A good idea on the whole to really openly reveal you have gone in for force wide quality, as it puts some extra fear into those that might be considering hostile action against you - sending conscrips out with AK's that are older than they are, while yours have a modern rifle and a side order of useful extras...
Before having a small Estonian unit attatched to us in Iraq, I knew practically nothing about them or their military. After spending 15 months working with them, I was extremely impressed. One of the most professional and hard working groups of people I've ever worked with. I still have all the stuff they traded to us, hats, patches, etc.
So Estonia participated in the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, yet expects people to care about them being invaded and occupied by Russia. Kind of like Ukraine and Poland whom ALSO participated in the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq but expects people to care about Russia invading and occupying them...
Estonia in general seems extremely impressive. It had turned itself into the world's fastest-growing economy before almost any other ex-Soviet state had managed to ditch its post-USSR baggage, and has consistently scored remarkably well in almost every metric for social/national success. While that would be amazing for any country, it's downright incredible for one occupying such a tiny, crappy piece of real estate.
So Estonia bought weapons from Israel. Like Poland and Ukraine, Estonia also participated in the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. Yet they are alarmed about the prospect of their own country being illegally invaded and occupied.
I have shot both R20 and R20L (as Mars-L/H in Iowa). Quick note on the "shot counter". It counts not just shots but also how quickly they were fired. Obviously, firing 30 rounds in 10 minutes is NOT the same as dumping a 30-mag in two seconds with regards to rifle wear and tear. The counter retains this info and the armorer's software calculates a wear amount index for various parts based on how much and how "hot" you ran your rifle. Additionally, since the info is read wirelessly by an armorer's scanner, same scanner can be used to quickly check rifles in and out of armory, while logging them in an elecronic journal. If you ever had to manually find, read, and log serials on dozens of dirty post-exercise rifles, you know how cool this feature is.
The downside of all this is that we are prohibited from firing full-auto, and the bastards can check. With the Galils I could sneak in a few bursts during live fire exercises...
@@wurfyy but full auto is not needed either. When i got to try these for the first time i found out how amazing these are to shoot. You can easily put 10 shots on target under 5 seconds. Edit: The limit is there to save the guns longevity. If there ever were to be a war they needed to be used in (Living next to ruZZia, yay) those limits become irrelevant, but have preserved your rifle longer.
it's probably super simple too, just an accelerometer and rfid antenna. you could probably use energy harvesting from the recoil impulse to remove the need for a battery as well.
I had the privilege, honor and absolute pleasure to train two batches of Estonians, here in Denmark, in the mid to late 90s. Absolutely stellar lads! There was some, shall we say, "difference of mindset" in the beginning, but once it clicked with them that we expected them to be actually thinking soldiers we had tons and tons of fun with designing missions they only had "half the information" about, and see how they would adapt and come up with novel solutions. As soon as they found out that they would never get yelled at for trying something new their creativity shot through the roof.
@@egertroos-qh7hw They were used to "You do what you're told. Exactly what you're told, and nothing but what you're told, and if you misunderstand what I say you're the one who's getting punished". It was a bit of an eye opener to them that it could be the instructors responsibility to make sure everyone has understood everything correctly.
@@andersjjensen That sounds very on-par with post-Soviet states in general, not just militarily. The 90s were a massive adaptation effort, because although most understood the Soviet mindset was extremely flawed, it took many people a long time to rid them of the old habits and way of thinking, a certain disbelief of the "wait, you can do that now?" kind. The cultural scar that period has left is just as academically impressive as it is sad.
> "difference of mindset" in the beginning, It's pretty amazing what people can sort out over coffee break in the mess. So many official channels, memos, meetings and emails can be avoided.
Thankfully this "listen, don't speak" mindset has been phased out. Nowadays even conscripts are encouraged to make decisions on their own and to take initiative. This mindset originated from the Soviet military and since all of the officers in the newly-formed Estonian military had a background in the Soviet military, this initially carried over to the Estonian military as well. But as it stands now, the Estonian military has integrated the Western military doctrine and philosophy of each soldier playing a part and expecting every soldier to make decisions. Russia still hasn't learned from this and they operate on the same principles as the Soviets once did. Their command structure is extremely strict and the lowest ranks have virtually no agency of their own. I suspect this is the primary reason why Russia has been failing so miserably in Ukraine (among other reasons). You don't win battles with officers, you win them with soldiers.
Estonians are some of the most awesome People you can meet! I did a NATO Excercise with them a long time ago when i still served in the Bundeswehr and was surprised how not only their Sense of Humor is basically like our dry German Humor but also a lot of other Things we had in common. Definitely would always trust my Life with an Estonian Soldier by my Side! Also in general i recommend anyone from the USA who wants to visit Europe to check out Estonia, it's 100% worth it Prost & Cheers from Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps
Estonians are a lovely, welcoming, and peaceful folk with a rich culture and history that is very much distinct from Russia, now, despite what some pro-Russia commentators might suggest. They are highly modernized, too, and therefore also the home of NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE). Russian media will unfairly paint them as backwards orcs with no capacity to think for themselves - a relic of Soviet thinking and very much an ignorant take.
@@Soulessdeeds Glad to hear that Man! You're welcome anytime and while i served in Afghanistan we had some joint Operations with Americans, mostly EOD. And they were some of the most Badass and best Comrades in Arms i experienced! Wish you well too
That's basically what Estonians are like in general. When we did an Excercise with Estonian Forces while i served in the Bundeswehr i had only amazing Experiences with any Estonian i met! Can def recommend visiting their Country! Prost & Cheers from Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps
I've only been able to visit Estonia for a few days but people in Tallinn were pretty nice, food was good and reasonably priced and the beer was good. The old town of Tallinn is cute as hell, would recommend.
I thought about it for a while and this is pretty smart: you won't get supply issues, if you're literally just another customer of the USA civilian AR-15 world :D Sure, geopolitically getting MSBS Grot might make a lot of sense (if there were any on sale and not shipped straight to the frontlines of course), but that's exactly the problem that using "The Freehdom Special" doesn't have :D
@@cleverraptor6172 Nah, pretty sure it's Chinese designed also. While Holosun is US founded as specific company, they are just a marketing and sales subsidiary for a chinese optics maker. For example trying to search for Holosun patents, there seems to be none.
I thank Ian for the visit. It's a nice morale boost. Especially since Ian was honest about most stuff so not complete propaganda. From the lower serviceman's perspective the LMT contact won because of the price. We're penny pinching like crazy here and the situation kind of demands it. I would have preferred a longer barrel because I was use to the better ballistics of Galil AR. But one can't deny the ergonomics and comfort of the R-20.
@@skepticalbadger It was the cheapest out of LMT, Sig and HK. So calling them cheap is a relative to assault rifle tender. Considering HK is the Gucci option. They are not overall cheap brand.
Longer than the Rahe-L's barrel? I feel like at that point it doesn't have a noticeable positive impact on the battlefield. Also, I wouldn't call the R-20's price "penny-pinching" cheap.
