The ASh-12 assault rifle belongs to modern Russian developments. This weapon was adopted by the FSB special forces. The features of this machine, in addition to the bullpup layout unusual for the domestic weapons school, include a powerful ammunition specially created for this weapon. As part of the development work on the topic "Exhaust" in Russia, a special STs-130 ammunition of 12, 7x55 mm caliber was created, which can be used with a large-caliber special-purpose assault rifle ASh-12, an RSh-12 assault revolver and a silent large-caliber sniper rifle VSSK " Exhaust".
Almost all army weapons today can be easily assembled into two groups of unequal sizes. The first is a conventional weapon for a line fighter, which has a set of balanced characteristics, combining at the same time cheapness, high reliability, efficiency and simplicity, as well as special-purpose weapons. The latter type of firearms includes a rather unusual project of Russian gunsmiths - a program for the creation of small arms for special forces called "Exhaust". The most striking representative of this program was the large-caliber Russian assault rifle ASh-12.
In the early 2000s, when a turning point was outlined in the course of the second campaign in Chechnya, Russian special units had already accumulated quite a lot of experience in conducting hostilities in special conditions. First of all, it was about assault tasks solved in the conditions of low-rise rural and multi-storey urban development, mountainous terrain. Taking into account this specificity, special forces fighters needed a weapon for combat at a short distance, with a high impulse of a bullet, capable, if necessary, of penetrating obstacles made of brick or stone that are significant in thickness, and, if possible, allowing silent shooting.
Viktor Zelenko, chief designer of TsKIB SOO for small arms and cannon armament, demonstrates the ASh-12 assault rifle, photo: Ilya Kedrov, National Defense magazine
As part of the implementation of this request of the Special Forces Center of the FSB of Russia, the Central Design and Research Bureau of Sports and Hunting Weapons in Tula began to create a new large-caliber complex for special forces, designed for the SC-130 cartridge of 12.7 mm caliber specially created for the new line of weapons. By analogy with the existing pair of the AS "Val" assault rifle and the VSS "Vintorez" rifle, the complex consisted of an ASh-12 large-caliber assault machine, a VSSK "Exhaust" sniper rifle, and an RSh-12 assault revolver. We will dwell in more detail on the machine, which was first presented to the general public in 2005 in Moscow within the framework of the Interpolitex exhibition.
ASh-12 is a representative of a highly effective "assault" melee weapon. The main and very striking feature of this weapon is the used large-caliber cartridge 12, 7x55 mm, which provides a high stopping effect of a bullet while reducing the likelihood of hitting third parties due to the rapid loss of bullet energy with an increase in the firing distance. During the operations carried out by the fighters of special units, this is especially important.
Cartridge 12, 7x55 mm STs-130 is a Russian rifle ammunition developed by TsKIB SOO specialists for flameless and low-noise destruction of protected targets and manpower in heavy body armor at a distance of up to 600 meters. One of the requirements of the tactical and technical assignment, within the framework of which the new cartridge was created, was its significant superiority over the standard 9x39 mm cartridges (used with AS Val and VSS Vintorez) in terms of effective fire range and destructive effect. The SC-130 cartridges use specially made weighted bullets and relatively short cylindrical sleeves 55 mm long. The energy potential of such an ammunition is only enough for a subsonic shot. A standard rifle bullet of 12.7 mm caliber weighs about 50 grams, a bullet of a subsonic rifle caliber 12.7x55 mm can weigh from 50 to 76 grams. In this case, the full length of the 12.7 mm cartridge SC-130 is 97.3 mm versus 147.5 mm for the "ordinary" Russian cartridge 12.7x108 mm.
ASh-12 with a magazine for 20 rounds
Due to the relatively low (for the indicated caliber) muzzle energy, small arms chambered for the new cartridge turned out to be almost 2.5–3 times lighter than sniper rifles designed for the use of conventional large-caliber cartridges - domestic 12.7x108 mm or NATO 12.7x99 mm. Assault machine ASh-12 and revolver RSh-12 use cartridges 12, 7x55 mm, created on the basis of the cylindrical sleeve of the subsonic rifle cartridge 12, 7x55 mm STs-130 for the silent sniper rifle VSSK "Exhaust". It is known about four variants of a cartridge for automatic weapons and a revolver: a cartridge with a light bullet PS-12A, a cartridge with a weighted bullet PS-12, a cartridge with a tandem arrangement of bullets (two-bullet) PD-12 and a cartridge with an armor-piercing bullet PS-12B.
The lightweight bullet of the PS-12A cartridge has a bare and hollow aluminum core and a bimetallic shell in the nose, the mass of the bullet is about 7 grams. The muzzle velocity of this bullet exceeds the speed of sound, but the combination of a large caliber and a small mass of a bullet leads to the fact that it quickly loses its speed and energy with an increase in the firing distance. The effective firing range using this ammunition is limited to 100 meters, while the bullet of this cartridge has a very high stopping effect on the target at the indicated distance.
The PS-12 weighted bullet cartridge is intended mainly for use in combination with a silencer, the heavy bullet of this cartridge has a subsonic initial flight speed. The armor-piercing bullet of the PS-12B cartridge is able to confidently hit most of the body armor known to date and poses some danger even for lightly armored enemy vehicles at short distances. The two-bullet (duplex) cartridge with a tandem arrangement of the PD-12 bullets is the most unusual of the presented cartridges. Such ammunition is used to create an increased density of fire, for example, to conduct defensive fire. At the same time, some experts doubt the advisability of using such a cartridge with weapons of this class.
