In the late 1990s, the designer of the Tula TsKIB SOO A. B. Adov developed an experimental self-loading sniper rifle TKB-0145K chambered for 6x49 mm.
The TKB-0145K sniper rifle is designed to destroy single targets (including those protected by personal body armor) at long, medium and short ranges.
For shooting from a rifle, cartridges of increased power 6x49 mm are used, developed at TsNIITOCHMASH under the leadership of a senior researcher, candidate of technical sciences V. N. Dvoryaninov, who previously created a 7, 62-mm sniper cartridge for the SVD rifle. The weight of the 6-mm bullet of the 6x49 mm cartridge is 5 grams, the muzzle velocity is 1150 meters per second.
In order to reduce the length of the weapon, the TKB-0145K sniper rifle is made according to the bullpup scheme.
The TKB-0145K rifle automation is based on the gas-operated principle. The gas venting device of the rifle, unlike many samples of automatic weapons of this type, does not have a gas regulator.
In the new sniper rifle, a number of design features were applied to reduce the dispersion of bullets.
These include the rigid locking of the barrel with a rotary bolt with three lugs and the selection of powder gases to activate the automatics from the muzzle of the barrel after the bullet leaves the barrel. The latter is justified by the fact that in a conventional gas-operated weapon (for example, in a SVD), after the bullet passes the side gas outlet, a significant impulse of forces from the interaction of the powder gases with the gas exhaust device acts on the weapon. This leads to the fact that at the moment the bullet leaves the bore, the weapon deviates from the original direction. This design flaw eliminates the muzzle vent device.
Due to a slight increase in the mass of moving parts in TKB-0145K, it was possible to achieve reliable functioning of the rifle in various conditions.
The automatic rifle box is protected from foreign particles.
In addition to open sights, the rifle is equipped with POSP 8x42, PSO-1 and similar optical sights. It is also possible to install a night sight.
The weapon is powered by ammunition from a detachable box magazine with a capacity of 10 rounds.
In 2001, the TKB-0145K sniper rifle was operated in a combat situation in the North Caucasian region, where it earned high reviews from the special forces fighters working with it, as an effective weapon in urban combat, mountainous terrain and anti-sniper combat.
At the same time, the used cartridge 6x49 mm with a bullet weight of 5 grams and an initial speed of 1150 meters per second has established itself as an ammunition, significantly superior to the 7.62 mm sniper cartridge. The ballistic impulse of the 6-mm cartridge is 1 kgf, which is about 25% less than the ballistic impulse of the 7, 62x54R cartridge of the SVD rifle, respectively, and the recoil of the TKB-0145K rifle is less than that of the SVD. The high muzzle velocity and, consequently, the short flight time of the bullet to the target, less wind drift of the bullet, as well as the high flatness of the trajectory make the TKB-0145K sniper rifle especially effective (compared to the SVD) at long ranges (over 500 meters). The rifle has a direct shot range of about 600 meters.
However, despite the positive qualities shown, the TKB-0145K self-loading sniper rifle remained an experimental model of sniper small arms and did not enter production.
TTX:
Caliber: 6x49 mm
Magazine capacity: 10 rounds
Bullet muzzle velocity: 1150 meters per second
Effective range: 600 meters
Sighting range: 1000 meters
Barrel length: 720 mm
Length: 1060 mm
Weight: 4 kilograms.
