The Golden Kalashnikov out of Saddam Hussein's Iraq, with firearms expert Jonathan Ferguson

We're kicking the new year off with what could be our highest profile weapon in the collection... or at very least our shiniest. Join Jonathan Ferguson as he reveals this Golden Kalashnikov's connections to a famous dictator and bloody conflict.
See this golden AK in our newest exhibition, Re:Loaded, which was curated by Jonathan himself. Pre-book your free ticket here: bit.ly/47m5wTg
Vlad Onokoy's articles on the history of the Tabuk:
www.recoilweb.com/the-history...
www.recoilweb.com/son-of-tabu...
0:00 Intro
0:20 Re:Loaded!
0:45 Origins
1:43 What is this AK?
3:29 Gun Details
6:15 Purpose?
7:39 Wider context
9:52 Outro
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We are the Royal Armouries, the United Kingdom's national collection of arms and armour. Discover what goes on behind the scenes and watch our collection come to life. See combat demonstrations, experience jousting and meet our experts.
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[@otbc1999]

Our boy, Jonathan unlocked the gold camo 🙌

[@samholdsworth420]

Next step, diamond

[@gibuz]

how many people did he kill

[@amydoesart3724]

Or the opset of a camo on this case

[@deusvultpictures6550]

He got Red Tiger on all other assault rifles, nice

[@Cats-TM]

Oh no, how will we ever see him again!

[@papaswanson]

Congratulations on Max Prestige, Jonathan!

[@Azeria]

It’s easy to forget but real gold guns like this from Iraq are literally why ‘gold camo’ became a thing in video games. Call of Duty 4 tried its best to only featured guns you could actually find in modern conflicts around the world at the time (and also the Desert Eagle), and that extended it its difficult to unlock final ‘camouflage’ variant, gold. It was only available on one weapon per type, one of which was the ‘AK-47’ as it’s called in that game.

[@peteredwards2318]

Yeah, Iraq and also from the cartels and other similarly psychologically aligned entities, persons and organisations. Anywhere power through violence and excessive wealth are concentrated, you'll find some ostentatious creep putting gaudy plating on boomsticks.

[@Maxtime123]

True. The first 'Gold Guns' in Call of Duty history was in CoD4:MW where it's the AK47 and the DE. There was also a Gold Knife I think.

[@Ukraineaissance2014]

Golden gun in goldeneye

[@Azeria]

@@Ukraineaissance2014 right, I wasn’t saying it was the first time a gold gun had appeared in a video game, rather COD4 is why the idea of ‘gold camo’ being the top tier unlock became such a popular thing in multiplayer shooters

[@Cerebrums]

Gold Dragunov, UZI, M60 and M1014 shotgun are among to ones OP didn't mention, but no knife. Knives in cod 4 were still just a button input rather than an equippable weapon so we hadn't received any interesting unlocks for them yet.

[@eddietat95]

Saddam was a huge gun guy, apparently, along with his sons. He was captured in the hole with a Glock 18C (which was Oval Office decor for the rest of Bush's tenure and now resides in the Bush Presidential Library/Museum), he was seen in archival footage with Lee-Enfields and Browning Hi-Powers, and he had MP5K briefcases, FALs, gold-plated MP5SDs, even P90s (captured by the US Army and some are on display at Army museums). There were also gold-plated AKs like this one and gold-plated SVDs, RPKs, AKS-74Us, even RPG-7s at their many hideouts. And who could forget the (failed) Project Babylon supergun? Edit: It seems there's some repeated confusion in the comments over how Bush was able to "own" a post-1986 machine gun in the Glock 18C. Firstly, he doesn't own it privately at all, the federal government owns it. He can't take it back to his Texas ranch or whatever and use it. It's public property as a museum piece. Second, his presence in the White House does not constitute ownership by proximity, as the White House itself (and all of its contents) is considered public property, more or less a live-in federal museum showcasing guns like the muskets of 1776 and also housing a fairly large USMC and Secret Service arsenal - none of which the President has any authority to use as a public servant. The President does not privately own the White House, he gets invited to the White House by the federal government and must leave when his term of office is over. The Glock was taken off Saddam by Delta Force/CAG who presented it to Bush in a locked display case that was hung on a wall (or laid on a table) in the Oval Office until his second term ended in 2008, when it was transferred to government storage and, later, loaned out to the Bush Presidential Library/Museum upon its opening in 2013 (buy a ticket and you can see the Glock yourself). Highly doubt George ever asked Secret Service to open the case much less fire it, nor did he want to. It's a piece of American history that represents the defeat of Saddam and the US forces that made this happen. It has Saddam's fingerprints on it and to use it to be to ruin a historical artifact. George wasn't much of a gun guy anyways. Even if he was, he could just fly to Ft. Bragg and fire anything in their vast, vast, VAST reference/training collection, Glock 18Cs included.