@@uku4171 I don't know man. I was a crack shot with Galil AR but not with Rahe. Can be argued that I'm just rusty. And it actually surprised me to see that Galil AR's barrel is longer than Rahe-L's. While Rahe from LMT in the big picture is not penny pinching, I mean cmon, if there's anyone that know and have the means to make a good quality AR for a good price, it's the Americans. And I'm really glad for the rifle, don't get me wrong. It's just from my perspective the entire government is penny pinching all the time, it's all about efficiency. And that's not wrong. But, just, why not invest that money into our European defence industry? Imo would have been a better long term plan to go for the HK, even the logistics are closer.
The Estonians could have averted the bayonet interference issues by doing what the crazy Kiwis did for their LMT contract: Insist the bayonet mount be placed at a 90 degree offset so they can keep launching grenades *during* a bayonet charge. Regarding the bolt carrier described as otherwise unremarkable: It does carry a few features stolen from the much-vaunted LMT Enhanced BCG, including a modified cam path and sand/debris relief cuts on the rails. There is also one new feature which I believe was added at the behest of the Estonians. On the newest gen LMT piston BCG, the firing pin retaining pin is now captive. As it is held in by a roll pin itself, the new feature contributes a new part name which always brings a smile to my face to say: "the firing pin retaining pin retaining pin."
Actually, the bayonet+grenade configuration makes a LOT of sense for things like riot duty, which is basically the only place you'd especially need bayonets anymore. Having that extra pointy deterrence while also being able to use tear gas, beanbags, etc seems pretty useful in that scenario. I think "we don't need bayonets" is a reasonable position for a military to take today (not the only option, but a reasonable one) but if you're going to have bayonets, you probably want to set them up so you can still use the GL.
@@adamg574 I know this was said lightheartedly, but it goes to show that red dots and flashlights are consumable items in "high intensity" combat. You get what's cheap and semi-reliable because you're gonna need a lot of it.
As an Estonian conscript, one of the main upgrades for a grunt is the fact that with a loaded mag it's 3.81kg instead of 4.68kg (Galil AR). The AK-4 is probably at least as heavy as that.
@@rohesilmnelohe A 7.62 battle rifle is going to be heavier. My initial infantry training started with a FN FAL. I transitioned to the Galil ARM later. I liked the Galil, very sturdy and I really appreciated the bipod
This R20 Rahe is a fantastic assault rifle to look at, it was very kind of the Estonian Defence Forces to give you access to their brand-new gun so you could show it to us, thank you Ian.
I thought I was going to go to sleep on this video, but when you got to the round counter in the grip to automate logistics I had to back up and pay attention. The quick change gas plug issued with the silencer is a great idea too. Definitely not flashy details, but they definitely indicate that their procurement people have a very clear picture of how an army works.
Yup. Reliable yet versatile, sturdy and very well though... It's nothing flashy in itself ("just another AR"), but it looks like it packs a punch and generally does its job very well, and with a few neat variant parts that can fit on any gun in the armoury. Arguably the perfect military gun if the criteria used for these is what you look for in a gun.
Back in 1972 I passed Small Arms Repairman School, in Aberdeen, MD. We were told at the time, the XM-203 was a temporary unit, soon to be replaced. That was 52 years ago and in the US Army it is still issued. Worst thing about them was individuals or groups being told to remove the spring pins. They would NEVER go back in and the item has to go all the way to Depot level to get fixed. Geoff Who inspected a LOT of weapons in his time.
@@3tzuo More importantly though, the swing-out loading system allows for a wider variety of grenades to be used. Grenades that...dont exist, because they got canceled. yeah.
@@Reniconix It also allows the use of certain longer flare rounds which... have never been made after the Vietnam War and have been phased out because the M79 was no longer standard issue for decades.
I feel like you would very easily see everything on this, magnification on grenadier rifles is very common and all that leaves is the suppressor which will likely be more of a unit thing
Wrong. I'm in the Estonian Defense League, which is a paramilitary force that gets lower priority than the Defense Force in terms of equipment, and we got magnifiers issued to squad leaders. Not grenadiers, though, or anyone else for that matter. But they absolutely do get issued.
as someone that did the mandatory service in estonia the R20 is a perfectly good weapons though we had 2 guns in our platoon have triggers that seemed to just not be heat treated or something the trigger ended up deforming significantly also the sights on the M203 break very very easily after 11 months of service we had 1 GL in the company with a functioning sight the sight works well we are also allowed to customise attatchments adding grips flashlights and magnifiers, the R20L on the otherhand is a bit bad they gum up and jam a bit they dont work with blank fire adapters, for how short they are (which is a decently large issue due to poor accuracy past 600M) they are heavy with al the stuff we put on it, the bipods break alot aswell like one of the other marksmen in my platoon had his break 3 times in 11 months mine broke once
Greetings Ian, a small correction to the text in the description - Estonia regained their independence in 1991. Many thanks for this wonderful video and wishing you warm regards.
As a conscript my service rifle was the AK-4 (HK G3 Swedish derivative). Once i got to try out the R20 during reserve training call up, i was so impressed by that rifle. We got to try it in a range, the gun had a simple red-dot hologram sight. All i could do is just point it at the target and everything went exactly where i aimed. Extremely accurate, no kickback, light, extremely easy to use, very very comfortable. The decision to buy these rifles was definitely spot-on.
Thank you so much for this video ! I love this rifle so much. They are light and good to shoot. With all the gear on and everything it is light and good in the forest and accurate as well. Greetings from Estonia ! 🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪 Edit: Welcome to Estonia !
I am long time wiewer of Your videos! It is very suprising for me to see Your video made in Estonia! Keep Your good videos rolling! Best Regards from Estonia!
Ian, wonderful to see how far they've come. Had the privilege to serve on a EUCOM Military Liaison Team in Estonia for 6 months in 2000. We worked out of the Kaitseleit (roughly the National Guard) HQ but with all branches of the EDF. Mostly a mishmash of former Soviet weapons at the time, but they were dead-set on getting into NATO. Lots of good stories out of that TDY. Do the Estonians still host the Erna Recht SF competition?
Everyone: I have almost that exact kit. It’s the best rifle I’ve ever fired. You want it far more than you know. That AR10 looks like it’s a piston gun while mines DI, but they’re substantially similar (that one might not be multi-caliber while I can fire both 7.62 and 6.5 with a quick barrel swap - as Ian showed on the infantry rifle it’s just two 30-torx screws to change). Mine is good to ~900 yards in 7.62 and ~1300 yards in 6.5 (I have a 2500 yard range finder so in addition to getting hits at that range and measuring that way I can just use the range finder too).
I asked a friend in Estonia how she was doing with the invasion of Ukraine nearby. She said if the war came to them, "I am not escaping, but fighting back and joining the Estonian Defence League" and "if we don't have our independence, we have nothing." I also once heard an old Lithuanian man say "The Germans are gone, but the Russians are always coming back." The Baltic states haven't forgotten, and they won't roll over.
