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People
say, Izhevsk is the Mecca to the Russian
gun designers. There is little to contradict
to such a statement - nearly all modern
small arms systems adopted by the Russian
Armed Forces were engineered in Izhevsk,
the city located 1,130 kilometers east
of Moscow in Western Urals: AK-47, AKM,
AK-74, AK-74M, Makarov pistols, SVD -
the Dragunov Sniper Rifle. Needless to
say Kalashnikov Assault Rifles (avtomat
Kalashnikova) have no equal competition
in terms of the numbers produced. The
late Edward C. Ezell, former President
of the Institute for Research on Small
Arms in International Security (U.S.A.),
author of the "Evolution of AK-47",
stated that within the period of nearly
50 years since it was adopted for production
in 1948, Kalashnikov AR passed well over
the mark of 50 mln pcs, while its closest
competitor M-16 rifle, for example, numbers
about 10 to 11 mln.
Extensively
fielded in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Nicaragua,
Africa, the Middle East and dozens of
other "hot spots" the Kalashnikovs
once and again proved their reputation
of outstanding durability, reliability,
effectiveness and simplicity of construction.
In my numerous meetings with the people
who used AK submachine guns in various
places around the world I heard such an
opinion that Kalashnikov is an ideal weapon
of an ideal design and it is hardly possible
to alter it so as to improve its functional
parameters. Yet, IZHMASH Joint Stock Company,
a home of Kalashnikov weapons systems,
has something new to show to the world!
A
new generation of Kalashnikov Assault
Rifles designated AK-100 series are available
in three chamberings: traditional 7.62
x 39 mm, modern 5.45 x 39 mm and 5.56
x 45 mm NATO calibers.
Why
the new denomination, and what does it mean?
AK stands for Avtomat
Kalashnikova (Kalashnikov AR), while
100 is an old coded designation
of the IZHMASH Armory - Production
No. 100. So the combination AK-100
denotes both the model and the manufacturer.
By adding the next ordinal number to the
initial 100, we obtain denomination of subsequent
modification: AK-101, AK-102, AK-103, AK-104
and finally AK-105. As the original prototype,
AK-74M was taken. Why not AK-74? The fact
is, IZHMASH produces all submachine guns
with folding stocks - the feature which
differs AK-74M from AK-74. It should be
noted that the short and folding AKS74U
(avtomat Kalashnikova
skladnoy ukorochenniy, model
1974) is manufactured by the Tula
Arsenal being, however, designed by the
Kalashnikov Arms Design Bureau in Izhevsk.
This rifle is mainly used by the Russian
police. AK-74M, AK-101 and AK-103 feature
barrels of standard length of 415 mm, while
AK-102, AK-104 and AK-105 have 314 mm-long
barrels. All rifles in this series carry
a black phosphate finish and have a folding
stock made from black fiberglass-reinforced
polyamide.
OPERATIONAL
PROCEDURES
All
submachine guns of AK-100 series have the
following operational modes: safety, semi-automatic
and fully automatic. Change of modes is
achieved by placing a selector lever into
a required position.
When
placed into its uppermost position, the
selector brings the weapon into safety.
The
trigger is blocked and the bolt carrier
could be retracted only partially - just
enough to see through the opening whether
there is ammunition in the magazine. The
amount of travel the bolt group performs
is not sufficient to cock the hammer and
send the first round into chamber.
Shifted
into extreme low position marked "OD"
(odinochniy - single
in Russian), the selector brings the systems
into a semi-auto operation.
Reloading
is based on utilization of the energy of
propellant gases which are driven into the
gas cylinder located on top the barrel.
Upon firing, a portion of propellant combustion
gases, pushing the bullet along the bore
channel, escape into the gas cylinder, and
exert pressure upon the front surface of
the piston. The whole group being driven
rearward, the bolt turns to the right disengaging
its two locking lugs from their recesses
in the receiver. The extractor claw removes
an empty case from the chamber, and the
ejector disposes of it through the opening
in the right side of the top cover. As the
bolt carrier travels farther, the single-strand
recoil spring is compressed, the hammer
is cocked and engaged with the auto-safety
cocking cam. This cycle completed, the bolt
group begins its return travel driven by
the recoil spring. The mechanism goes forward,
another round is stripped from the magazine
and chambered, the bolt turns left to lock
the chamber while the bolt carrier releases
the hammer from the auto-safety sear. The
hammer cocked, the bolt locked - the rifle
is ready to fire. The trigger mechanism's
mainspring is of multiple-strand type, which
lasts longer and offers better performance
under adverse conditions. After the trigger
has been released, its extension moves forward.
The hook in the trigger extension is held
by the sear. When the trigger is pulled,
its hook moves the sear and disengages it
from the hammer cocking cam. The hammer,
actuated by the mainspring, pivots forward
and strikes the firing pin. The firing pin
moves forward and impinges the primer. A
shot is fired.
