AS-44
| AS-44 | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Rate of fire | 600 rounds per minute |
| Effective firing range | 800 m (875 yd) |
| Feed system | 30 round detachable box magazine[1] |
| Sights | Hooded post front sight, tangent notch rear sight. |
The AS-44 (Avtomat Sudayeva, Russian: Автома́т Суда́ева, АС-44) is a series of prototype Soviet
History
In 1943 the Soviet M43 7.62×41mm intermediate cartridge was developed and provided to Soviet small arms design bureaus to design a series of new weapons around this new cartridge. A design competition was announced and at least ten different designs were submitted for testing from designers such as
Description
Sudayev built seven different prototypes with each having slightly different features, barrel length, and weight for the Soviet assault rifle design competition that would result in the adopted winning design becoming the standard issue assault rifle for the Soviet military. The layout of the AS-44 is similar to the what would be AK-47 with a fixed wood stock, wood handguard, wood pistol grip, curved detachable 30 round magazine, hooded post front sight and tangent notch rear sight, dust cover, and bayonet mount with other features including a heat shield, flash suppressor, and metal bipod. The AS-44 made use of stamped components to reduce production costs and speed production.[1]
- The first prototype was a self-loading, selective fire weapon capable of both single or multiple-shots, the cocking handle and combination safety/selector switch were on the left hand side of the receiver towards the rear. The first six prototypes used a tilting bolt which was pioneered by the Czechoslovaks in the ZB vz. 26 machine gun, and also used in the StG 44.[2]
- The second prototype had a revised gas chamber and the cocking handle was moved to the right hand side above the magazine. There was a collapsible wooden pistol grip and the fire selector switch and safety were moved inside the front of the trigger guard. The gun weighed 4.7 kg (10.4 lb), had an overall length of 990 mm (3 ft 3 in), and had a barrel length of 485 mm (1 ft 7 in).[1]
- The third prototype was a fully automatic weapon without a fire selector. The dust cover on the right hand side was modified with two notches to provide a safety catch for the cocking handle while on the march. The barrel lacked a flash suppressor but it had three ports per side of the barrel in front of the front sight to act as a muzzle brake and there was no bayonet mount. The gun weighed 4.5 kg (9.9 lb), had an overall length of 900 mm (2 ft 11 in), and had a barrel length of 400 mm (1 ft 4 in).[1]
- The fourth, fifth and sixth prototypes differed from the third in that there was no muzzle brake, the safety and fire selector switches were moved to the left hand side of the receiver above the trigger guard. There were also bi-pod and bayonet mounts. The gun weighed 5.4 kg (11.9 lb), had an overall length of 1,030 mm (3 ft 5 in), and had a barrel length of 490–500 mm (1 ft 7 in – 1 ft 8 in).[1]
- In October 1945, Sudayev presented a lightened version based on his fourth model called the OAS (Russian: облегчённый автомат Судаева, ОАС) for testing. The seventh prototype used a gas-delayed blowback action. Although lighter due to the deletion of its bi-pod its recoil, accuracy, and durability were negatively affected. The gun weighed 5.4 kg (11.9 lb), had an overall length of 1,030 mm (3 ft 5 in), and had a barrel length of 495 mm (1 ft 7 in).[1]
See also
- 7.62×39mm
- AK-47
- Assault weapon
- List of Russian inventions
- List of Russian weaponry
- List of assault rifles
- MKb 42(H)
- MKb 42(W)
- PPS submachine gun
- StG 44
- Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Natzvaladze, Yury (1996). The Trophies Of The Red Army During The Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. Volume 1. Scottsdale, Arizona: Land O'Sun Printers. pp. 201–208.
- ^ a b "9 Prototype Soviet Assault Rifles From WWII - The Firearm Blog". The Firearm Blog. 2015-12-09. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
- ^ a b c ""Оружейная экзотика". (Нереализованные проекты, опытная и малоизвестная серийная военная техника)". raigap.livejournal.com. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
External links
