Zastava M70

The Zastava M70 (Serbian: Застава М70) was Yugoslavia's domestically designed variant of the Soviet AK-47, and was the primary standard service rifle of the Yugoslav People's Army and later the Serbian Army (until its replacement by the Zastava M21). Developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms, the M70 was developed by reverse engineering AKs that Yugoslavia received from unofficial sources, and was manufactured without license, as Yugoslavia was a neutral nation during the Cold War. Yugoslavia began developing its AK in 1959, and first began unlicensed production in 1964 with the Zastava M64, which was modified to produce the more widely adopted M70.

The Zastava AKs featured many differences compared to Soviet AKs designs, many of which are clearly visible and immediately recognizable. Their most distinctive features are their longer forearms with 3 cooling vents.

Zastava M70

Zastava M70A with milled receiver, underfolding stock and rifle grenade sights. - 7.62x39mm

Zastava M70B1 with stamped receiver - 7.62x39mm

Zastava M70AB2 - 7.62x39mm

Zastava M70AB2 - 7.62x39mm (non-standard pistol grip). The military version of the M70AB2 underfolder rifle has a black plastic pistol grip as seen in the image above. However all of the Zastava M70AB2 rifles imported in the U.S. by Mitchell Arms had the wooden pistol grip seen in this photo. So a wooden pistol grip is indicative of a 'Mitchell Arms' rifle.

The Zastava M70 is the standard variant of the Zastava AKs that saw the most use in the Yugoslavian military. It was most widely used and seen in the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. Yugoslavia also sold them to many countries such as Iraq (which produced a licensed copy known as the Tabuk, which lacked the grenade-launching sight) and Kuwait.

The M70 utilized a strengthened lower receiver, more akin to the RPK than the AK-47/AKM. It also has grenade launcher sights that when raised cut off gas flow to the piston allowing use of blanks for grenade launching; the rear trunion has a plunger to lock the receiver cover to prevent loss when used with a grenade launcher. Flip-up sights are standard equipment for optional night use: two dot rear and one dot front filled with phosphorescent material. M70 magazines are standard AK-47 type, but have a follower that blocks the bolt open when empty (much like the 30 round M1 Carbine magazine follower). Some of the variants also have finned barrels to aid in heat dispersion.

The Zastava M70 was produced in the following 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
• M70AB3 – stamped receiver, underfolding stock, rifle grenade sight removed and replaced with a GP-25 40mm underbarrel grenade launcher
• M70B1N – stamped receiver, fixed stock, mount for night or optical sights
• M70AB2N – stamped receiver, underfolding stock, mount for night or optical sights

• Variants M70B, M70AB and M70AB1 also exist, but they are rare and their specifications are unclear.

Specifications

(1970 - Present)

• Type: Carbine
• Caliber: 7.62x39mm
• Weight: 8.2 lbs (3.7 kg)
• Barrel Length: 16.3 in (41.5 cm)
• Feed System: 30-round box magazine
• Fire Mode(s): Semi-Auto/Full-Auto

