Q&A 31: Russian and Soviet Arms w/ Max Popenker

[@FIREBRAND38]

Always so glad when you do a Q&A with Max. I hope you keep having him come back.

[@loquat4440]

Plus 100 agreement

[@ivyssauro123]

TARKUS

[@userUh736hdua6]

There is another thing about 1911 in Russia. Pistols were usually used by officers in Imperial Russian Army. Especially automatic pistols like Colt. After Civil War lots of former officers emigrated. So they could simply take their pistols with them.

[@unclesullivan2889]

CIA interrogates KGB agent (1968)

[@mikakorhonen5715]

(Colorized)

[@Lowlandlord]

@@mikakorhonen5715 They had colour in '68, they've had colour since the '30s and it had achieved widespread use (including broadcasts) by '68 so that most channels and movies were in colour. Except Kurosawa, he stuck with B&W until 1980.

[@alexmuraviyov5269]

Uncle Sullivan Or so you think...

[@alvarohigino]

​@@LowlandlordA lot of shows were in black and white until the end of film.

[@1804unclesam]

37:27 - it will make sure the bad guy will not be bad anymore. That’s just a great line

[@comNartheus]

Good bad guy is a dead bad guy.

[@SolidTaylor]

In Russian base in Armenia, were I served in 2014, I heard from the officers that old sniper versions of Mosins were keept there for something about mid-2000's.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

[@antoncomrade2043]

@@DinnerForkTongue Well, not really. We kept them ut to 2000's in service, now - they are being converter to civ. weapons. There a lot of good military sniper bolt-action rifles developed, and mosins are now are just...welll...outdated.

[@elmoantero99]

finland also kept mosins stocks till 2000's

[@pignebula123]

I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to have another Q&A with Max! It’s very interesting to get to see what was going on on the other side of the curtain during the Cold War in small arms development.

[@ivyssauro123]

Still waiting here

[@felixh2786]

"Ok, cool." - Ian McCollum.

[@ivyssauro123]

"Yeah, makes sense"

[@ivyssauro123]

I like how he starts every answer with "You see..." like the "You see Ivan" meme lol

[@morono4016]

Thanks for answering my question about the PPSH-41, Definitely eye-opening getting an answer directly from someone from the country of origin itself! Very interesting to hear that many could be just sitting in storage somewhere...

[@Gladiator34B]

he is a small arms expert like Ian, I think he knows what he is talking about

[@PapaSchultz74]

@Promotions Only Nancyxxxx has not the same knowledge and interests in guns as Max. When she write an much as Max in moderfirearms.net i'll believe her.

[@davidgoodnow269]

.220 Russian was developed and used by Soviet benchrest competition team, based on 7.62x39 M43 but with a small primer pocket. This case was used to form the .22 PPC and 6mm PPC, which have dominated small-bore benchrest competition since 1965, and the PPC case is now used for 6.5 Grendel! Why the Soviets didn't use .220 Russian or .22 PPC for AK74, instead of developing 5.45x39? In trials, the earlier cartridges have case extraction issues when the chamber gets hot from repeated firing--same problem as 5.56 in early M16--Kalashnikov himself didn't think small bore could be battlefield reliable because of this; Kalashnikov later retracted this in public statements after personally trialing the 5.45 AK74.

[@5647mhjgt]

This time i understood everything even without the subtitles. Kudos to Popenker.

[@Khorsathedark]

Max, thank you very much for sharing this information with us. We appreciate you sir!

[@johnmorgan1629]

Great video he really knows his stuff, can answer questions on the fly. Looking forward to the next one.

[@swampk9]

I can only assume that Ian sent Max a transcript of the questions. Maybe not, but it would have gone far to make the interview flow.

[@proteus2103]

@@swampk9 I can improv pretty well and I can tell this is far from rehearsed.

[@swampk9]

@@proteus2103 not rehearsed obviously, but for Ian not to have sent him a transcript of the questions would be kind of odd, and perhaps kind of mean.

[@blackbird8632]

swampk9 agree, especially since Ian usually mentions he prepares for the questions.

[@YesIHaveManyProblemsThanks]

Some of my favorite videos are the Q&A's, keep up the awesome work!

[@NazarovVv]

This series with Max is turning out to be the creme de la creme of your channel Ian. A lot of KZbin historians claim to be unbiased claiming Wikipedia facts like gospel. You’ve always been a class above those guys but you went to a whole new level with those collaborations! Keep it up, and I’m still hoping for a Krnka rifle conversion video!

