A friend of mine was in a special forces unit in Afghanistan, and he said everyone ADORED the PKM. Their Humvees were usually issued with either a Ma Deuce (M2 hmg in .50BMG) or an M134d minigun from Dillon Aero, and then 2 m240's for the other static mounts. But then they would literally go to the local arms bazaar in whatever village they were near, and buy up as many PKMs as they had and mounted those things at every other point on the vehicle that could take a weapon. They were often leftover captured ones from when the Mujahideen were going toe to toe with the Soviets, but they just worked! Plus, even if they were in some God forsaken corner of the world, ammo was still so easy to come by. I've seen pictures of Special Forces Humvees that looked like a freaking porcupine of death, with one M2, two m240's, one 249 SAW, and THREE PKMs hanging off it! They just had them there so that if one of the other guns choked, or they ran through a whole box of ammo on one of the 240's and didn't have time to reload, they could just swing it out of the way, grab one of PKMs, and continue doing work. Yeah, the PKM is incredible.
Apropos of nothing I googled "special forces humvee" and one of the top results was a Yemini Humvee with a BMP-1 turret grafted on the top. The mind boggles.
The biggest selling point for special forces when it comes to the PKM is weight they are SOOO much lighter than the M240s and fire a far more powerful round than the M249 there is a reason why Poland uses a version of the PKM that uses 7.62 nato
@@logannicholson1850 We Finns continue to use original 7.62x54R in PKMs. Our standard GPMG. Superior ammo supply in attack, the resupply comes from 2 directions. Own supply colums hurriedly springing ammo to frontline, AND ammo grabbed from forward direction, from enemy. Same guns, just grab Russian pre-owned belt box and shove it to holder of your PKM...
The little-known fact is that the license for the production of this machine-gun was bought in package with the T-72 tank from Soviet Russia. That's why the Yugoslav tank is called M-84 and this machine gun is also called M84. Just without a dash.
Seeing the PK field-stripped fully illustrates the insanity that was the M60: over-complicated, impossible to barrel-change without an asbestos glove and having the barrel attached to the bipod so the weapon fell into the dirt. US troops went through a hell to keep their weapons in action that PK users would- and will- never understand. Why did it take so long for the US to accept the FN MAG?
Cuz the US wanted to, for the longest time, be completely self reliant as a weapons maker and not partake in (or worse, rely on) the stock of foreign gun makers. That's my guess.
National Pride more anything. US did eventually adopted MAG59 after FNUSA became primary source of small arms. US Army knew about issues but fail to modernize M60. However M60 did get modernize by US Ordinance Inc. Royal Danish Army got latest version that I wished for when I was in the army. Hope that clear things for you
While the M60 is still very, very heavy, it's a lot lighter and more mobile than the FN MAG and since the US wanted to A) have the machine gun use .308 to use with the M14 and B) wanted a gun that could be used in both an infantry and mounted roll, they went with the M60. I'm sure the fact that the M60 was American made also played into it as well but as far as logistics go that's how I've heard the story go
This gun has some amazing design features. I’m a mechanical engineering student and those weird springy hooks are basically snap fasteners. They undergo repetitive deflection and experience fatigue for so many cycles until a fatigue failure, equivalent to the expected number of rounds put through the gun. I’m sure the Kalashnikov team applied some super classic engineering principles to many features. I’m too excited about this gun.
Hi, would it be weird if I ask where did you studied mechanical engineering? I know I could've just searched for unis or college myself, but I really want to know where you studied so that I could put it as one of my options. Also, if it's not a bother, what are the requirements in your place of study if someone wants to take mechanical engineering? Thank you.
@@venerablebastard2064 I went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I live in New York, so I applied to Universities/Colleges/Institutes in this area. What you do when you apply to a college is create a writing sample, create a resume I think, and supply references. The application process on the college websites will guide you. Please get hyped about engineering because it is an amazing and broad field (and also a lot of hard work that you can do if you keep your eyes on the prize and take full responsibility for your success). Also, I encourage you to look up the difference between College, University, and Institute. I had no clue when I was applying. Also, keep in mind that you may like a different field of engineering or a specific focus in some field of engineering, so it is good to make yourself aware of the possibilities. -Ryan
Piece of trivia connected to that gun that you probably won't hear from anybody who haven't served in Serbian army. Nickname for it is Ceca, short for Svetlana and svetlo means light in Serbian. It earned it's nickname because of it's excessive muzzle blast that would give up the position of the operator, which is, as you might imagine, highly undesirable effect for the army that leans heavily toward guerrilla combat. One more unrelated thing, you've probably seen Varusteleka review of your canteen too, and the reason why it's not easily accessible is that you are not allowed to drink water or eat except in when you are given the specific order to rest, and since such order would not be given except when you are perfectly safe and out of the sight of the enemy, you'll then have the time to open your pack. It's designed to discourage soldiers from breaking this rule, since your entire gear should be at all times strapped in such a way that even when you are running loudest sound you produce should be your boots hitting the ground.
@@newworldorder6764 Sejač smrti je artiljerija, mitraljez služi da pobiberiš neprijatelja, da ne diže glavu i da ne uzvraća paljbu. Suzbijanje neprijateljske žive sile.
The PKM and HK21 are my favorite GPMGs. I always bring up those two machine guns whenever someone claims that the MG-42 or MG-3 is the best machine gun still to this day.
