The original Swedish Ljungman AG 42 semi-automatic rifle was a strong firearm of good quality, designed in 1941 and produced through 30,000 examples primarily for the Swedish Army. It was chambered for the local 6.5x55mm cartridge and utilized a gas-operated action. While remaining neutral during World War 2 (1939-1945), the Swedes were keen on developing their military industrial complex with neighboring Norway invaded by Germany to its West and neighboring Finland invaded by the Soviet Union to its East. Developments included both combat tanks and small arms such as the AG 42.
The nation of Egypt found value in the Swedish design during the post-war years and moved ahead with the purchase of tooling equipment specifically for the local manufacture of the AG 42. This initiative produced the "Hakim Rifle" which retained nearly all of the form and function of its Swedish counterpart save for its chambering of the larger 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge (due to larger stocks of the German ammunition left over from World War 2) and other minor revisions (an adjustable, direct-impingement gas action). The gas-operated action remained intact as did support for a 10-round box magazine feeding. The weapon was loaded from the top of its breech through 5-round stripper clips (as in the American M1 Garand). The semi-automatic rifle proved the next logical progression of the service rifle from its earlier bolt-action form while semi-automatic rifles preceded today's automatic rifles in turn.
The Hakim featured a full-length wooden stock with inlaid metal components encompassing the internal action and gas cylinder system. The trigger was slung under the receiver in the usual way, showcasing a curved trigger unit and oblong trigger ring. The magazine was set just ahead of the trigger with a noticeable gap between the two structures. As a full-length stock rifle, the shoulder stock was integrated into the design by the ergonomically-shaped grip handle structure. A two-piece, single-banded forend shrouded a good portion of the barrel and all of the gas cylinder. Sights were allocated along the top of the receiver (ahead of the action) and at the muzzle. The barrel protruded short distance away from the wood body and is capped by a muzzle brake to help retard recoil forces. The side of the wood body also featured finger grooves for a better hold through the supporting hand. In all, the Hakim was very similar to the design of the AG 42 - which can be expected in such locally-produced firearms copies.
The Hakim was introduced during the 1950s despite its wartime origins. The weapon is no longer in frontline service with Egyptian forces for a locally-produced copy of the Soviet Kalashnikov AK-47 was eventually adopted to supersede the type. The shorter "Rasheed Carbine" is based on the Hakim Rifle though chambered for the Soviet 7.62x39mm cartridge and introduced in 1960.
Some 70,000 Hakim Rifles were eventually produced.
Egypt