[@thegoldencaulk2742]

The production figure Max used for M1s is based on Springfield production only. In total, about 5.5 million were produced by the three contracted companies (Springfield, Harrington & Richardson, and Winchester). Let's just round it up to 6, ok? ;)

[@J.P.101]

I think Max was talking about being produced during WW2. H&R did not produce until the Korean Conflict, in the early 1950's. Also, let's not forget about International Harvester, they also produced M1's in the 50's.

[@briarus1000]

thank you both for all the time and effort for these q&a's

[@tarekmalaeb8229]

Thank you both for an amazing session

[@dbmail545]

I did not know about the Tsar's 1911 pistols. Was ammunition made in Russia for them or mostly imported?

[@АртАтн]

Imported

[@smanchgibley3839]

@@АртАтн cite your source

[@warejc6912]

Max is always a joy to see on channel.

[@heldaneurbanus5135]

This was fantastic. Great questions too. Thanks Ian and especially thanks Max!

[@STRAKAZulu]

It's always a great video having Max come on! Thank you both!

[@hobbstactv2571]

9x39. It's like .300 Blackout, but older, and for men.

[@brandondeane2]

.300 blackout is a very niche caliber. Its a pretty smart round if you’re in combat and need a suppressed rifle.

[@itsconnorstime]

Is this the guy from worldguns.ru?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Yes.

[@MatoVuc]

I don't want to choose between notch sights and aperature sights. I want a sight where i can flip between the two. While the aperature sight is more accurate at known range target shooting, the notch sight is superior in low light conditions and arguably in close quarters.

[@tiortedrootsky]

But notch sight should be further away from eye of the shooter. I think i saw a military rifle with aperture sight way back on reciever, and notch sight in the middle of the reciever. This is the proper setup, i guess.

[@ДмитрийШулепов-х5ц]

Спасибо! Было очень интересно послушать вопросы с другой стороны океана и ответы на них... :) Thanks! It was very interesting to listen to the questions from the other side of the ocean and the answers to them... :)

[@proteus2103]

Ian, you gotta get your hands on that folding stock vss thing. That looked so badass!

[@bikecommuter24]

Thank you for not putting sub titles, I don't have any problems understanding Max.

[@NapoleonGelignite]

I love the Russian outlook on problem solving and Russian engineering in general. In fact I’ve just got into Soviet-era Russian watches - they are fabulous and super cheap. Robust, simple, innovative and do exactly what is needed of them. Love to Russia from England.

[@NapoleonGelignite]

I can see the notification of a reply but can't see it in the thread.

[@numnut1516]

Andy P it must have been deleted, I don’t see any reply either

[@sbeckett91]

12:15 *InRange Ian Triggered* Max: "If you're going to the worst parts of the world, you need maximum reliability. You want to go with Kalashnikov." Ian: "......okay."

[@kortushkakarterfel4386]

In the inRange video about Russian/Ukrainian propaganda, as well as in the vz. 58 mud test, both Ian and Karl stated that the AK-47 was more reliable in dirty conditions than the vz. 58. Also Ian admitted that the AK is more reliable than the AR in sandy environments.

[@-Seeker-]

Just because the AR survived the mud test doesn't mean it's better for every other environment.

[@sjoormen1]

MOre imortant thing is that ak is wery easy to understand. For people with no education probably better.

[@MitchellCH]

sjoormen1 why is the AKM easier to understand for ‘people with no education’ than an AR15/M16? That statement confuses me.

[@Brendan7.62]

*drops ak in mud* Max:Rifle is fine.

[@cannonfodder4376]

Good to have the reports on the TKB-517 cleared up. Reports on its reliability is contradictory online on the few cases I can find it.

[@viator21]

Gun Jesus finally got the video format right... Put the Soviet on the left!

[@proteus2103]

Ha!

[@PapaSchultz74]

But on his right 😉

[@janwacawik7432]

I have a friend who owns one of the "English Order" M1911s. I was pretty surprised when I first saw it, cause I didn't know they purchased any. And now, after all the turmoil the pistol has been through, it has found it's way into the hands of a collector in Poland.

[@jic1]

Why were they called "English Order"?

[@Romantik-y9p]

​@@jic1 those guns were biught though Britain. Actually, the british gave the Russian empire a big credit to buy small arms, but instead of giving money, british biught guns themselves and then shipped it to Russia

[@Kowalski089]

Loving the varied Q & A's!

[@yazi7790]

Still waiting for them to discuss AM17 and it's development .