One of the central squares in Tallinn has a big monument to Estonian independence. It's made out of glass, to highlight the fragility of freedom and independence.
@@nurnburgring3102 Makes sense, draft age is 18 in the US and since so many civilians are getting killed by Russian attacks on supermarkets, why send your family members to go shopping. A simple solution would be be for the invaders to go back home.
Really like these R20 RAHEs. The rifles are really handy and nimble, feel quite a bit smaller than a standard M4 and certainly lighter than a 416. I ended up getting a GSL Multical for mine, which now come as a 36 caliber instead of .30 - nice and versatile. I also stuck a CompM5B + Aimpoint 3x mag on it.
The round counter thing is interesting because I do exactly that for my job with industrial printers. We hook into the machine and can see the counters on various parts to know when they need to be replaced.
And it always fails... until you impose strict "you break it, you pay for it" rules for conscripts. I mean, they still break it, but now it's coming out of their salary, so it's less of an expense.
Cool to see that our new standard issue rifle has its name "Rahe" actually stamped on the body. Its a really good name too because it can send a hail of bullets down range.
Another really informative breakdown and analysis of an interesting firearm. Thanks for continuing making these interesting videos. Looking forward to your upcoming one on the DMR version of the rifle you mentioned in this video.
Hey Ian, did you manage to visit the Estonian War Museum as well during your visit? If not, then I strongly suggest that next time you come around. Who knows, maybe you'll find something to do a video about there as well ;P
Well, Hell! This is cool to see! I used to live in Eldridge, where these are made. Now I live about 10 miles away, but it's cool just knowing it's down the road.
Nice to see fellow baltic states mentioned. As far as i know, latvia has been using mainly G36 rifles as standard because those show up at army booths often
@@Anonymous8421 In the service rifle industry LMT are routinely on the lower end of pricing, nearly everyone who has bought LMT's to replace their old stockpiles has done so because they were the cheapest adequate option available. They're only pricey for civilians.
This is possibly the best possible AR you can buy. Incredible accuracy across lots of different ammo, especially 75-77gr. If you are in USA, BUY THIS. You literally don't need another AR after this.
One correction i would point out. Estonia wasn't a newly independent country in the early 1990s. Estonia has been an independent country since 1918 and fought an independence war with russia between 1918-1920 to secure that freedom. In 1940 it was occupied by russia (and by germany for a couple years aswell) and remained occupied until the fall of the USSR in 1991. It's not a big mistake but this wording is used most commonly by russia to undermine the sovereignty of Estonia to make us look like a country that came FROM the USSR and not something that existed before USSR.
@@MatoVuc Why is that relevant? We were Estonians before 1918. We had our language, culture and land but the governing body of the territory was russian. We had a chance to establish our own state in 1918 and took it. Since then the ussr and russia have recognised us as a sovereign state.
I was a squad leader in the Estonian military, the R-20 we got had a laser and a flash light, both of them worked with night vision, holosun scope and a 3x scope. but that was only meant for the squad leaders. got to use the mg-3, negev, R-20, R-20L. 50cal M2 browning, carl gustav mk3, galil, usp, and a glock, not sure if it was the 18 or 19. It was very fun to learn how to survive in the forest and how to manage in guerilla warfare.
You are very welcome, Ian. Compared to G3/AK4 this is a handy little rifle. Handy goes for the 5.56 MARS-L version. 7.62 MARS-H is a true boat anchor and had problems with parts breakage. Not liked by the men who had to carry it.
Gas block part could have been fixed to the suppressor with a rod so that they would always be together. Or maybe the suppressor sleeve could be long enough to reach the gas block like in mp5.
I remember as a conscript in 2017-18 when the discussion was what our future new small arms could have been, one of them was galil ace aside from the r-20
@@augustkallas988 that's kind of true and kind of not. Population has been stable since 2014 with small dips and growths, but prediction for future is not good
In German "Rache" pronounced very similarly to how Ian pronounced the Estonian "Rahe" in this video, means vengeance. Hail or vengeance, both fitting names for a rifle.
as an Estonian, we should have brought direct impingement. In any case, conscripts will find a thousand methods to break an ar system in half. Pretty sure we will start looking for more galil or valmet type rifles soon enough, after getting hands on experience. They will likely keep an ar type for the more trained units and professionals.
@@mjfan653 ARs seem to hold up just fine in conscript use elsewhere. Up north here in Finland the FDF decided to go with Sako's short stroke piston AR for their next service rifle. Sweden picked the same rifle as well. I doubt there'll be much interest in going back to the AK platform here in Finland once the switch is done and I suspect the same for Estonia.
@@uku4171 Prestige doesn't really scale with population/popularity that well. Random RUclips channels being acknowledged by UN recognized government bodies is a pretty huge indicator of legitimacy. Decade ago RUclipsrs were mostly associated with cat and prank videos, and no agency of any nation would had seen anything of value in collaborating with the likes of them. Things like this are mutually beneficial. Estonian Defense Force gets cultural exposure among the demographic important to it, as the chances are that many future generals of foreign nations that will make the defense economy decisions 30 years from now probably have watched channels like Forgotten Weapons in their youth. And in turn Ian having his brand associated with legitimate government agencies instead of just being a "youtuber" will give him more opportunities with other organizations.
I liked the R-20 Rahe when I was in my latest military excercise, but a 7.62 is more suitable for forest-warfare in Estonia. But yeah, we need to be standardized with NATO, so I get it. Great video! Greetings from Estonia! 🇪🇪
@@dreamingflurry2729you can start drinking before 4 PM. Personally I start with whiskey, then at 5 PM I swap it for diluted vodka and in the evening it's time for long drinks. At midnight, gin. But I'm from Finland and it's 04:30 PM right now so we are still going with whiskey at this time
Ah bayonet lugs, kind of a holdout feature that doesn't seem to wanna go away but isn't in use so much anymore. That said the soldiers knife or bayonet will never leave the kit, as it does remain a very useful tool.
For eagle eyed gun nerds, they would notice that the bolt carrier has a rounded bevel at the back to prevent carrier tilt damage to the buffer tube. A regular AR carrier doesn't need that.
I'm actually pretty surprised that you didn't discuss some of the unique aspects of the bolt carrier and bolt itself. It's not a standard AR setup, it's pretty different. Even things like the captive firing pin retaining pin, anti-tilt cuts, and extractor are worth talking about. Besides that, I was really hoping to finally see details on how the M203 rails are set up, and if they are just standard MLOK rails or something else. Unfortunately, you didn't cover that either.
I own a Sig 516 and let me tell you, when he mentioned that it was one of the possible alternatives, my thought was thank God we got the LMT instead. I mean, I luv me Sig, but there is no question about it, the LMT has a better trigger.
Yeah. This gun is good. Superior to the AK4 and Galil we had. Main quality is that Rahe is actually light. Magazines are also neat. It also has simple maintenance. Anyways, the "boys" enjoy it. - cheers from estonia.