To
fire in full-auto mode, the selector should
be placed into the middle position marked
"AB" (avtomaticheskiy).
By doing so the sear is deactivated and
does not control the hammer. In this mode
the auto-safety sear holds the hammer back
until the bolt carrier while moving forward
releases it to fire another round.
AK-100
SERIES: RUSSIAN EXPANSION OF MARKET
The
mere fact of appearance of the AK-100 series
is a sure indication that IZHMASH makes
a vigorous attempt to regain and expand
its International markets. When caliber
5.45 x 39 mm weapons were introduced into
mass production to replace the rifles in
7.62 x 39 mm, it was discovered that most
of the Russian traditional foreign customers
would think twice before placing firm purchase
orders. They merely did not trust 5.45 so
well as they trusted an old and proven caliber
7.62. In addition 5.45 x 39 mm ammunition
was harder to get, while 7.62 x 39 mm was
easy to come by. As a result, the volume
of exportation shrank considerably. In order
to enhance market competitiveness IZHMASH
decided to put in line the guns in three
calibers: 5.45, 7.62 and 5.56. The Kalashnikovs
in 5.56 x 45 mm were created exclusively
for export. As a matter of fact, firing
the NATO ammunition, AK-101 and AK-102 showed
the results noticeably better than 5.45
x 39 mm. First, the case of a 5.56 round
is by 6 mm longer and provides propulsion
about 20 % greater. Second, quality of cartridge
components including propellant, primer
and projectile is evidently superior. The
geometry of the longer NATO case with least
difference between the diameter of the case
body and the bullet results in better fire
accuracy. Hence, the hit probability as
well as the accuracy potential of AK-101
is 22 - 23 % higher than those of the AK74M.
Now having the Kalashnikovs in 5.56 x 45
mm IZHMASH seems to be ready to deal with
those clients who were traditionally controlled
by Western arms suppliers. Anyway, if there
is a demand, there must be an offer.
The
customer is always right!
AK-101 |
AK-103 |
AK100-series,
single fire
AK100-series,
dual-shot firing
Table
1.
Technical
Specifications.
| Model |
AK-74M |
AK-101 |
AK-103 |
| Caliber,
mm: |
5.45
x 39 |
5.56
x 45 |
7.62
x 39 |
| Rate
of fire, RPM |
600 |
600 |
600 |
| Range
of effective sighted fire, m: |
1,000 |
1,000 |
1,000 |
| Muzzle
velocity, m/sec.: |
900 |
910 |
715 |
| Weight
of bullet, g: |
3.42 |
4.0 |
7.9 |
| Weight
of rifle, empty and without magazine,
kg: |
3.4 |
3.4 |
3.4 |
| Magazine
capacity, rds: |
30 |
30 |
30 |
| Barrel: |
crome-lined
bore and chamber, 4 RH grooves |
| Pitch
of riflings, mm: |
180 |
180 |
240 |
| Length
of barrel, mm: |
415 |
415 |
415 |
| Overall
length, mm: |
|
|
|
| -
with buttstock folded |
700 |
700 |
700 |
| -
with buttstock extended |
943 |
943 |
943 |
| Set
of delivery: |
rifle,
4 magazines, bayonet, cleaning kit,
oiler, cleaning rod, carrying sling,
pouch, Operational Manual. |
| Extra
accessories: |
optic
sight, night-vision device. |
Table
2.
Technical
Specifications.
| Model |
AK-102 |
AK-104 |
AK-105 |
| Caliber,
mm: |
5.56
x 45 |
7.62
x 39 |
5.45
x 39 |
| Rate
of fire, RPM |
600 |
600 |
600 |
| Range
of effective sighted fire, m: |
1.000 |
1.000 |
1.000 |
| Muzzle
velocity, m/sec.: |
850 |
670 |
840 |
| Weight
of bullet, g: |
4.0 |
7.9 |
3.42 |
| Weight
of rifle, empty and without magazine,
kg: |
3.0 |
2.9 |
3.0 |
| Magazine
capacity, rds: |
30 |
30 |
30 |
| Barrel: |
crome-lined
bore and chamber, 4 RH grooves |
| Pitch
of riflings, mm: |
180 |
180 |
240 |
| Length
of barrel, mm: |
314 |
314 |
314 |
| Overall
length, mm: |
|
|
|
| -
with buttstock folded |
586 |
586 |
586 |
| -
with buttstock extended |
824 |
824 |
824 |
| Set
of delivery: |
rifle,
4 magazines, bayonet, cleaning kit,
oiler, cleaning rod, carrying sling,
pouch, Operational Manual. |
| Extra
accessories: |
optic
sight, night-vision device. |
Torture
testing grounds, AK-102. (MPEG Video)
Text
& Images from
club.guns.ru
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