[@Robert--cm2nf]

The question about the Colt 1911 where they did go is that in the 1990 they were sold true the German company called Frankonia they bought a big number of the Russian delivered 1911after the fall of the Iron curtain , they were brand new out of the box and more than 50 years old , you can tell that the came trough Germany because they all have a German proof mark on them , we bought them in the `90 for some 800 Dutch guilders that`s now some 400 Dollar . I don't now how much they sold but it was a lot of them in the days

[@guspeniche]

I’d love a video to know more about Max. What is his background, what weapons he own, how has his website change during the last two decades, etc etc

[@jamesr792]

I could listen to Max talk for hours. This guy is fascinatinf

[@myotherlifed9554]

These videos are always so good. Could you please talk about the ags 30?

[@steffanwamsley7575]

Thank you both.

[@Sumabus]

For those that are criticising his accent, I’d just like to say that I’m a British English teacher and live in Russia and teach English pronunciation to Russians all day. There’s nothing wrong with his pronunciation. I’m not sure Westerners appreciate just how difficult it is for Russians to learn English.

[@PapaSchultz74]

And vice-versa

[@veteranironoutdoors8320]

I would like to see what Max has to say on the history/deployment of the 43mm thermobaric grenade launching cartridge and platform

[@PapaSchultz74]

I've seen that grenade on the kalashnikov media chanel lately. Daf... I would not want to be on the wrong end of that grenade

[@andrewwaterman9240]

Love listening to Max!

[@akkid89]

"Well in World Wa-GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR..."

[@fus132]

2 year difference, hence the correction.

[@Lapinmiez]

@@fus132 Indeed and during that time invading other countries suddenly became "patriotic" 😏😂

[@MenRot]

@@Lapinmiez Stalin announced about the end of GPW in 1944, when Red Army reached it own border, after that war was "liberating".

[@iceintheair]

@@Lapinmiez cringe

[@ivyssauro123]

@@MenRot it was liberating, or do you think the jews in Awschuitz weren't liberated? Ppl sometimes...

[@hansbroger946]

Per SMG use at 12:32 Soviet "Tank Riders" came from dedicated assault units designated as "Submachinegun Companies or Submachinegun Battalions" that were attached to tank regiments and tank brigades. From my own research infantry riding on tanks are almost universally referred to by Soviet tankers in memoirs as "submachinegunners" regardless of their actual armament. I'm not entirely sure as to the claims of "entire divisions" being equipped with smg's but up to the level of the battalion it was certainly the norm for special purpose units.

[@ChristianMcAngus]

Max's surname is a hard one for English speakers to pronounce. Human mouths can make such a huge range of sounds and each language only uses a fairly narrow range.

[@cperka1017]

Yes, unfortunately English seems to be specifically impaired when comparing to most other European languages, especially in their wack pronunciation of consonants

[@alexartemov953]

Po-Pen-Ker

[@hoobsug]

wholesome stuff once again

[@5chr4pn3ll]

These are always a treat.

[@flipmanlet8982]

Love the PKM

[@VT-mw2zb]

30:38: officers aren't expected to hit anything beyond 5-6 meters with pistols? Last ditch weapon? Sure. What else it might be used for? Oh ... Execution and discipline?

[@MrWarwick15]

Yeh! Max again and so soon! Thanks to you both! Rich.

[@dr.catmilk]

Friday eve and a qna? Praise!

[@proteus2103]

Right?

[@arnomaas6452]

very interesting and full of rare insight information sessions !

[@Esihij]

If the SVD was a designated marksman's rifle, what was the sniper rifle? Along with the Mosin some used AVL (АВЛ) rifles (originally sport rifle chambered 7.62x54R), but these were rare (even less, than Mosins), as it was not oficially in service.

[@Esihij]

I understood what he said. This was just an example of ad hoc rifle, besides Mosin

[@Esihij]

@William Burns now you are talking some "video game" stuff. btw I am russian))

[@Esihij]

@William Burns misunderstood this part "Care to elaborate?"

[@Esihij]

@William Burns can you provide a single example of such asasination with a sniper rifle as a tool (not poison or car accident)? I don`t know such. Thats why this is a game or movie scenario. Further, the case is about a "set" DMR and a sniper rifle which is sort of a military arnament. Army is far away from vip asasinations (actualy, soviet army was always preparing for a large scale conflicts, e.g. stop NATO attack and counterattack afterwards)

[@RustedCroaker]

In the soviet doctrine long range sniper rifle was a 30mm BMP gun or a mortar.

[@709badwolf]

pleasantly surprised that there were commercials on this video!? watched them just so y’all got credit for it,,, great content! 👍

[@Frontstaab]

Video of the year for me

[@borissarmatov4391]

awesome video! could you please make another video with Max on more recent russian firearms designs like Ash-12, Ots-14 and so on. Being a russian speaker I still dont's see much information on that type of guns on KZbin. So that'd be just awesome if you could cover that topic specifically.

