Phnom Penh Shooting Range

One day Don and I took a taxi out to the RCAF (Royal Cambodian Armed Forces) Special Forces Airborne Base at the western edge of Phnom Penh.

 

There the Cambodian military runs a public shooting range, using weapons and ammunition accumulated during 50 years of war.

 

Upon arrival we were offered beer or soft drinks, and presented with a plastic menu of weapons to choose from.

Rifles AK-47 M-16 UZI K-50 Shotgun Handguns CZ75(22mm) K54(Takarov) .45 ACP (Colt) Revolver 38 Ruger 22

Price $30 $30 $30 $30 $20 $12 $10 $10 $12 $12

Also available (off the menu) were tripod-mounted M-60 machine guns, rocket launchers and hand grenades (no photos allowed.)

 

Don and I both chose 30 rounds each ($30) on an AK-47 Kalashnikov, the world's most popular weapon.

 

Here's a video of Don squeezing off a short burst on full automatic.
(turn on your speakers and click the photo; the file is fullauto.avi, 1.1 MB)

 

Boys and their toys.

They offered us a live chicken to shoot, but we passed on that. I wonder if they'd let you drive a tank or take up an RCAF plane and strafe a village if you paid them enough?

Return to Chris in Cambodia 2