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Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Armour of God		Cultists	M70AB2	1987
Detonator II: Night Watch		Mao's henchmen	M70AB2	1995
Pretty Village, Pretty Flame		Serbian soldiers	M70B1 and M70AB2 versions	1996
The Peacemaker		Terrorists, Russian soldiers and UN peacekeepers		1997
Black Cat, White Cat (Crna macka, beli macor)		Train Guards, Dadan's henchman		1998
Savior		Serbian and Bosnian forces		1998
No Man's Land		Serbian and Bosnian forces		2001
Behind Enemy Lines		Serbian soldiers		2001
Warriors (Guerreros)		Serbian and Albanian soldiers		2002
	Eloy Azorín	Pvt. Vidal
Strawberries in the Supermarket (Jagoda u supermarketu)	Srdjan Todorovic	Marko Kraljevic		2003
Stealth		North Korean soldiers	M70AB2 version, with taped on flashlight	2005
Shake Hands with the Devil		Rwandan soldiers and RPF rebels	M70AB2 version	2007
The Brothers Bloom		Czech soldiers		2008
Punisher: War Zone		Russian mobsters	M70B1 and M70AB2 versions	2009
Watchmen		Viet Cong fighter		2009
A Dangerous Man	Jesse Hutch	Sergey	M70AB1 version	2009
District 13: Ultimatum		Thugs	M70AB2 & M70B1 versions	2009
The A-Team		Iraqi guards	M70AB2 version	2010
Fast Five		Gunmen	M70AB2 version	2011
The Guard	Don Cheadle	F.B.I. Special Agent Everett	M70B1	2011
Coriolanus	Gerard Butler	Tullus Aufidius	M70AB2 version	2011
Machine Gun Preacher		LRA troops		2011
		SPLA troops
	Ronnie Nyakale	AJ
Chernobyl Diaries	Jonathan Sadowski	Paul		2012
The Dark Knight Rises		Mercenaries	M70AB2 version	2012
Guardian Angel (Schutzengel)		Assailant	M70AB2 version with synthetic hand guard	2012
Wicked Blood	Sean Bean	Frank Stinson		2014
American Sniper		Iraqi insurgents	M70B1 and M70AB2 versions	2014
6 Underground		Turgistanian soldier		2019
Bad Boys for Life		gunman		2020
Escape from Mogadishu				2021

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Air Date
Ultimate Force	Ross Kemp	Sgt. Henno Garvie	"Something to Do with Justice", M70B1	2002 - 2006
Ultimate Force		Serbian rebels	"Something to Do with Justice", M70B1	2002 - 2006
Ultimate Force	Damian O'Hare	Sean Weir	"The Killing of a One-Eyed Bookie", M70B1	2002 - 2006
Ultimate Force		Chechen rebels & Russian soldiers	"Weapon of Choice", M70B1	2002 - 2006
Ultimate Force		Al-Qaeda terrorists	"Deadlier Than the Male", M70AB2	2002 - 2006
Ultimate Force		SAS, Chechen rebels & Russian soldiers	"Weapon of Choice", M70AB2	2002 - 2006
Ultimate Force		Al-Qaeda terrorists	"Dividing Line", M70AB2	2002 - 2006
Stargate SG-1		Russian SG team	"Icon"	1997 - 2007
Stargate SG-1	Victor Favrin	Chalo	"Evolution",	1997 - 2007
Stargate SG-1	Frank Roman	Rafael	"Evolution", M70AB2	1997 - 2007
Stargate SG-1		Honduran rebels	"Evolution"	1997 - 2007
24: Redemption		Child soldier	M70AB2	2008
Ultimate Weapons			"Close Quarter Battle", M70AB2	2009 - 2011
Nikita		Bank robbers and Chilean rebels	M70AB2	2010
Covert Affairs		A Taliban Terrorist	"Half a World Away" (S2E7)	2011
Banshee - Season 1	Ulrich Thomsen	Kai Proctor	Episode 10 / M70B1	2013
The Walking Dead: Red Machete	Uncredited	Claimer	M70BA2; "What We Become" (S1E04)	2018
The Man in the High Castle - Season 4	Alexa Davalos	Juliana Crain		2019
Fear the Walking Dead - Season 5	Mia Urrabazo	Young survivor	M70AB2; "Skidmark" (S5E04)	2019
	Uncredited	Logan's Crewmember	M70AB2; "Channel 4" (S5E09), "Leave What You Don't" (S5E13)
	Alexandra Payne	Logan's Crewmember	M70AB2; "You're Still Here" (S5E11)
	Matthew Arbo	Logan's Crewmember
	Mikala Gibson	Doris	M70AB2; "Leave What You Don't" (S5E13)
	Jenny Biggs	Pioneer Ranger
Fear the Walking Dead - Season 7		Stalker	M70AB2; "Cindy Hawkins" (S7E03)	2021
		Tower Rangers	M70AB2; "The Portrait" (S7E07)
Fear the Walking Dead - Season 8	BB Habersham	Troy's Group Member	M70AB2; "Anton" (S8E07), "Keeping Her Alive" (S8E10)	2023
	Julio Cotto Rivera	Troy's Group Member	M70AB2; "Iron Tiger" (S8E08)
	Uncredited	Troy's Group Member

