Zastava M70

The Zastava M70 is an assault rifle developed in Yugoslavia. The M70 was designed on the basis of famous Kalashnikov and became the standard issue assault rifle in the Yugoslav People's Army in 1970. The M70 chambers the 7.62×39mm round. It is gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed and a selective fire rifle. It is informally referred to as the Yugo M70 or Yugo AK.

The Zastava M70 can easily be identified from most other AK rifles by the three cooling slots in the foregrip, the light-coloured teak furniture, the grenade-launching sight on the gas block and the black rubber buttplate on fixed-stock M70s.

The receiver of the M70 is 1.5mm thick, compared to the receiver of the AKM, making it more rigid. Likewise, the barrel is not chrome-lined, making it more accurate than a standard AKM, but at the cost of increased susceptibility to corrosion.

Variants

• M70 – milled receiver, fixed stock
• M70A – milled receiver, underfolding stock
• M70A1 – milled receiver, underfolding stock, mount for night or optical sights
• M70B1 – stamped receiver, fixed stock
• M70AB2 – stamped receiver, underfolding stock
• M70B1N – stamped receiver, fixed stock, mount for night or optical sights
• M70AB2N – stamped receiver, underfolding stock, mount for night or optical sights

Zastava M70
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	Yugoslavia
Service history
In service	1970-present
Used by	Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Iraq,Libya/Libya Anti-Gaddafi forces, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Yugoslavia
Wars	Gulf War, Yugoslav Wars, Kosovo War, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom
Production history
Designed	1968
Manufacturer	Zastava Arms
Specifications
Weight	3.70 kg (8.16 lb)
Barrel length	415 mm
Cartridge	7.62×39mm
Action	Gas-operated (rotating bolt)
Rate of fire	620 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	720 m/s
Effective range	410 m
Feed system	30-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Adjustable iron sights, optional mount required for optical sights