The AEK-971 is a promising machine gun, a continuation of the AEK with exactly the same principle of operation, in fact, it became the AK-107/108. But this machine did not acquire recognition from Soviet gunsmiths.
In August 1981, Soviet gunsmiths, within the framework of development work on the topic "Creation of an assault rifle, 1.5 times more effective than the AK-74 assault rifle," better known under the code "Abakan", began active development of promising models of automatic weapons. When creating a new assault rifle, the main task was to increase the accuracy of shooting with continuous fire by 5-10 times to improve the accuracy of shooting even among inexperienced young soldiers. The new weapon being developed on the Abakan theme was supposed to preserve all the fighting qualities of its predecessors, first of all, the reliability, the ability to be installed in all existing military equipment, allow all standard components to be attached to it: a bayonet-knife, an under-barrel grenade launcher, optical devices, etc..d.
All leading gunsmiths and designers of the USSR took part in this "Abakan" competition for the development of a new machine gun.
In 1984, twelve projects of automatic machines were submitted for the competition. Of the samples presented, nine projects reached the testing stage, among which there was a 5, 45-mm Garev-Koksharov assault rifle - AEK-971, which has a shockless design and balanced automation.
Balanced automation is the main distinguishing feature of the design of the AEK-971 assault rifle; this scheme is created on the basis of a gas engine (similar to the AK-107 / AK-108 assault rifles). With such a scheme, the additional gas piston, connected to the counter-mass, moves synchronously with the main one, which moves the bolt carrier, but towards it, thereby compensating for the impulses arising from the movement of the bolt group and when it strikes in the rear and front position. As a result of using such a scheme, the machine gun does not twitch when firing in bursts. And it is thanks to this scheme in the AEK-971 submachine gun that the accuracy of automatic firing in bursts is two times better than that of the AK-74 and AKM.
In the AEK-971, the cartridges were fed from a standard magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds from the AK-74. The barrel bore was locked by turning the bolt. The butt was turned over to the left side of the receiver. The translator-fuse flag was displayed on both sides of the receiver, the flag located on the left side did not have a fuse function, which somewhat reduced its capabilities.
A distinctive feature of the first model AEK-971 was an unusual muzzle device. The design of this muzzle brake-compensator was based on a completely new concept of firing a shooter from stable and unstable positions. When conducting automatic firing in bursts from unstable positions: standing, on the move, from a knee, it was possible to reduce the holes in the muzzle brake-compensator with a special lever located on the left side of the receiver, when firing from stable positions: lying from a stop, sitting from a stop, standing with a stop, respectively, it was possible to increase them. The use of a change in the diameter of the holes for the powder gases flowing into the muzzle brake-compensator together with the balanced automatics made it possible to achieve even greater stabilization of the weapon during automatic firing.
The AEK-971 trigger mechanism allowed for single and automatic fire and fire in fixed bursts of two shots, which greatly increased the effectiveness of firing from this machine gun at a rate of fire of 1500 rounds per minute.
Subsequently, the design of this machine was greatly simplified. At the insistence of representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the adjustable muzzle brake-compensator was replaced with a standard muzzle brake-compensator from the AK-74 assault rifle, which significantly reduced the rate of fire of the assault rifle. The stock became permanent and the stock was almost completely redesigned.
The modernized Garev-Koksharov assault rifle showed results when firing with continuous fire, 15 - 20% higher than those of the standard 5, 45-mm Kalashnikov AK-74 assault rifle. But the AEK-971 was inferior in accuracy of the second shot when firing with automatic fire to its main rival - the Nikonov assault rifle, although it surpassed it in this indicator when firing in long bursts. According to the results of the Abakan competition, the Nikonov assault rifle was adopted, which was later designated AN-94.
But the story of the AEK-971 assault rifle did not end there. In the late nineties, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation again demanded weapons with balanced automatics on which the Kovrov gunsmiths worked.
The AEK-971 assault rifle was again upgraded in accordance with the new requirements of the Ministry of Defense. On the left side of the receiver, a universal bracket appeared for attaching all types of optical and night sights to the machine; the bracket was installed thanks to the appearance of a new iron buttstock folding on the right side of the receiver. The firing mode was also implemented in fixed bursts of three shots. The machine was put into mass production.
