Russian Assault Rifles/Carbines/Machine Guns Thread: #1

anks to reader Alexandr in Russia, we have a new look at a prototype for the AEK-971 rifle, this time the military 6П68 variant. The Russian armed forces have used variants of the AK-47 rifle ever since the end of World War II, and the design is starting to show its age especially compared to the latest advances from the Belgians and Israelis. The latest design uses a polymer receiver instead of the old stamped sheet metal, a telescoping stock instead of the folding design, and uses the same balanced recoil system as the AN-94 (which uses two pistons and two gas chambers synchronized through a gear to reduce recoil).

GarryB wrote:AFAIK it is cost and complexity... the traditional buyers of Soviet weapons don't want a complex weapon even if it offers better performance.

Non tradition customers aren't interested in AKs.

I think the AK12 will offer similar or better performance with the addition of simplicity and only slight increases in cost... and if mass produced might even end up cheaper.

Balanced recoil systems are not new... it is like adding a gearbox to a rifle design... will need extra care and maintainence but will improve performance.

The problem is that the main area of performance improvement is in auto fire... which uses up ammo fast and generally used for suppression only rather than actually engaging targets with any precision.

GarryB wrote:Currently I am thinking about buying a Baikal MP654K air pistol.

From what I have read it is an almost perfect replica of a PMM pistol including in terms of weight and materials and feel and is made at the same factory where the real PMMs are made.

Not exactly cheap, but much easier to buy here than the real pistol as ownership of pistols here is restricted.

Would love to buy a silenced PM... or a silenced APSB in replica form of course as the real things would be lots of red tape and bollocks to buy.

I have chatted to a guy that said he has fired the real thing... it is a very good rifle, accurate.

The problem is that it is more complex and needs to be put together carefully otherwise there are problems.

If you imagine a car without gears would be simpler, but also less impressive in performance too.

The balanced design should make shooting smoother, but is it worth the extra cost and complexity?

Izhmash claim the AK12 is as good as their AK-107 in auto shooting but without the complexity and cost of the balanced recoil mechanism.

I can buy the air pistol model without a firearm licence as long as I am over 18... which I am...

I can buy the real Makarov too, but would need to get a pistol licence which is a bit more effort to get a licence that will allow me to shoot it only at a pistol club. (no pistol hunting in NZ).

I think I will just get this air pistol as it is very much like a replica of the real thing anyway.

Big no no... and I wouldn't want to anyway... I like having 10 fingers and two functioning eyeballs...

Regular wrote:

GarryB wrote:AFAIK it is cost and complexity... the traditional buyers of Soviet weapons don't want a complex weapon even if it offers better performance.

Non tradition customers aren't interested in AKs.

I think the AK12 will offer similar or better performance with the addition of simplicity and only slight increases in cost... and if mass produced might even end up cheaper.

Balanced recoil systems are not new... it is like adding a gearbox to a rifle design... will need extra care and maintainence but will improve performance.

The problem is that the main area of performance improvement is in auto fire... which uses up ammo fast and generally used for suppression only rather than actually engaging targets with any precision.

But people who tested AK-107 said it's rugged and reliable design.
http://glockmeister.livejournal.com/64336.html

The same person shot AEK-971 and mentioned it broke down.


I personally think than civilian AN-94 and AEK-971 and 973 are exotic weapons. The new AEK looks like would interest not only Soviet weapon fans. Still civilian version would only differ from regular AK just by looks as it won't have balanced automatics or two-shot capability.

GarryB wrote:My MP-654K pistol has arrived and it is very much like a PMM.

(Pistol Makarov Modernised)

It looks like the real thing... even strips the same... and most importantly is made of the same materials and therefore has the same weight and feel of the real thing.

I am very happy with it.