Which Guns And Optics Are Best According To Battle-Tested Ukrainian Soldiers

When it comes to what rifles, sidearms and optics work best in war, there is perhaps no better place to find out than Ukraine. During more than four years of intense defense of their homeland, Ukrainian troops have used an assortment of small arms and accessories, many foreign-made, others domestically produced, to fight the Russians.

To get a better sense of what Ukrainians are currently using on the front lines, what they like, and what they don’t, we reached out to the First Corps Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine. The unit is stationed in the bloody Dobropillia sector in the eastern Donetsk region and is in the middle of one of the toughest fights in Ukraine.

Five soldiers from different Azov units with a range of specialties offered their unique insights into the weapons, sights and scopes they like and the ones they don’t.

The soldiers are issued all their weapons exclusively through the brigade’s armaments service, which obtains them from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry (MoD). Individuals, however, told us they sometimes purchase their own sights and scopes and other accessories, depending on the models.

Some of the questions and answers have been slightly edited for clarity.

Specifically, what rifles are the most coveted? And if they are AR-15s and AKs, which specific ones?

Tarantino, Chief Armorer, 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov, First Corps Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine.

When it comes to light weapon systems, the most common is an assault rifle based on the AR-15 [chambered 5.56mm], either domestic production or the one given to us by partner countries.

Chill, Chief Tactical Training Instructor, 41st Unmanned Systems Regiment Pilum, First Corps Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine.

So, in my personal opinion, the UAR-15 system is better for me because it’s lighter and it’s more reliable. I have worked with both platforms, both systems, and I can compare them based on my experience. And from my personal experience, the AR system is better.

The caliber is 5.56, and it’s also really convenient in terms of its modification and modernization because with the AK platform, you need to adapt it for further adjustments individually. But in the case of the UAR system, it’s really adaptable and you do not basically need anything in order to modernize it or modify it.

Khalepa, Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battery Commander, Air Defense Battalion Strazh, First Corps Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine.

Well, in our case, we are using larger calibers starting from 12.7mm up to 35mm. So we do not actually use the standard rifles.

Chewie, Deputy Commander for Logistics, Separate Special Operations Detachment Tuman, First Corps Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine.

When it comes to close combat, usually this is the UAR-15S of Ukrainian manufacturer called Zbroyar.

Barman, Tactical Training Instructor, Personnel Training Battalion, First Corps Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine.

So currently our key weapon platform is the UAR-15, but previously we also used the AK-74 and other modifications. The AK-74 fires 5.45mm rounds.

What is most conducive to fighting?

Tarantino

Well, the best weapon to work with is not the weapon itself, but the people we are working with. The weapon is only the instrument. But personally, the most reliable weapon is the one that has as few stoppages as possible because the last thing you want is to have a stoppage in the situation where you need to fire.

For me, that is the Heckler & Koch 416. But I am talking about my preferences and experience. That gun has a gas piston system that has proven itself the most efficient due to the fact that the movement of the piston back and forth is relatively short. That makes the weapon itself much more reliable.

Heckler & Koch 416. (Heckler & Koch)

Another system, called DI [direct impingement used in standard AR-15 pattern rifles], requires much more attention from the gunner who is shooting the rifle. Because in the conditions where the operator, the marksman, is sitting in the trench or in a bunker – especially now in autumn when the humidity is high – this DI system requires much more attention due to the wet weather around. The gas piston system has proven itself much more reliable and it doesn’t need that much attention.

Chill

We are using the Ukrainian-manufactured UAR-15 rifle, and you know, as they say, the best rifle is the one that you have.

Ukrainian-built UAR-15. Photo credits: (National Guard of Ukraine)

Chewie

So the weapon system that I told you about, UAR-15, is indeed the most loved because, in addition to this weapon, we do possess small numbers of Beretta, Bren, and several other weapon systems.

The reason why we prefer the UAR-15 is, first of all, it is much lighter. Second, it’s shorter. Another reason is that, taking into account the combat warfare that we have right now, we have the manufacturer on the premises of our country. It means if something happens to the weapon, it doesn’t take much time to either send the request to the manufacturer for them to send us the spare details, or for us to send the weapon system to them for maintenance.

Barman

Our preference is of course the UAR-15, and we’re using the 5.56 UAR platforms because it’s more convenient to use, it’s easier to maintain, and it’s also more reliable. But we also need to understand that our enemy is using the AK platforms, the AK-12, the AK-74, and while of course we are carrying the 5.56 rounds, usually during the assault actions, we can take the AK rifles and the 5.45 rounds to be able to use our rifles in compatibly with the enemy’s rifles. We can use the AKs for the element of surprise and for deception. The way they look compared to the UAR rifles makes it easier to deceive the enemy.

Kalashnikov AK-74. (Kalashnikov)

Have you noticed any performance differences between the AR-15 piston and direct impingement (DI) versions?

Tarantino

Well, again, the biggest difference between this gas piston system and the DI system is that the gas piston system has a very short movement back and forth of the piston. It means that the chances of stoppage in this weapon are quite low, while the DI system is much more demanding because these exhaust gases g

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