The KOLARMS KAM M-20 machine gun is manufactured in the republic of Slovakia by the company KOLARMS s.r.o. This weapon is based on the UK Vz.59 machine gun, which was designed and produced in the former Czechoslovakia since late ninety sixties. In fact, the KAM M-20 machine gun shares most design features with its predecessor, but it is modified to better suit modern CNC manufacturing technologies and uses more modern materials such as plastics instead of the wood.
The KOLARMS KAM M-20 machine gun. Photo by KOLARMS
The KOLARMS KAM M-20 machine gun is a gas operated weapon. It uses the long stroke gas piston, located below the barrel, and has a manual gas regulator. The barrel can be quickly replaced by the user for cooling or maintenance. Barrel locking is achieved by the vertically tilting bolt that has two locking lugs on either side of its head. Said lugs engage respective cuts made on the interior of the receiver walls. The receiver is made from a steel block using CNC machining. This gun also inherits a peculiar Czechoslovak feature of charging the weapon via the sliding pistol grip. To cock the gun, user must disengage the pistol grip lock, located on its left side, and then work the pistol grip all the way forward and back, so it can engage the bolt with the sear and bull it to the rear for firing. Gun fires from the open bolt, in full automatic mode or in single shots. A fire mode selector is provided on the left side of the pistol grip, just ahead of its lock lever. The slot in the bottom of the receiver, used to move the pistol grip and eject empty shells, can be closed by a dust cover when gun is on safe.
The KOLARMS KAM M-20 machine gun. Photo by KOLARMS
The belt feed system is also copied from the UK Vz.59, using a lever on the right side of the receiver to convert reciprocal movements of the bolt group into the movement of the belt. Feed direction is from right to left only, and the hinged top cover of the belt feed unit is a relatively short part. The KAM M-20 machine gun is adapted to fire 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition using the M13 type disintegrating belt links. Belts can be fed either from a separate belt box, or form a detachable container which can be clipped to the right side of the weapon.
The KAM M-20 machine gun features a fixed shoulder stock of a rather simple design, and a folding integral bipod. It also can be installed on a variety of field or vehicle mounts. Various day and night sights can be installed using several lights of Picatinny rails, permanently attached to the receiver.
KOLARMS KAM M-20 machine gun basic specifications:
Encyclopedia of firearms and ammunition of the XX and XXI centuries
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