Kalashnikov rifle to be mass produced for sport

Moscow: A version of the famous Kalashnikov assault rifle will be mass-produced by Russian small-arms giant Izhmash for a sport called ‘airsoft game’ in which participants fire spherical non-metallic pellets from replica firearms. The Company plans to mass produce an airsoft version of the AK-74M Kalashnikov assault rifle for basic military training and fans of the strike ball. “The Yunker-5 gas-cylinder air gun is a product, with the design, weight and overall dimensions of the Kalashnikov assault rifle with a folded buttstock,” RIA Novosti quoted the company as saying in a statement. [caption id=“attachment_376695” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A Russian manufacturer is going to mass produce the deadly Kalashnikov rifle, but in the form of an air gun for sport[/caption] “The air gun is intended for training and sport shooting with 6-mm plastic balls powered by compressed gas in a cylinder. The air gun can also be used for strike ball,” it said. Tests of the airsoft version of the Kalashnikov AK-74M have been completed. The company hopes the new gun will appeal to the fans of strike-ball and members of Russia’s paramilitary youth organisation, the Voluntary Association for Assistance to Army, Air Force and Navy (DOSAAF). Air guns can be acquired without a license and are not subject to registration according to Russian legislation. PTI