Rashid Carbine
Factory 54 (Maadi Company for Engineering Industries) · Carbine · Out Of Production · 1960
Also known as: Rasheed Carbine, UAR Rashid
Overview
The Rashid (also spelled Rasheed) is an Egyptian semi-automatic carbine developed in the late 1950s as a scaled-down derivative of the Hakim rifle, re-engineered to fire the lighter Soviet 7.62x39mm M43 cartridge that was becoming standard across Warsaw Pact and non-aligned Arab armies. Like the Hakim, it uses a direct-impingement gas system with a tilting bolt, but features a folding bayonet patterned after the Soviet SKS and a 10-round detachable box magazine that can be topped off with stripper clips. It served as a transitional rifle in Egyptian service before the wholesale adoption of the AKM-pattern Maadi.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4200 g (148.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1035 mm (40.75") |
| Barrel Length | 520 mm (20.47") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 10 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 690 m/s (2264 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1900 J (1401 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 400 m (437 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1000 m (1094 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 240 mm (9.45") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.62x39mm · primary — also known as 7.62 Soviet, 7.62x39mm M43
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine, Stripper Clip
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Folding Bayonet, Stripper Clip Loading, Tilting Bolt, Direct Impingement Gas System, Non Reciprocating Charging Handle
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Egyptian Army · adopted 1960 · as Rashid
Conflicts
- Six-Day War (1967)
- Yom Kippur War (1973)
Production
Estimated total produced: 8,000 · Production years: 1960-1968
Limited production at Factory 54 (Maadi); supplanted by AKM-pattern rifles
Origin
Country of origin: Egypt
Discontinued: 1968
Notes
Only about 8,000 Rashid carbines were produced - making them one of the rarer Cold War-era service rifles. Most surplus examples were eventually exported as collectors' pieces.
Background
The Rashid is essentially what would happen if you scaled the Swedish Ljungman down to fire AK ammunition and bolted on an SKS bayonet - a Frankenstein of Cold War-era influences that became one of the rarest production carbines of the period.