[@eddietat95]

AP has some great footage on KZbin of some of these guns being captured and inspected by the US Army. One is titled "GWT: Custom-made weapons found in Uday's house." It was a wild time.

[@BarBar3ar]

Not that the choice of firearm made a big difference in the event of his capture, but is an 18C really the best thing he coulda brought down there out of his whole arsenal?

[@eddietat95]

@@BarBar3ar I guess he brought it along to perhaps serve as a status symbol to Ba'athists still loyal to him or to fend off a common passerby looter or mugger. His main defense against Coalition forces was concealment.

[@Willy_Tepes]

The words "captured" and "liberated" are oft used euphemisms for "stolen".

[@eddietat95]

Interesting excerpt from "Guns of the Special Forces, 2001-2015" by Leigh Neville: "Like many SMGs, the P90 has been more widely seen in the hands of celluloid special operators than in the hands of real-life operators. Infamously it was apparently among a number of weapons used by Uday and Qusay Hussein, Qusay’s son and their bodyguard against a Delta assault force who attempted to capture them in Iraq in July 2003. One Delta operator was allegedly struck in the leg by a 5.7 × 28mm round from a P90." Uday and Qusay were eventually killed in that firefight.

[@cpuuk]

"This is my gold plated Kalashnikov. There are many other similar in variant, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend, unless a Coalition force is barrelling down the front door, in which case it just looks pretty".

[@itsawoodchuck4330]

I believe the sons fought to the death and they ended up blowing up the house to kill them. So I suppose those golden ak’s were their best friends till the end, and even stopped the coalition force attempting barrel through the front door and force them to rethink and adjust their strategy.

[@twistedyogert]

​@@itsawoodchuck4330 That would make them more valuable considering that those were actually used.

[@Squishrug]

Honestly other than the mismatched grip-handguard combo that gun is surprisingly tasteful as far as "blinged" stuff goes, no engraving, no gems, no design, just gun but gold

[@WayStedYou]

I think straight up chrome finish looks better

[@gadsdenjim8785]

I agree. I like the clean no markings and especially how the receiver isn’t all polished out so you see the grain of the steel through the gold.

[@Joosher56]

Yeah overdone engravings can look really tacky, a simple shiny metal finish is clean and understated

[@andersjjensen]

If this had been treated to a proper surface finish, prior to the gold plating, and some high shine reddish hardwood furniture it would have been pretty nice. But gold plating straight over that horribly machined surface makes it look like a vulgar trailer park job done by a tweaker.

[@fireblow6842]

​@@andersjjensenfirst of all, taste. And secondly, since they found it in iraq, it might've been done by a "tweaker"

[@f15htast1c]

Visited the Reloaded exhibition on opening day, whole-heartedly recommend it. Full of absolutely wild pieces like this one.

[@RoyalArmouries]

Glad you enjoyed it! What was your favourite? 🤔

[@f15htast1c]

@@RoyalArmouries I think my actual favourite was the Browning Gold Classic Hi-Power. Nicely decorated without being too gaudy. Special mention to the gold-plated SVD, though. There's something even more outlandish about a marksman rifle getting that treatment.

[@newpeupyoass]

It's also interesting that this is a mixmatch of AKM and M70 features.