[@bikecommuter24]

I love Max, awesome, Too bad I got to go out all day, I'm putting this on my watch later list I got some left over pizza I'll watch it tonight 😁

[@goodmaninastorm4617]

More Max!!!!

[@xmeda]

9x18M FMJ is deadlier than 9x19 FMJ. It tumbles quickly when entering body and delivers all of its energy to the body, while 9x19 FMJ just passes through many times keeping some energy "unused".

[@proteus2103]

9x18 is ever so slightly larger around than 9x19. It's a little misleading name.

[@xmeda]

@@proteus2103 9.2x18mm but there are different definitions of calibers. Some states used diameter including grooves, some not. Hence 8mm german barrels which are 7.92mm in fact and rounds are 7.92x57mm :) etc. But the main difference between 9x19 and 9x18 is that makarov FMJ bullet is not as sharp and long as usual Luger FMJ bullets, so they tend to tumble quickly after entering human tissue. Similar to .380ACP/9mm Browning, but slightly more powerful. It is perfect defensive cartridge. Not so good for submachineguns, but for pistols and even full auto pistols like APS this makes a lot of sense while keeping the pistol simple and recoil manageable. Only problem is, if you encounter opponents wearing ballistic protection. And this is the main reason, why FSB and special units in Russia switched to 9x19 and 9x21 rounds. But be aware that those 9x19 guns are rated for ammo that is more powerful than 9x19 Luger +P+ and some rounds contain tungsten core. Btw. there are also tungsten core rounds for 9x18M caliber guns. And I personally like my ČZ vz.82, which is 9x18M pistol with polygonal rifling that can use pretty hot czechoslovakian vz.82 rounds which are faster and bullets are made out of compressed steel particles. The bullet disintegrates when hitting something hard... nasty.

[@hasmatiks]

Thanks again Max!

[@ВячеславСкопюк]

It's "Korobov", Ian, not "Koborov"

[@edm240b9]

Just an FYI, 3.53 million M1s were made during WWII. The rest were made during Korea and the last models were produced into 1957. The TOTAL amount of M1s made throughout it’s service life is 6 million.

[@maverickpaladin4155]

When will you do a follow up to this video? I'd love to know both of your takes on the M1891/59 carbines...what you know regarding their history, purpose, production, etc. There is a lot of rumor and conjecture circulating around these carbines, but I'm unable to find any solid reference information. Thanks. information

[@TheRuinsfate]

Ian, you mentioned not knowing much if anything about the 12.7x55 and the firearms that use it, wouldn't this make them good candidates for future videos assuming you can gain access (once travel becomes possible again, perhaps)? The Vykhlop integrally-supressed bullpup sniper, the ShAK-12 "urban battle rifle" and the honestly kinda ridiculous RSh-12 revolver all seem up your alley as odd firearms designed around an odd cartridge, with all the required design efforts and compromises those entail?

[@petev.6598]

Thanks Max!

[@regnarecaps]

Suggestion. Have Max and Ian sit at an agreed similar distance from the camera. Otherwise a very enjoyable video. Max is a great guest, look forward to more of his contributions. ✌🏻

[@Matias-nr6rm]

Love the videos you are making with Max, refreshing rich and interesting content, iu zee....

[@videofalconry9886]

I love how people fail to recognize that overpowered rounds are a huge issue.

[@aqui1ifer]

Some do; hence why Spain moved to the CETME L & later G36, and the Greeks are designing an AR-15 clone themselves. I can’t speak as to why the Turks have their primary rifle as .308 & .223 as the secondary

[@AUGGUAfail]

John yooper sks is a great source of sks material!

[@KaDaJxClonE]

I love the depth of his information and first-hand knowledge, but his accent makes understanding difficult and so I end up moving onto a different video. Just my experience, but all means please keep making this great informative content!

[@MitchellCH]

_ VesBraun Ya the first few vids with Max I moved on because it was difficult to understand him but if you keep listening you will begin to understand him better. He puts emphasis on syllables of specific words that english speakers dont and it makes it hard to understand.

[@Gulbrandur81]

What is the story behind .336 tkm, is it any good?

[@JustWastingMyTimeGaming]

Its Ivan Makallomov!

[@alanch90]

Please make a video on the experimental 6mm Unified cartridge!

[@rayjon237]

thank you max...

[@jimadams9874]

Speznat has no problem w/dust cover on AKM ,re. Rails mounted to dust cover . Larry Vickers confirms that with a speznat team.

