wz. 88 Tantal

The Wz. 88 Tantal and its later derivative, the Wz. 96 Beryl, represent Poland's efforts to develop modernized indigenous 5.45x39mm and 5.56x45mm Kalashnikov rifles in response to late Cold War Warsaw Pact and NATO cartridge standardizations. Since the 1950s, Poland adopted and manufactured 7.62x39mm AK and AKM clones designated as the pmK (pistolet maszynowy Kałasznikowa; lit. "Kalashnikov submachine gun"), later re-designated as the kbk AK (karabinek AK; lit. "AK carbine"), with grenade-launching and folding-stocked variants.

In the mid-1970s, the Soviet Union's adoption of the 5.45x39mm AK-74 made other Warsaw Pact countries interested in adopting the 5.45x39mm. While Poland inquired about manufacturing the AK-74 under license, the license costs and export limitations on the AK-74 made the Polish government decide to instead develop its own improved 5.45x39mm Kalashnikov variants. This led to the development of the Tantal, which was slowly developed over the course of the 1980s and was briefly manufactured and put into service in the early 1990s.

Following the end of the Cold War and the start of Poland's efforts to join NATO in 1991, Poland developed and adopted a new 5.56x45mm version of the Tantal known as the Beryl to integrate with NATO cartridge standards. The Beryl remains Poland's standard service rifle to this day, and it has seen numerous improvements and variations over the course of its modern service history.

Wz. 88 Tantal

Wz. 88 Tantal - 5.45x39mm

Wz. 88 Tantal (later production) - 5.45x39mm

The kbk wz. 88 (karabinek wzór 1988; lit. "model 1988 carbine"), codenamed Tantal ("Tantalum"), is a 5.45mm assault rifle designed and produced by Fabryka Broni Radom in Poland in the late 1980s. The Tantal was developed out of the Wz. 80 prototype rifle, a Polish experimental improved variant of the AKMS featuring a distinctive three-round-burst mechanism. Development considerations included the retainment of the Wz. 80's burst option, interchangeability with the AKM, as well as the ability to fire rifle grenades. The side-folding stock was patterend after that of the East German MPi-KMS-72.

The rifle's development was slowed down significantly due to Poland's 1981 martial law, but the design was eventually finalized in 1988, and the rifle entered military service and began serial manufacture in 1991. However, as Poland had already left the Warsaw Pact and began its efforts to join NATO in 1991, the 5.45mm Tantal rifle was no longer necessary, and production was halted in 1994. Poland soon began development on a variant of the Tantal chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO to replace its service, which would become the Wz. 1996 Beryl.

Earlier production Tantal rifles featured orange plastic furniture, while later ones featured black furniture.

Specifications

(1991–1994)

• Type: Assault Rifle
• Caliber: 5.45x39mm, 5.56x45mm (Wz. 90 prototype)
• Weight: 8.1 lbs (3.7 kg)
• Length: 37.1 in (94.3 cm) (stock extended), 29.4 in (74.8 cm) (stock folded)
• Barrel Length: 17 in (43.2 cm)
• Feed System: 30-round detachable box magazine
• Fire Mode(s): Semi/Burst/Auto

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Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Pigs 2 (Psy 2: Ostatnia krew)	Boguslaw Linda	Franz Maurer		1994
Pigs 2 (Psy 2: Ostatnia krew)	Artur Zmijewski	Radoslaw Wolf		1994

Anime

Anime Title	Character	Note	Date
Upotte!!	Tantal		2012

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Cross Fire	WZ-88 TANTAL	w/synthetic handguard and grip and bipods		2007
Ground Branch		w/synthetic handguard and grip		2018

Wz. 89 Onyks

Wz. 89 Onyks - 5.45x39mm

Poland made its own equivalent of the AKS-74U known as the skbk Wz. 89 (subkarabinek wzór 1989; lit. "model 1989 sub-carbine"), codenamed Onyks ("Onyx"), based on the wz. 88 Tantal. The Onyks differs from the AKS-74U most notably in the design of the folding stock, rear sights mounted on the front trunion rather than dust cover, and a different muzzle device that allows the firing of rifle-grenades.

Work on the weapon began in 1989 at the Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy state research institute in the city of Radom. The weapon’s technical specifications were confirmed that same year. First prototypes were made in 1990, and last pre-production batch of approximately 150 (or less) carbines in 1995. Carbines from all three series can be identified by having different rear-sights, or plastic furniture (pictured). The Wz. 89 Onyks was never issued to the Polish Army, and weapons from the third batch were destroyed, deactivated or sold to the movie industry.

Specifications

(1993–?)

