The 7.62-mm Kalashnikov light machine gun ( RPK , GRAU Index - 6P2 ) is a Soviet light machine gun based on the AKM assault rifle . Adopted by the Soviet army in 1961. He replaced the Degtyarev light machine gun as more preferred from the point of view of unification with other adopted small arms. At the time of putting into service, and for a long time after that it was the lightest machine gun in the world, it established itself as a very effective weapon, small-sized, simple and easy to use [2] .
| Kalashnikov light machine gun | |
|---|---|
 RPK with a box magazine | |
| Type of | Light machine gun |
| A country |  the USSR |
| Service History | |
| Years of operation | 1961 - present |
| Adopted | |
| In service | see operating countries |
| Wars and conflicts | The war in Vietnam , the war for the independence of Angola , the civil war in Angola , the civil war in Mozambique , the war for independence of Mozambique , the civil war in Ethiopia , the civil war in Nicaragua , the Afghan war (1979-1989) , conflicts in the post-Soviet space, conflicts in the Middle east |
| Production history | |
| Constructor | Kalashnikov, Mikhail Timofeevich |
| Designed by | 1961 year |
| Manufacturer | Vyatka-Polyansky engineering plant "Hammer" |
| Years of production | 1961-1978 years |
| Options | RPK, RPKS, RPKSN |
| Specifications | |
| Weight kg | 5.0 (RPK with an empty box magazine) 5.6 (RPK with an empty drum magazine) 5.3 (RPKS with an unloaded box magazine) 5.9 (RPKS with an unloaded drum magazine) 5.6 (PKK with an equipped box magazine) 6.8 (PKK with an equipped drum magazine) 5.9 (RPKS with an equipped box magazine) 7.1 (RPKS with curb drum magazine) 0.2 (box magazine) 0.9 (drum store) [1] |
| Length mm | 1040 820 (RPKS with folded butt) [1] |
| Barrel length mm | 590 [1] |
| Cartridge | 7.62 × 39 (See Cartridges ) [1] |
| Caliber mm | 7.62 |
| Work principles | removal of powder gases , rotary lock [1] (See. Principle of operation of automation ) |
| Rate of fire rounds / min | ~ 600 [1] |
| starting speed bullets , m / s | 745 [1] |
| Sighting range , m | 1000 [1] |
| Maximum range, m | 3000 [1] |
| Type of ammunition | box magazine for 40 rounds (you can use magazines for 30 rounds from AK) drum shop at 75 [1] |
| Aim | sectorial with the possibility of introducing lateral corrections (See Sight ) |
The RPK barrel in the field cannot be replaced. RPK nutrition is possible from the stores of a conventional Kalashnikov assault rifle of 7.62 mm caliber , high-capacity stores (40 rounds) or from drum stores (75 rounds). The sight was able to enter lateral corrections to the wind. There are options: landing option with folding butt ( RPKS , GRAU Index - 6P8 ); with mount for night or optical sight ( RPKN, RPKSN ).
In 1974, in connection with the transition to the 5.45 × 39 mm cartridge, the RPK-74 modification of the corresponding caliber was adopted, however there is a modern RPK-203 version for the 7.62 × 39 mm cartridge.
The RPK light machine gun was adopted by the armies of more than 20 countries. Some countries produce versions or copies. For example, in Yugoslavia produced machine guns "Kalashnikov system" M72B1 chambered for 7.62x39, which differed in the finned part of the barrel length, and M72AV1, which had a metal butt. The export modification of the 77V1 machine gun chambered for the NATO 7.62x51 cartridge was equipped with a box-shaped magazine of a different shape and a carrying handle. Together with the 80 and 80A submachine guns, within the framework of the 5.56x45 (M193) family of weapons, the model 82 light machine gun was produced, which has a permanent butt and 82A folding, both models had a carrying handle. In turn, the Yugoslav machine guns were delivered to some countries - for example, the M72B1 got into Iraq. The Chinese Type 74 and 81 copies retained the general layout of the RPK light machine gun, however, they had a number of differences (for example, the Type 74 drum magazine with 101 rounds, currently sold in foreign arms stores as the "Chinese 100 round ak 47 drum magazine"). The Finnish company "Valmet" bought from the USSR a license for a Kalashnikov assault rifle and in 1960 began to produce a licensed copy of it under the name Valmet Rk. 60 . On their basis, Finland began its own development of light machine guns and sniper rifles, such as the Valmet M-78 light machine gun, which became an almost exact copy of the Soviet RPK.
