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AMD-65
AMD-65
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	Hungary
Service history
In service	1967–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Vietnam War; Rhodesian Bush War; Angolan Civil War; South African Border War; Somali Civil War; War in Afghanistan; Iraq War; Lebanese Civil War; Croatian War; Second Sudanese Civil War; Russo-Georgian War; Militias-Comando Vermelho conflict; Libyan Civil War; Syrian Civil War; Israel-Hamas War;
Production history
Designed	1965
Manufacturer	Fegyver- és Gépgyár
Produced	1965–1980
Specifications
Mass	3.2 kg (7.1 lbs) empty; 3.8 kg (8. lb)
Length	847 mm (34.4 in) stock extended/ 648 mm (27 in) stock folded
Barrel length	317 mm (12.5 in)
Cartridge	7.62×39mm
Action	Gas-operated
Rate of fire	650 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	731 m/s (2,398 ft/s)
Feed system	20-round detachable box magazine 30-round detachable box magazine Also compatible with 40-round box magazines and 75-round drum magazines from the RPK
Sights	Iron sights

The AMD-65 (Hungarian: Automata Módosított Deszantfegyver 1965; Automatic Modified Paratrooper Weapon 1965) is a Hungarian-manufactured licensed variant of the selective fire AKM rifle for use by the armored infantry and paratrooper ("descent") units within the Hungarian Defence Forces. The operating mechanism does not require a gas expansion chamber at the muzzle, as in the AKS-74U to ensure reliable functioning, but does use a specially designed muzzle brake.

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 with a lower manufacturing cost.

Features

Compared to the birch plywood laminates that are used on the AKM's buttstock, lower and upper handguard, no wood is used in the manufacture of the AMD-65. The front handguard area is made of perforated sheet metal and typically has a gray plastic vertical foregrip attached to assist in controlling fully automatic fire from this short weapon. In addition, the vertical foregrip has been canted forward to lessen interference with magazine changes. The vertical foregrip is physically identical to the rear grip, with the former mounted backwards with respect to the rear. Hungarian manufactured t-nuts used to attach both the forward and rear grips feature a slot cut into the top of the nut, this slot allows the rifle cleaning rod to be inserted through the handguard when the t-nut is used too attach a forward grip.

In Hungarian service, the weapon is mainly used with magazines which can hold 30 rounds (standard magazine) but a special variant is also available, which can only hold 20 rounds. The 30-round magazine does fit with some slight interference and it can be also fitted with the 40-round magazine.

AKM-63

Another Hungarian AKM variant was used as Hungary's standard service rifle before being replaced by the AK-63. It is a standard-length AKM variant, with a standard buttstock and full-length barrel. The front sight is in the standard location. However, the front and rear pistol grips and sheet metal handguard are similar to those of the AMD-65.

Modernisation - AMD-65M

During the late 2000s, a modernization program started for the AK-63.

The modernisation included Picatinny rails, new handgrips, underbarrel grenade launcher, new sights, and flashlights.

CAA CBS+ACP telescopic stock
Brügger & Thomet BT-21428 gas block
Side mount (unknown type)
Heckler & Koch M320 Grenade Launcher Module
Aimpoint CompM2 sight (B&T BT-21741 QD ring 30 mm ultrahigh heavy type)
Aimpont 3×Mag sight (B&T BT-211115 Flip-side QD base mount, B&T BT-211113 Flip-side QD ring)
Insight Technology AN/PEQ-2 Target Pointer/Illuminator/Aiming Light (TPIAL) laser sight
CAA BP Grip with bipod
CAA AG47 handgrip

Users

Afghanistan: Used by the Afghan National Police.^[6]
Georgia: 1186 rifles were delivered in 2008^[7]
Hungary^[8]
Libya^[9]
Morocco: Used by Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie.^[10]
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)^[11]
Slovenia^[12]
Sudan^[2]
South Sudan: Sudan People's Liberation Army^[2]
Syria^[13]
Tanzania^[14]
United States: Used by American special forces such as the Army Green Berets in Vietnam and Afghanistan.^[8]
Vietnam: Used during Vietnam War.^[1]