Finnish person here, had the honor of using the PKM in the army as a machinegunner. Very good gun for what it's designed for, as Ian already said. I enjoyed my time using it immensely (save for a few problems that arise when you cannot use the bipod for whatever reason).It's interesting to see the few small differences between this and the PKM we were using. - The rails for the optical sights were missing on the side IIRC, but I do remember hearing that the PKM we used was compatible with some of the night-vision scopes we had. No idea how it would mount though, The only ones who ever got to use them on their guns were snipers and some squad leaders. - We didn't have a flash hider like that, ours was akin to a funnel. But considering how easy it was to remove and the fact that we used blank-firing adaptors semi-often, I could kind of see why. - I'm surprised the stock doesn't have the cutout in it like most PKM's do. I'd like to know why that is? That's where we would hold the gun with our free hand while firing. - The part of the weapon where the gas piston would be and where the gas would be directed (under the barrel, I can't figure out the term for it) did come off as well. You'd depress on the part closest to the body of the weapon and it would detach, though it rarely required any real cleaning or maintenance.
@@underelbow1902 I know it's not the same weapon as the one we used, but I wanted to know the reasoning behind removing the cutout. We were taught to hold the weapon there when deployed with a bipod and even with the cutout, there was a storage for cleaning equipment back there, so I can't immediately figure out why they wouldn't have it.
@@Lahnapihvi The Yugo M84 is a derivative of the PKT (the cheaper PKM for a tank). That's why the stock is like that. And that's why it's noticeably heavier. You had a honor to operate really the best GPMG on the planet, not a Yugo copycat of its downgraded version.
Ran with this for a year in the army. Amazing machine gun and even better with a red dot! Very easy to maintain and easy and ergonomic to shoot. Only negative thing is that ammo box that opens sometimes very easily and can break.
l used a tanker version of the PKM in the military, for about 5000 rounds. There were just a handful of malfunctions, which were probably caused by the old and sandy belts + careless cartridge placement in the belt, not the gun itself. One time l had to use a hammer to get the action open after it had rusted shut because of the lack of use and plenty of sand and moisture. Worked just fine after l cleaned it. The AK of MG's, no doubt. Also, all the ammo was 50+ years old Soviet crap.
I was gunner on this GPMG and i can say that it was reliable, easy for cleaning, surprisingly precise. The handle was good but just for short distances because the weapon is heavy and its hard to carry it with one arm. The sling was a cosmos scale piece of crap. The metal ammunition box always find a way in front of your knee and I hated here. A couple of time the box opened just for no reason and my bullets and belt fell out. I know that Israelis made a leather ammunition pouch for they FN GPMG and i thing that for this one it would be also an advantage.
M84 was mounted on M84 Tank, the Tank was copy of Soviet T-72 so when Yugoslavia got their licence to produce modified T-72 they also got the licence for PKM... That was story in article from military magazine Odbrana from a decade ago,but I remember it nicely...
Damn, that simple cam for barrel removal is awesome. I had to blast the carry handle of my SAW with my palm like I was trying to end someone everytime I wanted to do a barrel change.
More great content from Ian, the ejection port cover and a few other design elements really make the design standout. Many design elements are obviously taken the AK47 which help make it a successful MG. That rimmed cartridge should have been redesigned years ago. The spring loaded ejection port cover could be adapted for use on a piston AR type rifle such as the H&K416 and H&K417. So the ejection port cover would be spring loaded and pivot from the top unlike an M4 dust cover. Which means it would stay closed under spring tension until a cartridge needs to be ejected and then once the bolt cycles the ejection port cover would open and the cartridge would be ejected with the cover snapping shut after ejection to stop the ingress of dirt and contamination into the rifle. H&K are definitely allowed to use the new ejection port cover I have designed and repurposed that is described described above on the HK416 and HK417 rifles and derivatives. 😎🇦🇺👍
The dust covers are set to keep weather out of the gun as much as possible. It is not weather tight, but little chance is given for snow, blown sand, or rain to get in it. Great stuff Thanks.
When my platoon machine gunner was hit, fortunately not seriously, I had to drag him and that damn thing almost 300 m back to the line, where the company commander told me that I could have left him and taken more ammunition left behind because machine gun more important. The situation was that bad in the fall of 92.
Having shot quite a few of these I have to say that the PKM, while maybe crude ergonomically, they really executed the operating and feeding system very well. The short comings of the 240 are mostly that the various mounts and drums don't really feed very well nor are they particularly very convenient to carry. When I was in a gun team most of our ammo bags and carriers we put together our selves.
they are merceneries from foreign countries, no one is liberating anything, it's not safer in any way down there. it's all about people fighting each other for pride, in the name of the same god...
Vice isn't trash. I started following them because they have some damn interesting documentaries, but in the meantime they started putting more focus on what some might perceive as progressive/liberal interests. Usually talking about feminism, LGBT culture or racism. I have nothing against that, but I hoped to get more of a generalist content producer. But you can't deny that, evenn if they are a bunch of liberal yuppie progressive millenials, they're the only ones in the mainstream media that actually send correspondents to war zones and interview the people/fighters there on the regular. Everyone else, from CNN to Fox News, would much rather just read the same Associated Press or Reuters stories and follow the same local journalists on Twitter to make their content than send a crew down there and show us something different - and that's what Vice does best.
They were sick of living in a totalitarian one party state, run for the benefit of one family. Just because a conflict involves muslims, it doesn't mean it's always about religion. Yes, Assad's core supporters were Alawites, but that's because of the area his clan came from. The Alawite religious leadership has repeatedly distanced themselves from the Assad family. Alawi is a syncretic religious movement that's related to Islam, Christianity and gnostic traditions; really fascinating and I recommend reading up on their history and beliefs. The Assad government had become allied with Shia Iran for political and military reasons, NOT because of some religious commonality. The conservative western media has a habit of describing all muslim majority conflict areas as being about religious differences, even when it's patently not the case; much as in the 19th Century, all asian conflicts were about opium and white slavery for them. It's a strand of white jingoism that is presented to poor whites, in order to manufacture an enemy that is not their ruling elites. Depressingly, it still works extremely well in c.21.