[@gadsdenjim8785]

It’s really just a M92 with it’s own distinct gas block and muzzle device. A lot of older M92’s (and even some M70’s) didn’t have the bulged trunnion. There’s M92’s that have been imported in the US with a standard trunnion like that.

[@therideneverends1697]

@@gadsdenjim8785 The gas block/FSB looks Valmet inspired to me

[@DK-gy7ll]

I'm surprised you never mentioned how you acquired this piece. If I remember correctly from a news article it was taken by a US soldier who tried to mail it home, and it was discovered by Heathrow Airport Customs. Fortunately it was donated to your museum rather than being destroyed.

[@PootisPenserPow]

Imagine how upset that soldier was. Dude thought he hit the battlefield pick-up jackpot

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

@@PootisPenserPow They robbed him.

[@zwenkwiel816]

​@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine it's what the British do, Royal armory is still a museum.

[@Loweko1170]

I hate to ruin everyone's fun, but it was confiscated as part of an arms shipment trying to get smuggled through Heathrow, alongside rocket launchers and a sniper rifle.

[@jonathannathan1754]

@@zwenkwiel816 They must be stopped

[@TMNewtBoy]

These are always such interesting glimpses into history, through a very specific lens. Fascinating.

[@ristoalanko9281]

That AK resembles quite a lot the gold plated RK62 that was offered to the Emir of Quatar in 1970s by Valmet. The final delivery was satin chromed RK62 with dark wood furniture and white parade sling. But the gold plated example is gorgeous, with polished dark mahogany stock, handguard and pistol grip. By the way, this Tabuk has a Finnish style gas block / front sight.

[@jonathanferguson1211]

I couldn't figure out why it had a Valmet FSB - that might be the answer, thank you.

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

I thought the sighted gasblock had a very Valmet/Galil look to it.

[@andyfriederichsen]

Why would Valmet want to give a gold gun to the leader of THAT country?

[@mo7.7]

never heard or seen that, any links or pictures?

[@justanothergunnerd8128]

@@andyfriederichsen If memory serves, Valmet made a few guns for Qatar or whatever country. The gold rifle I believe was a gift to someone as a thank you for the contract - I could be remembering wrong though...

[@quadpictures]

How many headshots did you need to unlock this Jonathan?

[@RadioactiveSherbet]

In Red Dead Redemption 2, my favorite style was blued finish + gold engraving. The blue finish really makes the gold stand out, and I think it looks amazing.

[@walkerwhited]

Can we please make an Antiques Roadshow type show here in US with Jonathan as the host? Id watch that everyday.

[@AdrianDowthwaite]

I saw this in Re:loaded, the guide book has exquisite photographs and descriptions to bring each peices to life. The Royal Armouries is huge, so will have to go back again myself. They leand out wheelchairs and assitive items which helped me greatly.

[@fearnlj01]

I went down to see the exhibit just the other day... It's certainly worth checking out in person! Nothing quite like seeing all the weapons on display in person, plus all the regular Royal Armouries goodness!

[@harmlesscreationsofthegree1248]

The gold Sterling is wild! I love the idea of blinging out a basic tool like that. I think I now want a platinum spatula 🙂

[@stub6378]

I don’t even like guns…but i just love experts like Jonathan talking about stuff. I learn by accident!

[@ozarkscarguy540]

Please do a full walk though of this exhibit for those of us who can't make it to another country. I don't care if it's 3 hours long and comes out after the exhibit is changed. I want to see it.

[@leonardhpls6]

Ok will do just for you. Unedited tour in next few weeks

[@quadpictures]

My favourite CoD4 AK camo

[@driftertank]

It's fascinating that they gold plated over the brushing and machining on the receiver. Would think if they were going through the trouble to gold plate it, they would have polished up the steel first.

[@gadsdenjim8785]

I think it looks nice and clean like that. I like the visible grain, brushed look with the gold. Not as obnoxiously shiny.

[@n0tthemessiah]

I think that's what Jonathan was referring to when he was talking about the Sterling. The gold-plated Sterling seems much more polished than this AK; at least, from the little bit you can see in the video.