[@tiortedrootsky]

Probably they meant the newer 7.62 guns. I doubt it was actual akm.

[@s00-x2h]

man I wish they'd bring up the VKS and that mysterious 12.7 it uses (not the 108 or 55 from my understanding)

[@thewiezman]

i’d wager a lot of those 1911s are family heirlooms off official records but i’m just speculating

[@proteus2103]

And I think when Max says "lost" he means "captured." We could both be wrong though.

[@bennygebing7991]

I think Mr.Popenker ‘s English is much better than Ian’s Russian probably is.I think his accent adds tremendously to his extremely prodigious knowledge.

[@Francois15031967]

"Bats up ebribody? Belcome back to my laboratory bhere safety is number one priority" :D

[@alexanderm3504]

Comrade Max

[@robinlerch4795]

Nice video

[@WeencieRants]

I got an ad on this video. Was kinda weird

[@wind_mistral]

Super-puper assault rifle. O yeah! ,🤘

[@quodpipax]

super-pooper

[@azuritet3]

39:53 Bork! Bork!

[@bassassassinnn7459]

I would have to guess those 1911 pistols are more likely not "lost", but in private collections.

[@nindger4270]

If they were used in WWI *and* the Russian Civil War, they may well have been lost. Weapons lost in battle could number in the hundreds of thousands over the course of a month when there was heavy fighting.

[@demonprinces17]

Odd caliber weapons get tossed when ammo runs out. Not to say some in a warehouse as Russia doesn't destroy old weapons

[@Tsorevitch]

It was rather unrealistic to be a weapon collector in USSR it was agency collections (inspired and rubbed by interested person in power) or illegal collection As rare individuals were were allowed to keep "именной пистолет" officially gifted gun with attached name plate. All other pistols are service ones, country/agency ones them and you return them when you retire

[@augusthanssen4339]

hi. can u make a video abote the forgotten HK slb 2000 series ?

[@mouse454]

ASh-12.7?

[@RustedCroaker]

aka the t-rex hunter?

[@Boredoutofmywits]

Ian "Okay" McCollum

[@PapaSchultz74]

It's more Ian "So" McCollum. If you count the number of times he says so in every video 😁

[@taylorliu9093]

I think Czechoslovakia didn't buy Soviet arms because Czechoslovakia had a long history of producing great firearms. They have great designers and firearm companies/factories and such. The Soviet of course would be willing to dig the potential of Czechoslovakia so that there are more great guns in the Warsaw pact.

[@petsatcom]

max is great

[@horstboellinger6880]

So the russian built the 12,7x55 out of 338Lapua! in the Us there only a few guys try to get the 510Wisper doing the same! The 12,7x55 is a proven cartridge used by active forces, the 510Wisper is a near death wildcat. Make me think.

[@Mike_Rogge]

Took a look at Max Popenker's website and it looks a lot nicer and easier to use than forgottenweapons.com. I think that the website needs an update.

[@ironrangerw6r1]

Some guy named Sasha in a red Adidas jumpsuit has one of those 1911s gold plated and in his waist band

[@JohnyX8881]

I thought I will like AK12 too but after seeing disassembly, I think I'll stick with AK74.

[@yomaze2009]

Does max have his own video content?

[@tiortedrootsky]

He has a video channel, not very active. kzbin.infovideos

[@joshuasuchy]

Ian took an oof 13:47

[@nathan655555]

I think he made a mistake. The vks and ASh-12 are semi-auto rifles in 12.7x55. I don't know what bolt action rifle he was talking about

[@borissarmatov4391]

VKS is actually a bolt-action rifle. you just don't need to rotate handle but it is still a manual reload bolt action

[@borissarmatov4391]

VKS is actually a bolt-action rifle. you just don't need to rotate handle but it is still a manual reload bolt action

[@nathan655555]

@@borissarmatov4391 you're right indeed. Damn, it really looks like a semi-auto. Thanks for the info

[@tiortedrootsky]

New in depth book about Mosin - Руслан Николаевич Чумак: "3-лн винтовка Мосина. История создания и принятия на вооружение русской армии" 2017г. (Chumak Ruslan Nikolaevich "Mosin Rifle. History of Development and Acceptance into Service in the Russian Army" ) 528 pages Book about Tokarev's self-loading rifles - Р.Н. Чумак "Самозарядные и автоматические винтовки Токарева" 2014г. (Chumak Ruslan Nikolaevich "Tokarev semi automatic and full auto rifles") 680 pages

[@alexanderren1097]

Listening to Max's accent has been scientifically proven to raise testosterone levels