ASh-12 with a silencer and a magazine for 10 rounds
Undoubtedly, the Russian large-caliber assault rifle is considered one of the most powerful weapons in its class in the whole world. This is achieved through the use of a powerful low-impulse cartridge SC-130 12, 7x55 mm, which has the same caliber as the cartridge of the famous DShK machine gun. Thanks to the designated family of ammunition for various purposes, the ASh-12 assault rifle, according to the plans of the developers, should successfully solve a wide range of tasks to neutralize the enemy. Basically, however, we are talking exclusively about theory. At present, nothing is known about the experience of practical combat use of the ASh-12 assault machine and cartridges for it. It is these data that could most fully demonstrate the effectiveness of this weapon. True, here it is worth considering the fact that the ASh-12 assault rifle, developed by the specialists of the Tula TsKIB SOO, was adopted by the Russian FSB special forces relatively recently - in 2011, and most of the information about the design and experience of the combat use of such weapons is secret and not disclosed.
Separately, the RSh-12 revolver complex can be noted, which is a revolver with a solid metal frame and a drum that can be reclined to the left, designed for 5 rounds. The same ammunition is used as in the ASh-12 assault rifle. The revolver stands out from its large-caliber counterparts by the following design feature - due to the fact that the revolver is fired from the lower drum chamber, the recoil shoulder of the RSh-12 model is smaller than that of most pistols and revolvers of the same caliber. A decrease in the recoil shoulder leads to the fact that the toss of the revolver when fired is also reduced. This technical solution, in which the shot is fired not from the upper but from the lower chamber of the drum, has already been implemented in the OTs-38 revolver designed by Igor Yakovlevich Stechkin.
The large-caliber assault rifle ASh-12 is built according to the bullpup scheme, which is not the most common for the domestic shooting school. With this scheme, the trigger together with the pistol grip are brought forward, they are in front of the magazine and the percussion mechanism. Designers resort to a similar scheme when creating small arms in order to make them more compact, as well as to achieve greater accuracy when firing in bursts.
The receiver of the ASh-12 assault rifle is made of steel by stamping, and the stock, forend and pistol grip are made of modern shock-resistant plastic. The assault rifle uses automation, which uses recoil energy with a short barrel stroke (the barrel stroke is less than the bolt stroke). The barrel is locked by turning the bolt. The bolt handle is located on the right side of the machine. The machine is powered by cartridges from detachable box-type double-row magazines, designed for 10 or 20 cartridges. The firing mode translator and the weapon safety device were made in the form of separate levers. The lever of the translator of fire modes is located at the rear of the machine behind the magazine, and the safety lever is located above the pistol grip of fire control.
To reduce the recoil force during firing, the ASh-12 was specially equipped with a two-chamber muzzle brake-compensator, as well as a rubber butt pad. Instead of a muzzle brake-compensator, a muffler can be installed on the muzzle of the barrel for special tasks. There is also a variant of a weapon equipped with an integrated drum-type grenade launcher (rifle-grenade launcher). The window for ejection of spent cartridges is protected from dirt by a special hinged cover, similar to the American AR-15 / M16 automatic rifles.
The handle for carrying weapons can be equipped with a guide - a Picatinny rail, designed for the installation of various kinds of sighting devices - optical and collimator sights. The assault rifle can have several different configurations - with a carrying handle located above the receiver. Sighting devices are integrated into the handle - an open sight with a full diopter and a folding front sight. There is also an option without a handle for carrying weapons with sights on folding bases and a Picatinny rail located directly on the receiver. The front sight on a folding base was moved to the front of the receiver in order to increase the length of the aiming line, which, in turn, leads to increased firing accuracy. The rear sight is aperture, which gives the shooter an advantage in speed and aiming accuracy, as well as in ease of use in low light compared to conventional open sights.
ASh-12 with integrated drum-type grenade launcher
Due to the wide range of created ammunition of 12, 7x55 mm caliber, the ASh-12 assault rifle has exceptional flexibility in solving various tactical tasks at ultra-short and short combat distances. The advantages of weapons include the amazing stopping effect of a bullet, which can permanently stop not only a criminal or terrorist under the influence of various kinds of drugs, but also a fairly large animal, such as a forest predator. The armor penetration of cartridges at a distance of up to 100 meters allows you to overcome the protection of body armor of all protection classes, fire through obstacles, metal doors and confidently hit unarmored and lightly armored enemy vehicles.
The technical rate of fire of the ASh-12 assault rifle is 650 rounds per minute. Box magazines, designed for 10 or 20 rounds, cannot be classified as roomy, but for close combat this magazine capacity should be enough. The main disadvantages of the weapon include its large dimensions - more than a meter in length and heavy weight - about 6 kilograms (with an equipped magazine and a body kit), all this is attributed to the costs of using large-caliber ammunition. At the same time, the ASh-12, despite its apparent roughness and massiveness, has exceptional firing accuracy, in contrast to representatives of smooth-bore shot or grape-shot weapons, and even more light grenade launchers, which are close in caliber, allowing the special forces to solve the tasks facing them practically in a surgical style.