Just need a class 3 dealers license. You won't believe how cheap post samples are but then again. you have to have a store front so its still ungodly expensive.
@@joshuamarvin7400 you just need to have a business. You could operate it out of your shed or garage, but you'd still need a business license and all that crap.
Funny story, I was trying to look at one of the guns in the background and you moved in front of it just as I brought my phone closer to my eyes. Talk about perfect timing
Nikitin (you pronounce in right first time) machine gun used proprietary push-through belt, PK used standart belt from Maksim and Goryunov. That's the reason.
Should change the name to FN MAG ( M240, L7, Mag 58) . Your post is suggesting that the FN MAG is a variation of the M240 when the opposite is correct.
Never handled a PKM, but I have handled an M240. I'm no expert, but just looking at the designs comparatively, the MAG just puts a lot more steel behind the design: thicker receiver, thicker barrel, stronger bipod, etc. I guess NATO just wanted a more robust machine gun. It definitely seems that the PKM was designed for dismounted troops first and the MAG for vehicle mounting or fixed positions first (especially considering most of that weight is forward and around the gun's mounting ring). But what can I say, they're both good, reliable designs.
"The ejection port cover is tensioned by this little coil spring here, just like the dust cover on your AR-15." I like that he assumes that we all have AR-15 at home. Everybody must have one, right? :)
We are a nation of minutemen. Every legal adult American citizen ought to have a rifle in 5.56x45 and a pistol in 9x19. We ought to be required to show those required firearms, and our proficiency with them, every five years to maintain citizenship. Most Americans have more than one rifle, plus shotguns and pistols. There are literally more guns than people in these States united. This is as it should be.
I find it very good that you are explaining mechanics and parts of the gun; unlike other boring youtubers that only take it to range, like kids their toys, and shoot cabbages/baloons......
i was in Army and i was mashinegunner and we had M84 as primary weapon i can say its most finnest lmg,i was hitting targets at 1km without optic like a joke
I'm honestly really amazed how simple the field stripping on it is. Yeah i know i should expect it with what it's based off and the designers but still.
Yugoslavia was never in the Soviet Union. Yugoslavia was communist, but they had their own thing. When there was the NATO pact and Warshaw Pact, Yugoslavia went to form a third pact "Non-Alignment Movement -NAM" or as in their native language "Popis Nesvrstanih". Stalin even sent multiple hitman to assassinate Josip Broz Tito and the hitman would always be returned in bodybags. Finaly, Tito had sent a letter to Stalin stating: "You have sent so many hitman and everyone of them returned to you on coffin. If I would send one to assassinate you that would be enough." After the letter Stalin would never meddle in Yugoslavia again.
Me as a Slovenian love this video both thumbs up for me keep up the good work greetings from the most beautiful country in the world Slovenia hehe (I feel very patriotic today)
I waited for it the whole video, and the whole shooting video after, but you completely skipped what happens to the cartridge after it is pulled out of the belt! It was left to the viewers to find out that there's a spring loaded arm in the top cover, which strips the cartridge down from that double claw thing on top of the bolt and holds that cartridge in the tray until it's picked up by the bolt going forward. I mean, I didn't know that before. But I guessed it has to be there while observing the feed tray in slow motion as you were lifting it, and then found another video that shows the top cover from below :D
@@duxdawg , ooh, it was so long ago... 😊 Try searching "how pkm machine gun works". It gives my a video by American Gangster with nice animation of it 🙂
Ian, have you ever come across a belt-fed AR-10, or have anything lined up to do a video on one? While I understand your opinion(s) on the ARES Shrike, I do wonder how, what is basically it's precursor, just in .308, works & functions, and if you could see/think of any way(s) to fix the parts breakages that prevented them from becoming more of a thing. Great video as always, keep up the awesome work!
I was hoping that it would be explained why it's a right side feed /left side case eject design. PKM seems to be the only gpmg I've seen do this. Is it for ease of use in coaxial versions (PKT) or something?
I'm gonna keep an eye out for that dust cover flapping at twice the guns rate of fire now on the shooting video. I don't know why but that detail amuses me.
Cool video, only thing I would've liked to be elaborated on, is how the round gets seated from the piece that pulls it out of the belt, into the area where the bolt moves it the final part of the way into the barrel before firing.
NO! PKP have the same barrel changing mechanism, and PKP barrel is interchangeable with PK/PKM/PKT barrels. Here the photoes - warweapons.ru/novosti-ot-kardena/
Nikitin-Sokolov PN1 was a gas operated, rotating bolt design. I guess the PKs gas operate, open bolt design was superior in the end. Nikitin Sokolov later on went to make the NSV machinegun
Czeck BXN green laquer'd 149 light ball, silver tip....the right ammo for the gun. The Soviets got rid of heavy ball (yellow tip) whenthey got rid of the Maxims, and when they got rid of heavy ball, they no longer had to color code the tips because every thing was light ball after that.
When it comes to improving the Soviet weapon designs the (ex)Yugoslavs did it better than anybody. They kept the parts that worked and improved the parts which could be made better. Since Yugoslavia never was neither in the Comintern or the Warsaw Pact it pretty much gave them free access to import weapons from all over the world and compare them directly. This is why their army had everything from WWII German infantry weapons, 1950's U.S. weapons (their air force flew F-86 Sabres), 1960's Soviet general purpose machine guns and tanks, 1970's French military helicopters and Swedish Bofors cannons.
