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Polish Air Trooper’s kbk-AKMS and Russian AKM

INTEREST IN BORDER WAR collectables has grown considerably in recent years. This is true not only of weapons used by the South African Forces – many collectors focus on weapons from the former Soviet Union and her allies.

Recently a batch of Russian-made AKMs and Polish AKMSs became available locally. Magnum had the opportunity to handle these two models and by the time you read this, the shipment should be available at retailers.

In the early 1950s, developments for upgrading the AK47 rifle began, and in 1959, the AKM (Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovannyi) was introduced to the Russian Army. The modernising of the AK47 was also a result of improved manufacturing methods which lowered production costs.

The AKM had a newly-produced receiver that was lighter, and a cross-pin barrel assembly. The AKM differs from the AK47 in that the stamped receiver has two dimples above the magazine on each side, which guide the 30- and 50-round banana-shaped magazines and the 75-round drum magazines. This became the