AMD 65

Infobox Weapon


caption=
name=AMD-65
type=Assault rifle
origin=flagicon|Hungary|civil People's Republic of Hungary
manufacturer=Fegyver- és Gépgyár [ [http://www.sunblest.net/gun/AMD65.htm Kalashnikov AMD-65 Machine Carbine.] Retrieved on August 25, 2008.]
is_ranged=yes
design_date=1965
service=1967-present
used_by=Users
wars=
caliber=
part_length=317 mm
cartridge=7.62x39mm
feed=30-round magazine
action=Gas-operated, rotating bolt
rate=750 rounds/min
velocity=
weight=3.21 kg
length=847 mm / 648 mm
variants=
number=
range=

AMD-65 (Hungarian: "Automata Módosított Deszant [fegyver] 1965"; Automatic Modified Descent [weapon] ) is a Hungarian-manufactured variant of the venerable AKM rifle for use by that nation's armored infantry and paratrooper ("descent") units. The rifle's design is suited for outdoor use as an infantry rifle but can also be used from within the confines of an armored vehicle as a fire support weapon. This is possible due to the side-folding stock of shaft design that makes it more compact. The barrel is also relatively short for the 7.62x39mm cartridge. The 12.6-inch barrel does not require the bulbous muzzle chamber of the AKS-74U but uses a specially designed muzzle brake, which attenuates both muzzle flash and sound.

The AMD-65, along with the earlier AKM-63, have been largely replaced in Hungarian military service by the AK-63, a more traditional AKM copy which was cheaper to build.

Features

Of note is the fact that no wood is used in the manufacture of a large numbers of AMD-65s. The front grip area is made of sheet metal and has a vertical foregrip attached to help in control of fully automatic fire from this short weapon. In addition, the vertical foregrip has been canted forward to lessen interference with magazine changes. There are, however, wooden grips that can serve in place of the gray plastic ones. These wooden grips are also authentic, but in the regular Hungarian army and air force use of wooden grips are extremely rare.

In Hungarian service, the weapon is mainly used with magazines which can hold 30 rounds (regular magazine) but a special variant (popularly known in the past as "officer's magazine") is also available, which can hold twenty rounds – an unusual feature in many other countries, who more often use the standard 30-round or 40-round magazines. The weapon uses a 20 round magazine because it can be locked into the receiver without interfering with the forward handgrip and it is easier to handle the weapon in tight quarters. The 30 round magazine does fit with some slight interference, but the 40 round magazine will not fit on an AMD-65 with a forward handgrip.

The short barrel length compiled with the short sight radius makes the weapon less accurate than its full length cousin but the increased mobility offsets it.

AMD/AKM-63

Another Hungarian AKM variant differs slightly in that it has a full-size buttstock and barrel, with the front sight in the standard location.

Users

*
*
*
*

Availability

The AMD-65 was exported to the United States and sold in kits following the destruction of the receiver, in order to be reassembled on a US-made receiver which lacks the mounting holes for the parts that would make it capable of Fully automatic firing. In its original military form the weapon isn't legal for civilians to own in the United States, but the addition of a barrel extension (Or a $200 USD fee to register it as a legal "Short-barreled rifle") and a certain number of US made parts to comply with 922r (Which regulates imported rifles with certain features the BATFE defines as not being suitable for sporting purposes) bring the rifle into compliance with current US firearms law. Some also choose to build AMD-65s without a buttstock, thus legally classifying the resulting firearm as a "pistol" and eliminating the need for a muzzle extension. But this route requires the removal of the forward grip unless the gun is registered as an AOW (any other weapon).

References

* [http://kalashnikov.guns.ru/models/ka212.html The AK site]
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0880296011 Small Arms of the World, 1983]
* [http://www.kalasnyikov.hu/index.php?page=cikkek&proba=1&story=64 True history of AMD-65 from the Hungarian AK site]