A friend of mine was in a special forces unit in Afghanistan, and he said everyone ADORED the PKM. Their Humvees were usually issued with either a Ma Deuce (M2 hmg in .50BMG) or an M134d minigun from Dillon Aero, and then 2 m240's for the other static mounts. But then they would literally go to the local arms bazaar in whatever village they were near, and buy up as many PKMs as they had and mounted those things at every other point on the vehicle that could take a weapon. They were often leftover captured ones from when the Mujahideen were going toe to toe with the Soviets, but they just worked! Plus, even if they were in some God forsaken corner of the world, ammo was still so easy to come by. I've seen pictures of Special Forces Humvees that looked like a freaking porcupine of death, with one M2, two m240's, one 249 SAW, and THREE PKMs hanging off it! They just had them there so that if one of the other guns choked, or they ran through a whole box of ammo on one of the 240's and didn't have time to reload, they could just swing it out of the way, grab one of PKMs, and continue doing work. Yeah, the PKM is incredible.
Apropos of nothing I googled "special forces humvee" and one of the top results was a Yemini Humvee with a BMP-1 turret grafted on the top. The mind boggles.
@@AshleyPomeroy I don't know why, but I was really looking forward to hearing back from you. Maybe it was the way you wrote. Maybe I'm just a fool.
The biggest selling point for special forces when it comes to the PKM is weight they are SOOO much lighter than the M240s and fire a far more powerful round than the M249 there is a reason why Poland uses a version of the PKM that uses 7.62 nato
@@logannicholson1850 We Finns continue to use original 7.62x54R in PKMs. Our standard GPMG. Superior ammo supply in attack, the resupply comes from 2 directions. Own supply colums hurriedly springing ammo to frontline, AND ammo grabbed from forward direction, from enemy. Same guns, just grab Russian pre-owned belt box and shove it to holder of your PKM...
It just works.
I served with this gun in Yugoslav army in 1980's, it is a beast!
Nice!
Фала ти херој 👍јас сум Македонец 🇲🇰
Wish the Toyota dealership sold these with mounts.
The Ural motorcycle dealers sell their sidecar with machine gun mounts
@@lanceluthor6660 night wolves vs hells angels? Ooofffffah
@Nehemiah Brayan b r u h
@Nehemiah Brayan shill and spammer, reported
Nothing a trip to the hardware store and a bit of welding can't fix
A toyota truck's best friend.
Technically, yes.
Yes... 20 years ago..
@Yo Ming You mean Taliban? Or Afghanistan "freedom fighters" in 80s.?
Toyota truks love a 12.5 mm MG like the NSV, not a 7.62 PKM.
@@MrPibb23x I see what you did there
The little-known fact is that the license for the production of this machine-gun was bought in package with the T-72 tank from Soviet Russia. That's why the Yugoslav tank is called M-84 and this machine gun is also called M84. Just without a dash.
Because its standard mount on tanks
They also would throw in a beer cooler (for qualified lessees only).
I like to think its pronounced "matey-4
@@beardofjustice8021 What??
@@97MrBlues MEighty Four
Seeing the PK field-stripped fully illustrates the insanity that was the M60: over-complicated, impossible to barrel-change without an asbestos glove and having the barrel attached to the bipod so the weapon fell into the dirt. US troops went through a hell to keep their weapons in action that PK users would- and will- never understand.
Why did it take so long for the US to accept the FN MAG?
Cuz the US wanted to, for the longest time, be completely self reliant as a weapons maker and not partake in (or worse, rely on) the stock of foreign gun makers. That's my guess.
@@cptTK421 because monopoly and capitalism.
National Pride more anything. US did eventually adopted MAG59 after FNUSA became primary source of small arms. US Army knew about issues but fail to modernize M60. However M60 did get modernize by US Ordinance Inc. Royal Danish Army got latest version that I wished for when I was in the army. Hope that clear things for you
While the M60 is still very, very heavy, it's a lot lighter and more mobile than the FN MAG and since the US wanted to A) have the machine gun use .308 to use with the M14 and B) wanted a gun that could be used in both an infantry and mounted roll, they went with the M60. I'm sure the fact that the M60 was American made also played into it as well but as far as logistics go that's how I've heard the story go
big round go boom, or you're a commie.
This gun has some amazing design features. I’m a mechanical engineering student and those weird springy hooks are basically snap fasteners. They undergo repetitive deflection and experience fatigue for so many cycles until a fatigue failure, equivalent to the expected number of rounds put through the gun. I’m sure the Kalashnikov team applied some super classic engineering principles to many features. I’m too excited about this gun.
Hi, would it be weird if I ask where did you studied mechanical engineering? I know I could've just searched for unis or college myself, but I really want to know where you studied so that I could put it as one of my options. Also, if it's not a bother, what are the requirements in your place of study if someone wants to take mechanical engineering? Thank you.
@@venerablebastard2064 I went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I live in New York, so I applied to Universities/Colleges/Institutes in this area. What you do when you apply to a college is create a writing sample, create a resume I think, and supply references. The application process on the college websites will guide you. Please get hyped about engineering because it is an amazing and broad field (and also a lot of hard work that you can do if you keep your eyes on the prize and take full responsibility for your success). Also, I encourage you to look up the difference between College, University, and Institute. I had no clue when I was applying. Also, keep in mind that you may like a different field of engineering or a specific focus in some field of engineering, so it is good to make yourself aware of the possibilities.
-Ryan
That camming handle for barrel removal is freaking genius.
"It's rimmed for the extractors pleasure." Dugen Ashley
i want that on a shirt XD
@@Bibl888 damn so do i, i just didnt know it until you said it
Can't go wrong with Zastava
Dizninja naravno 👍
@ fico is italian fiat 500
@@deadpool6290 nop, in fact it is fiat 600 copy, not 500 big difference between those
@@thesayxx Worst car ever made -Yugo !
