Kalashnikov machine gun prototype review

One of the most widespread machine guns in the world is the Kalashnikov machine gun in its various modifications. It is easy to maintain, reliable, has an impressive rate of fire and efficiency. Today's line of Kalashnikov machine guns is well known. But about what were the prototypes of this weapons, not everyone knows.

The Kalashnikov channel presents one of the first prototypes of this brand's machine gun (PK) - a prototype numbered EF-01. The head of the funds department of the military-historical museum of artillery Ruslan Chumak tells about him.

A characteristic feature of the sample considered in the video is the milled receiver. All subsequent PC models had a stamped receiver, which ensured mass production of machine guns.

In the muzzle of the barrel there is a bell-type flame arrester, the bipod mount is located on the gas (gas) tube. The receiver has a special window for receiving machine-gun belts.

Full review on the Kalashnikov channel:

Comments

[Insurgent]

In the muzzle of the barrel is a flame arrester type bell

Which subsequently “migrated” to the tank PKT machine gun, and even the “bell” itself, is a creative borrowing from the machine gun of the Goryunov system SG-43 (SGM, SGMB, SGMT) ..

[mat-vey]

Quote: Insurgent

and the “bell” itself, this is a creative borrowing from the machine gun of the Goryunov system SG-43 (SGM, SGMB, SGMT) ..

Like DP-27 even before the light came ...

[Insurgent]

Quote: mat-vey

Like DP-27 even before the light came ...

Yes, the flame arrestor from the DP-27 is threaded to fit on a PC (M), but since I don’t know of other structural details about its “bell”, it’s also because the army’s PC replaced the SG (and RPD ), then he wrote that the flame arrester from the machine gun Goryunov ...

[mat-vey]

I’m just saying that a very “classic” and simple construction was used in the Schwarzloz machine guns from 1905 ...

[beeper]

I like calm "stories showing" respected Ruslan Chumak (his appearance and manner of conversation, he reminds me of my brother )!
But there is two good wishes!
The first is more light in the videoso that you don’t have to look at a weapon in a gloomy "intimate twilight"! In addition, it would be possible to place drawings, diagrams, and photos of the most important components and parts in the background and periphery of the "video picture", for greater clarity of the "lesson" ?!

The second, even in such a short video episode, there should be its own “zest-zest”!
In this case, when disassembling a PC, it could be a “passing round” of a clearly visible copy groove on the shutter frame of a PC, because a competent museum worker and an extraordinary engineer of the Kalashnikov design bureau who loved their weapons business could remember (clearly described by MTK in his memoirs) about such a competitive advantage of the Nikitin machine gun during the competition, as a powerful tape drive (I write from memory, at the request of the military, the machine guns being developed should have been uninterruptedly "pulling from the ground" a 1,5 meter-long tape packed with cartridges)
And the Kalashnikov prototype had problems with this at first - it didn’t reach the tape (as it turned out, due to the energy loss of the sliding parts due to friction in the “copy groove” of the bolt frame).
But with the introduction into the mechanism of the tape drive (on the copier "end" of the feed lever) an additional part, a rotating steel roller (well familiar to all PC machine gunners ) this problem was successfully overcome by the Kalashnikov’s, that (along with the unresolved “water fear” of the Tula “serial prototype” of the machine gun ) finally tipped the "scales" in favor of the future PK-machine gun Kalashnikov, as we know him!

It was possible, of course, to briefly “walk through” the “Goryunovsky type” heavy ribbed trunk shown on the prototype, which then remained only on the FCT (until now, after many decades, I clearly remember the designation of the steel grade “30 ХМВФА” stamped on these trunks ").