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
24: The Game	Z85			2006

Zastava M72

Zastava M72 with 30-round box magazine - 7.62x39mm

Zastava M72B1 - 7.62x39mm

Specifications

(1973 - Present)

• Type: Light Machine Gun

• Caliber: 7.62×39mm M43

• Weight: 12.1 lbs (5.5 kg)

• Length: 40.4 in (102.5 cm)

• Barrel length: 21.3 in (54.2 cm)

• Feed System: 30, 40 round magazines or 75 round drum

• Fire Modes: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto

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The Zastava M72 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
The Fall of Italy (Pad Italije)		SS soldiers, Ustasha		1981
Black Hawk Down		Somali militiaman		2001
No Man's Land		Serbian soldiers		2001
No Man's Land		Bosnian soldiers		2001
Coriolanus		soldier	Stock footage	2011
The Hunting Party				2007

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Vigor	"ZA M72"			2018

Zastava M77 B1

Zastava M77 B1 - 7.62x51mm NATO

Zastava M77 AB1 - 7.62x51mm NATO

The Zastava M77 B1 is a battle rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms in Serbia. It was introduced in 1977. It is a derivative of the Zastava M70 and modified copy of the Soviet AKM chambered in 7.62×51mm with an enlarged receiver, and a Western-style flash suppressor. It is gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed, selective fire battle rifle with a fixed wooden stock. The M77 AB1 has a folding stock. Early versions had a milled receiver and an adjustable gas block with flip up rifle grenade sights.

Specifications

(1977–present)

• Type: Battle rifle
• Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
• Weight: 4.35 kg
• Length: 1035 mm
• Barrel Length: 500 mm
• Feed System: 10 or 20 round box magazine
• Fire Mode(s): Semi-Auto/Full-Auto (620 rnd/min)

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Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Call to Arms				2021

Zastava M85

Zastava M85 - 5.56x45mm NATO

The Zastava M85 is a compact carbine manufactured by the Yugoslavian Zastava company, similar to the AKS-74U, albeit in 5.56x45mm NATO, with an underfolding stock instead of a side-folder, and a three-holed handguard.

Specifications

• Type: Carbine
• Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
• Weight: 7.7 lbs (3.5 kg)
• Length: 31.5 in (80 cm), 21.3 in (54 cm) (stock folded)
• Barrel Length: 10 in (25.4 cm)
• Feed System: 30-round box magazine
• Fire Mode(s): Semi-Auto/Full-Auto

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Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain	"Stava M85"			2004
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days	"Vamazast"			2010

Zastava M92

Zastava M92 - 7.62x39mm

Zastava M92 pistol - 7.62x39mm

Very similar to the Zastava M85 but chambers 7.62x39mm instead of 5.56x45mm. Note the curved magazine.

Specifications

• Type: Carbine
• Caliber: 7.62x39mm
• Weight: 7.7 lbs (3.5 kg)
• Length: 31.5 in (80 cm), 21.3 in (54 cm) (stock folded)
• Barrel Length: 10 in (25.4 cm)
• Feed System: 30-round box magazine
• Fire Mode(s): Semi-Auto/Full-Auto

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Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Zero Dark Thirty		Terrorist		2012
The Equalizer		Andri's henchman		2014
The Fate of the Furious		Russian separatists	with Magpul MOE handguard and Magpul Zhukov buttstock	2017
6 Underground		Afghan fighters and Alimov's guards		2019

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
America's Army			Seen in crates with other AK-series weapons, unusable	2002

Zastava M21

Zastava M21A - 5.56x45mm

Zastava M21S - 5.56x45mm

Zastava M21C - 5.56x45mm

Zastava M21BS - 5.56x45mm

Zastava M21ABS/M21SBS - 5.56x45mm

The Zastava M21 is a family of modern 5.56x45mm firearms developed by Zastava Arms as a replacement for the older M70 series of rifles. The M21 is currently the standard service rifle of the Serbian military, and is also used by security services in Bosnia-Herzgovina, Iraq and Cameroon.