@@thesayxx Depends on what model. The early Zastava's based on Fiat 600's were very reliable, easy to fix and run forever.
Piece of trivia connected to that gun that you probably won't hear from anybody who haven't served in Serbian army. Nickname for it is Ceca, short for Svetlana and svetlo means light in Serbian. It earned it's nickname because of it's excessive muzzle blast that would give up the position of the operator, which is, as you might imagine, highly undesirable effect for the army that leans heavily toward guerrilla combat. One more unrelated thing, you've probably seen Varusteleka review of your canteen too, and the reason why it's not easily accessible is that you are not allowed to drink water or eat except in when you are given the specific order to rest, and since such order would not be given except when you are perfectly safe and out of the sight of the enemy, you'll then have the time to open your pack. It's designed to discourage soldiers from breaking this rule, since your entire gear should be at all times strapped in such a way that even when you are running loudest sound you produce should be your boots hitting the ground.
Have you served bre?
ovo je sijac smrti, kakva ceca kakva svetlana
@@Le_Robban 211th armored brigade, mechanized infantry, BVP m80 commander.
@@newworldorder6764 Sejač smrti je artiljerija, mitraljez služi da pobiberiš neprijatelja, da ne diže glavu i da ne uzvraća paljbu. Suzbijanje neprijateljske žive sile.
@@VelikiHejter what year?
The PKM and HK21 are my favorite GPMGs. I always bring up those two machine guns whenever someone claims that the MG-42 or MG-3 is the best machine gun still to this day.
ZB 26 and MG 42 are the most influential designs. RPK is the most successful.
I know it's little but that lever on the carry handle which cams the barrel out made my eyes light up. I love little shit like that.
It really amazes me just how far ahead of the curve the Soviets were for small arms design compared to the West during the 50's and 60's.
Finnish person here, had the honor of using the PKM in the army as a machinegunner. Very good gun for what it's designed for, as Ian already said. I enjoyed my time using it immensely (save for a few problems that arise when you cannot use the bipod for whatever reason).It's interesting to see the few small differences between this and the PKM we were using.
- The rails for the optical sights were missing on the side IIRC, but I do remember hearing that the PKM we used was compatible with some of the night-vision scopes we had. No idea how it would mount though, The only ones who ever got to use them on their guns were snipers and some squad leaders.
- We didn't have a flash hider like that, ours was akin to a funnel. But considering how easy it was to remove and the fact that we used blank-firing adaptors semi-often, I could kind of see why.
- I'm surprised the stock doesn't have the cutout in it like most PKM's do. I'd like to know why that is? That's where we would hold the gun with our free hand while firing.
- The part of the weapon where the gas piston would be and where the gas would be directed (under the barrel, I can't figure out the term for it) did come off as well. You'd depress on the part closest to the body of the weapon and it would detach, though it rarely required any real cleaning or maintenance.
The stock is a kind of storage, where the cleaning kit is stored. At least we had that in our unit back in early 2000's
He is showing you the Yugoslav copy which is better than the Russian origin. They made the stock like that.
@@underelbow1902 I know it's not the same weapon as the one we used, but I wanted to know the reasoning behind removing the cutout. We were taught to hold the weapon there when deployed with a bipod and even with the cutout, there was a storage for cleaning equipment back there, so I can't immediately figure out why they wouldn't have it.
@@Lahnapihvi The Yugo M84 is a derivative of the PKT (the cheaper PKM for a tank). That's why the stock is like that. And that's why it's noticeably heavier.
You had a honor to operate really the best GPMG on the planet, not a Yugo copycat of its downgraded version.
@@RustedCroakerI bet that Zastava version had better materials used.
Russian firearm engineering never ceases to amaze me so simple and yet effective.
Russians give the name of accepted weapon to its designer. In small arms design Russia/Soviets managed to keep healthy competition going.
Ran with this for a year in the army. Amazing machine gun and even better with a red dot! Very easy to maintain and easy and ergonomic to shoot. Only negative thing is that ammo box that opens sometimes very easily and can break.
I will never forget the first time i picked up a PKM in Iraq. They are incredibly light guns that look heavy
l used a tanker version of the PKM in the military, for about 5000 rounds. There were just a handful of malfunctions, which were probably caused by the old and sandy belts + careless cartridge placement in the belt, not the gun itself. One time l had to use a hammer to get the action open after it had rusted shut because of the lack of use and plenty of sand and moisture. Worked just fine after l cleaned it. The AK of MG's, no doubt.
Also, all the ammo was 50+ years old Soviet crap.
PKT, no?
Yup.
Finland. The armored vehicle in question was an MT-LBv.
Considering it's based off the AK, it's not surprising that it's the AK of MG's. :p
Kurt Bergh a
I was gunner on this GPMG and i can say that it was reliable, easy for cleaning, surprisingly precise. The handle was good but just for short distances because the weapon is heavy and its hard to carry it with one arm. The sling was a cosmos scale piece of crap. The metal ammunition box always find a way in front of your knee and I hated here. A couple of time the box opened just for no reason and my bullets and belt fell out. I know that Israelis made a leather ammunition pouch for they FN GPMG and i thing that for this one it would be also an advantage.
M84 was mounted on M84 Tank, the Tank was copy of Soviet T-72 so when Yugoslavia got their licence to produce modified T-72 they also got the licence for PKM... That was story in article from military magazine Odbrana from a decade ago,but I remember it nicely...
the optics for this gun and many others are made in my town of Sarajevo, a company called Zrak makes them.
*accordian music plays faintly in the background*
Whit tekno sounds
Damn, that simple cam for barrel removal is awesome. I had to blast the carry handle of my SAW with my palm like I was trying to end someone everytime I wanted to do a barrel change.
