Continuing to reveal the history of the creation of the AKM, one cannot but make a small digression and tell about another brainchild of Mikhail Timofeevich - an automatic carbine (according to the current foreign classification "assault rifle").
As already noted, after the adoption of the AK-47, the rifle squad was armed with two types of individual weapons - the AK-47 itself and the SKS self-loading carbine. Moreover, the majority of experts, relying on the experience of warfare during the Second World War, considered this to be quite justified. Opinions differed only in their quantitative ratio. Awareness of the influence of the maneuverable characteristics of weapons on the combat effectiveness of firing and confirmation of this by practice occurred somewhat later. As a result, the classic "assault rifle" did not appear in the arsenal of the Soviet Army, but machine guns were adopted - shortened "assault rifles", and the carbine, as a type of individual weapon, ceased to exist.
But this is in the future. In the meantime, inspired by the efforts of Korobov, Mikhail Timofeevich took an unconventional step - he tried to combine in one sample the properties of both an assault rifle (the ability to fire in bursts and a large store capacity) and a carbine (increased shooting accuracy and better external ballistic characteristics). The customer, represented by the GAU of the USSR Ministry of Defense, was interested in this proposal (after all, the reduction in the range of weapons promised considerable economic benefits) and, in a letter dated April 26, 1954, instructed the test site to conduct a preliminary assessment of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, which was produced in the period from May 3 to June 7, 1954 by Major Engineers V. G. Lugov and F. A. Blanter, and Senior Technician-Lieutenant I. A. Tishukov. One sample of assault rifle No. NZh-1470 was delivered for testing.
It is noteworthy that the technical documentation (drawings, technical specifications, etc.) for the automatic carbine was not presented at the same time, which contradicts the general rules for organizing tests (apparently, the GRAU's genuine interest - what kind of "miracle Yudo" is). What was the difference between the experienced assault rifle and the AK-47?
1. Barrel length 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 2 mm (instead of 4, 4 + 0, 1).
3. Scheme of automation with a short stroke (8 mm) of the piston, then the stem with the shutter moves by inertia. Restriction of the piston stroke back is carried out by the protrusions of the rear part of the gas chamber.
4. The self-timer also plays the role of a slower of the rate of fire, which is triggered after the stem rebounds upon impact in the extreme forward position (the principle of operation is the same as that of the Korobov assault rifle). In this case, the self-timer axis is located behind the hammer and trigger axes.
5. The stem of the bolt has grooves for magazine loading and a latch (bolt delay) at the base of the reloading handle.
Fixation of the bolt stem for the magazine loading of a standard automatic magazine is carried out by pressing a finger on a movable pin that goes into the corresponding recess on the right side of the receiver.
Kalashnikov assault rifle
Kalashnikov assault rifle
Simonov's carbine
1 - gas chamber of the machine, 2 - gas chamber of the machine
1 - automatic bolt carrier, 2 - rifle bolt stem
To release the stem, it is necessary to take it back a little and release it.
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 dimensions of the forend and the receiver lining.
8. Changed the bayonet-knife mount.
9. The travel of the moving parts is 34 mm less than that of the AK, and is practically the same as that of the SCS, which is due to the same scheme of automatic operation (the AK has a long piston stroke).
10. The approach of the bolt rammer when rolling back behind the next cartridge is only 12 mm, while that of the AK - 63 mm and the SKS - 29 mm.
From the height of today's knowledge of weapons science, the experiments of Mikhail Timofeevich and the customer's hopes seem like child's play. Such a "course" project is within the power of a modern ordinary student of a weapons university and would have been rated only three with a minus. In the early 50s, research, theory and calculation of automatic systems were in their infancy. Along with carrying out an enormous number of research projects that summarized the entire experience of weapons science, intensive research was carried out on various principles of the operation of weapon automation, statistical processing of the results of all stages (factory, acceptance, delivery, periodic, etc.) tests of serial samples. Through the joint efforts of specialists from design bureaus, research institutes, universities, manufacturing enterprises, the theory and calculation of small arms mechanisms acquired a modern look and covered all the known principles of the operation of automation, periodically refining and supplementing when unconventional designs appeared.