[@SgtBeltfed]

Probably different levels of gift guns. This one would be one of the lower level guns. I've seen pictures of a few other gold plated AK's from Iraq, and a few of them had mirror finishes.

[@donwyoming1936]

Remember Classic Arms in North Carolina chrome & gold plating just about any gun they thought someone would buy. Everything from Mosins, to AKs to surplus pistols. I couldn't resist a chromed M44. 🤠

[@jason200912]

How much do they charge? Seattle gold engraving sells gold plated wasr10s and it cost a big fat 2500-3500

[@andersjjensen]

Do they fix the surface finish first? What makes this look like "plastic gold" is that it wasn't polished to a mirror shine prior to the gold plating.

[@Getpojke]

Often wondered how durable the gold finish on these AK's is? Does it easily wear off? Does it add any appreciable weight or is it so thin that it's not really noticeable?

[@BloopTube]

Its going to be so thin as to not be noticable, however gold is incredibly soft so its not going to be in any way scratch resistant.

[@Getpojke]

@@BloopTube Yeah I thought so on the scratching front. I've handled old pistols with gold inlay, but as it was inlaid it was protected. I suppose the gun shown has lived as a wall hanger or was relatively new as it didn't look that scratched. You could also see the tooling marks of the metal underneath which is why I asked how thin it must be. The brief clip of the gold plated Sterling looked a lot more robust. Cheers for the reply.

[@TransistorBased]

I've seen lower grade gold plated ones for sale, given the prices it can't be very thick.

[@nonna_sof5889]

There's also the issue of the differing thermal expansions of the metals during prolonged shooting.

[@barbarossarotbart]

If it is fireplated, then it is very durable.

[@X1ZR]

I'd love to see more decorated/custom firearms. So cool.

[@acetrigger1337]

The Bob Ross moment of saying "Jonathan here with a special one, but i think they are all special".

[@sgtommyc]

It's been a while since I last saw that gun, thanks for refreshing my memory :)

[@jcodym13]

Count Dankula did a very in depth mini-doc about one of Hussein's sons. It was utterly horrific. Dude was a monster

[@THALASA]

The wedding story pissed me off so much, absolute disgusting

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

Uday was quite the demon.

[@TheWarmotor]

I had a buddy that signed up after 911, he was there at Uday's place when they took him out. Story he told was that someone opened up from inside the compound with an emplaced belt-fed when they attempted entry, they pulled a rocket propelled ordinance out of the back of the HUMVEE he was driving and used it to neutralize the emplaced MG and they ended up having to re-assemble Uday's remains for identification. I suppose it's possible that he'd embellished the extent to which he was involved, but he was never that type of guy and he didn't claim to be the guy who actually fired the rocket... Take that for what you will.

[@earlofpants]

on the wikipedia page it says 12 tow missles took him out, and that they weren't even at uday's palace, so idk man

[@TheWarmotor]

@@earlofpants I was told that it took place at a compound where he was holed-up, and that one of his team took the placard from in front of the building. Apparently it was some sort of govt. issue address plate. I asked if it were to be sold on ebay or given to a museum or something, he told me that it would be considered a war trophy and could land someone in a court martial, so it likely would not see the light of day in his lifetime. Of course I'm aware that it's entirely possible that it was a tall tale that got passed from soldier to soldier and probably told by quite a few of them! I wasn't about to question the story of a good friend who'd returned home from war while I sat at home with my family, playing XBOX with my kids. I just thought it was an interesting tale in the context of the video, and if he were there in any capacity maybe he'd seen the gun in question :)

[@andyfriederichsen]

@@TheWarmotor Didn't the soldiers try to take Uday and his brother alive but gave up and just leveled the building after several soldiers got killed trying to enter?

[@TheWarmotor]

@@andyfriederichsen That's what I was told. They encountered heavy emplaced resistance so they just opened up with rockets and ended up having to stitch their remains together for identification.

[@andyfriederichsen]

@@TheWarmotor I heard they also had at least one A-10 Thunderbolt II and a few armed Kiowa helicopters in the area that also opened fire.