Bayonets are use for prisoners, crowd, and riot control. We haven't done the bayonet charges for awhile but they are still needed even if you're just handing out food and water
5:05 this is just mind blowingly generous. your channel is growing up so much since I started watching it, many years ago while in the french army. I had a FAMAS with glock 17 :) ♥
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"People really don't use bayonets anymore." Suddenly, thousands of US Marines began foaming at the mouth and slapping the ground.
hello there high speed
@@TheHorsemanOfTheApocalypse*high thpeed
@@baburdombay8340 I need them cabinets hihg thpeed
thousands of british soldiers too
Bayonets? You mean... Can openers?
It's really impressive that military organizations are inviting you to look at current service weapons. Congratulations on your success!
Thanks! They were a really cool bunch of people to work with.
Forgotten Weapons has twice as many subscribers as Estonia has people.
@@uku4171 That's Insane, if you think about it.
A good idea on the whole to really openly reveal you have gone in for force wide quality, as it puts some extra fear into those that might be considering hostile action against you - sending conscrips out with AK's that are older than they are, while yours have a modern rifle and a side order of useful extras...
Estonia's just happy to be included.
Before having a small Estonian unit attatched to us in Iraq, I knew practically nothing about them or their military. After spending 15 months working with them, I was extremely impressed. One of the most professional and hard working groups of people I've ever worked with. I still have all the stuff they traded to us, hats, patches, etc.
So Estonia participated in the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, yet expects people to care about them being invaded and occupied by Russia. Kind of like Ukraine and Poland whom ALSO participated in the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq but expects people to care about Russia invading and occupying them...
Estonia in general seems extremely impressive. It had turned itself into the world's fastest-growing economy before almost any other ex-Soviet state had managed to ditch its post-USSR baggage, and has consistently scored remarkably well in almost every metric for social/national success. While that would be amazing for any country, it's downright incredible for one occupying such a tiny, crappy piece of real estate.
So Estonia bought weapons from Israel. Like Poland and Ukraine, Estonia also participated in the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. Yet they are alarmed about the prospect of their own country being illegally invaded and occupied.
@@alijankhan3330I don't care what you think
@@alijankhan3330 Are you gonna do something about it?
I have shot both R20 and R20L (as Mars-L/H in Iowa). Quick note on the "shot counter". It counts not just shots but also how quickly they were fired. Obviously, firing 30 rounds in 10 minutes is NOT the same as dumping a 30-mag in two seconds with regards to rifle wear and tear. The counter retains this info and the armorer's software calculates a wear amount index for various parts based on how much and how "hot" you ran your rifle.
Additionally, since the info is read wirelessly by an armorer's scanner, same scanner can be used to quickly check rifles in and out of armory, while logging them in an elecronic journal. If you ever had to manually find, read, and log serials on dozens of dirty post-exercise rifles, you know how cool this feature is.
The downside of all this is that we are prohibited from firing full-auto, and the bastards can check. With the Galils I could sneak in a few bursts during live fire exercises...
@@wurfyy but full auto is not needed either. When i got to try these for the first time i found out how amazing these are to shoot.
You can easily put 10 shots on target under 5 seconds.
Edit: The limit is there to save the guns longevity. If there ever were to be a war they needed to be used in (Living next to ruZZia, yay) those limits become irrelevant, but have preserved your rifle longer.
THIS IS THE FUTURE!
@@rohesilmnelohe I may be wrong, but I don't think @wurfyy's complaint is necessarily based on a _need_ for full auto, as such. :)
it's probably super simple too, just an accelerometer and rfid antenna. you could probably use energy harvesting from the recoil impulse to remove the need for a battery as well.
I had the privilege, honor and absolute pleasure to train two batches of Estonians, here in Denmark, in the mid to late 90s. Absolutely stellar lads! There was some, shall we say, "difference of mindset" in the beginning, but once it clicked with them that we expected them to be actually thinking soldiers we had tons and tons of fun with designing missions they only had "half the information" about, and see how they would adapt and come up with novel solutions. As soon as they found out that they would never get yelled at for trying something new their creativity shot through the roof.
What do you mean "different mindset"
@@egertroos-qh7hw They were used to "You do what you're told. Exactly what you're told, and nothing but what you're told, and if you misunderstand what I say you're the one who's getting punished". It was a bit of an eye opener to them that it could be the instructors responsibility to make sure everyone has understood everything correctly.
@@andersjjensen That sounds very on-par with post-Soviet states in general, not just militarily. The 90s were a massive adaptation effort, because although most understood the Soviet mindset was extremely flawed, it took many people a long time to rid them of the old habits and way of thinking, a certain disbelief of the "wait, you can do that now?" kind. The cultural scar that period has left is just as academically impressive as it is sad.
> "difference of mindset" in the beginning,
It's pretty amazing what people can sort out over coffee break in the mess. So many official channels, memos, meetings and emails can be avoided.
Thankfully this "listen, don't speak" mindset has been phased out. Nowadays even conscripts are encouraged to make decisions on their own and to take initiative. This mindset originated from the Soviet military and since all of the officers in the newly-formed Estonian military had a background in the Soviet military, this initially carried over to the Estonian military as well. But as it stands now, the Estonian military has integrated the Western military doctrine and philosophy of each soldier playing a part and expecting every soldier to make decisions.
Russia still hasn't learned from this and they operate on the same principles as the Soviets once did. Their command structure is extremely strict and the lowest ranks have virtually no agency of their own. I suspect this is the primary reason why Russia has been failing so miserably in Ukraine (among other reasons). You don't win battles with officers, you win them with soldiers.
Ngl 'hail' absolutely slaps as far as gun names come. Cold asf 10/10 (pun intended)
Hail would also rule as a name for a SAW or GPMG. What is a machinegun if not a hailstorm of lead?
The nickname largely comes from the ability to reliably fire in bursts or full auto without much problem using 77 OTM
Ave, true to Caesar!✋
Oh, you meant a different kind of hail...
The soviet rocket altilery was called that
@@Nothing_._Here in Eesti it's said R kakskümmend rahe. 😂 Doesn't sound as cool I'll admit. But could have been worse if it was the R12.
Estonians are some of the most awesome People you can meet! I did a NATO Excercise with them a long time ago when i still served in the Bundeswehr and was surprised how not only their Sense of Humor is basically like our dry German Humor but also a lot of other Things we had in common.
Definitely would always trust my Life with an Estonian Soldier by my Side!
Also in general i recommend anyone from the USA who wants to visit Europe to check out Estonia, it's 100% worth it
Prost & Cheers from Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps
Fun fact: baltic germans used to live in Estonia for centuries. They only left when WW2 started.
Estonians are a lovely, welcoming, and peaceful folk with a rich culture and history that is very much distinct from Russia, now, despite what some pro-Russia commentators might suggest. They are highly modernized, too, and therefore also the home of NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE). Russian media will unfairly paint them as backwards orcs with no capacity to think for themselves - a relic of Soviet thinking and very much an ignorant take.