The serial model of the AEK-971 assault rifle consisted of the following main parts and mechanisms:
- barrel with receiver;
- receiver cover;
- moving parts (bolt, bolt carrier, balance bar and carriage);
- return mechanism;
- firing mechanism made in the form of a separate unit;
- safety shield;
- translator of fire;
- balancer guide;
- forend;
- barrel lining;
- muzzle brake-compensator;
- knife bayonet and magazine;
- accessories.
The device of automatic machines of the AEK 971 family
The set of the machine includes: an accessory, a belt and a case with a pocket for a magazine, as well as a universal night rifle scope (NSPU).
Automation AEK-971 is built according to the gas outlet scheme with a long stroke of the gas piston and an additional balancer, which has its own, second gas piston, moving in the opposite main direction. Synchronization of the bolt carrier and the balancer is carried out using a gear located vertically between them. The barrel is locked by a rotary bolt, similar in design to the bolt of the AK-74 Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Receiver AEK-971 is a casting, inside of which cavities are made to accommodate the firing mechanism, magazine, accessories. To ensure the direction of movement of the moving parts, the box is reinforced with steel guides. A reflector tooth is made on the left rail. A butt pad with a folding stock axis is attached to the rear of the box with rivets. In the front part, a barrel sleeve is attached to the receiver using rivets. In front of the safety bracket, a magazine latch with a spring is fixed on the axle.
The following modifications were developed on the basis of the AEK-971:
- AEK-972 - AEK-971 variant chambered for 5.56x45 mm NATO. In addition to the changes caused by the change in the caliber of the weapon, it has no other structural differences from the base model.
AEK-972
Moving parts are the main mechanism of automation and consist of a bolt, bolt carrier, balance bar and carriage.
The shutter serves to send the cartridge into the chamber, close the bore, break the primer and remove the cartridge case (cartridge) from the chamber. The bolt consists of the bolt itself, a spring-loaded ejector with an axis, a striker and a striker pin.
The bolt carrier serves to actuate the bolt, balance bar and firing mechanism. The bolt carrier consists of a frame, an insert, a frame rail, a return spring stop. The frame is connected to the frame rail and liner by two cylindrical pins.
The balancer serves to balance the impulses from the movement of the bolt carrier and the bolt. The balancer is telescopically placed inside the bolt carrier, in the front part it has a threaded section for connecting a rod that acts as a piston. There are longitudinal perforations in the wall of the balancer to interact with the gears.
The balancer guide serves to guide the movement of the balancer. It consists of a welded tube, a plug and a stop.
The carriage is used to accommodate two gears kinematically connecting the balancer and the bolt carrier.
The firing mechanism serves to control the firing of the machine gun, is made in the form of a separate unit, contains a firing and trigger mechanism.
The fire translator, located on the left side of the weapon, serves to set the required firing mode (single, automatic and with a cut-off of 3 shots). It has a cylindrical part with transverse grooves for interaction with the sear of the trigger mechanism and a flag for switching. AEK-971 AEK-972
AEK-973 - AEK-971 variant chambered for the Soviet cartridge 7.62x39 mm. It uses magazines from the AK-47 assault rifle, otherwise the assault rifle is identical to the AEK-971.
AEK-973
Caliber, mm 5.45x39 5.56x45 7.62x39
Length, mm
- butt extended
- the butt is folded
960
720
Barrel length, mm 420
Weight without magazine, kg 3.3
Shop, count rounds 30
Initial
speed
bullets, m / s 880 850 700
Sighting
range
shooting, m 1000
Rate of fire, rds / min 800 - 900
To produce a single shot, it is necessary to move the translator's flag to the "OD" position, while the translator releases the trigger and the sear of a single fire. When the trigger is pulled, the hammer under the action of the mainspring strikes the striker. The drummer pricks the cartridge primer - a shot occurs. After the bullet passes the gas outlet in the barrel, gases rush through it into the gas chamber, affect the moving parts, sending them into a rollback. Moving back, the bolt carrier turns the bolt around the longitudinal axis and removes its lugs due to the lugs of the barrel clutch - the bolt is unlocked and the barrel bore is opened. The sleeve, held by the ejector, hits the receiver protrusion and is extracted. The bolt carrier, moving back, cocks the hammer, the trigger is captured by the sear of a single fire and the hammer remains in the rear position. The rolling of the moving parts occurs under the action of the return spring. In the reel, the next cartridge is sent into the chamber and the barrel bore is locked. At the end of the freewheel, the bolt carrier disconnects the self-timer from the trigger, but the trigger is held in the cocked position by a single-fire sear, so the next shot does not occur. To fire the next shot, you must release the trigger and press it again. The automation cycle will be repeated.