So it would be, with an optimistic full light and curious nuances of the history of creation (for "full gestalt" ), it seems to me, it would be better to watch a video from the respected (and very, externally and internally, intelligent) gunsmith Ruslan Chumak!
IMHO

[Insurgent]

Quote: pishchak

at the request of the military, the machine guns under development should have been uninterruptedly "pulling from the ground" a 1,5 meter-long tape packed with cartridges)
And the Kalashnikov prototype had problems with this at first - it didn’t reach the tape (as it turned out, due to the energy loss of the sliding parts due to friction in the “copy groove” of the bolt frame).
But with the introduction of an additional part of a rotating steel roller (well familiar to all PC machine gunners) into the tape drive mechanism (to the copier "end" of the feed lever) this problem was successfully overcome by the Kalashnik employees, which (along with the unresolved "water fear" of the Tula "serial prototype" of the machine gun ) finally tipped the "scales" in favor of the future PK-machine gun Kalashnikov

Yes, it’s great , so that sometimes it tears the tape ...

[Undecim]

(until now, after many decades, I clearly remember the designation of the steel grade “30 ХМВФА” stamped on these trunks).
The memory is failing you. If it was knocked out, then either 30XH2MFA or something like that.

[beeper]

Dear comrade Undecim, I always carefully and with great interest read your (reliable and very informative ) Comments and I am impressed by your scrupulous approach to the topic - time and costly Perfectionism with a capital letter, because it itself was so meticulous once, and now I cultivate "healthy nonsense (so," a little spit ", easier-torn nerves to live and my heart is whole, at the sight of the incessant collapse and wrecking of our Malaya Motherland under the pretext of allegedly "rozbudovy nezalezhnisti") "!

Those corrugated machine-gun barrels "Goryunovsky type" from PKT, which I personally held in my hands 40 years ago, had the marking "30KhMVFA" that surprised me as a designer and mechanical engineer, that is, steel barrels, along with ~ 0,3% carbon , also contained ~ 1% each: chromium, molybdenum, vanadium and tungsten, without any nickel-H!
Apparently, nevertheless, they made such a batch — I don’t remember, maybe the seats on the barrels of the Goryunovsky SG and the Kalashnikov PC were unified (like cartridge strips), maybe they were very early or experimental barrels, why they stamped the steel mark on them, because it’s has always been the secret of the gunsmiths, and she does not say anything to the combatants ?!
This is, as far as I remember, marking alloyed structural steel (after all, according to my work, already 25 years old, a thorough knowledge of steels is no longer required, since, alas, in our post-Soviet, very degraded, almost single, production with selective, and even individual , assembling, I have to work with that fragile Ukrainian assortment that is still being produced here, or the occasional Soviet one that still comes to hand, helps out the experience, I try it with emery "for a spark" and, accordingly, I use, somehow, even a whole bar of Soviet steel P18 was caught, so, to celebrate, I made taps with fine and left-hand threads from it, because now even in centralized stores and at car markets, even for a lot of money, such things are sold ... ).
Sincerely.

[Undecim]

Thanks for your kind words.
Due to the perfectionism you noted, I’ll clarify that the ribbed trunk of the Goryunov type (like the SGM) was in the PC, and in the PCT it was smooth. Subsequently, the modernized PKM received a smooth barrel. The barrels of tank machine guns are somewhat heavier than infantry ones and have some structural differences.
As for steel. Chrome-molybdenum-tungsten-vanadium pearlitic steels exist (20Kh3MVF, for example) and are heat-resistant, so the use of such steel for and manufacture of the barrel looks logical, at least as an experiment. Therefore, the option 30HMVFA is also possible.

[beeper]

On our combat training T-62 were PKT with ribbed barrels (it was on it the marking "30HMVFA" was stamped), I even had an army photo with such a machine gun!

[Undecim]

On our combat training T-62 were PKT with ribbed barrels
There is one nuance here. The early T-62s were equipped with SGMT machine guns. With a ribbed barrel.

[beeper]

So I think, comrade Undecim, about the same, weren't the SHMT barrels unified in the seat and gas outlet with the PKT barrels (the device for the adjustable lock of the PK barrel was Goryunov's? There could have been a condition of barrels interchangeability before the designers so that they could accumulated reserves ?!) ?!
I didn’t get HCMP, even to see it live (they had all been replaced by PKT and sent to the warehouse), although my immediate predecessors worked with them.

[Undecim]

The barrels were not interchangeable.

[beeper]

I believe! Thank!