Rip hand
Proudly carried it for 9 months. Barrel can be cleaned with a piece of cloth, a string and a little oil in 30 sec after thousands of rounds fired.
18:25 "Perfect is the enemy of good enough."
The PKM is a exquisite example of elegant simplicity!
I mean anyone can disassemble and assemble back gun, but what I just adore here is the story behind the gun. Bravo !!!
Sokolov? That famous rocket scientiest?
Kim Janek No, the scientist from Dunwall
METAL GEAR?!?
You're that ninja...
Sorry for being so late.
I'm a CIA agent. I've come to escort you back to the other side of the Iron Curtain.
More great content from Ian, the ejection port cover and a few other design elements really make the design standout.
Many design elements are obviously taken the AK47 which help make it a successful MG.
That rimmed cartridge should have been redesigned years ago.
The spring loaded ejection port cover could be adapted for use on a piston AR type rifle such as the H&K416 and H&K417.
So the ejection port cover would be spring loaded and pivot from the top unlike an M4 dust cover. Which means it would stay closed under spring tension until a cartridge needs to be ejected and then once the bolt cycles the ejection port cover would open and the cartridge would be ejected with the cover snapping shut after ejection to stop the ingress of dirt and contamination into the rifle.
H&K are definitely allowed to use the new ejection port cover I have designed and repurposed that is described described above on the HK416 and HK417 rifles and derivatives.
😎🇦🇺👍
This was the most feared weapon during Bosnian War, I was there as a kid
Think the Mig 21 was a bit worse
Bs. Garonja ili Ciganka (mg42) ili ti M53 kako ga je Yuga pravila was even more feared
Used by both sides as far as footage shows
You havent seen the video of the hill propelled naval mine.
@@1893Mauser well it showed how we can use it as an land mine
The dust covers are set to keep weather out of the gun as much as possible. It is not weather tight, but little chance is given for snow, blown sand, or rain to get in it. Great stuff Thanks.
When my platoon machine gunner was hit, fortunately not seriously, I had to drag him and that damn thing almost 300 m back to the line, where the company commander told me that I could have left him and taken more ammunition left behind because machine gun more important.
The situation was that bad in the fall of 92.
Having shot quite a few of these I have to say that the PKM, while maybe crude ergonomically, they really executed the operating and feeding system very well. The short comings of the 240 are mostly that the various mounts and drums don't really feed very well nor are they particularly very convenient to carry. When I was in a gun team most of our ammo bags and carriers we put together our selves.
Considering I've seen Kurdish and iraqi soldiers use them whilst liberating Mosul, yep, it holds up!
gillysuit2 nah man, just some vice and bbc news, though I highly respect the anti Isis fighters over there!
they are merceneries from foreign countries, no one is liberating anything, it's not safer in any way down there. it's all about people fighting each other for pride, in the name of the same god...
Vice isn't trash. I started following them because they have some damn interesting documentaries, but in the meantime they started putting more focus on what some might perceive as progressive/liberal interests. Usually talking about feminism, LGBT culture or racism. I have nothing against that, but I hoped to get more of a generalist content producer. But you can't deny that, evenn if they are a bunch of liberal yuppie progressive millenials, they're the only ones in the mainstream media that actually send correspondents to war zones and interview the people/fighters there on the regular. Everyone else, from CNN to Fox News, would much rather just read the same Associated Press or Reuters stories and follow the same local journalists on Twitter to make their content than send a crew down there and show us something different - and that's what Vice does best.
Hold on. The war certainly didn't started because of sunni & shia rivalry.
They were sick of living in a totalitarian one party state, run for the benefit of one family. Just because a conflict involves muslims, it doesn't mean it's always about religion. Yes, Assad's core supporters were Alawites, but that's because of the area his clan came from. The Alawite religious leadership has repeatedly distanced themselves from the Assad family. Alawi is a syncretic religious movement that's related to Islam, Christianity and gnostic traditions; really fascinating and I recommend reading up on their history and beliefs. The Assad government had become allied with Shia Iran for political and military reasons, NOT because of some religious commonality.
The conservative western media has a habit of describing all muslim majority conflict areas as being about religious differences, even when it's patently not the case; much as in the 19th Century, all asian conflicts were about opium and white slavery for them. It's a strand of white jingoism that is presented to poor whites, in order to manufacture an enemy that is not their ruling elites. Depressingly, it still works extremely well in c.21.
this comment section has to be my favorite throughout all of youtube. such positivity and much gun jesus.
Welcome to Balkan comment section 😆
Unless you mention america or nato, god forbid you mention any of those, or an F-117, dont mention the f117
@@cursedcliff7562 Or Mosul, there's a comment a few comments up that is on fire right now because of someone mentioning Mosul.
Now i want a PKM because jesus approve it and also called it the best belt fed..
Is this before or after Sokolov designed the Shagohod?
I was looking for the MGS3 reference
I don’t think many people will understand this joke
@@Zero99998 55 people so far...
If we can ever get the class 3 registry reopened, these things are going to be SO popular here in the states.
Just need a class 3 dealers license. You won't believe how cheap post samples are but then again. you have to have a store front so its still ungodly expensive.
@@joshhill5932 What qualifies as a 'Store Front'. A shed? I can build a shed.
@@joshuamarvin7400 you just need to have a business. You could operate it out of your shed or garage, but you'd still need a business license and all that crap.
Funny story, I was trying to look at one of the guns in the background and you moved in front of it just as I brought my phone closer to my eyes. Talk about perfect timing
*_Hej Sloveni Intensifies_*
Jošte živi...😎
@@adissabovic Kano klisurine... :))) Pozdrav..
