“Tag: soviet”

One of the hardest working rifles in history, the Mosin-Nagant is like a lot of Russian firearms: somewhat crude in design, but very well made—and very dependable.

The World War II-era PPSh-41 was a symbol of Russian resistance to the Nazi invasion. It's an iconic firearm, well steeped in history—and also a select-fire submachine-gun capable of full-automatic fire. That makes it a Class III firearm, so examples are subject to legal restrictions on sale, ownership and transport—not to mention quite expensive.

Read more for explanations as to why we are seeing more and more contemporary AR-style rifles chambered for the Soviet M43 cartridge.

The SKS-45 rifle will never win any beauty contests, nor will it be the basis for a fine sporting rifle. But it represents a seminal moment in firearms design whereby function leads form.

Learning about the guns our troops are encountering in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After the Great War, Soviet Russia sought to upgrade its military capability—especially when it came to sniping rifles. The result was the scope-sighted, bolt-action Mosin-Nagant, used with deadly effect against the Nazis on the Eastern Front.

It’s one of the most common military-surplus pistols seen on the market, but behind the Tokarev is a rich, fascinating history that stretches back to the early decades of the Soviet Union.

Of the two prime combatants of the Cold War, the Soviet Union and United States, each armed their infantry troops with two unique but similar cartridges. Here's how they compared to each other.

Throughout the Korean War, Communist North Korean and Chinese forces used a variety of small arms from different sources to arm their soldiers. Here we explore some of these Communist-used firearms.