AK Rifles banner

HUNGARIAN AK Magazine Pouches - Evolution and Nomenclature

17K views 37 replies 16 participants last post by  arato 
#1 · (Edited)
HUNGARIAN AK MAGAZINE POUCHES:
EVOLUTION AND NOMENCLATURE


I, like most AK collectors, want to compliment my Original AKs with the “correct” period slings, magazines, cleaning kits, oil/solvent bottles, bayonets, manuals and magazine pouches. Amongst my Hungarian AK kits, yet to be built, I have some Hungarian leather slings, some metal and plastic Hungarian oil and solvent bottles and a few Hungarian bayonets. I also have a few Hungarian magazine pouches.

My most interesting Hungarian made pouches are all well-worn Iraqi bring backs from Desert Storm and OIF. Some I have had since the early 1990s when a couple of vets shared some of their trophies with me. These well-worn pouches have Arabic writing and/or unit weapons rack numbers painted on them and are the canvas and web type. These pouches and the proliferation of Hungarian AKs in Iraq are the reason I initially became interested in Hungarian AKs. I also have a few surplus Hungarian AK Pouches in my collection.

Last weekend, I was hoping to find a timeline which identified the “correct” pouch for an AK-55 kit I have. I also wondered about the correct pouches for the AMM/AK-63 series, AMD-65 and so on. I was also hoping to find out if anyone had come up with a standard designation for the various types. However, in looking around the web, although I located many pouches, I could not find the answers to these questions.

As a result, I decided to do some internet research, locate all the variations I could and then categorize my findings here so that we can discuss these interesting accessories. In considering a production time line, I followed logical patterns of mass-production theory which states that a factory very often first copies someone else’s design using locally available materials, equipment and labor. The theory continues that, over time, as user feedback is received, the design is advanced so that the product becomes more useful, durable and/or costs less to manufacture.

Since I do not claim to be an expert and since this is apparently a first attempt, I am going to open this forum discussion today. I hope by doing so, you will challenge my analysis, post variant photos and share in the discussion.

The references to nomenclature designations which follow are mine alone.

SO MANY VARIETIES OUT THERE


When I began my survey on the web and in my reference books, I identified more than a dozen types of Hungarian magazine pouches. These pouches varied in materials, colors, placement and number of side pockets, varied construction techniques, number and capacity of magazines, types of shoulder strap material, just to name a few. In particular, I discovered 3, 4 and 5 magazine capacity; bodies made either of thick, loosely-woven, canvas or vinyl bodies; many colors including khaki, gray, brown, green and even black; leather or web shoulder straps; some with oil and solvent bottle pockets on one side, while on others it was reversed; some with sewn-on main closure straps and others with riveted-on closure straps.
Conversely, I had trouble finding photographs of Hungarian People’s Army soldiers in the late 1950s to the 1970s which would help me determine a timeline of issue.

It has been widely written that the Hungarians began production of their AK-55 in 1959. Prior to this they were issued with Soviet AK47s, 91/30s or their own M44 Carbines and PPsHs.
THE FIRST DOCUMENTED “HUNGARIAN” AK-55 MAGAZINE POUCH

To see what the Hungarians published about the first magazine pouch for their AK-55, I went to an original source document, the Hungarian AK manual from 1958. It was sent to me by a kind forum member. I also looked at the 1960 Hungarian AK manual found here. Both of these manuals showed a magazine pouch on page 52. Here is a link to the AK Forum page with many manuals: http://www.theakforum.net/forums/26-hungarian/85184-hungarian-ak-manuals.html

I found that the 1958 and 1960 Hungarian language manual, like most non-Soviet printed weapons manuals, is simply a translation of the Soviet AK manual from the mid-1950s. In fact, it appears to use the very same drawings as used in the Soviet manual including the Type 1 and Type 2 Soviet AKs.

Because the drawing is actually a Soviet drawing, you probably recognize the magazine pouch to be a Soviet Type 1. I have a couple of these which are dated in the early 1950s. They have five magazine pockets; a tubular cleaning kit pocket on the right; and two pockets on the left. One pocket is for an oil/solvent bottle and the other is for rags, cleaning patches or spare ammo. The Soviet pouch, as you can see, also has an adjustable web shoulder strap, metal hammer and sickle buttons on the three side pockets and a sewn on leather front closure strap with wire buckle.

Bag Product Handbag Shoulder bag Shoulder
Fashion accessory Zipper Beige Belt

HUNGARIAN FIVE-CELL 30-Round CANVAS POUCHES
TYPE 1


In applying mass-production theory, it seemed to me that the Hungarian Type 1 [my designation] 30-Round magazine pouch might be a nearly identical copy of the Soviet Type 1 magazine pouch. I checked my collection and discovered I had a Type 1.

As you can see, this Type 1 Hungarian magazine pouch has all the same features of its Soviet Type 1 cousin except that the Soviet hammer and sickle buttons have been replaced by stud closure posts. I found that these were made in khaki in addition to the green-gray pouch I have. As with any early pouch, I did not find many of these Type 1s on the web compared to other types of Hungarian magazine pouches I located. Also the two side flaps under the main flap are closed with a stud and leather tab, not the hammer and sickle Soviet button.

Bag Handbag Shoulder bag Beige Fashion accessory
Jacket


TYPE 2



In studying other Hungarian 30-Round canvas magazine pouches, I identified a very similar variation to the Type 1 above. In fact, it is nearly identical to the Hungarian Type 1. The only difference is that the Type 2 has an oil/solvent bottle pocket and a tubular cleaning kit pocket. One pocket was eliminated on the Type 2 Hungarian 30-Round magazine pouch. I identified Type 2 pouches in either gray, green or khaki canvas with web shoulder straps. I also noted that there were two subtle variants in my Type 2 pouches. One had a stud and leather tab to secure the two side flaps under the main flap while another had a metal hook and loop closure.

Bag Product Brown Messenger bag Khaki
 
See less See more
5
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top