Type 58 assault rifle explained

Type 58
Origin:North Korea
Type:Assault rifle
Is Ranged:yes
Service:1958–present
Used By:See Users
Wars:
Designer:Mikhail Kalashnikov
Manufacturer:Factory 61/65
Production Date:1958–1968[2]
Number:800,000[3]
Cartridge:7.62×39mm
Action:Gas-operated
Rate:600–650 rounds/min
Feed:30-round detachable AK magazines
Sights:Iron sights
Hangul:58
Rr:Opalsik jadongbochong
Mr:Op'alsik chadongboch'ong

The Type 58 (Korean: 58식자동보총) is an assault rifle made in North Korea derived from the Soviet AK-47 designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. This was the first weapon made in North Korea alongside the PPSh-41, made under license as the Type 49.[4] It was made in Factory 61 and 65[4] in Chongjin.[2]

History

After the Korean War (1950–1953), North Korea was allied with the Soviet Union and continued to receive military support from them throughout the Cold War.[5] President Kim Il Sung ordered the fabrication of the Type 58. The assault rifle was first produced in 1958.[4] These were made initially with Soviet components until the North Koreans were able to make the parts on their own.[4]

Before production of the Type 58 ceased, it's reported that around 800,000 were made.[3] North Korea eventually turned production towards the Type 68 since it was getting too much time-consuming to make the Type 58 even though the cost of labor to make the assault rifle is not a problem.[3] Production eventually was halted in 1968[2] and shifted to the Type 68 in the same year.

The Type 58 was exported to Cuba and Vietnam in the 1960s before it showed up in parts of Africa, the Middle East and South America.[4]

The Type 68 was reported to be exported to the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front covertly in the 1980s.[2]

Design

Type 58

While the Type 58 is based on the AK-47 with the milled receiver,[4] the difference between the two assault rifles is that the former has identifying marks such as the five-point star in a circle and Type 58 in hangul.[4] The Type 58 has a firing rate at 600-650 RPM.[2]

The Type 58's quality of finish bluing depends, which usually ranges from average to poor.[2]

Initial production models were not made with bayonet lugs. Later models were produced with said bayonet lugs.

Type 68

The Type 68 was made with features from the Type 58 with features such as the solid catalpa wood stock, wood pistol grip, handguards and smooth sheet-steel top covers.[2] It has a swivel retaining bracket spot-welded on the left side of the receiver.[2] The pistol grip stud and lower stock tang are riveted in place.[2] The milled gas block is flat on both sides and, like the Type 58, has a sling swivel that extends outward from the left side.[2] The folding stock variant of the Type 68 has the Soviet underfolding design with stamped steel struts and buttplate.[2] The rear sights are graduated to a distance of 800 meters.[2] The trigger group is not based on the Soviet AKM. Instead, the trigger is a double-hook design based on milled receiver-based AKs.[4]

The rifle has a barrel length of 415 mm with a velocity of 715 m/s.[6] Its practical rate of fire is at 40-100 RPM.[6] While it has a sight range of 800 meters, its effective range is at 300 to 400 meters.[6]

While Type 68s used hangul markings in the fire selectors, exported versions uses non-hangul markings[2] with 1 for semi-auto and an infinity symbol for automatic fire.[4] The markings consist of a five-point star in a circle and Type 68 in hangul.[4]

Variants

Type 58-1

A variant of the Type 58 with a folding stock.[3]

Type 68

The Type 68 also known as Type 68 NK, is a North Korean version of the AKM, it was adopted in 1968 to replace the Type 58.[6] It has no rate reducer.[7] It has its own bayonet, which is based on the AK-47 bayonet, but it has a different pommel mount for it.[8] These bayonets were also issued in Cuba, which have green scabbards instead of tan scabbards, which is used in the Korean People's Army.[9]

Type 68-1

The Type 68-1 features an underfolding stock like the AKMS with holes in it to help reduce overall weight.[3]

Users

Known to have the Type 58 in the 1960s.[4] It also received the Type 68.[3]

Sandinista Popular Army/Ejército Popular Sandinista. In addition to receiving Type 58s and Type 68s, they also received Type 68 magazine pouches and slings.[10]

Type 68 used by Peruvian National Police, most refurbished by Desarrollos Industriales Casanave.[11] Around 200 were modernized by DC as of 2012.[11]

Imported Type 68 rifles or components prior to the Syrian Civil War. Produced under license in Syria.[12]

Reported to be used by the former North Vietnamese military in the 1960s.[4] [3]

Non-State Actors

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Book: Interagency Intelligence Assessment: Grenada: A First Look at Mechanisms of Control and Foreign Involvement. 19 December 1983. CIA.
  2. Web site: Iannamico. Frank. 4 May 2012. AK Rifle of the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea. Small Arms Review. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926211449/https://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1071. September 26, 2021.
  3. Web site: Shea. Dan. Hong. Heebum. 27 March 2013. North Korean Small Arms. Small Arms Defense Journal. 27 July 2017. 3. https://web.archive.org/web/20190816183623/http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/north-korean-small-arms/3/. August 16, 2019.
  4. Web site: Iannamico. Frank. 11 September 2018. DPRK's AKs: Inside the Shadowy World of North Korean AK Rifles. Tactical Life Gun Magazine. https://web.archive.org/web/20230312213305/https://www.tactical-life.com/firearms/rifles/north-korean-ak-rifles/. March 12, 2023.
  5. Web site: North Korean Type 58 Milled AK. Ian. McCollum. 19 September 2016. Forgotten Weapons.
  6. Web site: Type 68 Assault Rifle . Military-Today.com .
  7. Book: North Korea Country Handbook 1997, Appendix A: Equipment Recognition. TYPE-68 (AKM) ASSAULT RIFLE. A-77. US Department of Defense . https://fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/nkor.pdf.
  8. Web site: Cobb. Ralph E.. 2010. Bayonets of North Korea. worldbayonets.com.
  9. Web site: Cobb. Ralph E.. 2009. Bayonets of Cuba. worldbayonets.com.
  10. Web site: Communist Military Aid to Nicaragua:Trends and Implications.. https://web.archive.org/web/20170123055800/https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP97R00694R000800340001-5.pdf. dead. 23 January 2017. 8 December 1987. CIA.gov. 19 May 2020.
  11. Web site: Fusiles De Asalto. https://web.archive.org/web/20140413125030/http://www.discasanave.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=300049. 13 April 2014. Desarrollos Industriales Casanave Perú. es.
  12. https://x.com/DimasqS/status/1808082726945206772?t=atCX90Yhok8vY1VLsJtvYg&s=19 A Syrian-produced North Korean Type 68 rifle on sale in Yemen. We can notice the Syrian Defense Laboratories logo stamped on it, which we have seen in the past across Syria. (h/t @FighterXwar_ar).
  13. Islamic State Weapons in High-Profile Operations in North-East Syria . January 2024 . Conflict Armament Research . London . 7 March 2024 . 34–36.