Content
History
In March 1953, the GAU Small Arms Department developed tactical and technical requirements for standardized models of automatic weapons - a new, "light" machine gun and light machine gun. In 1956, tests of "light" machine guns and light machine guns by M. T. Kalashnikov, G. A. Korobov, A. S. Konstantinov, V. V. Degtyarev and G. S. Garanin were tested. The light machine gun was supposed to replace the RPD light machine gun (model 1944) with the same machine gun cartridge of the 1943 model, armed with motorized rifle, parachute and airborne squads. The tactical and technical task provided, in addition to the unconditional preservation of the combat characteristics achieved on the 7.62 mm RPD, a significant reduction in the complexity of manufacturing and the weight of the machine gun.
In 1961, the Kalashnikov light machine gun ( RPK , index 6P2 ) entered service, unified with the AKM machine gun adopted two years ago. RPK - automatic small arms of a motorized rifle squad, designed to destroy manpower and defeat enemy fire weapons. With the replacement of SKS carbines with a modernized AKM assault rifle, and a RPD light machine gun with a RPK, the automatic weapon in the squad-platoon link became completely unified in terms of cartridge and system. The widespread unification of the components and parts of a light machine gun with an already mastered AKM greatly simplified the production of RPKs, its study in the army (especially since the AK system is one of the easiest to learn and master), provided the machine gun with reliable operation of the basic model. Equally important is the ease of disassembly, maintenance, and repair. The RPK device layout is similar to the AKM assault rifle, most of their components and parts are interchangeable - the regularly verified identity of the parts provides wide maintainability of weapons in military workshops and arsenals of military districts. True, for production, the unification of a machine gun with a light machine gun had a flip side - the survivability requirements for parts of a unified family were determined by the survivability requirements for a light machine gun. The manufacturer of the RPK was the Vyatka Polyana Machine-Building Plant Molot.
Differences from AKM
The difference between PKK and AKM is the following structural changes [3] :
- the barrel is extended to increase the initial velocity of the bullet from 715 m / s to 745 m / s;
- reinforced receiver liner;
- increased barrel mass to provide a more intense fire mode compared to AKM;
- equipped with light folding bipod (fixed in the muzzle of the barrel) to ensure stability when firing;
- increased capacity of the machine gun magazine (sector - up to 40 rounds, drum - up to 75 rounds) to increase the combat rate of fire;
- the butt is made according to the shape of the butt of a Degtyarev light machine gun for ease of shooting (the sophisticated neck of the butt allows you to cover it with your left hand when shooting from the stop) ;
- the sight is equipped with a moving whole to take into account the influence of external conditions on the accuracy of fire of the RPK machine gun.
Features
Effective range from RPK:
- 800 m for ground targets
- 500 m for air targets.
Direct Shot Range:
- 365 m chest
- 540 m on a running figure.
Muzzle energy of a bullet - 2206 Joules .
Combat rate of fire:
- up to 150 rounds per minute - when firing in bursts, one minute, followed by cooling for at least 5 minutes.
- up to 50 rounds per minute - when shooting single.
- no more than 200 rounds in 3 minutes or 300 rounds in five minutes.
The requirements of a normal single combat for the PKK [1] :
- all four holes fit in a circle with a diameter of 15 cm;
- the mid-range point deviates from the control point by no more than 5 cm in any direction.
Requirements for normal combat bursts for the PKK: [1]
- at least six of eight holes fit in a circle with a diameter of 20 cm;
- the mid-range point deviates from the control point by no more than 5 cm in any direction.
The battle is checked by firing at a black rectangle 35 cm high and 25 cm wide, mounted on a white shield 1 m high and 0.5 m wide. Firing range - 100 m, position - lying with bipods, cartridges - with an ordinary bullet, sight - 3 , whole - 0.
