The Russian maker of the AK-47 just unveiled a new AK-308 rifle with a large 7.62mm NATO round
August 20, 2018
Daniel Brown
- The Russian gun maker of the AK-47 unveiled a brand new rifle on Monday called the AK-308.
- The AK-308 weighs about 9.5 pounds with an empty 20-round magazine, and has a dioptric sight and foldable stock.
- It's unclear if the Russian military will eventually adopt the new AK-308.
The Russian gun maker of the AK-47 unveiled a brand new rifle on Monday called the AK-308, which it will demonstrate at the Army-2018 Forum on Tuesday.
"The weapon is based on the AK103 submachine gun for the cartridge 7.62x51 mm with elements and components of the AK-12 automatic machine," Kalashnikov Concern said in a press statement on Monday.
"At the moment, preparations are under way for preliminary testing of weapons," Kalashnikov added.
The AK-308 weighs about 9.5 pounds with an empty 20-round magazine, Kalashnikov said. The gun also has a dioptric sight and foldable stock.
At this point, it's unclear if the Russian military will field the new AK-308, but it certainly seems like a possibility.
In January, the Russian military announced it would replace its standard issue AK-74M rifles with AK-12 and AK-15 rifles.
The AK-74M fires a 5.45x39mm round, has a 30-round magazine and weighs about 8.6 pounds when fully loaded.
On the other hand, the AK-12 shoots a 5.45x39mm caliber round, and the AK-15 shoots a 7.62x39mm round, according to Kalashnikov. Each of those two weapons with an empty 30-round magazine weigh about 7.7 pounds.
