Hungarian AMD-65 News Article

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dsmith8504

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I dunno if I'm the only person that hasn't seen this yet, but apparently the Afghan police are fed up with their AMD-65s donated by Hungary because of inaccuracy (even though they can't shoot for <deleted> anyways.) I bet most Americans are happy with theirs, but not good enough for Afghan police. Seems to me that they're treating us like Mr. Moneybags...kinda like an out of work cousin hitting you up for gas money. I bet this AP writer never saw youtube videos of nailing targets at 300 yards away.

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010...-in-arming-the-afghans-and-its-repercussions/
 
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If they don't like the AMD-65s tell them to buy their own weapons.

Better yet, we say "okay" and let all our guys hand them their M-4s as they leave for a plane home.
 
Written by somebody unfamiliar with firearms who took whatever he was told as gospel. The AMD-65 has a 12" not 15" barrel. The 7.62x39mm round loses a mere 100-150fps from the missing 4" of barrel. The AMD-65 is basic AK. Other than the handguards, stock and gas piston its parts are completely interghangable with any other ComBloc AK. ALL AK handguards get hot, just part of the design. I have had my AMD-65 smoking without the hadnguards being too hot to touch. They are ventilated and have a generous amount of space around the barrel. IME the shorter barrel of the AMD allows less "barrel whip" and provides better accuracy than 16" barrel rifles. How can you blame the Hungarian made AMD-65 for the short comings of the locally produced 7.62x39 junk ammo and piss poor shooting skills of the ANP.
 
This article is absurd. But, what do you expect from a NY Times blog.

First, we have been providing Afghans with weapons for atleast three decades, not one.

Secondly, the sheet metal handguard? It has a forward pistol grip. After firing several magazine it gets hot? Derrrr.... I was at the range yesterday and a .45 acp case ejected into my shirt and it was hot! I guess I should get a new pistol.

Third, if they are having problems with accuracy, I would be interested to know the average distance of their 'firefights.' 200 yards seems like a stretch; the gun can hit a man sized target pretty easily at 100 yards.



*I am a civilian.I do not mean to make lite of the situation over there. But, I believe the AMD-65 is based off a proven weapon design.
 
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Ya know we could sure put a lot more people to work in our own country if we weren't providing them guns and ammo. I say let them buy their own <deleted> and give us ours back!
 
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Interesting article. It is pretty difficult to fault them for not really liking the AMD-65. The flaws they're complaining of are certainly real. (Though the barrel length and accuracy issues really takes a back seat to the lack of a real stock and the poor foregrip/handguard arrangement.)

When you aren't very well trained or proficient with weapons, having poor weapons really doesn't make the problem any better.

But I was much more surprised to find that they are unhappy with the VZ-58. I'm going to guess their big gripe is the lack of mag compatability with the AKs that are so much more prevalent, but from a quality perspective, I wouldn't have put the VZ-58 and AMD65 into the same complaint letter, myself.
 
I find the amd65 to be an awesome CQB weapon. I like the stock, I like the fore grip. 100yds accuracy is about the same as the average AK, which is good.
I built one from a parts kit back when they were cheap. Mine has the original 12" barrel. I enjoy shooting it very much and like the configuration a lot. I would think that for urban policing in a war zone, they would be just about perfect.
DSC01620.jpg
 
I do remember reading a few articles from reporters and even the guys sent to get the Afghan police in shape that leads me to believe it's not the gun's fault at all.

Apparently, shooting for these guys:
started later because their weapons did not have a round chambered or they forgot the location of the safety.
tended to shoot everything but the target because they had the stock under their arms, over their shoulder, still folded, etc.
rarely used the sights, which were even more rarely adjusted properly.

This isn't even including the way that, after the trainer in one article managed to stress the importance of the sights enough, the Afghanis would shoulder the weapon, line up the sights--then lift their head and fire away.

So, yeah, maybe the AMD65's do suck. I know those stocks aren't great for anyone unfamiliar. But when people complain, it's a good idea to check their capabilities before writing it up to the hardware.
 
I think often their concerns over the rifle have less to do with the actual effectiveness of the rifle and more to do with the ANP feeling they're not getting "the best" gear. There's a certain amount of status rivalry going on here...and the ANP probably feels it's getting given second hand gear and instead wants the "front line" gear of the ANA regardless of whether or not the rifle is inferior in some way.

As others have mentioned, any shortcomings of the rifle are minimal compared to the shortfalls in the ANP's accuracy in the use of the rifle. I've always found the "shotcomings" of the AMD-65 are easy to train for and adapt around (which I generally have to do with any new rifle...ie get used to the small quirks between different designs).
 
if they refuse to use them correctly then how will they hiy anything
Click to expand...
For some muslim soldiers rifle fire is directed "inshallah" (if god wills it, he will direct the bullets to their intended recipients) and taking deliberate aim at a man (especially another muslim) may be an unrighteous act. (Another reason indescriminate killers like bombs are favored.) I'm still looking for one of the references where I've read of this, but IIRC, this is taught by some imams. Whether this is prevalent among members of the ANP, I don't know.

These complaints would seem to fly in the face of those concerns, except for the hot sheetmetal forarm bit. But I would bet AethelstanAegen's surmises on the matter hit a lot closer to home than any really practical accuracy shortcomings.
 
Would you be happy with one of these? I built a Romanian AK from a parts kit 10 years ago and even then I was eyeballing them. Not a whole bunch of bad about AMDs that can't be converted one way or the other. Would you rather be happy with a TGI build or a Classic Arms converted saiga? I like the construction of the AMD but I've been on the fence for a while.
 
Something to remember here guys, 39,000 of these AMD's were donated. Hungary isn't in the business of giving away guns. I bet these weren't up to their own standards and it was cheaper to let the Afgans have them then melt them down and start over (speaking figuratively in regards to "melting down" of course).

We've all seen videos and read reports of AMD-65's performing just as well as any other AK. We haven't seen what a free AMD-65 can do however.
 
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