Albanian Type 56 Versions
Notes: Albania
was never really a part of the Soviet sphere of influence, and early on after
World War 2, it isolated itself from the West as well.
For a long time, the only country with whom it really maintained friendly
relations was China; China, in fact, supplied virtually all of Albania’s weapons
and even some military training for some 50 years, until Albania decided to
“reintroduced herself to the world,” so to speak, in 1997.
One of the
infantry weapon that Albania received tons of was the Chinese copy of the AKM,
the Type 56. At first, the
Albanians used the Type 56s as they were, but they gradually made modifications
to suit local manufacturing methods and perceived needs, creating essentially a
new set of AKM variants. The
Albanian military refers to these rifles as the Type I, Type II, and Type III
Assault Rifles; however, the troops generally call all three of them AK-47s (and
even call the unmodified Type 56s by the name of AK-47 as well).
The Type I is more or
less a direct copy of the Type 56, with only a very few modifications to suit
local manufacturing conditions, and a different finish to help the rifles cope
with the generally abysmal weather conditions in Albania.
There is also a slight weight difference, as well as a stock with a
longer length of pull to suit the typical somewhat larger-statured Albanian
soldier.
Since the
Albanians still use a number of the older-style Soviet-type rifle grenades, they
came up with the Type II; this is a Type I with a grenade-launcher spigot
attached to the end of the muzzle.
There is a gas cutoff lever on the right side of the gas port, allowing the Type
II to use both older Soviet, Polish, and Chinese-type rifle grenades as well as
the newer BTU rifle grenades. The
rear sight is moved to central location on the upper receiver cover, and is
designed to be used with both the rifle and for firing rifle grenades.
The upper receiver cover has had hinges added at the front instead of
coming completely off when stripping the weapon.
The Type II is not able to mount a bayonet, due to the design of the
grenade launcher spigot.
The Type III is
also quite similar to the Type 56, but is modified for use as sort of a
designated marksman/squad support weapon.
It has a grenade launching spigot at the end of a slightly-longer barrel
than the standard Type 56, but there is no gas cutoff provision, which means
that the use of ballistite cartridges is essential for firing rifle grenades and
the choice of rifle grenades for the Type III is much more limited.
The front sight block has a special extension with a partial collar, and
along with a slight modification in the grenade launcher spigot, this allows the
Type III to mount a bayonet. The
rear sights are also modified to match the extra range afforded by the longer
barrel.
Manufacture of
these rifles continued until 1997, when they began to be replaced with more
modern rifles of Russian origin; however, Albania is reportedly shopping around
for even better rifles, though they are severely limited by the poor condition
of the Albanian economy.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Type I |
7.62mm Kalashnikov |
4.22 kg |
30 |
$797 |
Type II |
7.62mm Kalashnikov |
4.13 kg |
30 |
$827 |
Type III |
7.62mm Kalashnikov |
4.4 kg |
30 |
$870 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Type I |
5 |
4 |
2-Nil |
6 |
3 |
8 |
46 |
Type II |
5 |
4 |
2-Nil |
7 |
3 |
8 |
46 |
Type III |
5 |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
3 |
9 |
62 |