Automatic or assault rifle?

August 12 2010 4

Continuing to reveal history the creation of the AKM, it is impossible not to make a small digression and tell about another brainchild of Mikhail Timofeevich - an automatic rifle (according to the current foreign classification “assault rifle”).

As already noted, after adopting the AK-47, the small compartment was armed with two samples of individual weapons - Actually AK-47 and SKS self-loading carbine. Moreover, the majority of specialists, relying on the experience of conducting military operations of the Second World War, considered this to be quite justified. Opinions differed only in their proportion. Awareness of the influence of the maneuverable characteristics of the weapon on the combat effectiveness of firing and confirmation of this practice occurred somewhat later. As a result, the classic “assault rifle” did not appear in the Soviet Army's arsenal, and automatic rifles were adopted — shortened “assault rifles”, and the carbine, as a type of individual weapon, ceased to exist.
But it is in the future. In the meantime, inspired by Korobov’s efforts, Mikhail Timofeevich took a nonstandard step — he tried to combine properties and machine guns in one sample (possibility of firing by bursts and large store capacity) and a carbine (increased accuracy of shooting and the best external ballistic characteristics). The customer, represented by the State Autonomous Institution of the USSR Ministry of Defense, took an interest in this proposal (after all, the reduction of the nomenclature of weapons promised a considerable economic benefit) and with its 26 letter in April 1954 ordered the test site to carry out a preliminary assessment of the Kalashnikov karabiner, which was produced in the period from May 3 to June 7 1954 was engineer-majors V. V. Lugovoi and F. A. Blanter, and senior lieutenant-technician I. A. Tishukov. All firing was carried out in parallel with serial AK and SKS. One sample of the automatic rifle no. НЖ-1470 was put to the test.
It is noteworthy that technical documentation (drawings, TU, etc.) was not presented on the automatic rifle, which contradicts the general rules of testing organization (apparently, the genuine interest of the GRAU was evident - what is this “miracle-yudo”). What was the difference between an experienced automatic rifle from AK-47?

1. The length of the barrel is increased by 70 mm.
2. The closed-type gas chamber (without venting excess gases into the atmosphere) was displaced back by 132 mm and had a diameter of the gas outlet opening of 2 mm (instead of 4,4 + 0,1).
3. The scheme of automation with a short stroke (8 mm) of the piston, then the stem with a bolt moves by inertia. Restriction of the piston stroke back is carried out by projections of the rear part of the gas chamber.
4. The self-timer also plays the role of a moderator of the rate of fire, which is triggered after a stem rebound when struck in the extreme forward position (the principle of operation is the same as that of the Korobov machine gun). The self-timer axis is located behind the trigger and trigger axes.
5. The stem of the shutter has grooves for the overwhelm loader and a retainer (slide delay) at the base of the reloading handle.

Fixation of the stem of the bolt for the clip loading of a regular automatic magazine is carried out by pressing a finger on the movable pin, which is included in the corresponding recess on the right wall of the receiver.

Kalashnikov rifle
Kalashnikov rifle
Karabin Simonov

1 - gas chamber of the machine, 2 - gas chamber of the machine

1 - the bolt carrier frame, 2 - the stem of the automatic rifle bolt

To release the stem, you need to take it back a little and let it go.
6. Due to the location of the self-timer-retarder at the right wall of the receiver behind the trigger, the flag of the translator-fuse is mounted on the left wall of the receiver.
7. Changed the shape and size of the forearm and receiver lining.
8. Changed the mounting bayonet knife.
9. The stroke of the moving parts on the 34 mm is less than that of the AK, and almost the same as that of the SCS, which is due to the same pattern of operation of the automation (AK has a long piston stroke).
10. The approach of the shutter rammer when rolling back for the next cartridge of the entire 12 mm with that of the AK - 63 mm and the SCS - 29 mm.

From the height of today's knowledge of weapon science, the experiences of Mikhail Timofeevich and the hopes of the customer seem childish fun. Such a “course” project, according to the forces of a modern ordinary student of a weapons-grade university, would have been appreciated except for the top three with a minus. In the beginning, 50-x, the research, theory and calculation of automatic systems were in their infancy. Along with the enormous number of research works that summarized the entire experience of weapons science, intensive research was carried out on the various principles of weapon automation, the statistical processing of the results of all stages (factory, pick-up, periodic, etc.) of production samples. Joint efforts of specialists of KB, research institutes, universities, manufacturers of the theory and calculation of the mechanisms of small arms acquired a modern look and covered all the known principles of automation, periodically refined and supplemented with the appearance of non-traditional designs.

