What small a rms ammo is being used by Ukraine?
- Thread starter Ed Smurf
- Start date
Almost exclusively 5.45x39 and some 5.56x45 in rifles. 7.62x54 in their squad weapons and some 12.7 x 108 in their heavy machine guns.
I think they are intentionally not using 7.62x39 for logistic reasons. I have see the Russians fielding a few Mosins in 7.62x54 but have not seen 1 SKS since the 2014 conflict.
Ukraine makes a version of the Tavor in 5.45x39 that uses AK74 mags. Since they aren’t NATO I would expect them to stick with this caliber as they have billions of rounds from the soviet era.
I think they are intentionally not using 7.62x39 for logistic reasons. I have see the Russians fielding a few Mosins in 7.62x54 but have not seen 1 SKS since the 2014 conflict.
Ukraine makes a version of the Tavor in 5.45x39 that uses AK74 mags. Since they aren’t NATO I would expect them to stick with this caliber as they have billions of rounds from the soviet era.
Ukraine is getting ready to ditch the AK-47
After USSR broke up, Ukraine and other former republics had a huge stash of Soviet small arms, including AK-47s.
Feb 1, 2022
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, former republics such as Ukraine inherited a huge stash of Red Army small arms and ammo, including AK-47s. In fact, there is quite the gun culture in Ukraine. Gunpolicy.org "estimates the number of guns in private (Ukrainian) hands range from 2.2 to 6.3 million.
As recently as 2006, Ukraine had the world’s sixth largest military firearm inventory. A force of 1,187,600 military personnel (including one million reservists) controlled an estimated seven million modern military small arms, for a ratio of 5.9 military small arm weapons per person and a estimated stockpile of military small arms ammunition of 9 billion rounds. Inherited as an ‘unsought burden’ by a former Soviet state with no current need for all of it, this vast Cold War arsenal offers a tempting source of hard currency to those who hold the keys, with no shortage of customers in regions of conflict.
While the Ukrainian military used the 7.62x39mm AK-47 extensively due to the overstock of the rifle, there has been recently a shift in thinking about what rifle they would need in the future.
By the 2010s, the Ukrainians knew they would have a strategic challenge from Russia and the need for a weapon that was similar to what NATO members used since Ukraine yearned to join the alliance.
So, they took design elements of the M16/M4 family of weapons and combined them with the stopping power of the 7.62 x 39 mm round from the AK family which they have extensive and massive stockpiles of ammo for.
WAC-47 rifle emerges
Cadets of the National Academy of the Ukrainian National Guard armed with rifles march during rehearsal for the Kyiv Independence Day Parade, August 12, 2021.
This resulted in the WAC-47 — initially adopted by the Ukrainian military in 2017 and ordered in greater numbers in 2018. It is chambered in the abundant 7.62x39mm and the WAC-47 could someday later appear with a 5.56 mm NATO round if Ukraine ever joins NATO.
The WAC-47 looks like a longer-barreled M4 (16 inches versus 14.5 inches on the M4). It has a rail system for sights. It is based on alloyed construction, a two-part receiver, and a similar assembly you would see on an M4. It has an adjustable buttstock that gives it that cloned M4 appearance. The controls are also similar to an M4.
One downside is that the WAC-47 may require more cleaning and maintenance compared to the rugged AK-47, which is comparatively impervious to dust and other grime.
Taking the popularity of the abundant, heavier and more powerful 7.62x39 mm round and combining it with the ease of the M4 is a good idea. The Ukrainian troops will be the ultimate judge, and the WAC-47 could be key to who controls the battlefield if the Russians decide to invade Ukraine.
After USSR broke up, Ukraine and other former republics had a huge stash of Soviet small arms, including AK-47s.
Feb 1, 2022
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, former republics such as Ukraine inherited a huge stash of Red Army small arms and ammo, including AK-47s. In fact, there is quite the gun culture in Ukraine. Gunpolicy.org "estimates the number of guns in private (Ukrainian) hands range from 2.2 to 6.3 million.
As recently as 2006, Ukraine had the world’s sixth largest military firearm inventory. A force of 1,187,600 military personnel (including one million reservists) controlled an estimated seven million modern military small arms, for a ratio of 5.9 military small arm weapons per person and a estimated stockpile of military small arms ammunition of 9 billion rounds. Inherited as an ‘unsought burden’ by a former Soviet state with no current need for all of it, this vast Cold War arsenal offers a tempting source of hard currency to those who hold the keys, with no shortage of customers in regions of conflict.
While the Ukrainian military used the 7.62x39mm AK-47 extensively due to the overstock of the rifle, there has been recently a shift in thinking about what rifle they would need in the future.
By the 2010s, the Ukrainians knew they would have a strategic challenge from Russia and the need for a weapon that was similar to what NATO members used since Ukraine yearned to join the alliance.
So, they took design elements of the M16/M4 family of weapons and combined them with the stopping power of the 7.62 x 39 mm round from the AK family which they have extensive and massive stockpiles of ammo for.
WAC-47 rifle emerges
Cadets of the National Academy of the Ukrainian National Guard armed with rifles march during rehearsal for the Kyiv Independence Day Parade, August 12, 2021.
This resulted in the WAC-47 — initially adopted by the Ukrainian military in 2017 and ordered in greater numbers in 2018. It is chambered in the abundant 7.62x39mm and the WAC-47 could someday later appear with a 5.56 mm NATO round if Ukraine ever joins NATO.
The WAC-47 looks like a longer-barreled M4 (16 inches versus 14.5 inches on the M4). It has a rail system for sights. It is based on alloyed construction, a two-part receiver, and a similar assembly you would see on an M4. It has an adjustable buttstock that gives it that cloned M4 appearance. The controls are also similar to an M4.
One downside is that the WAC-47 may require more cleaning and maintenance compared to the rugged AK-47, which is comparatively impervious to dust and other grime.
Taking the popularity of the abundant, heavier and more powerful 7.62x39 mm round and combining it with the ease of the M4 is a good idea. The Ukrainian troops will be the ultimate judge, and the WAC-47 could be key to who controls the battlefield if the Russians decide to invade Ukraine.