@@martinkoitmae6655 you mean they were forcefully removed after ww2
I served in the US Army and was stationed in Germany in 2002. I loved it, and the Bundeswehr were awesome to train alongside. I wish you well friend.
@@Soulessdeeds
Glad to hear that Man! You're welcome anytime and while i served in Afghanistan we had some joint Operations with Americans, mostly EOD. And they were some of the most Badass and best Comrades in Arms i experienced!
Wish you well too
Really nice of the Estonians to invite you
That's basically what Estonians are like in general.
When we did an Excercise with Estonian Forces while i served in the Bundeswehr i had only amazing Experiences with any Estonian i met!
Can def recommend visiting their Country!
Prost & Cheers from Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps
@@chartreux1532 Die Balten sind einfach Hammer jungs, Kumpel von mir ist in Litauen stationiert
Much more professional than the Elbonians.
I've only been able to visit Estonia for a few days but people in Tallinn were pretty nice, food was good and reasonably priced and the beer was good. The old town of Tallinn is cute as hell, would recommend.
@@atomic_waitwhere u from
An American Rifle with a Chinese Optic. The Estonian Military got inspiration from the American civilian market.
I thought about it for a while and this is pretty smart: you won't get supply issues, if you're literally just another customer of the USA civilian AR-15 world :D Sure, geopolitically getting MSBS Grot might make a lot of sense (if there were any on sale and not shipped straight to the frontlines of course), but that's exactly the problem that using "The Freehdom Special" doesn't have :D
I'll buy an American optic when they don't charge 400 dollars for a x1 red dot lmao, Estonia's got the right idea
*American designed, Chinese built optic
@@cleverraptor6172 Nah, pretty sure it's Chinese designed also. While Holosun is US founded as specific company, they are just a marketing and sales subsidiary for a chinese optics maker. For example trying to search for Holosun patents, there seems to be none.
@userJohnSmith I've got to ask, any idea as to what the usual markup is for a mid-level American made optic?
Greetings from Estonia! Glad you got to visit our small country.
I thank Ian for the visit. It's a nice morale boost. Especially since Ian was honest about most stuff so not complete propaganda.
From the lower serviceman's perspective the LMT contact won because of the price. We're penny pinching like crazy here and the situation kind of demands it.
I would have preferred a longer barrel because I was use to the better ballistics of Galil AR. But one can't deny the ergonomics and comfort of the R-20.
I mean...you could do a lot worse than LMT. Estonia did well here!
LMT are by no means 'cheap'. Absolutely a high-end manufacturer.
@@skepticalbadger It was the cheapest out of LMT, Sig and HK. So calling them cheap is a relative to assault rifle tender. Considering HK is the Gucci option. They are not overall cheap brand.
Longer than the Rahe-L's barrel? I feel like at that point it doesn't have a noticeable positive impact on the battlefield. Also, I wouldn't call the R-20's price "penny-pinching" cheap.
@@uku4171 I don't know man. I was a crack shot with Galil AR but not with Rahe. Can be argued that I'm just rusty.
And it actually surprised me to see that Galil AR's barrel is longer than Rahe-L's.
While Rahe from LMT in the big picture is not penny pinching, I mean cmon, if there's anyone that know and have the means to make a good quality AR for a good price, it's the Americans. And I'm really glad for the rifle, don't get me wrong.
It's just from my perspective the entire government is penny pinching all the time, it's all about efficiency. And that's not wrong. But, just, why not invest that money into our European defence industry? Imo would have been a better long term plan to go for the HK, even the logistics are closer.
The Estonians could have averted the bayonet interference issues by doing what the crazy Kiwis did for their LMT contract: Insist the bayonet mount be placed at a 90 degree offset so they can keep launching grenades *during* a bayonet charge.
Regarding the bolt carrier described as otherwise unremarkable: It does carry a few features stolen from the much-vaunted LMT Enhanced BCG, including a modified cam path and sand/debris relief cuts on the rails. There is also one new feature which I believe was added at the behest of the Estonians. On the newest gen LMT piston BCG, the firing pin retaining pin is now captive. As it is held in by a roll pin itself, the new feature contributes a new part name which always brings a smile to my face to say: "the firing pin retaining pin retaining pin."
By the time you are turning your gun into a spear, it barely matters.
@@zcrib3
But if you are a Kiwi you have one grenade left to use wisely during your bayonet charge....
@@JohnSmith-pl2bk As a Kiwi, I approve of this !
Actually, the bayonet+grenade configuration makes a LOT of sense for things like riot duty, which is basically the only place you'd especially need bayonets anymore. Having that extra pointy deterrence while also being able to use tear gas, beanbags, etc seems pretty useful in that scenario.
I think "we don't need bayonets" is a reasonable position for a military to take today (not the only option, but a reasonable one) but if you're going to have bayonets, you probably want to set them up so you can still use the GL.
Cool. Now I can tell everyone my Holosun red dot is a legit military grade optic.
Haven’t been seeing the Ukraine combat footage? Even olight is battle tested now 😂
@@adamg574 Torches and oil lamps have been used in combat for illumination. Rocks as projectiles. That doesn't make them your best options ;)
@@adamg574 I know this was said lightheartedly, but it goes to show that red dots and flashlights are consumable items in "high intensity" combat. You get what's cheap and semi-reliable because you're gonna need a lot of it.
The funny part is, thinking “military grade” is a sign of quality.
@@adamg574 during the wars in iraq and afghanistan probably condor pouches were combat tested.
As an Estonian conscript, one of the main upgrades for a grunt is the fact that with a loaded mag it's 3.81kg instead of 4.68kg (Galil AR). The AK-4 is probably at least as heavy as that.
I agree, but the R20 will never be as robust as a Galil ARM.
@@marcg1686 bullshit...give me a red dot gun any day. Heldurvaldekud kaitseliidust on samal meelel
@@marcg1686 lmao ok pal
@@silmviburlane6411 5.6 kg with loaded mag, if memory serves me well. But it needed that weight.
@@rohesilmnelohe A 7.62 battle rifle is going to be heavier.
My initial infantry training started with a FN FAL. I transitioned to the Galil ARM later.
I liked the Galil, very sturdy and I really appreciated the bipod
This R20 Rahe is a fantastic assault rifle to look at, it was very kind of the Estonian Defence Forces to give you access to their brand-new gun so you could show it to us, thank you Ian.
I thought I was going to go to sleep on this video, but when you got to the round counter in the grip to automate logistics I had to back up and pay attention. The quick change gas plug issued with the silencer is a great idea too.
Definitely not flashy details, but they definitely indicate that their procurement people have a very clear picture of how an army works.
Yup.
Reliable yet versatile, sturdy and very well though... It's nothing flashy in itself ("just another AR"), but it looks like it packs a punch and generally does its job very well, and with a few neat variant parts that can fit on any gun in the armoury.
Arguably the perfect military gun if the criteria used for these is what you look for in a gun.
They bought the season battle pass
But haven't unlocked the skin they want yet.