For these reasons, in order to test the rifle-rifle, the customer states quite democratically: “When receiving an improvement ... it is necessary, if possible, to determine the factors that had a positive impact ...”. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately (after all, the US Army approached the "cutting off" of an assault rifle only after 50 years, already in the 21st century), there were no factors that had a positive effect on the combat performance in the rifle-gun, despite the smaller ( compared to the AK) weight on 120 g and more on 2,5% bullet speed.
The summary of the landfill reads: “The characteristics of bullet dispersion when firing from an assault rifle are within the dispersion range of standard assault rifles. When firing both with normally lubricated parts, and when dusty, sprinkling and dry parts, the automatic carbine worked unreliable. All delays are related to the failure to supply the cartridge from the magazine. " The reason is the insufficient entry of the bolt rammer behind the next cartridge with a "sluggish" (non-energetic) reflection of the sleeve. Thus, a stalemate was created: an increase in the speed of rollback of moving parts to ensure normal reflection of the sleeves is unacceptable, since it leads to continuous failure (skipping) of the cartridge from the store due to lack of time to lift the next cartridge (to the chambering line) into the magazine receiver. Reducing the speeds of the moving parts is also unacceptable, as it leads to continuous delays - "sticking" of the sleeve due to non-energetic reflection. That is, the automation is able to work reliably enough only in a narrow range of speeds of moving parts, which is unattainable in practice. All design features, from the point of view of accuracy of fire, have no practical benefits. It is quite obvious (quote from the original document) that "such a sample cannot replace the Simonov carbine and Kalashnikov assault rifle as a single individual infantry model, the expediency of which is quite obvious." Hooray! The concept was rethought, which was facilitated by
and the results of firing on the “Shot” courses in developing methods for determining and evaluating combat effectiveness. The conclusion was even more specific: “Considering that the 7,62-mm Kalashnikov assault rifle is a reliable model in all cases of troop operation and possesses high performance, the 01773 Part II considers it appropriate
conduct a broad check in the troops for the possibility of using this machine gun in a lightweight version with a bayonet as a single sample of individual infantry weapons. "

1 - a cover of a receiver of the automatic machine, 2 - a cover of a receiver of the automatic machine of a carbine

This conclusion was a sentence to Simonov's carbine, the production of which was soon curtailed. So, in general, an unsuccessful design changed the further direction
development of domestic individual weapons. But even with the recommendation to the “future life” of the automaton AK GRAU, it was somewhat cunning. At this time, tactical and technical requirements for a promising machine for number 006256-53 were already worked out, and a number of fairly well-known (in narrow circles) gunsmiths zealously set to work.

1 - automatic pad of the machine, 2 - trunk pad of the rifle, 3 -machine gun shank, 4 - rifle machine gun shank

1 - automatic bayonet, 2 - automatic rifle bayonet

1 - piston and piston rod automatic rifle,
2 - automatic piston and piston rod

Main weight and linear characteristics of samples

Name of characteristics	Kalashnikov rifle #1	According to the drawings and specifications on the Kalashnikov assault rifle	According to the drawings and specifications for the Simonov carbine
Total weight with accessory and magazine without cartridges, kg	4,130*	no more 4,250	no more 3,850
Barrel weight with receiver (for automatic rifle and machine gun with butt and the fire control knob)	2,392	2,497	1,769
Weight of moving parts, kg	0,665**	0,569	0,483
Shutter stem weight, kg	0,512	-	0,235
The weight of the bolt body in the assembly, kg	0,087	0,091	0,136
Weight bolt with stem, kg	-	0,436	-
Weight of gas piston with rod, kg	0,036	0,080	0,064
Weight of the receiver cover, kg	0,086	0,190	0,103
Handguard weight, kg	0,156	0,107	-
Weight of the barrel pad, kg	0,089	0,132	0,135
Bayonet weight, kg	0,240	0,270	0,143
Bayonet sheath weight, kg	0,100	0,100	-
Length without bayonet (for SKS with bayonet in the stowed position), mm	977	870	1025
Length with a bayonet, mm	1162	1075	1264,5
Barrel length, mm	485	415	520
Bayonet length, mm	310	310	312
The length of the blade of the bayonet, mm	200	200	228
Trigger force, kg	2,7	1,5:2,5	-

* - weight is indicated with a Kalashnikov assault rifle
** - taking into account the weight of the piston with the rod