the flow of gas to the piston. Tabuks with this feature were assembled with parts supplied by Yugoslavia. Like their Yugoslavian counterparts, the rear pistol grip is made of black plastic. The handguards are also constructed on the Yugoslavian pattern, having three cooling vents on each side instead of the normal two found on other AKs. The buttstock is attached by a single screw that extends through the center of the stock into the back of the receiver. Reportedly, East Germany also had a hand in assisting Iraq with establishing its AK rifle production.
In keeping with the Yugoslavian manufacturing methods, the 16.3-inch-long Tabuk barrels are not chrome-lined. Selector settings are marked in Arabic: The top reads aman for “safe; the center position Sali means “continuous” (full-automatic); and the lower position reads mufrad, meaning “single” (semi-automatic). The overall length of the rifle is 35.43 inches, and the loaded weight is 10 pounds, 2 ounces.
There is an under-folding stock Tabuk variant in 7.62x39 mm that is the same as the full-stock arm except for its overall length of 35.03 inches with the stock extended and 25.19 inches with the stock folded. Loaded weight is 9 pounds, 6 ounces.
According to an Iraq factory brochure the Tabuk is also offered in 5.56x45 mm NATO. The published cyclic rate is 580 to 660 rounds per minute. Loaded weight is 9 pounds, 8 ounces for the fixed-stock model and 9 pounds, 4 ounces for the folding stock variant. Magazine capacity is listed as 30 rounds.
A compact Tabuk assault rifle was also made in Iraq. It has a Soviet-pattern under-folding metal buttstock and a short, 12.6-inch barrel fitted with a unique muzzle brake. The handguards are wood with two cooling vents. The gas block and front sight tower are one part. The rifle is available with a special 20-round magazine or a standard 30-round capacity steel magazine. The overall length is 31.5 inches with the stock extended; the folded length is 21.85 inches. Loaded weight with a 30-round magazine is 8 pounds, 15 ounces.
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