AVS-36
| AVS-36 | |
|---|---|
| Production history | |
| Designer | Sergei Simonov |
| Designed | 1936 |
| No. built | 35,000 – 65,500[4] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 4.3 kg (9.5 lb) |
| Length | 1.23 m (48.4 in) |
| Barrel length | 612 mm (24 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.62×54mmR |
| Action | Gas-operated, vertically lifting locking block with secondary Flappers |
| Rate of fire | 800 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 840 m/s (2,756 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 600 m (2,000 ft) |
| Feed system | 15-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | 1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
The AVS-36 (Russian: Автоматическая винтовка Симонова образца 1936 года (АВС-36); Avtomaticheskaya vintovka Simonova obraztsa 1936 goda (AVS-36); "Automatic rifle Simonov model 1936 (AVS-36)") was a Soviet automatic rifle which saw service in the early years of World War II. It was among the early selective fire infantry rifles (capable of both single and full-automatic fire) formally adopted for military service.
History
Origins
The designer,
Service
Once in service, it quickly became apparent that the AVS was not a satisfactory design; the operating mechanism was overcomplicated, and the problem was made worse by the rifle's construction which let dirt get inside the weapon. The rifle was also particular about ammunition quality. The muzzle brake design proved to be quite successful, as the rifle had very little overall climb, however its intense recoil impulse still meant the rifle was impractical in automatic fire. Some of the problems with the rifle in the field were thought to be the magazine, which was deemed too long. Production of the AVS-36 was terminated in 1940 after about 34,000 were produced,[6] and a new design competition was held to which Simonov and Tokarev submitted their improved designs.
In 1938, Tokarev's
Official Soviet production breakdown figures are: 106 made in 1934, 286 in 1935, 10,280 made in 1937, 24,401 in 1938, with an estimated total of 65,800 AVS-36s manufactured until production stopped in 1940 (exact production figures for some years, like 1936 or 1939, is not reported).[5]
The new weapon would be tested during the Spanish Civil War when small numbers were shipped to Republican forces.[8][9]
World War II and beyond
The rifle first saw service in the
Simonov would later design an anti-tank rifle, the PTRS-41, and the SKS carbine, which employed simpler tilting bolt operation.
Design
The AVS-36 was a gas-operated rifle with a short piston stroke and vertical sliding locking block with secondary locking flappers, each of different size. It was capable of both automatic and semi-automatic fire. The barrel was equipped with a large
Users
See also
- FG 42
- M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle
- M1941 Johnson machine gun
- List of Russian weaponry
References
- ISBN 978-1-47281-324-4.
- ^ "THE SOVIET GARANDS?".
- ^ "Communist Small Arms Of The Korean War".
- ^ McCollum, Ian (2014). "Simonov AVS-36". Forgotten Weapons.
The AVS-36 was made in relatively small numbers (35,000-65,000, depending on which source you want to believe.
- ^ ISBN 9519718419.
- ^ Moss, Matthew (2016). "The Other Siminov: AVS-36". Historical Firearms.
- ISBN 9519718419.
- ^ "República - Armas - Infantería - Fusiles". www.sbhac.net. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ISBN 978-84-96467-58-3.
- ISBN 978-1-78200-125-6.
- ISBN 978-0-8117-1088-6.
- ^ US Ordnance Corps (1954). Soviet Rifles and Carbines - Identification and Operation. p. 40.
External links
- "Simonov AVS-36 automatic rifle (Russia)". Modern Firearms. Archived from the original on 2 September 2010.
- Chumak, Ruslan (2002). "винтовка, опередившая время" [A rifle ahead of its time] (PDF). Kalashnikov (in Russian). No. 4. pp. 6–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2015.