Guns International #: 102366276
Seller's Inventory #: 898602

Category - AK-47 Rifles - Tactical Rifles

Category
AK-47 Rifles
Tactical Rifles

FEG M7-B

Description:
Guns Listing ID: 898602

A Brief History of FÉG and the Evolution of the AMD-65

The original AMD-65 was made in Budapest, Hungary by FÉG. From what I understand, FÉG is now defunct. The name most recently stood for Fegyver És Gépgyár, which, according to Wikipedia, translates into “Arms and Machine Factory,” although at one time it stood for other names, including Fegyver És Gazkaszulekgar (Arms and Gas Appliances Company.) Interesting combo, eh?

Prior to its demise, FÉG had been in business in various guises and ownership since the late 1800’s. It manufactured most, if not all, of the small arms for the Hungarian Defense Forces. The company went bankrupt in 2004, when, according to Wikipedia, “many of its traditional export markets were put under embargo.”

Students of history will recall that Hungary was a nominal ally of the Germans in WWII, and the country was the scene of vicious fighting in the early months of 1945. In fact, it was in Hungary that Hitler’s most elite division, SS-Liebstandarte, was finally reduced to shambles by the Soviets. Well, payback, as they say, is a bitch; the Soviets turned Hungary into a puppet state in 1945.

The Hungarian military came under the umbrella of the Warsaw Pact and as a result, adopted Soviet military doctrine and equipment. The USSR was more than happy to sell arms to all of its puppet states, but some of its new “friends,” Hungary included, were too proud to buy Russki imports. Hungary developed its own milled receiver AK-47 clone in the mid-50s. In 1963, FÉG developed the AKM-63, which was basically a stamped receiver (i.e. “AKM”) type weapon with some modifications. Two years later, in 1965, FÉG developed the AMD-65, which was intended to be a lighter, more compact version of the AKM- 63. It featured a short 12.5 inch barrel, a thin hollow wire stock, a vertical foregrip, and a muzzle-brake, all coming in at under 6 pounds.

The design criteria for the AMD-65 emphasized the following attributes:

Smaller, lighter, and easier to carry than the AKM-63
Same caliber, manual of arms, and operator interface as the AKM-63
useable by both officers and airborne troops
compensator for reduced muzzle climb
20 round magazine
tubular folding stock which allowed trigger operation when folded
As the “D” in the AMD name indicates, it was intended for use by paratrooper (“descent”) units, but various other branches of the Hungarian armed forces, such as mechanized infantry, armor, and support units, also took interest. This was consistent with 1950’s-era Soviet doctrine, whose TO&E called for issuing folding stock “AKS” rifle to their elite airborne forces and mechanized infantry.

In World War II, the Soviets equipped most of their elite forces, such as their Guards units, with as many short range, fully-automatic submachine guns (PSsh 41, PHs 43, lend lease Thompsons M1928s, etc) as they could get their hands on. In fact, soon after WWII ended, the Soviets transitioned from submachine-sized cartridges and full-power Mosin-Nagant (7.62 x 54R) cartridges in favor of the “one-size-fits-all” intermediate round that we all know and love: the M43 (7.62 x 39).

The Soviets knew that they would have numeric superiority in any battle, so their doctrine called for mechanized infantry to rapidly close with the enemy and engage in aggressive close-range combat after debarking from battle taxies such as the BTR-50P, BMP-1, BDM, and BTR 60. Rifles that fire 600-800 meters accurately were not considered v

SOLD

Manufacturer: FEG
Model: M7-B
Caliber Info: 7.62 X 39 MM
Condition: Used - Non-Certified
Barrels: 16 BARREL
Finish: CAMO