2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16
In the world of weapons, there are not many examples that have become a legend. The epic damask sword replaced the Kalashnikov assault rifle. The hand holding the AKM has become as much a symbol of victory as the sword hand depicted earlier.
Caliber and cartridge
The era of modern weapons can be counted from the First World War. The world entered it with repeating rifles of great power and range. Military doctrines depicted thick lines of infantry approaching for a bayonet charge and firing oncoming fire to kill. The firing range depended on the power of the cartridge and the length of the barrel. All the armies of the world were armed with rifles of caliber from 7.5 to 9 millimeters with a long sleeve that contained the necessary charge of gunpowder. Except Japanese. The cartridge for the Arisaki rifle had a caliber of six millimeters and a smaller powder charge. The experience of the battles of the First World War crossed out the old stereotypes. The need for less powerful small arms, which allows firing in automatic mode, has become obvious. Soviet designers relied on the Japanese cartridge, developing several models of automatic weapons based on it. However, like the use of a pistol cartridge, this turned out to be a half measure.
Work on a cartridge of lower power and weight was carried out by the military of many countries. But for a radical change in the main consumables of the war, there was not enough confidence in the right choice and willingness to take risks. The army leadership preferred to balance between heavy automatic carbines with a rifle cartridge and submachine guns, which had modest characteristics. The Germans took a decisive step by putting into service an intermediate cartridge of caliber 7.92 × 33 mm and creating a model for it in 1943, which marked the beginning of a new class of small arms - machine guns.
German test
The Germans themselves called their new product "Sturmgeveer", which meant "assault rifle". The StG-44 did not cause a turning point in the war. He did not even leave vivid impressions in the memoirs of the participants in the war. But it allowed all interested parties to see the advantages and disadvantages of the new system not on the training ground, but on the battlefield. The Soviet machine gun, created on the basis of the domestic intermediate cartridge, was called AK-47. At the same time, the caliber remained the same as that of the rest of the small arms.
Development of AK-47
Soviet intermediate cartridge was created in 1943. At the same time, the design of weapons began.under it, including the future author of the AK-47. The caliber of the bullet made it possible to use the usual standards in production. In addition to Kalashnikov, the work was carried out by several design bureaus. The first Soviet assault rifle was the AS-44, designed by Sudayev. Military tests revealed its shortcomings and necessitated the consideration of new samples, one of which was the predecessor AK-47/7, 62 mm.
Everything was stolen before us
In addition to Mikhail Kalashnikov, who represented his group, other designers offered the created samples. Machine guns of all domestic developers are close to each other in general appearance and have similarities with the StG-44, which is often blamed on the AK-47. The caliber of all Soviet machine guns corresponded to the new intermediate cartridge, under which they were created. Kalashnikov designed his weapons, relying not only on the layout created by Schmeisser, but also on the experience of Soviet developers who offered similar options. Despite the closeness of appearance to the German Sturmgeveer, the mechanism of the machine is built on a different principle and is not a clone or development of the Schmeisser design. The AK-47 assault rifle turned out to be more successful than its competitors, although it is not without flaws. In 1949, it was adopted by the Soviet Army in infantry and landing versions. Subsequently, based on the design of the machine gun, a line of machine guns was created for use in infantry orders and on armored vehicles.
Weapon Features
The main feature of the machine is the balance of its properties. Probably right inthis showed design talent. The ability to properly prioritize, as Kalashnikov did. AK-47 incorporated already known and previously tested solutions. Embodied in his product, they led to the creation of a new quality. The basis of the design solution is a shutter rotating in the receiver under the influence of the energy of powder gases. This is a rather massive element of the mechanism, made of one piece of metal. All automation is provided by its reciprocating movement in the receiver, during which the spent cartridge case is extracted and a new cartridge is sent into the barrel from the magazine. At each point of its trajectory, the shutter turns to a certain angle specified by the design. And every turn means doing something. The heavy shutter required a strong steel box and a powerful venting mechanism. Free sliding and rotation of the shutter made it possible to leave fairly large tolerances between the parts. All these features led to the emergence of a weapon that is very simple in terms of automation, durable, reliable, and not sensitive to contamination. The parameters of simplicity and reliability built into the AK have long been the highest standard for weapon designers.
Criticism
The Ministry of War made a lot of comments on the new machine. The features of the weapon determined its strengths and weaknesses. The heavy breech and high power of the gas piston created a noticeable recoil that led the barrel away from the aiming line when firing in bursts. It is this shortcoming, identified inthe period of competitive testing, is still reproached with an already well-deserved machine gun. But it was not possible to overcome it in any of the subsequent modifications made according to the classical scheme. The AK-47 assault rifle weighed about four and a half kilograms in running order. Such weight was also regarded as a disadvantage to be overcome. The problem was solved with the transition to a reduced cartridge caliber in the following modifications.
Strengths
Reasoning about the merits and demerits is somewhat academic. Decades of wars have shown better what the Kalashnikov assault rifle is worth. Combat experience in all climatic and natural zones in the hands of professional military and irregular militias made this weapon a legend. Reliability, fire power, durability and reliability often determined the choice in favor of this weapon. The soldier had no doubt that if he was anywhere in the world with this machine gun in his hands, his weapon would shoot. In the arctic cold and in the tropical swamp. In a dust storm and in the sticky mud of a trench. A monolithic shutter, thrown by a gas piston, will make its way through both hardened oil and packed sand. A durable receiver will keep its geometry even when the fore-end catches fire from the overheating of the barrel. The weapon will not jam or warp. The machine gun will shoot always and in any conditions. It is this characteristic of the Kalashnikov assault rifle that leaves its competitors behind. The rest depends on the fighter himself. In the hands of a trained shooter "Kalashnikov" shows excellentfire accuracy results. In the hands of an inexperienced irregular, it spews a barrage of lead until it runs out of ammo.
World Top
The transition to a new type of shooting system coincided with the rearmament of the countries of socialist orientation and the collapse of the colonial system. A simple and reliable Kalashnikov assault rifle, the price of which was not too high, came to court in all situations. Before the advent of the American M-16 rifle, he had practically no competitors in his class. This ensured its wide distribution in the world. During the Vietnam War, the machine was supplied to the armed forces of the Viet Cong. Then he met on the battlefield with an American development. "Kalashnikov" withstood comparison with this weapon. It was reliability, reliability, the power of fire that were obvious advantages. The better accuracy, greater aiming range of the American rifle did not affect the combat capability of the soldiers as much as its capriciousness, the tendency to interrupt fire due to pollution and the exactingness of care. The highest performance of the Kalashnikov assault rifle has been confirmed in all forms of military conflicts.
System Development
In the future, the machine was improved, AKM replaced the AK-47 in the troops. The caliber of the modern version of this weapon has already changed. The AK-74 uses 5.45 mm caliber ammunition, which made it possible to reduce the weight of the machine gun. The principle of operation of automation, the general layout, the legendary reliability and firepower remained unchanged, which distinguishes the Kalashnikov assault rifle. The price on the arms market remains atdemocratic limits.
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