Still in the 1970s the SVU (“Shortened sniper rrfle») was developed by designer LV. Bondarev at the TsKIB SOO (Central Research and Design Bureau), it was derived from the SVD sniper rifle and primarily intend¬ed for the air-borne troops, but failed to be operational and later, in 1991, was offered for the Interior Ministry. The customers from the Ministry advanced the new requirement, namely, the weapon should be able to deliver automatic fire. They had in their minds no less than the «sniper assault rifle-. Similar desig¬nation acquired the new SVU-AS sniper rifle version («automatic, shortened sniper rifle with a bipod, code name OTs-03AS).
The rifle was developed on the «bull pup» configuration with a simultaneous shortening its barrel by 100 mm. The gas chamber was shifted to the rear.
To reduce the recoil effect on a shooter serves a spring-assisted rubber buttplate, shoulder rest and a three-chamber muzzle device that plays the role of a break com¬pensator, a small weight device and a «devices of low noise “firing that reduces pressure on the organs of hearing of the shooter and allows to act in the constraint environments, thus hampering the enemy capability to determine the direction of fire in regard to the source of the fired shots and suppresses completely the flash of the fire. (more…)
SVU-AS
SVD-S
The SVD-S («folded», 6V3) sniper rille version was adopted for service in 1995. The traditional fixed stock was substituted for a plastic pistol grip with a light folded to the left stock with a plastic shoulder rest, unremoved «cheek» and a tube to hold it with the left hand. As is the case with the … Continue reading
SVD “Dragunov”
The SVD sniper rifle (Dragunov sniper self-loading rifle, Index 6V1) developed by E.F. Dragunov was adopted for service in 1963 and ever since that time it is still oper¬ational. The automatic system of the rifle has a gas-operated unit with the short travel of a gas piston. The piston and the push rod are made … Continue reading
OTs-14 “Groza”
The basic version of the weapon complex designated «Groza» developed by V.N. Telish and Yu.V. Lebedev at the TsKIB SOO in 1993 represent the «firearm-grenade launcher complex or «assaull weapon». In order to facilitate the production, this weapon com¬plex was based on the AKS-74U assault rifle and GP-25 «Koster» grenade launcher which were already manufactured … Continue reading
A-91M
This assault machine gun-grenade launcher complex is derived from the A-91 7.62mm assault machine gun modification and rearranged according to the -bull pup-configuration (with magazine arrangement behind a control grip and elevation of the stock on the level of an axis’s bore). The bar¬rel length as well as the cartridge are similar to those of … Continue reading
9A-91
The SR5 and SP.6 (9×39) cartridges with heavy subsonic low recoil impulse and low ricochel-prone bullets (this facilitates the use ot a silencer) proved to be the most useful for shortened assault rifles. The 9A-91 short¬ened assault rifle was chambered for these bullets at the KB Instrument Design Bureau by a team of developers headed … Continue reading
AEK-971
In the development the AEK-971 assault rifle at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant (KMZ) by the team of designers headed by S.I. Koksharov was used the so-called «bal-anced automatic configuration». The moving parts were segregated in two halves, that is a bolt carrier and a cradle connected with each other via toothed racks and a gear. … Continue reading
AN-94 Nikonov
In the development the AEK-971 assault rifle at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant (KMZ) by the team of designers headed by S.I. Koksharov was used the so-called «bal-anced automatic configuration». The moving parts were segregated in two halves, that is a bolt carrier and a cradle connected with each other via toothed racks and a gear. … Continue reading
AK 101-107
The continued employment of the Kalashnikov assault rifles and preference of their users to have an opportunity for their choice tell its own tale. The revealed shortcomings of foreign-made assault rifles that were widely used in the 1990s conflicts had inspired the hope for increased export capabilities of modern¬ized Kalashnikov versions.
AK-74
The shortened small caliber assault was being created in the framework contest on the project «Modern». In the year 1979 the AKS-74U («Kalashnikov folded shortened submachine gun Mod. 1974, under the code name 6P26, leading designer S.N. Furman») was adopted for service. The shortened barrel by 206.5 mm forced to shift a gas chamber rearward, … Continue reading