Double Sweetie
The DShK is nicknamed the Dushka, or “Sweetie” in Russian. I won’t lie, seeing this double custom mount really makes me want to locate another DShK just to have this setup. Maybe for Christmas I’ll open up a DShK….again.
Cost in lives… A member of Russia’s Alpha Group, carries a child to safety during the 2004 Beslan Hostage Crisis. In spite having the elite Alpha Group and Vympel present, the incident at Beslan was costly, with 334 hostages killed, of which 156 were children. Both special forces units lost an estimated 10 to 15 operators combined, though no official number was released.
After an all day and all nighter of homework…I literally want to kick someone in the head right now. -__-
PP-19 Bizon Russian police officer with the PP-19 Bizon. Note the KOBRA red dot sight and PBS-1 silencer. It is fed with a cylindrical drum magazine, providing above average capacity for a sub-machine gun. The U.S made Calico uses a similar magazine system.
Inspection Dmitry Medvedev looking over a bakelite magazine. Note the PBS-1 silencer on the rifle. Not sure if this was when he was President or as Prime Minister.
SVT-40 The failed attempt to replace the Mosin Nagant 91/30. Not saying it was a bad design; the rifle was actually used effectively by German and Finnish forces when examples would be captured. Note that this one has the original SVT stock. Sometimes you’ll find these rifles with the AVT-40 stock, which has an extra notch on the side of the stock just above the trigger.
RPD The Russian light machine gun chambered in 7.62x39mm that later got replaced by the RPK. They say happiness is a belt-fed weapon. I already have a belt-fed gun but I suppose another one means more happiness. Been mulling over the idea of buying one of these for a while.
Captured… Two smiling Soviet soldiers pose for a photograph. The daggers on their belts are captured SS daggers, either from a surrendering officer, left-behind loot or pillaged from a dead body.
Mags… So I called my friend (not the same one who sold me the DShK) if his RPK-74M has any magazines with it. He said he only has one mag. This means if I do buy the rifle I have to stock up on some mags, preferably the Molot 45-rounders in plum or black. Not exactly the cheapest mag option since they run $250 to $350 each…
Cadets
Russian police female cadets march during the nation’s Victory Day military parade on Dvortsovaya Square in St. Petersburg. Some 20,000 soldiers and Russia’s most advanced missiles rumbled across Red Square in a parade marking victory in World War II and reinforcing the country’s belief in its Soviet-era might.
(I suppose being arrested by a beautiful Russian police officer helps soften the blow of the prospect of having to serve time in a Russian prison…)
RPK-74M Side-folding polymer stocked RPK chambered in 5.45x39mm. I mentioned in a previous post that a good friend of mine is willing to sell me his 74M if I meet the deadline of Feb 14th so he can get his girlfriend an engagement ring. He doesn’t know it yet but I already have the cash in hand but I’m debating it all. Most of the cash is supposed to pay of my credit cards. (Not my friend’s rifle…I don’t think he has any of the 45 round Molot mags. I should ask.)
The Russian… There is one gun that is impeding my AR-15 build. I mentioned a few posts ago that my preferred “wasteland” gun(s) would be an RPK-74 and AK-74. A friend of mine is willing to sell me his 74M (not the one pictured but you get the idea) if I can get the money before February 14th. He wants to buy his girlfriend an engagement ring for Valentine’s Day. This will be an interesting deadline to work with but seems worthwhile.
Training Day… Members of Russia’s Spetsnaz engage in a training exercise. They’re riding atop what some have called the Russian equivalent (or answer) to the U.S HMMWV (Humvee). The GAZ 2975 “Tiger” seems to have different layouts depending on what its being used for.
Graduation Day? A group of Russian Air Force pilots formed as a what I guess would be a MiG. Kind of random, but thought it was neat.
Прощай Афган A Soviet soldier leaves a simple message; “Goodbye Afghan”. That war has often been described as the “Soviet’s Vietnam”, where a larger more technologically superior military got muddled down with guerrilla warfare and mounting anti-war sentiments back home. Afghanistan’s nickname as the “Graveyard of Empires” is well earned.
