The National Interest

Meet The Type 81 Rifle, China’s Best Shot At Improving The AK-47

Here’s What You Need To Remember: The Type 81 Squad Automatic Weapon variant features a heavier-profile barrel, bipod, additional carrying handle and a fixed butt stock with a profile similar to the ...
The National Interest

China’s Type 81 Rifle Was Meant to Be More Than Just a Gun

Here’s What You Need to Remember: Despite its success, in the end, the Type 81 was still a stopgap rifle. What the PLA really wanted was a rifle in a new true intermediate caliber: 5.8mm. In the 1980s ...