For these reasons, in the instruction to carry out tests of the automatic rifle, the customer quite democratically states: "When receiving an improvement … it is necessary, if possible, to determine the factors that had a positive impact …". Unfortunately, and maybe fortunately (after all, the US Army approached the "truncation" of the assault rifle only 50 years later, already in the 21st century), there were no factors that had a positive effect on the combat characteristics in the assault rifle, despite the smaller (compared to AK) weight by 120 g and higher by 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 did not work reliably. 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 magazine 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 capable of working 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 the Kalashnikov assault rifle as a single individual model of the infantry, the expediency of which is quite obvious." Hooray! A rethinking of the concept took place, which was facilitated by
and the results of shooting at the "Shot" courses during the development of methods for determining and evaluating combat effectiveness. The conclusion was even more specific: “Considering that the 7, 62-mm Kalashnikov assault rifle is a reliably operating model in all cases of military operation and has high operational characteristics, military unit No. 01773 considers it appropriate
to conduct a broad test in the troops of the possibility of using this machine gun in a lightweight version with a bayonet as a single sample of individual infantry weapons."
1 - cover of the receiver of the machine, 2 - cover of the receiver of the machine of the carbine
This conclusion was a verdict for the Simonov carbine, the production of which was soon curtailed. So, in general, the unsuccessful design changed the further direction.
development of domestic individual weapons. But even with the recommendation for the "future life" of the AK GRAU assault rifle, it was somewhat tricky. At this time, the tactical and technical requirements for a promising machine gun for No. 006256-53 had already been worked out, and a number of well-known (in narrow circles) gunsmiths zealously set to work.
1 - barrel cover of the machine gun, 2-barrel cover of the machine gun, 3 -automatic forend, 4 - automatic carbine forend
1 - assault rifle bayonet, 2 - assault rifle bayonet
1 - piston and rod of an assault rifle, 2 - piston and rod of the machine
Basic weight and linear characteristics of samples
<table width = 261 characteristics
<td width = 127 Kalashnikov # 1
<td width = 164 drawings and specifications for the Kalashnikov assault rifle
<td width = 152 drawings and specifications for the Simonov carbine
<td width = 127 130 *
<td width = 164 over 4, 250
<td width = 152 over 3, 850
(for assault rifle
and an assault rifle with a butt
and the fire control handle)
<td width = 127 392
<td width = 164 497
<td width = 152 769
<td width = 127 665 **
<td width = 164 569
<td width = 152 483
<td width = 127 512
<td width = 164 width = 152 235
<td width = 127 087
<td width = 164 091
<td width = 152 136
<td width = 127 width = 164 436
<td width = 152 width = 261 gas piston with rod, kg
<td width = 127,036
<td width = 164,080
<td width = 152,064
<td width = 127 086
<td width = 164 190
<td width = 152 103
<td width = 127 156
<td width = 164 107
<td width = 152 width = 261 barrel pad, kg
<td width = 127 089
<td width = 164 132
<td width = 152 135
<td width = 127 240
<td width = 164 270
<td width = 152 143
<td width = 127 100
<td width = 164 100
<td width = 152 width = 261 without bayonet (for SKS with bayonet in stowed position), mm
<td width = 127 width = 164 width = 152 width = 261 with bayonet, mm
<td width = 127 width = 164 width = 152 5
<td width = 127 width = 164 width = 152 width = 261 bayonets, mm
<td width = 127 width = 164 width = 152 width = 261 bayonet blades, mm
<td width = 127 width = 164 width = 152 width = 261 on the trigger, kg
<td width = 127 7
<td width = 164 5: 2, 5
<td width = 152 - weight with a magazine from a Kalashnikov assault rifle is indicated
** - taking into account the weight of the piston with the rod