In a group fire mode (3 shots each), the interaction of parts and mechanisms of the machine gun is similar to their interaction with a single fire; the difference is in the operation of the firing mechanism. The translator releases the trigger and the sear of the group fire, and the sear of the single fire is locked and cannot interact with the trigger. When the trigger is pressed, it turns, and with it the sear of the group fire turns until the sear shank engages with the lower teeth of the ratchet wheel. The ratchet wheel, preventing the further rotation of the sear of the group fire, locks itself with the tail of the sear. The whispering hook at this time is outside the zone of interaction with the trigger, the click is released, the trigger stroke occurs. During the working stroke, the pusher, connected to the trigger, by its hook turns the ratchet wheel by the upper front tooth by one step, and the sear shank locks the ratchet wheel in a new position. When the hammer is cocked after the shot, the pusher moves back and grabs the next upper tooth with a hook. After three working strokes of the trigger, the ratchet wheel releases the sear shank and it, together with the sear, turns so that the sear hook gets in the way of the trigger movement and grabs it; the next shot does not occur. To produce the next group of shots, you must release the trigger and press it again.
To conduct automatic shooting, it is necessary to move the translator's flag to position "A". In automatic firing, the interaction of parts and mechanisms of the machine is similar to their interaction in single and group fire modes, the difference lies in the operation of the firing mechanism. When the trigger is pulled, the trigger is released and makes a working stroke. When cocked, the hammer is held only by the self-timer, and when the bolt carrier arrives in the forward position, it breaks off. Shooting continues as long as the trigger is pressed. When the trigger is released, the hammer engages.
In the "PR" (Safety) position, the translator locks the trigger and raises the safety guard, blocking the movement of moving parts.
The combat rate of fire of the machine when firing single shots is 40 rounds per minute, when firing in bursts - up to 100 rounds per minute.
Thanks to the design features of the trigger mechanism in the AEK-971 assault rifle, the possibility of involuntary reloading of the weapon with the fuse off when the butt hits a hard surface is almost completely excluded.
AEK-973
The receiver cover protects the parts and mechanisms placed in the receiver from contamination. On the right side, it has a stepped cutout for the passage of the casings ejected outward and for the movement of the bolt handle. Fastening is carried out with a pivot pin.
A muzzle brake compensator is attached to the barrel, which serves to reduce the flame and sound when fired and increase the accuracy of the battle when firing bursts.
The mechanical sighting device of the sector type is structurally similar to the AK-74 assault rifle. Sighting range from a machine gun - 1000 m. In addition, on the left side of the receiver there is a universal bracket for mounting various types of collimator, optical and night sights on the machine.
AEK-973S - AEK-973 version, equipped with a retractable telescopic butt. When the butt is retracted, the shoulder rest is closed with the pistol grip, forming a streamlined structure and not hampering shooting. Changed the shape and angle of the pistol grip. Due to the design features of the modified trigger, the translator-fuse lever is located on the right side of the receiver.
AEK-973S
To power the machine, standard magazines from the AK-74 assault rifle with a capacity of 30 rounds are used, and it is also possible to use magazines from the Kalashnikov RPK-74 (RPK-74M) light machine gun with a capacity of 45 rounds.
For the sake of convenience, when carrying, the machine has a lightweight frame-type butt that folds to the right side.
The fore-end, pistol grip, and the barrel cover of the gas tube are made of impact-resistant plastic.
The plastic pistol grip is integral with the trigger guard.
The assault rifle is equipped with mounts for a standard 6X4 bayonet and GP-25, GP-30, GP-34 underbarrel grenade launchers.
The AEK-971 assault rifles were produced in small batches and were in service with the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other law enforcement agencies. In 2006, the production of military products was completely stopped at the Kovrov Machine-Building Plant. All production was transferred to the Degtyarev Kovrov Plant (ZiD), however, the deployment of production of the AEK-971 series machines at the ZiD was suspended, the establishment of production required large preliminary costs, which could only pay off if large orders for a new machine were received.
