Type Semi-automatic carbine Used by Egypt No. built appx. 8000 | Place of origin Egypt
Sweden (Design) Designer Erik Eklund | |
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Manufacturer Ministry of Military Production, Factory 54 | ||
The Rasheed (or Rashid) is a semi-automatic carbine, derived from the Hakim Rifle and used by the Egyptian military. As of 2014 a carbine was valued at approximately USD $900 to 1,000, depending on condition. Around 8,000 were made, making it an extremely rare rifle.
The Rasheed was designed by the Swedish engineer Erik Eklund, who based it on his previous Hakim Rifle (8×57mm Mauser cartridge), which was itself a slightly modified version of the Swedish AG-42 Ljungman rifle (6.5×55mm Swedish cartridge).
Design
The carbine resembles the Soviet SKS carbine, particularly in the permanently attached pivoting-blade bayonet, which appears identical to its Russian counterpart. The 12-inch (305 mm) blade bayonet pivots from a mount under the barrel, back into a recessed groove in the forend stock.
The carbine features a rear ladder sight, with a "battle" position for short-range fire as well as increments of 100 to 1000 metres, although the latter distance greatly exceeds the 300-metre effective range of the weapon.
The semi-automatic mechanism is gas-operated through the direct impingement system. The Egyptian training manual had users use stripper clips to reload. However, the hot gas would heat up the receiver and cause burns when fingers would touch the receiver.