Tag: ammunition

West African arms trafficker arrested in Ghana

Oscar Nkala Police in the Ghanaian city of Kumasi last month arrested a 72-year-old suspected arms dealer from Burkina Faso and five Ghanaian accomplices in an operation that recovered a sizeable cache of small arms and ammunition. The seizure included 11 AK type and 10 G3 type self-loading rifles; 45 self-loading handguns of undefined make

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ARES Research Note 7: Cartridge Headspace

Armament Research Services has released its latest Research Note, authored by ARES Technical Specialist Jonathan Ferguson. Research Note 7 gives an overview of the concept of cartridge headspace (CHS), and its importance in the correct functioning of a firearm. ARES Research Notes are short form publications, designed to provide brief, accurate information on a single

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Small Arms Survey releases ‘Research Note 48: Automatic Grenade Launchers’

The Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based research institute, has released a new publication authored by ARES Director N.R. Jenzen-Jones, with contributions from ARES staff members Jonathan Ferguson and Graeme Rice. Research Note 48: Automatic Grenade Launchers looks at the technical features, development history, and usage of this light weapon system. The automatic grenade launcher (AGL), which

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Arms diversion: a Caracal Model F pistol in Libya

Hassan Morajea with Michael Smallwood Pictures supplied to ARES show a Caracal F semi-automatic  pistol, produced by Caracal, a United Arab Emirates-based firearms manufacturer. This particular Model F is the personal protection weapon of an owner of a gold jewellery store in Tripoli’s Old City, in Libya. The owner, ‘U‘, says he purchased the pistol a few months

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44 Bore – 7.62 x 39 mm AK rifles modified to fire 7.92 x 33 Kurz ammunition

Ian McCollum The rifle above is a curious example of weapons coming full-circle and being reinvented. This is the “44 Bore” rifle, a colloquial name given to AK type rifles rechambered for the German 7.92 x 33 mm Kurz (sometimes referred to as 8 x 33 mm) cartridge in Pakistan. How this cartridge came to be

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Small Arms Survey Research Note 43: Producers of Small Arms, Light Weapons, & Ammunition

The Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based research institute, have released their latest Research Note, authored by ARES Director N.R. Jenzen-Jones. Examining the producers of small arms and light weapons and ammunition worldwide, this brief information sheet identifies 30 states which comprise some of the world’s major manufacturers. The note also identifies various countries producing guided

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Small-calibre Ammunition in Syria: a Small Arms Survey report

ARES Director, N.R. Jenzen-Jones, has authored a report examining small-calibre ammunition documented in Syria, released yesterday by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey. From the Survey press release: The Working Paper Following The Headstamp Trail: An Assessment of Small-calibre Ammunition Documented in Syria analyzes 70 different small-calibre cartridge headstamps (ammunition identification markings) documented in Syria. The assessment is

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Armour-piercing shotgun projectiles fired during protests in Ukraine

N.R. Jenzen-Jones with Alexander Diehl Over the past few days, various journalists, aid workers, and others have documented the presence of brass shotgun slugs in the streets of Kiev. One eyewitness ARES spoke with describes one such projectile having been fired into a crowd he was standing with. Two images depicting the fired projectiles (see

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SAR 80 rifles and 5.56 x 45 ammunition in the Central African Republic

By N.R. Jenzen-Jones In the photo above, anti-Balaka militia forces near Bouar in the Central African Republic (CAR) can be seen posing with some of their weapons. The fighter at the far right is holding  what is likely a Chinese Type 56 assault rifle, whilst his compatriot in yellow is holding a Singaporean SAR 80

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ARES launches The Hoplite blog

Armament Research Services (ARES), a specialist consultancy offering technical expertise to a range of organisations in the arms and munitions field, have launched their company blog. The Hoplite supports ARES’ goal to offer unique technical support to other actors operating in the sector. The blog will draw on the broad-ranging skillsets of our staff, contractors, and selected

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