[@harryfaber]

Glad you mentioned the gold plated Sterling. My father was a school teacher in Dagenham and took a school party (for careers information) the the Sterling factory, when he came home, he told us about a 'gold plated' gun and how it was made as a sales/promotional presentation gun. Memory may be faulty, but I thought it was going to be given to the Sultan of Brunei. I guess if you want a big order, giving away the odd 'gold' gun makes sense.

[@garyfoss4394]

The thing that stands out to me about the plating on this piece is that it's rather slapdash. That is, one of the basic things people get wrong about plating (chrome, nickel, gold, etc.) is that they think it will cover or even fix flaws on the piece. More often than not, the opposite is true. Plating is very thin (that's kind of the point) and making something shinier just brings out the flaws in the existing piece. Really good plating isn't so much about that final step of putting on the surface material, but about prepping the piece to be plated. Plating itself is really just dunking it into a solution and electrifying it. (Usually. There are other methods.) If I were going to gold plate something, I'd want it to be as shiny and reflective as possible, since that's kind of the point of putting a lustrous material on it. I can't say what the goal was here for this particular piece. Making a "low-end gold plate" version might have been fine, just for the sake of saying it's "gold". Nobody watching someone wave it about would probably care how fine the finish is, under the assumption that anyone who would bother to carry such a thing takes his own ego very, very seriously, but isn't really concerned about little details like the quality of a finish... or who it's being pointed at. Interact with such a person at your own risk, the plating says. Or it might very well just be a display piece that nobody is meant to get close to. From that I can tell in the video (caveats for not seeing it in person and KZbin video quality) that one looks like something they might as well have spray painted.

[@DiggingForFacts]

Hence these probably being "diplomatic gifts" in a sense, rather than actual objects of conspicuous consumption with a craftsmanship value. The Tabuks weren't exactly made to a high finishing standard in general so I doubt they had any interest in spending much more time to polish everything to the highest degree when all it really was supposed to be was a badge of favour. This exists solely to be a signifier of "Saddam likes you/thanks you for your service to the regime" and where most states would do that with a medal or something similar, there are probably cultural connotations (and macho connotations) around being gifted a weapon.

[@twistedyogert]

Isn't plating only a few atoms thick?

[@garyfoss4394]

@@twistedyogertIt can be. It depends on how long and how many times the object is put in solution, but it can be so thin that you could basically take it off immediately with an abrasive polish, so one has to be careful just cleaning it. Other plating can be like a very thin coat of paint. (It's still not like paint because it doesn't go on like a liquid, but adheres Something like a gold plating is mostly likely going to be on the thinner side just because of the cost of the gold solution.

[@Gr1m_laden_7]

I was privileged to go on a private tour of the firearms collection years ago through work, and I saw this rifle along with some gold desert eagles I believe, maybe a pair or maybe just one, can't remember, very pretty 😍

[@LaurenceWhiting]

Me too! I wonder if our work thing is the same. Love seeing the guns first hand and then on the channel.

[@user-ox4lg3gd7c]

Unable to attend the exhibit so super thanks for the well done presentation!

[@showeritonthenavy7788]

when i saw it on the news the gold finish actually didn't look as good as it really is.

[@PikeyScott]

Excellent video, thanks.

[@andieslandies]

The gold plating on the example you've shown appears to be in much better condition than the example I have worked with, though it looks to be of about the same quality. I hope your conservators and preparators experience less worry about plating losses than I have when determining the most appropriate mounting method for display!

[@Lankythepyro]

Fantastic item, thank you for sharing it with us. Speaking of AK oddities from the Middle East, I understand the infamous hodge-podged AKMSU is in the collection of the Royal Armouries. I'd love to see you do a video on it.

[@therideneverends1697]

That one has always been a point of fascination for me as well, was it a one off factory thing? or just some guys garage build that ended up being one of the most mythical guns of modern history?

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

@@therideneverends1697 I believe they figured it to be a Khyber Pass build made mainly from a number of factory parts of different origins.

