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The Agram 2000 is a Croatian submachine gun inspired by Beretta's model M12.[3] The name "Agram" is the old German name for Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.[4] The vast numbers of ex-special forces Agrams in Croatia after the Croatian War of Independence, as well as the availability of a sound suppressor, has made it a popular choice for criminals.[5] It was never officially adopted by the Croatian Army.[6] Infamously unreliable in the war period due to its poorly constructed magazines, it would often fail to feed rounds from the magazine, decreasing its commercial demand outside of Croatia and transnational criminal organizations of the time.
Agram 2000 | |
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![]() A non-suppressed Agram-2000 | |
Type | Submachine gun |
Place of origin | ![]() |
Service history | |
In service | 1991–present |
Wars | Yugoslav Wars Croatian War of Independence Bosnian War Kosovo War Russo-Ukrainian War |
Production history | |
Designer | Ivan Vugrek |
Designed | 1990 |
Manufacturer | Precizna Mehanika |
Produced | 1990-present |
Variants | Agram 1995 Agram 2002 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 1.8 kg |
Length | 482 mm (with suppressor) 348mm (without suppressor) |
Barrel length | 200 mm |
Cartridge | 9×19mm Parabellum |
Caliber | 9mm |
Action | Blowback |
Rate of fire | 800 round/min |
Muzzle velocity | ~330 m/s (1083 ft/s)[1] |
Feed system | 15-, 22-, or 32-round box magazine[2] |
The Agram 2000, like the Beretta M12, was chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. These weapons were used in the Kosovo War and were preferred due to its full-auto fire, provisions for silencer, flexible ammunition count and compact size.[7] Today, the 2000 series is a rarity outside the Balkan areas, because even though it is still produced in Croatia, its production has been scaled down. Mainly produced between 1990 and 1993, only a few more examples have been produced since 1997. The reason for this is that the Agram 2000 is locally manufactured and there is no more conflict or demand for a fully automatic SMG in the region anymore, and low demand due to poor and cheap construction.
Specifications
editThe unique feature on this gun is the thumb-hole foregrip that ensures a firm grip and good recoil control while firing fully auto. The charging handle is on the left-hand side of the receiver, just above the magazine. The fire selector is found just above the trigger which allows for safety, single-shot, and full-auto firing modes (S/1/A). The barrel shroud is perforated for heat dispersion and sports a front iron sight post. The rear sight is a flip-up sight that can dial its zero up to 150 metres (490 ft). Some sources report that it has a rate of fire of 800 rounds per minute. The barrel is slightly longer and a thread-on barrel sleeve is included to enable the attachment of a silencer or muzzle brake. The materials used for making this weapon include stamped, sheet metal and molded plastic. The specifications for the buttstock do not exist. The Agram 2000 measures at about 13.8 inches (350 mm) without the sound suppressor on.[8]
Variants
edit- Agram 1995 – straight box magazine, no handguard
- Agram 2002 – straight box magazine, adjustable sight, reshaped plastic handguard
Users
edit- Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Croatia
- Herzeg-Bosnia
- Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
- Kosovo Liberation Army: smuggled from Croatia by arms smugglers
- Ukraine: confiscated from criminals and were pressed into use with Territorial Defense Forces during the Battle of Kyiv[9]
References
edit- ^ "Agram 2000 Submachine Gun | Military-Today.com".
- ^ Agram 2000: Croatia’s Gangster Gun. Forgotten Weapons. Ian McCollum. June 13, 2022.
- ^ "Agram 2002: Little brother to the Croatian 'gangster' gun, with firearms expert Jonathan Ferguson". Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ "Grad Zagreb službene stranice". Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
- ^ "Kratke strojnice Domovinskog rata". Hrvatski vojnik (in Croatian). No. 123. 9 July 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ "Современное стрелковое оружие - Пистолеты-пулеметы - Agram 2000". web.archive.org (in Russian). 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
- ^ "Agram 2000". 2018-01-23. Archived from the original on 2018-01-23. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
- ^ Military Factory. "Agram 2000". Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ War Noir [@war_noir] (April 3, 2022). "#Russia #Ukraine 🇷🇺🇺🇦: Interesting photo of the members of #Ukrainian TDF including a combatant from #USA 🇺🇲. Combatants seem to be armed with AK-74 rifles, AKM rifles, PKM MGs, RPK-74 LMG, #Turkish 🇹🇷 MKE MP5A3 SMG and a rare #Croatian 🇭🇷 Agram 2000 SMG" (Tweet) – via Twitter.