Akmr

[Raellus]

I think that the game designers way back in '84 were not aware that the AK-74 was in production (or soon would be) anywhere else besides the Soviet Union. Liscence-built AKMs, however, were being produced throughout the Warsaw Pact and so must have seemed like they would be more numerous than the AK-74 for many years to come (at least until WWIII started in '95-'96).

I can't blame them for this assumption. I didn't know until very recently that AK-74 copies were being manufactured anywhere other than Poland (the Wz.88 Tantal). My Osprey Warsaw Pact Ground Forces (copyright 1987) makes no mention of 5.45mm AKs being used by any of the WP armies and all of the photos and color plates show troops carrying AKM clones (with the exception of the Czechs who carried their own look-alike 7.62mm S assault rifle).

It turns out that, in addition to the USSR and Poland, Romania, East Germany, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia (at the very least) were all manufacturing AK-74 clones by the late 1980s (RL). By '95, most, if not all, first-line WP units would have been equipped with 5.45mm AKs and production of 5.45mm ammo and additional rifles would have been in full swing. AKMs would have been mothballed and/or sold off to pro-Soviet client states around the globe. You would still be seeing them in WP use c. 2000, but they would be much less common than the AK-74 and its variants.

So, taking updated RW history into account, as well as the difficulties of reworking AK-47s and AKMs to fire the 5.45mm round AND the fact that the Russians have since gone the route of manufacturing new 7.62mm AKs (i.e. the AK103 series) instead of rechambering old AKs, it seems like the AKMR would never have been born. It was an imaginative attempt to give the WP some uniformity of ammunition and I commend the designers for their inventiveness. However, in light of these recent findings, I can't in good conscience keep the AKMR in my T2KU.

[Tegyrius]

To be clear, I'm really not trying to fault Team GDW for making an extrapolation based on best available research and current trends. I'm not that much of a hypocrite...

- C.

[HorseSoldier]

Agreement -- without having weapons and ammo to handle and look at and just knowing that both rounds were "x39" dimensionally the idea of the AKMR makes good sense, and wouldn't be out of step with a lot of stuff the Soviets really did to keep obsolete equipment updated and relevant as time went on. There are still lots of people out (judging by AK and SKS related posts on gun boards) who don't know 5.45x39 is more than just a necked down M43 7.62x39 round. (Not to mention the ones who want to rechamber replica StG-44s in 7.62x39, but that's a bit off topic.)

[waiting4something]

The AKMR is a terrible idea. Why would you go dicking around with calibers when the 7.62 and 5.45 are both plentiful? It would require more production of parts and time when it could be spent on better things. It's like rechambering a M14 for 5.56 because the M16 in more common now. I have always hated the AKMR idea and never given it a realistic look.

[Tegyrius]

Originally Posted by waiting4something

It's like rechambering a M14 for 5.56 because the M16 in more common now.

Hey, look, you just invented the Mini-14!

- C.

[waiting4something]

They are simular, but the Mini-14 is still a bit different. Mainly the Mini-14 is a cheaper built gun. It's accuracy is not on par with the M14, but yes I know what your saying man. I almost used the Mini-14 as a example, but felt the M16 was a better choice since that is what the Military uses.