The History of selected Russian (USSR and current) Weapons.

AK-47

The original AK was also known as the AK-47. It was a gas-operated, selective-fire weapon. Like all 7.62-mm Kalashnikov assault rifles, it fired the Soviet 7.62 x 39-mm M1943 round and used a standard 30-round curved box magazine. The AK came in two versions: one with a fixed wooden stock, and another, the AKS, with a folding metal stock issued primarily to parachutist and armor troops. Except for the differences in the stock and the lack of a tool kit with the AKS, the two version were identical. The early AKs had no bayonet, but the version with the fixed wooden stock later mounted a detachable knife bayonet.      The improved model, known as the AKM, is easier to produce and operate. It weighs about one kilogram less than the AK. The reduced weight results from using thinner, stamped sheetmetal parts rather than machined, forged steel; laminated wood rather than solid wood in the handguard, forearm, pistol grip, and buttstock; and new lightweight aluminium and plastic magazines. Other improvements include a straighter stock for better control; an improved gas cylinder; a rate-of-fire control alongside the trigger; a rear sight graduated to 1,000 meters rather than 800 meters; and a greatly improved, detachable bayonet.

SKS

The Simonov SKS is a Russian carbine developed in 1946. It is a gas operated, self-loading, semi-automatic rifle. The rifle is chambered for the 7.62 mm cartridge which it takes from a 10 round box magazine.       The SKS, (the SKS45), was designed by the famous Sergei Simonov. The Russian SKS were produced originally in the Tula Arsenel in 1949 through the mid 1950's. The Soviets Army replaced the Mosin-Nagant bolt-action rifles with the SKS rifle. The SKS was eventually replaced by the AK-47 rifle (Avtomat Kalashnikov).      The SKS is the basis for the famous AK weapon series. Kalishnikov borrowed many of the features of the SKS45 for the AK47 rifle.

M44 Mosin Nagant carbine.

The M1944 was produced at Izhevsk until at least 1948. There is a report, which I am unable to confirm, that it was being made as late as about 1956. M1944 carbines were produced during late World War II at the Tula arsenal as well as at Izhevsk, though in small numbers. After the war the M1944 went into production at the famous arms works at Radom, Poland (1949-c.1962) and in the Hungarian arsenal at Budapest (1952-1955); it was also made at the Chongqing arsenal (Factory 296, sometimes called Factory 26) in the People’s Republic of China (1953-c.1963). The Chinese designate their model the "Type 53’, after the year of its adoption. In all cases production was almost certainly on machinery provided by the Soviet Union but using some local materials, in particular local woods for the carbine furniture.      Although it was not made in other Warsaw Pact countries, the M1944 was also used by the East Germans, Albanians, and other nations of the old East Bloc. The M1944 carbines with Romanian markings, though probably assembled in Romania, are in my opinion comprised mostly of parts made elsewhere. The M1944 carbine, like most Mosin-Nagant models, has had extraordinary staying power. It was used extensively wherever the Soviets and Communist Chinese were involved, directly or otherwise: the Middle East, Africa, Indochina, Cuba, Afghanistan, and other problem areas. As late as this year (1999) it could be seen in television coverage and print reports on the fighting in the Balkans.

Dragunov

SVD was designed not as a standard sniper rifle. In fact, main role of the SVD ir Soviet / Russian Army is to extend effective range of fire of every infantry squad up to 600 meters and to provide special fire support. SVD is a lightweight and quite accurate (for its class) rifle, capable of semi-auto fire. First request for new sniper rifle was issued in 1958. In 1963 SVD (Snaiperskaya Vintovka Dragunova, or Dragunov Sniper Rifle) was accepted by Soviet Military. SVD can use any kind of standard 7.62x54R ammo, but primary round is specially developed for SVD sniper-grade cartridge with steel-core bullet. Every infantry squad in the Russian (Soviet) army had one man with SVD.      SVD is extremely reliable in all conditions, and designed for heavy battles. It has backup adjustable iron sights as a standard option, as well as a bayonet mount (standard AK-47 bayonet type).      Latest modernisation incorporate rugged polymer stock. Also, for mounted and airborne troops developed variant with folding buttstock and shortened barrel (590 mm). New flash hider/muzzle brake also installed.

AK-74

The AK-74 is basically an AKM rechambered and rebored to fire a 5.45-mm cartridge. Externally, it has the same general appearance as the AKM, with two noticable differences. It has a distinctive, two-port muzzle brake, giving it a slightly greater overall length than the AKM. It also has a smooth plastic magazine which is slightly shorter and is curved to a lesser extent than the grooved metal AKM magazine. It uses the same type of bayonet as the AK-series weapons.      There is also a folding stock version, designated AKS-74, which has a Y-shaped tubular stock. The stock has an extremely narrow buttplate, as opposed to the T-shaped, stamped-metal buttstock of the AKMS.      The AK-74 fires 5.45 x 39-mm ball, ball-tracer, and incendiary-tracer rounds. The 5.45-mm round of the AK-74 has a considerably higher muzzle velocity than the 7.62-mm round of the AKM; this eliminates the range-limiting drawback of it predecessor. Like the AKM, the AK-74 has a maximum sight setting of 1,000 meters, but the effective range is 500 meters (versus 300 meters for the AKM).      The muzzle brake of the AK-74 a fluidic device to minimize recoil and muzzle climb. Although the AK-74 is somewhat heavier than the AKM when empty, its loaded weight is slightly less than that of the AKM; this is due primarily to the plastic magazine and its smaller-caliber ammunition. Like the AK and the AKM, the AK-74 can mount a grenade launcher and a passive image intensifier night sight.

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