AR-M1

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5.56 AR-M1
Returning fire (5198239646).jpg
An Afghan policeman with an AR-M1
TypeAssault Rifle
Place of originBulgaria
Service history
In service2000 - Present
Used bySee Users
WarsAfghanistan War
Iraq War
Russo-Georgian war
Syrian Civil War
Libyan Civil War
Yemeni Civil War (2015-present)
Production history
ManufacturerArsenal AD
Produced1998 - present
VariantsAR-SF, AR-M4SF, AR-M14SF, AR-M7SFT, AR-M2F, AR-M2T/AR-M2TB, AR-M52T/AR-M52TB, AR-M11F, AR-M8F, AR-M52FB, AR-M1F, AR-M7F, AR-M7T, AR-M75F, AR-M9, AR-M9F,[1]
Specifications
Mass(without magazine) 3.62 kg (7.98 lb)[2]
Length930 mm (36.6 in)[2]
Cartridge5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×39mm
ActionGas-operated reloading
Rate of fire600–700 rounds/min[3][4]
Muzzle velocity910 m/s (2,986 ft/s)[2]
Effective firing range600m[4]
Maximum firing range1,350 m[2]
Feed system30-round detachable box magazine[4]
Sights370 mm (14.6 in) sight radius[2]

The AR-M1, also known as AK-47M1, is a Bulgarian assault rifle designed primarily for export. It is a modernized Bulgarian derivative of the AKK, which itself is based on the Soviet AK-47 (specifically Type 3).[5] The AR-M1 can be chambered for both the 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×39mm cartridges.

History[edit]

During the 1950s, the Bulgarian People's Army was equipped primarily with AK-47s imported from the Soviet Union. However, by the early 1960s, the Bulgarian government became interested in producing the AK-47 domestically.[6] Assembly of AK-47s, initially from imported Soviet parts, began at the state arsenal in Kazanlak.[6] By the mid 1960s, the Kazanlak facility was equipped to begin licensed production of the weapon type and its associated parts. Kalashnikov rifles assembled and later manufactured in Kazanlak received the designation AKK. A derivative with a folding stock was also produced under license as the AKKS.[6]

After the dissolution of the People's Republic of Bulgaria in the early 1990s, the Kazanlak factory became a joint-stock company known as Arsenal AD.[6] Arsenal offered several modernized variants of the AKK for export, which were rebranded as the AR series.[6] The AR pattern rifles are basically AKKs with different furniture and a few unique features, such as polymer stocks and handguards, as well as several external parts copied directly from the AK-74 including new flash hiders, sights, gas blocks, bayonet mountings and bayonets.[6] Their receivers are milled, rather than stamped, unlike other modernized AK derivatives, and are virtually indistinguishable from those of the early Type 3 pattern Soviet AK.[6] A derivative of the AKKS is also offered for export as the ARF.[6]

Versions[edit]

The -F model features a folding stock.

  • AR-M1 / AR-M1F - improved AK-47 copy with an AK-74 front sight base, flash suppressor, black polymer stock set, luminous spots on the iron sights and a rail for mounting optics. Chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×39mm.
  • AR-M2 / AR-M2F - improved AK-47 copy like the AR-M1/AR-M1F, but with a shortened barrel, AKS-74U front sight base and muzzle booster/flash suppressor hybrid.
  • AR-M4SF - extremely short development of the AKSU with red dot sight, provision to mount a night vision or laser sight. Chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO[7] and 7.62×39mm.
  • AR-M7F - improved AK-47 copy like the AR-M1, but with an AK-101-style folding stock.
  • AR-M9 / AR-M9F - improved AK-47 copy like the AR-M1/AR-M1F, features a thumb-operable fire selector and a different style polymer stock set.[8]
  • AR / AR-F - improved AK-47 copies with black polymer lining and optional luminous sights.[3][9]

Users[edit]

An Indian CRPF QRT operator with an AR-M1F41 modified with Israeli FAB Defense accessories