• Type: Carbine
• Caliber: 5.45x39mm, 5.56x45mm (Wz. 91 prototype)
• Weight: 7.1 lbs (3.2 kg)
• Length: 28.3 in (72 cm) (stock extended), 20.4 in (51.9 cm) (stock folded)
• Barrel Length: 8.1 in (20.7 cm)
• Feed System: 30-round detachable box magazine
• Fire Mode(s): Semi/Burst/Auto

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Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Pigs 2 (Psy 2: Ostatnia krew)		Yakushin´s man		1994
Sara	Jack Recknitz	Jozef´s bodyguard		1997
Proof of Life		Russian soldiers and ELT rebels		2000
Avalon		Players		2001
The Foreigner		Mansion guards		2003
Out of Reach		Thug		2004
Pitbull	Andrzej Grabowski	Jacek Goc "Gebels"		2005
Pitbull	Janusz Gajos	Zbigniew Chyb "Benek"		2005
Weekend (2010)				2010
Hans Kloss: More Than Death at Stake		East German soldier		2012
Karbala		Insurgents' leader		2015
Pitbull: Tough Women		Gang members		2016
Women of Mafia	Sebastian Fabijanski	Artur Ostrowski "Cieniu"		2018
Women of Mafia 2		Masked killer		2019

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Air Date
Kryminalni	Maciej Zakoscielny	Marek Brodecki	"Powrot" (S3E11)	2005
Kryminalni	Magdalena Schejbal	Barbara Storosz	"W potrzasku" (S5E08)	2006
Kryminalni		Various		2004-2008

Wz. 96 Beryl

Wz. 96A Beryl - 5.56x45mm

Wz. 96A Beryl with POPC IV rail - 5.56x45mm

Wz.. 96B Beryl with POPC III rail - 5.56x45mm

Wz.. 96C Beryl - 5.56x45mm

The kbs Wz. 96 (karabinek szturmowy wzór 1996; lit. "model 1996 assault carbine"), codenamed Beryl, is a Polish assault rifle chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO. The Beryl rifle was developed from the Wz. 88 Tantal rifle, and since its adoption by the Polish military in 1997 went through several modifications focused on improving its ergonomics. The Beryl is often used with a quick-detach sight rail.

Several variants of the rifle exists. The basic model is the kbs Wz. 1996A Beryl. The 96B (made in 2004) model has a fixed foregrip and side rails. The 96C (made in 2009) model features many modernized features, such as a new buttstock, rails, magazine, and foregrip.

Specifications

(1996 - Present)

• Type: Assault Rifle
• Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
• Weight: 7.4 lbs (3.4 kg) empty
• Length: 37.1 in (94.3 cm) with unfolded stock
• Barrel Length: 18 in (45.7 cm)
• Feed System: 20, 30-round box magazine
• Fire Mode(s): Semi/Burst/Auto

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Film

Title	Actor	Character	Notation	Date
Demons of War		Serbian separatists		1998
Karbala		Polish and American soldiers	Fitted with EoTech 552 holographic sights, anachronistic	2015
Women of Mafia 2		Polish soldiers		2019
Black Widow		Polish soldiers	Deleted scene	2021
Soulcatcher		Multiple characters	Wz.96C, multiple attachments	2023

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Project Reality			Wz. 96A	2005

Beryl M762

Beryl M762 - 7.62x39mm

The Beryl M762 is an export version of the kbs Wz. 96C chambered in 7.62x39mm. It is most notably used by Nigeria.

A related development is the Beryl M545, a proposed 5.45x39mm version of the Beryl that did not enter production.

Specifications

(?)

• Type: Assault Rifle
• Caliber: 7.62x39mm
• Barrel Length: 18 in (45.7 cm)
• Feed System: 30-round box magazine
• Fire Mode(s): Semi/Burst/Auto

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Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Rainbow Six: Siege	M762	Fitted with Hera Arms CQR stock, Midwest Industries Extended Handguard and railed dust cover	added in Operation White Noise (2017)	2015
Playerunknown's Battlegrounds	Beryl M762		Released in 2018 update	2017
World War 3	Beryl			2018

Wz. 96 Mini-Beryl

Wz. 96B Mini-Beryl - 5.56x45mm

Wz. 96C Mini-Beryl - 5.56x45mm

The Mini-Beryl's design combines features from both the Wz. 1989 Onyks carbine and the Wz. 1996 Beryl rifle; the principal components that were modified include the barrel, barrel trunnion, upper and lower handguards, muzzle device and magazine. The weapon’s method of operation, the rotary bolt locking mechanism and ammunition are identical to those of the Wz. 1996 Beryl standard rifle.

There are multiple variants of the Mini-Beryl that correspond to the variants of the full-length Beryl. Of note is that the original, basic 96A Mini-Beryl is not mass produced and exists only in limited numbers.

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Notation	Date
Soulcatcher		Damian	wz.96C, multiple attachments	2023

Video Games

Game Title	Appears As	Mods	Notes	Release Date
Project Reality		Fitted with a EoTech 552 holographic sight and proprietary foregrip		2005

Wz. 2005 Jantar

Wz. 2005 Jantar - 5.56x45mm NATO

Based on the Wz. 1996 Beryl, the Wz. 2005 Jantar ("Amber") is a Polish bullpup rifle chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO. It was a prototype to test out the advantages of bullpup rifles and gave FB Radom a starting point for modernizing the Polish Army to NATO standards. It was never intended for mass production or adoption and only two examples were made.

Anime

Anime Title	Character	Note	Date
Daily Life with a Monster Girl	Zombina		2015

See Also

• Fabryka Broni Radom - A list of all firearms manufactured by Fabryka Broni Radom.