[@abu.7awas]

Thank you for the beautiful topic ♥️ This short version of the “Tabuk” version for the State of Iraq is very beautiful with its distinctive design, but one of its disadvantages is that it breaks down a lot during rapid shooting, because I have this same copy 👌🏻🇸🇦 and it is considered one of the rare copies ♥️

[@roadrash3101]

There is a U.S military museum located in Rock Island, Illinois that I've visited a couple of times many years ago. It might have been part of a traveling exhibit and not part of their permanent collection, but I do remember seeing a gold-plated rifle of some sort there. As a kid, you usually don't pay too much attention as to what it actually was because it's pretty. If my memory serves me correctly, it was either one of Saddam's personal Kalashnikov rifles from the 1991 Gulf War, or a milestone serial number for the U.S. M-60 machine guns. The M-60 was produced there at some point in time, as well as the M1903 Springfield rifle. It's definitely on my bucket list to go back there again. Thank you for this video!

[@mclew1234]

I could imagine its not out of the question that to keep costs down there would be a whole stock of these kept at the royal palaces without the medallions and insignia marking on the hand guard. They were kept almost as stock so they were produced in 1 batch & then when the time came for them to be gifted either the hand guard would be removed & crafted or a completely fresh hand guard would be made to replace the original.

[@TransistorBased]

I can't imagine changing out parts in these once they're plated. Even pulling the gas tube off will incur scratches on the receiver and the combo block

[@Driessens_Peter]

make sence

[@lizardland]

Saw the exhibition on Saturday. Really interesting and some beautiful pieces of workmanship. I think my fave was the Browning. And then there's this Tabuk which is the Wetherspoons of luxury guns.

[@robpaige2376]

I'm wondering if the marbled polymer sections are meant to simulate burr walnut, which was what I initially thought they were. It seems to be in keeping with the whole bling thing.

[@samsham8218]

WOW i wish i could see that exhibit!!

[@pyeitme508]

GOLD!

[@TunnelSnakes_Rule]

There's one of these on display at the Australian War Memorial, it is slightly different with the most notable difference being that the handguard has a gold disc with the national emblem of Iraq and an Arabic inscription that says "A GIFT FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, MR SADDAM HUSSEIN."

[@sabreTXC3]

Us Americans love Aussies. They were there since day one. Some people call it WW1. And they were there before us. During Vietnam they had our backs and deserve all the praises they get. Bad no fos them Aussies are and always will be.

[@71Chris]

I found a tangent thought rather funny, it's a Tabuk Short Assault Rifle, a TSAR, which is the name of the royalty in Russia. Being gold also lends itself to this thought of this Russian weapon.

[@lucasbezerracardoso4662]

Happy Birthday Jonathan!🥳

[@Cats-TM]

Nice, it is both interesting due to the gold platting and the semi-weird variant that it is! 9:00 Wow, it is really cool to be able to see into the magazine. Something about that is just really interesting.

[@jonr6680]

Makes perfect sense if you wear aviator sunglasses all the time. In the hot desert sun, would've been blinding.

[@Getpojke]

@RoyalArmouries Though not a fan of these all over gold plated guns, would love it is Jonathan did a video on the gold plated Sterling. Would be great for those of us not able to visit the exhibition. Nice to see the fit & finish of a precious metal on two essentially "bargain/basic" but highly utilitarian firearms. Though I'm not a fan of bling, I do love polished copper & brass. I had the change to handle a very nicely polished Lanchester SMG. The brass magazine housing was old enough to take on that deep glossy patina of old brass & I fell in love with it.

[@xwaltranx]

i was postponing visiting leeds but now i have to come and see the reloaded!!!

[@ashleysmith3106]

If only I could make it there ! ! Happy New Year from rural South Australia !

[@andrewnoble7071]

If you really want to see one there’s one of these rifles in display at the Australian war memorial in Canberra

[@williestyle35]

I like gold "plated" guns so much... That as a kid I used gold and silver tinted paint markers on a "cap gun" by Edison Giocattoli. It was the "Jaguarmatic" (or "Falconmatic") model and it looked alright with the metalic paint, but my wife made me give it up when moved in together. 😜 good times Thank you to Jonathan Ferguson and Royal Armouries for this fun video.