Chad Eastern European country: grinds the battle pass for the guns
Beta Western European Country: pays for the tier 100 skins
@@dillonc7955real
@@dillonc7955 Eastern? Look up the official european center and tell me it's easter! /s
Back in 1972 I passed Small Arms Repairman School, in Aberdeen, MD. We were told at the time, the XM-203 was a temporary unit, soon to be replaced. That was 52 years ago and in the US Army it is still issued. Worst thing about them was individuals or groups being told to remove the spring pins. They would NEVER go back in and the item has to go all the way to Depot level to get fixed. Geoff Who inspected a LOT of weapons in his time.
The US army mostly ditched 203's a while ago M320s took its place because they can be used stand alone or as an attachment.
@@3tzuo More importantly though, the swing-out loading system allows for a wider variety of grenades to be used. Grenades that...dont exist, because they got canceled.
yeah.
@@Reniconix It also allows the use of certain longer flare rounds which... have never been made after the Vietnam War and have been phased out because the M79 was no longer standard issue for decades.
Hi Ian ! Glad to see you invited by my country ! I really hope I will get lucky and bump into you at some point! Enjoy your stay here !
Very nice rifle. I have an LMT and I am happy to have it. I have been to Estonia many times. One of my favorite countries.
Respect from Poland 🇵🇱
So cool to see my little homeland get some attention. Love your videos!
1890ish-1950ish "Everybody gets a Mauser" 2000-who knows when "Everybody gets an AR"
Unless you play cricket, then you get an Enfield.
China: "Thanks, but we'll keep our AK/SKS hybrids until the end of time."
1890-1945 “everyone gets a Mauser”
1955-1990 “everyone gets an AK”
2000- whenever “everyone gets an AR”
It is what it is
@@hailexiao2770 the QBZ-95 is the farthest thing from either of those, while the QBZ-191 is basically a worse Scar
@@bornonthebattlefront4883 1955-1990 "everyone gets and AK".
Unless you play cricket, then you get a FALSLR.
For a second i thought this said 'Elbonia modernises its infantry rifles'
Me too. Ready for the chuckle.
Theres a new video coming up on exactly that topic. Theyre moving from Polymer stocks to compressed sawdust.
That will never happen
I read it the same way!
Oh thank goodness, I thought the same
I live in estonia, Tartu more specifically, its so cool to see Ian talk about my countries main gun
He also attended the Sõdurileht podcast. You should check it out!
"You would never see a rifle with all this crap on it". Cosplaying GunTuber: "Hold my beer!"
I call them "Gun Magazine Cover Guns" for ANY gun with lots of real estate mounting every possible accessory 😂
I feel like you would very easily see everything on this, magnification on grenadier rifles is very common and all that leaves is the suppressor which will likely be more of a unit thing
@@joshuabrown7815no, you wouldn't see this in the EDF
@@joshuabrown7815Estonian regular infantry is never, ever ever going to see magnification, ever.
Wrong. I'm in the Estonian Defense League, which is a paramilitary force that gets lower priority than the Defense Force in terms of equipment, and we got magnifiers issued to squad leaders.
Not grenadiers, though, or anyone else for that matter. But they absolutely do get issued.
I enjoy how this channel evolved to all weapons instead of just forgotten ones.
Good stuff is good stuff!
as someone that did the mandatory service in estonia the R20 is a perfectly good weapons though we had 2 guns in our platoon have triggers that seemed to just not be heat treated or something the trigger ended up deforming significantly also the sights on the M203 break very very easily after 11 months of service we had 1 GL in the company with a functioning sight the sight works well we are also allowed to customise attatchments adding grips flashlights and magnifiers, the R20L on the otherhand is a bit bad they gum up and jam a bit they dont work with blank fire adapters, for how short they are (which is a decently large issue due to poor accuracy past 600M) they are heavy with al the stuff we put on it, the bipods break alot aswell like one of the other marksmen in my platoon had his break 3 times in 11 months mine broke once
That sounds concerning.
SUPER COOL! I was born in Tallinn (we came to the US during the USSR years), so it's a treat to see an Estonian weapon!
So you are an Estonian!
“People really don’t use bayonets at all.” British infantry, “Hold my beer”
British infantry from 2004 perhaps.
@@skepticalbadger well, they did a bayonet charge in the sandpit 🤷🏻♂️
It was a necessary tactic; there was a very real chance that an entire platoon of L85s could break simultaneously
Greetings Ian, a small correction to the text in the description - Estonia regained their independence in 1991.
Many thanks for this wonderful video and wishing you warm regards.
I've been a HUGE fan of this rifle. I couldn't click on this video fast enough. AWESOME! Go Estonia!
As a conscript my service rifle was the AK-4 (HK G3 Swedish derivative). Once i got to try out the R20 during reserve training call up, i was so impressed by that rifle. We got to try it in a range, the gun had a simple red-dot hologram sight. All i could do is just point it at the target and everything went exactly where i aimed. Extremely accurate, no kickback, light, extremely easy to use, very very comfortable. The decision to buy these rifles was definitely spot-on.
Very nice, i wouldnt be disappointed as an Estonian Infantrymen. Keeping it simple with things that we know work.
Thank you so much for this video ! I love this rifle so much. They are light and good to shoot. With all the gear on and everything it is light and good in the forest and accurate as well. Greetings from Estonia ! 🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪
Edit: Welcome to Estonia !
I am long time wiewer of Your videos! It is very suprising for me to see Your video made in Estonia! Keep Your good videos rolling! Best Regards from Estonia!
Wow! Welcome to my home town, and my beautiful country!
Ian, wonderful to see how far they've come. Had the privilege to serve on a EUCOM Military Liaison Team in Estonia for 6 months in 2000. We worked out of the Kaitseleit (roughly the National Guard) HQ but with all branches of the EDF. Mostly a mishmash of former Soviet weapons at the time, but they were dead-set on getting into NATO. Lots of good stories out of that TDY. Do the Estonians still host the Erna Recht SF competition?
Kaitseliit*
Erna retk* and yes, we still host those.
Everyone: I have almost that exact kit. It’s the best rifle I’ve ever fired. You want it far more than you know. That AR10 looks like it’s a piston gun while mines DI, but they’re substantially similar (that one might not be multi-caliber while I can fire both 7.62 and 6.5 with a quick barrel swap - as Ian showed on the infantry rifle it’s just two 30-torx screws to change). Mine is good to ~900 yards in 7.62 and ~1300 yards in 6.5 (I have a 2500 yard range finder so in addition to getting hits at that range and measuring that way I can just use the range finder too).
Me: “That suppressor says 7.62!”
Gun Jesus: “Patience my child.”
I asked a friend in Estonia how she was doing with the invasion of Ukraine nearby. She said if the war came to them, "I am not escaping, but fighting back and joining the Estonian Defence League" and "if we don't have our independence, we have nothing." I also once heard an old Lithuanian man say "The Germans are gone, but the Russians are always coming back."
The Baltic states haven't forgotten, and they won't roll over.
@@nurnburgring3102Sounds like they're too busy in Kursk.