The Zastava M21 is produced in the following variants:

• M21A - standard full-length rifle (M21ABS includes picatinny rail system for the mounting of attachments).
• M21S - compact short-barrelled variant of the M21 (M21SBS includes picatinny rail system for the mounting of attachments).
• M21C - carbine variant of the M21.

Specifications

(2004 - ?)

• Type: Rifle, Carbine
• Caliber: 5.56x45mm
• Weight: 9.1 lbs (4.2 kg)
• Length: 39.4 in (100 cm), 29.5 in (75 cm) (stock folded)(M21 A), 36 in (91.5 cm), 26.2 in (66.6 cm) (stock folded) (M21 S), 32.5 in (82.5 cm), 22.6 in (57.5 cm) (stock folded) (M21 C)
• Barrel Length: 10 in (25.4 cm) (M21 A), 14.8 in (37.5 cm) (M21 S), 12.8 in (32.5 cm) (M21 C)
• Feed System: 30-round box magazine
• Fire Mode(s): Semi-Auto/Full-Auto

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Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Air Date
Strike Back - Season 5	Philip Winchester	Sgt. Michael Stonebridge	M21 C / S05E09	2015
	Russian and North Korean operatives
Strike Back - Season 6	Warren Brown	Sergeant Thomas "Mac" McAllister	S06E09	2017
Whiskey Cavalier		Fascia Rossa guards	"When in Rome" / S01E03	2019
		Human trafficker	M21 S / S01E06

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Call to Arms			Zastava M21BS	2018

Zastava LKP PAP

Zastava LKP PAP - 7.62x39mm

The Zastava LKP PAP (Serbian: Polu-automatska puška, "Semi-automatic rifle") is a series of sporting rifles manufactured by the Yugoslavian Zastava company, which designed to comply with US firearms import laws.

Specifications

• Type: Semi-automatic rifles

• Caliber: 7.62x39mm (PAP M70), 7.62x51mm (PAP M77), 5.56x45mm (PAP M85)

• Weight: 7.9 lbs (3.6 kg)

• Length: 37 in (94 cm)

• Barrel length: 16.3 in (41.5 cm)

• Feed System: 10-round box magazine

• Fire Modes: Semi-Auto

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Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Cross Fire	"Zastava M21"			2007

Tabuk Sniper Rifle

Iraqi Tabuk sniper rifle with cleaning rod removed and Zrak scope - 7.62x39mm

The Tabuk sniper rifle is an Iraqi-designed semi-automatic sniper rifle. Largely based on the Zastava M72 light machine gun, the Tabuk is built on a RPK-style receiver that utilizes the long-stroke piston action of the AK-47 and has many parts in common with the Zastava M70 family of rifles. Chambered in 7.62x39mm, the Tabuk can also utilize magazines from other Kalashnikov variants. The Tabuk has been produced by the Al-Qadissiya Establishments from the 1980s to present, even after the American invasion and is widely using as a designated marksman's rifle by Iraqi soldiers, insurgents and militiamen throughout the various wars in Iraq.

Specifications

(1978-present)

• Type: Sniper Rifle

• Caliber: 7.62x39mm M43

• Weight: 9.9 lbs (4.5 kg)

• Length: 43.3 in (110 cm)

• Barrel length: 23.6 in (60 cm)

• Capacity: 10-rounds, 20-rounds, 30-rounds

• Fire Modes: Semi-Auto

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Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
American Sniper			Seen in weapons cache	2014

See Also

• Zastava M76
• Zastava Arms - A list of all firearms manufactured by Zastava.