@@nostromokg Živ ti meni bio, druže! 😍
*anger Polish catholic noises*
@@rnrailproductions5049 What does that mean? :)
Nikitin (you pronounce in right first time) machine gun used proprietary push-through belt, PK used standart belt from Maksim and Goryunov. That's the reason.
Why does the FN Mag (M240, L7, Mag 58, ect) weigh more than the PKM when they do the same thing and fire similar rounds?
The m240 is just fat and heavy for some reason
Should change the name to FN MAG ( M240, L7, Mag 58) . Your post is suggesting that the FN MAG is a variation of the M240 when the opposite is correct.
MajorLongDong oh woops
No probs mate.
Never handled a PKM, but I have handled an M240. I'm no expert, but just looking at the designs comparatively, the MAG just puts a lot more steel behind the design: thicker receiver, thicker barrel, stronger bipod, etc. I guess NATO just wanted a more robust machine gun. It definitely seems that the PKM was designed for dismounted troops first and the MAG for vehicle mounting or fixed positions first (especially considering most of that weight is forward and around the gun's mounting ring). But what can I say, they're both good, reliable designs.
Can't wait till you do a video on the Zastava M53 (aka Yugoslavs Buzzsaw)
"The ejection port cover is tensioned by this little coil spring here, just like the dust cover on your AR-15." I like that he assumes that we all have AR-15 at home. Everybody must have one, right? :)
We are a nation of minutemen. Every legal adult American citizen ought to have a rifle in 5.56x45 and a pistol in 9x19. We ought to be required to show those required firearms, and our proficiency with them, every five years to maintain citizenship.
Most Americans have more than one rifle, plus shotguns and pistols. There are literally more guns than people in these States united. This is as it should be.
I find it very good that you are explaining mechanics and parts of the gun; unlike other boring youtubers that only take it to range, like kids their toys, and shoot cabbages/baloons......
It would've been nice to see how the round gets fed from the "extractor" claw into the bolt. Otherwise great video!
i was in Army and i was mashinegunner and we had M84 as primary weapon i can say its most finnest lmg,i was hitting targets at 1km without optic like a joke
same stuff. We call it Pretty boy in rus army
2:16 Oh yeah, the wheel mount. That's totally what I recognize Sokolov's name from... heh.
I'm finished...
Guns seem to be like musical instruments - the difference between a very good and very bad one is barely visible until you use it.
I hope he gets his hands on an RP 46 one day.
I'm honestly really amazed how simple the field stripping on it is. Yeah i know i should expect it with what it's based off and the designers but still.
Ooo this brings me back......when i have served in the army. I called her my katjuska. She was so beautiful.
This thing is truly a marvel for its time, it weighs like 8.5kg empty which is lighter than most general purpose machine guns even today
ABRAKADABRA!
*popcorn noises*
Tursi BLYAT!
I wouldn't want that guy to be my instructor.
Why have i understood this
@@juanordonezgalban2278 Because you are a man of culture.
That big logo in the top-right early in the video was beautiful.
This is one of those rare videos that get instantly watched rather than thrown into the watch later queue.
Awesome review. I know marstar has some nice guns, hope Ian does some more from their selection
Yugoslavia was never in the Soviet Union. Yugoslavia was communist, but they had their own thing. When there was the NATO pact and Warshaw Pact, Yugoslavia went to form a third pact "Non-Alignment Movement -NAM" or as in their native language "Popis Nesvrstanih". Stalin even sent multiple hitman to assassinate Josip Broz Tito and the hitman would always be returned in bodybags. Finaly, Tito had sent a letter to Stalin stating: "You have sent so many hitman and everyone of them returned to you on coffin. If I would send one to assassinate you that would be enough." After the letter Stalin would never meddle in Yugoslavia again.
Ha ha. Fuck Stalin.
Not to mention a big possibility that Tito killed Stalin.. Poisoned him :D
"Pokret Nesvrstanih", not "Popis Nesvrstanih".
@Ras Voja it can't be... If we were NATO ally then why did we get USA Freedom Treatment?
@Ras Voja god damn Milošević
This is the exact gun my father carried in the 90s not just a pkm but an m84 i still have the manual
Was just reading about the sg43 after seeing it in "The Vietnam War" last night. How timely
That little flappy bird motion of the ejection port cover should moves air around inside the action to help cooling.
Did you know that our soldiers use this with scope.
Like DMR from fixed position.
Not unheard of, one of the best American snipers made his longest shot with a 50. caliber machine gun with a scope on it!
If we get a disassembly video today, we will soon get a shooting video....which makes me very very happy
Me as a Slovenian love this video both thumbs up for me keep up the good work greetings from the most beautiful country in the world Slovenia hehe (I feel very patriotic today)
You can say whatever you want about the soviets back in the day, but you can't deny that they really know how to make excelent firearms.
I waited for it the whole video, and the whole shooting video after, but you completely skipped what happens to the cartridge after it is pulled out of the belt! It was left to the viewers to find out that there's a spring loaded arm in the top cover, which strips the cartridge down from that double claw thing on top of the bolt and holds that cartridge in the tray until it's picked up by the bolt going forward. I mean, I didn't know that before. But I guessed it has to be there while observing the feed tray in slow motion as you were lifting it, and then found another video that shows the top cover from below :D
Where is that other vid?? Now I need to know!! :)
@@duxdawg , ooh, it was so long ago... 😊 Try searching "how pkm machine gun works". It gives my a video by American Gangster with nice animation of it 🙂
@@konstantin.v
Thank You!! Fantastic vid! Really awesome! Thanks again!!
