Russian Assault Rifles/Carbines/Machine Guns Thread: #2

I might be being a bit thick, but how does having a removable barrel make it lighter.... the old grenade launcher literally clips on and off like a bayonette... if it makes it too front heavy then don't mount it till you want to fire grenades and then flick it off when you are done.

Having a removable barrel just seems to complicate things in my view.

Plus there is not much wrong with front heavy... most conventional rifles already are front heavy anyway.

Yeah, have heard complaints about the poor accuracy of the AKS-74U, but the fact of the matter is that the barrels of the VSS and AS in 9x39mm have even shorter barrels and are reportedly quite accurate to 400m or so.

From its description...

The VSS is a suppressed sniper rifle... the AS is a suppressed assault rifle... both are intended for recon forces within armoured formations and are quite widely deployed.

There is also the SR-3 and 9A-91 compact assault rifles that fire the same 9mm rounds, not to mention the Groza AKS-74U based 9x39mm bullpup assault rifle that was also intended to be an assault rifle of a compact size.

The 9A-91 and VSK-94 were direct competitors to the AS and VSS, but the SR-3 was intended for general issue.

The AKS-74U was a compact light rifle for crew to use that didn't need a full sized assault rifle, for which the SR-3 or 9A-91 could have been issued.... without the suppressors of course because there was no need to be quiet.

I might be being a bit thick, but how does having a removable barrel make it lighter.... the old grenade launcher literally clips on and off like a bayonette... if it makes it too front heavy then don't mount it till you want to fire grenades and then flick it off when you are done.

Having a removable barrel just seems to complicate things in my view."

Mir wrote:I actually saw that and was wondering if the gun was not exposed to sea water, but you say it's only rain! Not good if true but I have my doubts?

“The leadership of the Russian Aerospace Forces made a decision on the regular inclusion of pilots of fighter, assault and bomber aviation of the PPK-20 submachine gun in the NAZ. The corresponding work on the laying of submachine guns in the NAZ will begin in the near future, ”the agency's interlocutor said.

Mir wrote:I actually saw that and was wondering if the gun was not exposed to sea water, but you say it's only rain! Not good if true but I have my doubts?

kvs wrote:

Mir wrote:I actually saw that and was wondering if the gun was not exposed to sea water, but you say it's only rain! Not good if true but I have my doubts?

That rust is way older than something you see a short while after being exposed to rain.   This thing looks like it sat outside for
a year or longer.  The gun oil coating would survive for a while depending on the texture of the metal surface and was not being
washed directly that would accelerate its removal.  

It is likely that the guns were being improperly stored before being distributed.   There is no way this is from use in the field for
a short period of time.   If such a thing was possible, then we would have seen claims of such rusting on any type of rifle anywhere
around the world.  

If we have T-90s forgotten in some abandoned airfield, then this is not so surprising.  The rot maggots never sleep.

GarryB wrote:

why smg do they expect only fight with talibs without body armor?

It is essentially replacing the Stechkin machine pistol, so it was self defence only... against humans and animals like wolves and bears and tigers...

GarryB wrote:I rather suspect they would get this SMG instead of a pistol as it is more powerful and more accurate to greater ranges.

I didn't understand what he was saying but I suspect he was mentioning that it takes a lot of practise to get good with a pistol and most pilots wont spend the sort of time needed to get any good with them because they will be working hard to be good pilots.

The SMG is easier to hold and has a longer barrel and is steadier and with shoulder support is able to engage targets at rather more than the 5-10m they could use a pistol effectively against. The SMG targets seemed to be at about 30m and another at about 50m which he seemed to get hits on with the SMG... obviously without training.

Russia is a huge country and there are lots of places they could crash land where they might have to fend for themselves for a day or two or perhaps longer depending on the weather.

The danger from wild animals is quite real... they armed their Cosmonauts for the very same reason... spending a day or two on the tundra you can get attention for wolves and bears and all sorts of other undesirable animals... and in the far north a polar bear that is hungry is a serious problem for a pilot on his own.

GarryB wrote:

apologies, I was not clear enough: they received both pistol and SMG

Ammo commonality then.

As for predators in Siberia or any place in the world again agreed. Just what about talibs in body armour? or pro Turkish terrorists in Syria?

GB wrote: There is a carbine to replace the AKS-74U and there are likely drastically shortened assault rifle models too like the AK-105 and short barrel versions of the AK-12 and AK-15 and even AK-19 in 556.