The New Charlie Cutshaw Illustrations by Lyn Haywoodhen Russian small arms come to mind, one usually thinks of the ubiquitous Kalashnikov AK-47 or one of its successors that have been the mainstay of Soviet and Russian small arms since 1949. Until recently, if one’s interest went beyond SKS carbines, AK- type assault rifles, certain machine guns, and pistols such as the TT-33, PM Makarov, and APS Stechkin, little else ‘was known. There was no information available in the West regarding new and developmental firearms, much less details on the latest ammunition both in traditional and new calibers. With the demise of the Soviet Union, however, information began to trickle out to a small cadre of intelli- gence and defense analysts. It soon became obvious that Russian small arms designers had not been idle under Soviet rule, but had developed, and in several instances fielded, some of the ‘most innovative small arms and accompanying ammo in history: under- water weapons; weapons that used silent ammunition; unknown families of submachine guns, pistols, and revolvers that demonstrated truly advanced thinking and design; and revolutionary new assault rifles, one of which appears destined to replace the Kalashnikov. Several of these innovative weapons have been in Soviet military service since the early 1970s, complete- ly unknown to the West or any of its intelligence services. At least one was actually used operationally in Afghanistan and Central America. The lack of knowledge concerning these ‘weapons should come as no great sur- prise, as most of them were designed for use by special-operations forces— SPETSNAZ—whose use of them was understandably kept classified. Little has been written about these remarkable new weapons outside the military small-arms community—until now. The New World of Russian Small Arms and Ammo throws open the doors on Russia's small-arms arsenals to all those aficionados who've been dying to get their hands on these weapons.The New World of