[@engineerskalinera]

The Tabuk carbine has a very nice look to it, it's like an acoustic AK-104

[@spike6385]

Fascinating!

[@RiccardoTheBeAst]

ArmA II has that gun. I thought it was a fantasy gun, but hell, here it is for real! Thanks for sharing video and information about it!

[@k24civic]

I love they gold plated a damn Yugo magazine 😂😂

[@skinwalkerhiddenvalleyranch]

Them Bulgarian AKK bakelite handguards tho ❤

[@waynecunning5733]

I was waiting for the "give a way" at the end!😃

[@blackore64]

Gas block seems to be a copy of RK-62 gas block design (minus night sights) or based on the Galil one, which is same but just for 5.56 rifle

[@lathanchurch8352]

Man I wish I could visit the exhibit, any chance you could do a virtual walk through?

[@jonathanferguson1211]

Great idea, that's up to our Comms team though.

[@lathanchurch8352]

@@jonathanferguson1211 would you pass it on for me please

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

Nothing says shoot me like a gold plated gun!

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

As in, "Ooo look a guy with a gold gun, must be an officer!"

[@lmAIone]

Id like to see more videos like this boss, these guns are pretty unique.

[@oddball_the_blue]

I'll have to drop round. I've seen a gold damascene Luger in Malaysia before in one of their museums which was a fascinating item to come across, but having this display opening soon right on my doorstep something to look forward to.

[@ptonpc]

Strangely enough, looking at the close ups of it, all I could think of was how 'average' the construction appeared. As if they took a standard gun off the production line and just plated it without any additional prep work, such as making sure lines fitted etc. I've not seen the higher quality ones so I don't know if they were better.

[@veselinjokanovic3032]

Im so proud of myself for thinking to myself at the start of the video "Damn that looks like a weird Yugo". 😅

[@Star24xx]

THE FKING VIDEO I’VE BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYY

[@DeMZIrus]

Safety translation is a great touch to video!

[@marvindebot3264]

Indeed that one is a lower grade, the high-grade ones with the inscription were hand-finished to give a lustre like the Stirling you showed, they were mirror finished and (IIRC) had timber furniture in exotic timbers in some cases. And yes, there are many like it but that one is yours :D

[@derekp2674]

Happy New Year All Thanks for showing us this one, Jonathan and team. In Far Cry 2, a few gold AKs can be found hidden in odd locations. I don't know if they have better stats than the ordinary in game AKs but they can be handy to grab before you have done enough missions to unlock the ordinary AKs.

[@RoyalArmouries]

Happy New Year 🎊

[@buck0486]

I was lucky enough to encounter one of these when I was deployed to Iraq in 2011. One of the high-ranking officers at the base where I was stationed had it in his personal collection. The one I held had the medallion and inscription in the grip, but as I recall the finish was not as pristine as this one. It was a very impressive weapon to see in person. There was also a gold-plated suppressed MP5 with it, but I remember the gold plate on it being significantly more worn.

[@Fishifyed]

Battle Scared or Minimal Ware? 😅

[@bitfreakazoid]

The revolver at 8:00 I really love the engraving work on that.

[@napalmholocaust9093]

If it is dull, they either plated on a dull surface. That would be sequential with a copper strike over the iron first then nickel or maybe silver and then gold. All those need to go well and be polished with each layer, maybe just electro-finishing instead. Or they didn't polish it enough usually because the plate it too thin, or they used the wrong buffing compound. All the work really goes in Before you plate. It has to be mirror finish first if that's what you want at the end.

[@MagraveOfGA]

Ah I love these things, I used to work with the curator at the 3rd Infantry Museum in the States and they had a collection of quite a few of golden and/or highly decorated rifles/shotguns "liberated" from Saddam's palace and guards that were "donated" by soldiers involved in the capture. My favorites were the several golden SVD rifles. Though the gold MP5s are amazing as well.

[@TheStrayHALOMAN]

Count Dankula mad an excellent video about Uday.

[@F1ghteR41]

What always surpised me in these sorts of guns is the contrast between the amount of gold and lack of fine engravings or elegant furniture.