@@nurnburgring3102 Go mobilize
One of the central squares in Tallinn has a big monument to Estonian independence. It's made out of glass, to highlight the fragility of freedom and independence.
@@nurnburgring3102 Makes sense, draft age is 18 in the US and since so many civilians are getting killed by Russian attacks on supermarkets, why send your family members to go shopping. A simple solution would be be for the invaders to go back home.
Damn we've kinda had enough of the commies and faschists. That's why extremism is not so huge of an issue over here.
Really like these R20 RAHEs. The rifles are really handy and nimble, feel quite a bit smaller than a standard M4 and certainly lighter than a 416. I ended up getting a GSL Multical for mine, which now come as a 36 caliber instead of .30 - nice and versatile. I also stuck a CompM5B + Aimpoint 3x mag on it.
As an Estonian conscript and reservist I can say that it was absolute pleasure to work with R20!
The round counter thing is interesting because I do exactly that for my job with industrial printers. We hook into the machine and can see the counters on various parts to know when they need to be replaced.
Estonia picked a good firearm for their people.
Also big kudos on getting an invite from the Government it's self to take a look at their toys!
"[Estonia] has a very unpleasant neighbor"
"I don't know where that is, let me Google a map -- oh, yep, that sure is a very unpleasant neighbor."
Typical American geography knowledge.
Orcs. Our patriotic political leader Jana Toom insist that we call them "tiblad". 😏
Honestly, it's not nice to slander Latvia like that.
@@kristofprovost Nice.
It's clearly referring to Finns who take the ferry over and get drunk.
In estonian you can say "kuulirahe" which means hail of bullets, which I think they might have suggested.
It's remarkable how much effort goes into making kit grunt-proof.
And it always fails... until you impose strict "you break it, you pay for it" rules for conscripts. I mean, they still break it, but now it's coming out of their salary, so it's less of an expense.
@@andersjjensen that would work as long as there was a salary to work with :)
@@Rudy97 yeah the 115 euros a month aint paying for shit
@@jaanuspapp1333 enough for fuel money and 10 redbulls
@@Rudy97 Danish conscripts get a livable wage.
Getting a call from a country to present their weapon. Pretty huge if you ask me. I hope you enjoyed your stay. You are welcomed at any time!
I worked with the "Stoners" in Iraq in 04-05- There was no one else as good as they were at finding weapons caches.
Stoners?
Had to process that.... "A 50-year old gun finding guns?" (ok, the double quotes made me realise I was mixing up the wars 😆).
@@vikingsoftomorrow4038Estonians
@@vikingsoftomorrow4038Operation Iraqi Freedom - Unit designation: Estonian Light Infantry Platoon (the “Stone Platoon”)
@@vikingsoftomorrow4038 E-Stoners 😂
Such a wonderful cooperation Mr. Ian, great video and thank you !
I absolutely love weather names for guns. Hail, tornado, Thunder... good stuff.
Cool to see that our new standard issue rifle has its name "Rahe" actually stamped on the body. Its a really good name too because it can send a hail of bullets down range.
I love Estonia!!!!❤❤❤❤
@bramster-b9v I love Earth!
Another really informative breakdown and analysis of an interesting firearm. Thanks for continuing making these interesting videos. Looking forward to your upcoming one on the DMR version of the rifle you mentioned in this video.
Hey Ian, did you manage to visit the Estonian War Museum as well during your visit? If not, then I strongly suggest that next time you come around. Who knows, maybe you'll find something to do a video about there as well ;P
I did, and I will have a couple videos coming from there. :)
@@ForgottenWeaponsi live less than kilometer from it. Next time make a video about your travels beforehand. 😊
Well, Hell! This is cool to see! I used to live in Eldridge, where these are made. Now I live about 10 miles away, but it's cool just knowing it's down the road.
Greetings from Argentina everyone!
Nice to see fellow baltic states mentioned.
As far as i know, latvia has been using mainly G36 rifles as standard because those show up at army booths often
I didnt know that any military actually has contracted holosun as their official optics
uh I didn't even pick up on that.....good for hs
I guess not every country has ridiculous amounts of money to spend on aimpoints and trijicons
@@adamc2378 but yet they bought LMT rifles
@@adamc2378 and let's be real, are those really offering more for the average infantry man (in their case often conscript's)
@@Anonymous8421 In the service rifle industry LMT are routinely on the lower end of pricing, nearly everyone who has bought LMT's to replace their old stockpiles has done so because they were the cheapest adequate option available. They're only pricey for civilians.
I had the chance to try out this rifle on my deployment in Mali ...since we were deployed together with the Estonians .... Great rifle ... I liked it
Hail… hailstone… hail Estonia! 🫡
This is possibly the best possible AR you can buy. Incredible accuracy across lots of different ammo, especially 75-77gr. If you are in USA, BUY THIS. You literally don't need another AR after this.
One correction i would point out.
Estonia wasn't a newly independent country in the early 1990s.
Estonia has been an independent country since 1918 and fought an independence war with russia between 1918-1920 to secure that freedom.
In 1940 it was occupied by russia (and by germany for a couple years aswell) and remained occupied until the fall of the USSR in 1991.
It's not a big mistake but this wording is used most commonly by russia to undermine the sovereignty of Estonia to make us look like a country that came FROM the USSR and not something that existed before USSR.
and what were you before 1918?
@@MatoVuc Why is that relevant?
We were Estonians before 1918. We had our language, culture and land but the governing body of the territory was russian. We had a chance to establish our own state in 1918 and took it. Since then the ussr and russia have recognised us as a sovereign state.
@@MrHansu23 Were you 'always' a russian imperial subject before that or were you part of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth at some point?
@@MatoVucsome part of Estonia wasn't part of Polish Commonwealth
Can confirm the 12'' piston LMT is super nice, I like the shovelnose better than the short and thin 9.25'' upper.
I was a squad leader in the Estonian military, the R-20 we got had a laser and a flash light, both of them worked with night vision, holosun scope and a 3x scope. but that was only meant for the squad leaders. got to use the mg-3, negev, R-20, R-20L. 50cal M2 browning, carl gustav mk3, galil, usp, and a glock, not sure if it was the 18 or 19. It was very fun to learn how to survive in the forest and how to manage in guerilla warfare.
press X to doubt
@@EsotericBachaBazism can confirm his statement
Thank you for everything you do for the gun community! Love to listen to your knowledge.
You are very welcome, Ian. Compared to G3/AK4 this is a handy little rifle. Handy goes for the 5.56 MARS-L version. 7.62 MARS-H is a true boat anchor and had problems with parts breakage. Not liked by the men who had to carry it.
Didn't get to do my conscription in Estonia due to MS so it's nice to get a detailed video on the rifle I missed out on
Sending the adjustable gas system with the suppressor is an inspired move. Can't futz around with it unless you have an actual reason to!
A really cool detail indeed
Gas block part could have been fixed to the suppressor with a rod so that they would always be together. Or maybe the suppressor sleeve could be long enough to reach the gas block like in mp5.