Indicators of total dispersion of bullets when firing in short bursts from the bipod from the PKK reduced to normal combat [1] :
| Firing range, m | Median deviations in height, cm | The average deviations in width, cm | Core stripes in height, cm | Core stripes in width, cm | Bullet Energy, J |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | eight | eight | 25 | 25 | 1677 |
| 200 | 17 | 17 | 50 | 50 | 1255 |
| 300 | 25 | 25 | 75 | 75 | 922 |
| 400 | 33 | 33 | 101 | 101 | 667 |
| 500 | 41 | 41 | 127 | 126 | 490 |
| 600 | 50 | 49 | 153 | 152 | 382 |
| 700 | 59 | 58 | 180 | 178 | 324 |
| 800 | 68 | 67 | 209 | 204 | 294 |
| 900 | 78 | 75 | 239 | 230 | 265 |
| 1000 | 92 | 84 | 281 | 257 | 235 |
Where the median deviation is half the width of the central dispersion band containing 50% of all hits, and the core band is the dispersion band containing 70% of hits [4] .
Total median deviations at a distance of 800 m (vertical and in width):
- RPD - 46 and 43 cm [5] .
- RPK - 68 and 67 cm [1] .
The normal penetration ability of a standard shell bullet with a steel core at distances up to 800 meters. The American gunsmiths, having obtained a machine gun, tested the PKK using the T65-2 combined-arms body armor and American-made M1 helmets, the bullet pierced them at the indicated ultimate distance, however, losing its kinetic energy [2] .
Device
PKK consists of the following main parts and mechanisms:
- barrel with a receiver, sights, bipod and butt;
- receiver cover;
- bolt frame with gas piston;
- gate;
- return mechanism;
- gas tube with a receiver pad;
- trigger mechanism;
- forend;
- score.
The RPK kit includes: accessory ( ramrod , wipe, brush, screwdriver, drift, hairpin, pencil case and nipple), belt, case and bags for carrying shops.
Sight
The RPK sighting device consists of a front sight and a sight, which in turn consists of a sight pad, leaf spring, aiming bar, rear sight and clamp. Scales with divisions from 1 to 10 (firing range in hundreds of meters) are plotted on the upper and lower sides of the aiming bar, and a scale with ten divisions for lateral corrections, each of which corresponds to two thousandths of firing range, is plotted on the wall of the rear sight.
To machine guns of later releases, an attachment for shooting at night (a self-illuminating nozzle) is included, consisting of a hinged rear sight with a wide slot (mounted on the aiming bar) and a wide fly (put on the front of the weapon from above), on which luminous dots are applied. This device does not separate during operation - when shooting during the day, the front sight and rear sight are tilted down, without interfering with the use of standard sights.
Principle of Operation
Automation has a gas engine with a long piston stroke, i.e., it operates by removing powder gases through a side hole in the barrel wall, and the gas piston with a rod is rigidly connected to the bolt frame. The bolt is locked by turning it, while two bolt engagements extend into the corresponding grooves of the receiver insert. The reloading handle is located on the right and is made integral with the bolt frame. A return spring is placed in the longitudinal channel of the shutter frame. The back emphasis of a directing core of a return spring serves as a latch of the stamped cover of a receiver. High requirements for barrel survivability, the use of bullets with a steel core and a bimetallic shell required measures to increase the resource of the barrel, therefore, the barrel channel, the chamber and the rod of the shutter frame with a piston were subjected to chromium plating.
The hammer mechanism is a trigger type with a trigger rotating on an axis and a U-shaped twisted combat spring. The trigger mechanism allows automatic and single fire. A single rotary part performs the functions of a translator of types of fire and a flag fuse. In the "fuse" position, it locks the trigger, whispering a single and automatic fire and prevents the bolt frame from moving backward, partially overlapping the longitudinal groove between the receiver and its cover. The self-timer holds the cock in cocked position until the barrel is completely locked. The shot is fired from the front sear, but with a heavy barrel and firing mainly in short bursts this does not increase the risk of a spontaneous shot due to heating of the chamber.
The store-based power supply system made it necessary to develop more capacious shops than box-type ones, with box-shaped, sector-shaped stores with a double-row arrangement of 40 rounds and a drum capacity of 75 rounds. The cartridges in the drum magazine are placed along a generatrix in a cochlear brook formed by the fixed spirals of the case and the magazine cover. The advancement of the cartridges in a spiral to the throat of the magazine is provided by a rotating feeder with a spring wound when the magazine is loaded with cartridges. PKK stores are interchangeable with machine guns.