@@duxdawg , glad to help. I too like to not leave questions hanging unanswered 😊
The only weakness of the PKM is the lack of a disintegrating link. Great gun. Very comfortable to shoot.
Ian, have you ever come across a belt-fed AR-10, or have anything lined up to do a video on one? While I understand your opinion(s) on the ARES Shrike, I do wonder how, what is basically it's precursor, just in .308, works & functions, and if you could see/think of any way(s) to fix the parts breakages that prevented them from becoming more of a thing.
Great video as always, keep up the awesome work!
When I heard the name "Sokolov" you had my interest...
Do the Yugoslavian mauser variant, M48! Greetings from Croatia.
Harald Bearclaw ima li nas jos? 😂
O ima ima :D Viđam tu i tamo neke u komentarima.
Tandzara
Nah...ne znam sto kazu da je jugoslovenska kad je srpska...ali se slazem sa tvojim prijedlogom
@@vanja2565 Zato što je pravljena za Jugoslavije
So this is pretty much one of the best youtube channels.
Yugoslavia was my country, what a beautiful country she was.
Politics lead to massacre, rape, war, and horrific acts against the innocent.
@@tony_5156 NATO leaded to that particular massacre, rape, war, and horrific act against the innocent.
@@tony_5156 Your comment is such a generality it hurts.NATO DID THAT LIKE IT DID SO MANY TIMES BEFORE AND AFTER.NATO was made to do only crimes.
Lol that shot of the box that is saying AR-15 magazines full capacity/new you gotta know the canucks were like super proud of that one
I was hoping that it would be explained why it's a right side feed /left side case eject design. PKM seems to be the only gpmg I've seen do this.
Is it for ease of use in coaxial versions (PKT) or something?
Easier to load by other guy + that way of feeding was already standard for many years.
Cheers mate for extremely well explaining all the useful details!
Does pkm stand for Phuckin Kool Machinegun? lol
pkm= puskomitraljez
@@Podrinje94 ne
Pulemyot Kalashnikov Modernizarny - Kalashnikov Machine gun, modernized
@@Podrinje94 oh wait, you mean +Psdhujhgsdilf Kdhiaubyv Miugubddf?
I'm gonna keep an eye out for that dust cover flapping at twice the guns rate of fire now on the shooting video. I don't know why but that detail amuses me.
Wait, isn't there an RPD missing in between WWII and the introduction of this opinion amplifier, is it?
@@CRL_One Exactly - RPD and RPK are 7.62 x 39mm, PK/PKM is 7.62 x 54mmR.
Cool video, only thing I would've liked to be elaborated on, is how the round gets seated from the piece that pulls it out of the belt, into the area where the bolt moves it the final part of the way into the barrel before firing.
-Ni-kitten
- *Meows in distance* , yes comrade
That barrel change system is slick as frick
"A" is added at the end of last name much like "s" in English.
So "Pulemet KolashnikovA" as in "Kolashnikov's machine gun"
Thank you
Strange seeing a PKM stock without its cutout
wouldn´t you horribly burn your fingers if you try to change a red hot barrel after a long burst?
Ju Na one would just use something like empty casing to push the locking block to the side. Barrel comes of with just the handle then.
NO! PKP have the same barrel changing mechanism, and PKP barrel is interchangeable with PK/PKM/PKT barrels. Here the photoes - warweapons.ru/novosti-ot-kardena/
Nikitin-Sokolov PN1 was a gas operated, rotating bolt design. I guess the PKs gas operate, open bolt design was superior in the end.
Nikitin Sokolov later on went to make the NSV machinegun
CECA
Vujkin PC Ražnatović
Zar Ceca nije M76 8x57 poluautomatska puska sa 10 metaka?
Sarac xaxa kaze co'ek najbolji piskomitraljez
Sejac smrti
Nikolay Jovanovic m76 gde mogu da kupim nov u beograd nis
All your documentaries are fantastic.
Well-sealed gun? I smell mud test!
Its really cool to see you come up to my neck of the woods.
Do the zastava M21 please gun jesus
The PKMs i seen have a hollow space in the shoulder stock so you can hold with your other hand when shooting prone.
I loved that gun in JA2. :D
I agree Ian about the quality of the Maching gun. Love that weapon.
I started hearing Lepi Miça singing about Republika Serpska when he opened Dat box
ahhahahahah Kristina if you come to Serbia we will go on rakija in some kafana with this type of music.
@@srdjanvujosevic88 turbofolk too?
+mr fool yes
Czeck BXN green laquer'd 149 light ball, silver tip....the right ammo for the gun. The Soviets got rid of heavy ball (yellow tip) whenthey got rid of the Maxims, and when they got rid of heavy ball, they no longer had to color code the tips because every thing was light ball after that.
I wish he would've talked about the optic. I never seen one on a pk.
I love your videos dude. You are my favorite youtuber!
@8:49 the nose hairs whistle😅
The soviets had some outright brilliant engineering when it came to making stuff work good, less so when it came to making it conventional.
When it comes to improving the Soviet weapon designs the (ex)Yugoslavs did it better than anybody. They kept the parts that worked and improved the parts which could be made better. Since Yugoslavia never was neither in the Comintern or the Warsaw Pact it pretty much gave them free access to import weapons from all over the world and compare them directly. This is why their army had everything from WWII German infantry weapons, 1950's U.S. weapons (their air force flew F-86 Sabres), 1960's Soviet general purpose machine guns and tanks, 1970's French military helicopters and Swedish Bofors cannons.
@@ruskibot7745 Totally unlike american designed reactors in The Three Mile Island and Fukushima Japan.
every country has its brilliant people. well maybe a little less in africa lol
No man ever got more out of the Soviet system by just doing his job than Mikhail Kalashnikov.