I remember as a conscript in 2017-18 when the discussion was what our future new small arms could have been, one of them was galil ace aside from the r-20
The integrated round counter fits perfectly with Estonia's reputation as the pioneer of digitalization.
Dude our population is dying. Gotta automize everthing. All hail our AI overlords. Actually it's because we heavily support startups
@@augustkallas988 Are they really dying or all just moving to Finland?
@@Foxtrott_4 dying rather. Yoing people don't want kids as much.
@@Foxtrott_4 neither, really. but we are not making babies. as the saying about peculiarities of our language goes "estonia has no sex and no future"
@@augustkallas988 that's kind of true and kind of not. Population has been stable since 2014 with small dips and growths, but prediction for future is not good
Thanks for the effort you put into this, man.
In German "Rache" pronounced very similarly to how Ian pronounced the Estonian "Rahe" in this video, means vengeance.
Hail or vengeance, both fitting names for a rifle.
Well, when you get pummeled by hail, it sure does feel like the skies are striking you with vengeance 😅
Estonia are really upping the game in terms of how soon a weapon is forgotten.
as an Estonian, we should have brought direct impingement.
In any case, conscripts will find a thousand methods to break an ar system in half.
Pretty sure we will start looking for more galil or valmet type rifles soon enough, after getting hands on experience.
They will likely keep an ar type for the more trained units and professionals.
@@mjfan653 ARs seem to hold up just fine in conscript use elsewhere. Up north here in Finland the FDF decided to go with Sako's short stroke piston AR for their next service rifle. Sweden picked the same rifle as well. I doubt there'll be much interest in going back to the AK platform here in Finland once the switch is done and I suspect the same for Estonia.
"Obscure Weapons" would be more accurate of a channel name i guess
that is really nice of them to invite you to check out their weapons. this AR is pretty cool
Wow! What an honor to be invited by the Estonian Defense Forces for a "Forgotten" Weapon video! 😮
Forgotten weapons has twice as many subscribers as Estonia has people. It's more like it was an honor for the EDF that Ian accepted the invitation.
@@uku4171 What a very American Exceptionalist reply.
@@uku4171 I mean he gets invites from personal collectors too
@@uku4171 Prestige doesn't really scale with population/popularity that well. Random RUclips channels being acknowledged by UN recognized government bodies is a pretty huge indicator of legitimacy. Decade ago RUclipsrs were mostly associated with cat and prank videos, and no agency of any nation would had seen anything of value in collaborating with the likes of them. Things like this are mutually beneficial. Estonian Defense Force gets cultural exposure among the demographic important to it, as the chances are that many future generals of foreign nations that will make the defense economy decisions 30 years from now probably have watched channels like Forgotten Weapons in their youth. And in turn Ian having his brand associated with legitimate government agencies instead of just being a "youtuber" will give him more opportunities with other organizations.
@MidWitPride unfortunately I don’t think uku has the attention span to read your comment in full
Man, I absolutely LOVE these videos about Elbonia!!!
I now know about 2 things from Estonia: this dope rifle and the comedian Ari Matti
I liked the R-20 Rahe when I was in my latest military excercise, but a 7.62 is more suitable for forest-warfare in Estonia.
But yeah, we need to be standardized with NATO, so I get it.
Great video! Greetings from Estonia! 🇪🇪
Definitely giving me Commando vibes
kinda feeling COD4 M4 SOPMOD vibe
bunch of parts and mod on AR lol
Forgotten Weapons Drinking Game: Take a shot every time Ian exclaims 'So'.
I was reading comments while the video was going and he said it right after I finished reading your comment.
Nope, too early to drink (I am in Germany, it's not even 4 PM!)
I gave up after 10nth shot
@@dreamingflurry2729you can start drinking before 4 PM. Personally I start with whiskey, then at 5 PM I swap it for diluted vodka and in the evening it's time for long drinks. At midnight, gin.
But I'm from Finland and it's 04:30 PM right now so we are still going with whiskey at this time
@@dreamingflurry2729so. 😂
Ah bayonet lugs, kind of a holdout feature that doesn't seem to wanna go away but isn't in use so much anymore. That said the soldiers knife or bayonet will never leave the kit, as it does remain a very useful tool.
It's like the little handle on the maple syrup bottle! It became smaller and one day will only be kept for aesthetical reasons!
I mean the british special units like them for close quarters. Mostly to prevent people from charging them.
That’s a nice looking rifle. Proportions are on point
For eagle eyed gun nerds, they would notice that the bolt carrier has a rounded bevel at the back to prevent carrier tilt damage to the buffer tube. A regular AR carrier doesn't need that.
Really nice of Ian to cover my country's service rifle!
I'm actually pretty surprised that you didn't discuss some of the unique aspects of the bolt carrier and bolt itself. It's not a standard AR setup, it's pretty different. Even things like the captive firing pin retaining pin, anti-tilt cuts, and extractor are worth talking about.
Besides that, I was really hoping to finally see details on how the M203 rails are set up, and if they are just standard MLOK rails or something else. Unfortunately, you didn't cover that either.
Love vanquishes time. To lovers, a moment can be eternity, eternity can be the tick of a clock.
Estonia is one of my Favorite countries and one of my Favorites RUclipsrs
💜🇪🇪
That’s amazing
Used ones of these during my service - lovely gun. Miss it dearly.
Good fences make good neighbors. And rifles, and minefields, and artillery parks. . .
God bless ! Happy bday Estonia from Latvia
Having shot this gun (only 10 rounds during reservist training day) I can say the trigger is worlds apart from Galil AR trigger.
And the weight too! Atleast compared to the Ak 4...
I own a Sig 516 and let me tell you, when he mentioned that it was one of the possible alternatives, my thought was thank God we got the LMT instead.
I mean, I luv me Sig, but there is no question about it, the LMT has a better trigger.
@@wurfyy Especially since LMT (with Knights Armament) is held as one of the best AR15 variants ever (from many gun youtubers)
When I worked with these guys last year they were rocking LMTs and G3s
This gun looks super cool and is a little unique with a short stroke system but LMT is selling the gun for $3,815 which is a lot of clams.
Yeah. This gun is good. Superior to the AK4 and Galil we had. Main quality is that Rahe is actually light. Magazines are also neat. It also has simple maintenance. Anyways, the "boys" enjoy it. - cheers from estonia.
Bayonets are use for prisoners, crowd, and riot control. We haven't done the bayonet charges for awhile but they are still needed even if you're just handing out food and water
Yeah, especially with modern wars in urban areas with citizens
5:05 this is just mind blowingly generous. your channel is growing up so much since I started watching it, many years ago while in the french army. I had a FAMAS with glock 17 :) ♥
Fun fact: The Norwegian word for shotgun is "Hagle" which translates to Hail in english
In Dutch it’s “Hagel” 😂😂
@@karelpgbr Exactly the same in Swedish.
@@karelpgbr hagelslag sprinkles on cakes
Its a privilege to have seen this
Holosun is a standard issue military optic. Just as good bros, rejoice!