Commentary
Battle Rifles of World War Two: Overview
Today we are going to take a look at the three main battle rifles of World War Two – the M1 Garand, the SVT-40, and the Gewehr 43. We will also consider the SVT-38, Gewehr […]
Russia
Competition
2-Gun on the Elbe: SVT40 vs M1 Garand
Today I’m taking an SVT-40 to the monthly 2-Gun Action Challenge Match, and I’m joined by my friend Tom shooting an M1 Garand. We’re both using moderately accurate gear, and so naturally I have a […]
Semiauto Rifles
SVT-40: The Soviet Standard Semiauto from WW2
The Red Army was interested in developing a semiautomatic rifle clear back to the mid 1920s, and they spent about 15 years running trials and development programs to find one. First in 1930 a Degtyarev […]
Semiauto pistol
Overview of Soviet Military Handguns: Nagant, Tokarev, Makarov
Today we are looking at an overview of Soviet military service sidearms. This begins with the Model 1895 Nagant revolver, inherited from the Czarist Russian Army. The Nagant was adopted as the standard Red Army […]
Semiauto pistol
PMM: Russia’s Modernized Makarov (Now With 50% More Mag Capacity!)
Having served as the standard Soviet military sidearm for several decades, the PM Makarov was getting a bit obsolescent by the late 1980s. More of the world was using locked breech, 9x19mm service pistols but […]
Accessories
The Pointless (and Dangerous) “Spetznaz” Makarov Holster
Today we have a look at the EFA-2k Makarov holster that was “made for Spetznaz”. I am extremely skeptical that any Spetznaz operator ever actually deployed with one of these things, though. It’s a holster […]
Semiauto Rifles
VSS Vintorez: Russia’s Silent Sniper Rifle
The VSS (Special Sniper Rifle) Vintorez was one of two dedicated silenced rifles developed in Russia in the 1980s. The Vintorez was given a very good barrel and intended for precision shooting, while the AS […]
Semiauto pistol
Makarov: The Soviets Adopt Some Weird Proprietary Caliber
The Makarov, designed by Nikolay Makarov, was the Soviet Union’s new post-WW2 handgun. The whole Soviet small arms suite was changed in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and the Makarov was intended to address […]
Antiques
Finland Salvages a “Tragic Boating Accident”: Grafton Vetterli Rifles
During the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese government helped smuggle arms to potential revolutionaries in Russia, in hopes of provoking a domestic crisis that would divert Russia military force form the war. This included a plot […]
Heavy MGs
Russia’s Big Fifty on the Range: DShK-38
Yesterday we looked at the history and the mechanics of the Soviet heavy machine guns from World War Two, the DShK-38. Today, we are taking it out to the range!