[@05Matz]

I suppose gold plating, as a process that can be done well in big batches and consumes a lot less gold than it looks like, is surprisingly affordable for the political class in most places, whereas nice engravings and such still require craftspeople to spend a great deal of time over each piece -- not really suitable for a bulk order of 'bribe/commendation' weapons to be handed out whenever you need to curry favour with someone.

[@F1ghteR41]

@@05Matz This makes sense indeed, but gives a strange impression nonetheless. It almost looks like a titanium nitride finish if not for wear marks, which, as discussed elsewhere in the comments, are visible on some of these pieces.

[@headshot6959]

Interesting.. just out of curiosity, have you _scored_ the gold anywhere or made an abrasive polish to see what the strike layer is beneath it? Just wondering whether this was done by a professional jeweller or someone little more than a hobbyist.

[@TheMelbournelad]

Man having this in golden eye was gold tier

[@josedorsaith5261]

It looks very well-balanced. i wonder how well it cycles?

[@gammalgubbestorstadshoodie9148]

Jonathan Ferguson could ask his American friend Ian of forgotten weapons if Ian has any golden colored plated guns that Jonathan Ferguson wants for his weapon collection!

[@Ruija27]

They've some chrome-plated AKs in service in Finland with military bands

[@HeySalina]

I quite possibly might be alone in this, BUT I think it would be fascinating to see a display/breakdown of Chinese small arms from the modern era. There's a lot of discourse centering around Israeli, Russian, and American arms, but I feel like China and the middle-east are traditionally underrepresented in these spaces.

[@scottconlon5585]

Where do you get the perspex stand from Jonathan?

[@jonathanferguson1211]

It was made by our technicians but I've seen similar ones online - Etsy, I think?

[@HRBJHD]

Got to mess around with one of those while I was over there.

[@NickfromNLondon]

When HMG donated the L85A2 to the Royal Bermuda Regiment they quoted the total number of rifles and a total value in a press release. I Googled gold plated rifles and a US firm was doing gold plated A15 rifles for half the cost of an L85.

[@shitsmells]

What was the measured barrel length? Is the gas piston/bolt carrier the same as found in 16" AK variants?

[@jonathanchambers7305]

Nice

[@edgeyt1]

Truly the gold Rolex of guns and about as tasteful.

[@ashleystyles6888]

Hi Jonathan can you review the zastava m21 in 5.56mm please? If you have one (sure you do!). I was issued one as a contractor. Cheers

[@severs1966]

Is the upper handguard on backwards?

[@dbruckner]

Sure is.

[@jason200912]

Sadam should have gotten a golden dragunov. Would have been a huge amount of gold on a super long dmr sniper rifle

[@epicchickenproductions]

Which case did you get this skin from? Gamma, Chroma or Operation Bravo?

[@searle_harbour]

came down over easter for the jousting and reloaded, loved the gold mp5, and that platinum 60-9 revolver needs its own video :D would certainly be interesting to know how much that thing cost to make with 38 carats and 400grams of white gold and platinum

[@schizoidboy]

At West Point Museum in the War on Terror in Iraq section they have a chrome plated AK.

[@Skorpychan]

This would be the Re: Loaded exhibition at the Leeds museum? I was going to do a trip up north this year anyway, so I guess you can have a day to hit that up.

[@jonathanferguson1211]

That's right.

[@StrayzKid]

Neat.

[@ryanburdon8635]

I believe this gold AK was seized from some British soldiers that were trying to take it back to the UK as a trophy and got caught. Glad it ended up in a museum and not in the smelter. Very cool piece of history.

[@AsbestosMuffins]

GOOOOOOOOOOLD

[@Tekdruid]

Thank you MTV for pimping my gat!

[@marttoom5903]

There is quite a possible explanation that this gold-plated AK clone is a blank. Produced in one series and then waited in the warehouse without dedication and without coat of arms. If it was necessary to give someone a gift, it was taken out of the warehouse, the coat of arms was nailed to it, and /or the engraver made the necessary dedications.

[@billgates2903]

I had one like that when I was in call of duty