The MPi-KM is a East German license-manufactured version of the Soviet AKM assault rifle.
History[]
After the German reunification, all variants of the MPi were removed from service, with most rifles being sold as surplus to the militaries of such countries as Finland and Turkey.
Design details[]
Early versions of the rifles had wooden furniture, but later models have distinctive stippled brown buttstocks and pistol grips. The MPi-KMS (also called MPi-KM72) also has a side folding single strut "coat hanger" stock, a feature which is shared with the later Romanian rifles, and was never issued with a beach wood handguard. The handguards also differ. On early production weapons (from before ~1980-1981), a beech wood lower handguard was used due to them not being able to construct a plastic handguard that wouldn't melt at the time.
From 1981 on, it was a bakelite lower handguard and a slanted muzzle brake. It should also be noted that rifles from 1965-1966 have been observed with laminate wood stocks that do not feature a trap door for a cleaning kit, unlike other AKM clones. The MPi-KM also has subtle differences such as a blued finish, different selector markings, and most noticeable, smaller sling loops to accommodate a proprietary 1-inch-wide nylon or canvas sling. This feature was removed from the AK-74 clone made in East Germany.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- The designation "MPi-KM72" is used colloquially by collectors, but in reality only referred to the folding stock variant.
- The "bakelite" handguards aren't true bakelite, but rather paper impregnated resin. Despite this it is still often called that by collectors.
- MPi-KMs in NVA issue rarely had slanted muzzle brakes and bakelite handguards, even after the non melting handguards were issued. Folding stock variants were always issued with them, and also always had Soviet-style AK slings.
See also[]
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