Ammo
Shooting from the PKK is carried out by cartridges of the 1943 model ( 7.62 × 39 ) with the following types of bullets: [1]
- ordinary with a steel core is designed to defeat enemy personnel located openly or behind obstacles pierced by a bullet. The shell is steel coated with tompak, the core is steel, and a lead shirt is between the shell and the core. It does not have a distinctive color.
- tracer is intended for target designation and correction of fire at a distance of up to 800 m, as well as the defeat of enemy manpower. The core consists of an alloy of lead with antimony, followed by a glass with a pressed tracer. The color of the bullet is green.
- armor-piercing incendiary is intended for ignition of flammable liquids, as well as destruction of manpower located behind lightly armored shelters at ranges up to 300 m. The shell is equipped with a tompack tip, the core is steel with a lead jacket. Behind the core in the lead pan is an incendiary composition. The color of the head is black with a red sash.
Operator countries
|
| Iraqi soldiers train in PKK firing Mongolian soldier with PKK |
RPK assembly / disassembly
Incomplete disassembly of the RPK is carried out for cleaning, lubrication and inspection in the following order:
- installation of a machine gun on a bipod;
- department of the store;
- extracting the pencil case with the accessory;
- ramrod compartment;
- separation of the cover of the receiver;
- separation of the return mechanism;
- shutter frame compartment with shutter;
- separation of the shutter from the shutter frame;
- gas tube compartment with a receiver pad.
Assembly after incomplete disassembly is carried out in the reverse order.
The RPK is completely disassembled for cleaning in case of severe contamination, after the machine gun is in the rain or in the snow, when changing to a new lubricant or repair in the following order:
- incomplete disassembly;
- disassembly of the store;
- disassembly of the return mechanism;
- disassembling the shutter;
- disassembling the trigger;
- forend branch.
Assembly after complete disassembly is performed in the reverse order.
It is recommended in the summer (at temperatures above 5 ° C) to use rifle grease and RFS (mortar and grout filler), and in winter (from +5 ° C to - 50 ° C) - liquid gun grease (for lubrication and cleaning of deposit), carefully removing (washing all metal parts in kerosene or liquid gun grease and wiping them with a clean rag) before this summer grease. For storage in a warehouse for a long time, the machine gun is lubricated with liquid gun grease, wrapped in one layer of inhibited, and then in one layer of waxed paper.
See also
- Kalashnikov machine gun
- Kalashnikov assault rifle
- Machine gun list
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Manual on a small business. 7.62 mm Kalashnikov machine gun (RPK, RPKS). 1983 year
- ↑ 1 2 Johnson, Harold E. (narrator). Special Forces Foreign Weapons Demonstration (11:09 - 13:09). Fort Bragg, NC: US Foreign Science & Technology Center. (1974). Проверено 16 марта 2018.
- ↑ Error in footnotes ? : Invalid
<ref>; no text for footnotesgunsru.ru - ↑ Basics of fire training Archived on February 10, 2012. ( Pdf )
- ↑ Manual on a small business. 7.62 mm Degtyarev light machine gun (RPD). 1957 year
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5 .
- ↑ Arsenal's LMG Page, 7.62 x 39 mm (link not available) . Arsenal. Date of treatment April 6, 2010. Archived February 12, 2012.
- ↑ Arsenal's LMG Page, 5.56 x 45 mm (link not available) . Arsenal. Date of treatment April 6, 2010. Archived February 12, 2012.
- ↑ Arsenal's LMG Page, 5.45 x 39 mm (link not available) . Arsenal. Date of treatment April 6, 2010. Archived February 12, 2012.
- ↑ Small Arms Survey - Working Papers
- ↑ DefenseImagery.mil | Find imagery
- ↑ Fabrica de Arme Cugir SA's LMG Page (link not available) . Date of treatment May 6, 2010. Archived December 16, 2007.
Links
- description of the PKK on the site weaponplace.ru
- description of the PKK (RPK-74) on the website gewehr.ru