Non-state actors[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Comparative Table for 7.62x39 mm ARSENAL Assault Rifles - Arsenal JSCo. - Bulgarian manufacturer of weapons and ammunition since 1878". www.arsenal-bg.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e "5.56x45 and 7.62x39 mm AR-M1 - Arsenal JSCo. - Bulgarian manufacturer of weapons and ammunition since 1878". www.arsenal-bg.com.
  3. ^ a b "7.62x39 mm AR - Arsenal JSCo. - Bulgarian manufacturer of weapons and ammunition since 1878".
  4. ^ a b c d Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (28 October 2006). Iraqi Security Forces: Weapons Provided by the US Department of Defense Using the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (PDF) (Report). SIGIR-06-033. pp. 8, 17.
  5. ^ "Assault Rifles - Arsenal JSCo. - Bulgarian manufacturer of weapons and ammunition since 1878".
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Brayley, Martin (June 1, 2013). Kalashnikov AK47 Series: The 7.62 x 39mm Assault Rifle in Detail. Marlborough: The Crowood Press. pp. 45–59. ISBN 978-1847974839.
  7. ^ a b "Police Small Arms Arsenals in the Northern Central American Triangle". Small Arms Defense Journal. Vol. 7, no. 5. 4 December 2015.
  8. ^ a b Jenzen-Jones, N.R.; McCollum, Ian (April 2017). Small Arms Survey (ed.). Web Trafficking: Analysing the Online Trade of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Libya (PDF). Working Paper No. 26. p. 53. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2017.
  9. ^ "7.62x39 mm AR-F - Arsenal JSCo. - Bulgarian manufacturer of weapons and ammunition since 1878".
  10. ^ https://www.flickr.com/photos/39955793@N07/7999918704/[better source needed]
  11. ^ https://www.flickr.com/photos/usarmyafrica/4324781393/[better source needed]
  12. ^ https://www.dw.com/en/egypt-gunmen-launch-deadly-attack-on-coptic-church/a-41968020[better source needed]
  13. ^ Jenzen-Jones, N.R. "UN small arms trade register". Archived from the original on 2018-09-15. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  14. ^ https://twitter.com/Commandounknown/status/1120946518545059841[better source needed]
  15. ^ https://batam.tribunnews.com/2018/02/16/inilah-tontaipur-kostrad-pasukan-elite-tni-ad-jago-kubur-diri-pakai-pelepah-daun-pepaya[better source needed]
  16. ^ http://indonesiaeliteforces.tripod.com/id13.html[better source needed]
  17. ^ Picture of an Iraqi soldier with an AR-M1[better source needed]
  18. ^ de Tessières, Savannah (April 2012). Enquête nationale sur les armes légères et de petit calibre en Côte d'Ivoire: les défis du contrôle des armes et de la lutte contre la violence armée avant la crise post-électorale (PDF) (Report). Special Report No. 14 (in French). UNDP, Commission Nationale de Lutte contre la Prolifération et la Circulation Illicite des Armes Légères et de Petit Calibre and Small Arms Survey. p. 97. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 18, 2012.
  19. ^ @africaken1 (30 Nov 2016). "Nigeria army soldier armed with a 7.62x39 mm Bulgarian ARSENAL Assault Rifles AR-M1 with fixed butt stock" (Tweet) – via Twitter.[self-published source]
  20. ^ alex [@africaken1] (18 April 2017). "Nigeria soldiers armed with 7.62x39 mm Bulgarian ARSENAL AR-M1 fixed Buttstock Assault Rifles t.co/RwAXzzrDoK" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2022 – via Twitter.[self-published source]
  21. ^ "Војска Србије | Званични веб-сајт Војске Србије". Archived from the original on 2016-03-25.
  22. ^ https://www.caasimada.net/ciidanka-danab-iyo-kuwii-gadoodsanaa-oo-shabaab-kala-wareegay-deegaano/[permanent dead link][better source needed]
  23. ^ https://www.hadalsame.com/2019/04/27/danab-teaches-us-loyalty-to-our-country/[better source needed]
  24. ^ a b c Jenzen-Jones, N.R. (31 January 2016). "Bulgarian AR-M9 & AR-M9F rifles supplied by UAE to allied forces". The Hoplite.
  25. ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/child-soldiers-middle-east-numbers-double-syria-yemen-iraq-libya-sudan-a7942291.html[better source needed]
  26. ^ https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/meet-child-soldiers-yemen-sent-battle-adults[better source needed]
  27. ^ "Page doesn't exist".
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