Availability in the United States

Many AMD-65s were exported to the United States and sold in kit form following the destruction of the receiver, which legally rendered the weapon to the status of a non-firearm. In order to be legally reassembled, the parts must be rebuilt on a US-made receiver which lacks the provisions for certain parts which would make it capable of automatic fire. In its original short-barreled form the completed weapon is regulated as a "short-barreled rifle" (SBR) under the National Firearms Act in the United States. The addition of a permanently attached barrel extension of the correct length will render the firearm legal for general use, subject to additional stipulations. These include a certain number of US-made parts in the finished rifle. This count is required in order to comply with U.S.C. 922 (r); a statute which regulates imported rifles with certain features that the BATFE defines as not being suitable for sporting purposes. Some individuals choose to build AMD-65s without a buttstock, thus legally classifying the resulting new firearm as a "pistol" and eliminating the need for a muzzle extension (as well as the parts for 922r compliance). However, this route requires the removal of the forward grip, unless the gun is registered under the NFA as an "AOW" (any other weapon) or has an overall length greater than 26 inches (660 mm).

In summary, the semi-automatic version of the AMD-65, when re-manufactured as detailed above, is now legal for civilian use in most states.

Gallery

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Cory J. Becker, of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, shows Afghan National Police recruits different firing positions using an AMD-65 assault rifle on Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan, June 3, 2008.
Afghan National Police women qualify on the AMD-65 rifle during the tactical training program portion of the police basic training course at Kabul Military Training Center, April 13, 2010.
A group of Afghan National Police (ANP) train on the shooting range with the AMD-65 at Camp Shouz in Herat Province of Afghanistan.
An Afghan National Police officer training with shooting using an AMD-65, in July 2010.
Select fire AMD-65
Modernized Custom Built AMD-65

References

^ ^a ^b Shawn (22 November 2019). "AMD-65 In The Vietnam War". Loose Rounds. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Sudan - Global trade, local impact: Arms Transfers to all Sides in the Civil War in Sudan" (PDF). Human Rights Watch Report. 10 (4): 25. August 1998.
^ Mantoux, Stéphane (December 2012). "Jours de tonnerre : L'Armée russe au combat en Ossétie du Sud et en Géorgie" [Days of thunder: The Russian Army in combat in South Ossetia and Georgia]. Batailles et Blindés (in French). No. 52. Caraktère. pp. 68–82. ISSN 1765-0828.
^ "Another look at Brazil's crime weapons".
^ Kalashnikov AMD-65 Machine Carbine. Archived August 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on August 25, 2008.
^ Ellison, Graham; Pino, Nathan (2012). Globalization, Police Reform and Development: Doing it the Western Way?. London: Palgrave-Macmillan. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-0230581029.
^ О военной помощи Грузии со стороны иностранных государств // "Зарубежное военное обозрение", № 6 (735), 2008. стр.94-95
^ ^a ^b Charles Q. Cutshaw (2006). Tactical Small Arms Of The 21st Century: A Complete Guide to Small Arms From Around the World. Krause Publications. p. 207. ISBN 087349914X.
^ "World Infantry Weapons: Libya". Archived from the original on 5 October 2016.
^ "Forces Armées Royales القوات المسلحة الملكية". facebook.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
^ Katz, Sam; Russell, Lee E (25 Jul 1985). Armies in Lebanon 1982–84. Men-at-Arms 165. Osprey Publishing. pp. 30, 44. ISBN 9780850456028.
^ Jane's Defence Weekly, Volume 16. Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd, 1991, Collected Issues 1990-91. pp. 48–49.
^ "Syrian War Trophies of the Russian Armed Forces". Silah Report. 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-11-24. Retrieved 2017-07-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)