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Caliber 7,62x54R
9 kg (gun) + 7,7 kg 7,5 kg (gun) + 4,5 kg
Weight 10,5 kg
(tripod) (tripod)
Length 1173 mm 1160 mm 1098 mm
Length of
658 mm 645 mm 722 mm
barrel
Feed belt, 100, 200 or 250 rounds
800 rounds per
Rate of fire 650 rounds per minute 650 rounds per minute
minute
Like many others, Soviet military experts closely examined the German ‘heritage’ of
WW2, and like many, they found the idea of a Universal (or General Purpose) MG to be
very appealing, especially from the logistical and economical point of view. It was
therefore decided to replace the separate company, battalion and tank MGs with a single
universal design, adaptable to any of these roles. By the early 1950s, requirements were
fixed for a new GPMG, firing 7.62x54R ammunition from belts and capable of firing from
an integral bipod, an infantry tripod mound or a vehicle mount. After many false starts,
by 19567 a new design became a favorite, the newly developed Nikitin GPMG. This was
a gas operated, air cooled, belt fed weapon with a quickdetachable barrel. It used a
fairly typical rotating bolt locking along with less typical (at least, for Soviet guns of the
period) features, such as selfregulating gas system and pushthrough feed system with
openpocket steel belts (incompatible with earlier Maxim and SG43/SGM belts). By
1958, the Nikitin design was already recommended for adoption, and a batch of 500
guns was ordered for extended field trials with troops, but the situation then became
surprisingly complicated. For some reason,General artillery department of Soviet army
decided to spur the somewhat slow development of the Nikitin GPMG, and ordered
Mikhail Kalashnikov to build his own machine gun to compete with the already
established design. At the time Kalashnikov was busy finalizing his improved AKM
assault rifle and its companion machine rifle which later became the RPK. However, he
accepted the challenge and put some men of his team onto the task of creating their own
universal machine gun. It must be noted that this strange situation resulted in a clash of
interests between GAU (who literally placed its bet on a new Kalashnikov design) and
some elements in Army and Soviet Ministry of Defense Industry, who put their stakes
(including their future careers) on the Nikitin design. Exact details of this “undercover
battle” are unknown to the general public, but result is widely publicized – the
Kalashnikov design won the trials and was subsequently adopted in 1961 as the PK
(Pulemet Kalashnikova), in four basic versions: PK LMG (on an integral bipod), PKS
MMG (on a universal tripod), PKT (tank coaxial gun with electric trigger and other
necessary changes) and PKB (armored personnel carrier version with appropriate
mountings). It also must be noted that while PK turned out to be an excellent weapon,
people who tested PN often thought that it was actually superior to PK.
The Kalashnikov PK is a generalpurpose machine gun which has four basic versions:
light machine gun firing from an integral bipod – PK; medium machine gun firing from a
universal tripod – PKS; tank coaxial machine gun – PKT; and machine gun for armored
personnel carriers (in pintle mounts) – PKB. When the basic weapon was improved in
1969 to become the PKM, all of its versions also received similar designations – PKMS
and PKMT.
Copies of Kalashnikov general purpose machine gun were or still are manufactured in
Bulgaria, China, Iran, Poland, Serbia (former Yugoslavia), either in original 7,62x54R or
in 7,62x51NATO chamberings.
The PK is a gas operated, belt fed, air cooled, automatic only, machine gun. It fires from
an open bolt and has a quick detachable barrel. The gas system consists of a gas
chamber with a manual gas regulator, and a long stroke gas piston located below the
barrel. Locking is achieved through a rotating bolt with dual locking lugs.
The PK uses a twostage belt feed from steel nondisintegrating belts. Upon the opening
stroke of the bolt group, a special clawshaped ejector withdraws the cartridge back from
the belt, and a springloaded arm then lowers it into the feed way. Upon the closing
stroke of the bolt group, the feed lug on the bolt pushes the cartridge into the chamber.
Feed is from the right side only. Spent cases are ejected to the left through a special
window in the receiver; this has a springloaded dust cover which automatically opens
and closes during each reloading cycle. Loading and ejection windows in the feed unit
also have dust covers. The feed unit cover is hinged at the front and can be lifted up for
loading, unloading or inspection. Standard belts have a capacity of 100 (for PK) or 200
and 250 (for PKS) rounds. Belts are fed from special steel boxes, and a 100round box
can be clamped under the receiver of the PK for better mobility.
The PK is fitted with a skeleton buttstock made from wood and fitted with a hinged
buttplate, and a wooden or plastic pistol grip. The rear part of the buttstock houses an
accessory / cleaning kit, and a disassembled cleaning rod is stored in the right leg of the
bipod. A folding bipod is fitted to the gas tube below the barrel. Each PK gun has a
mounting interface which allows it to be placed into the cradle of a universal tripod,
designed by Samozhenkov, to form the PKS medium machine gun. This tripod has
traverse and elevation mechanisms, and has an adapter for AA use.
Standard sights are of the open type, with a hooded post front and tangenttype rear
sight, marked for ranges of up to 1500 metres and with a windage adjustment
mechanism. Special versions of the PK have a receiver rail, which accepts mountings of
various night sights. Such versions are designated PKN or PKSN, depending on the
tactical role.
Modifications.
PKM / PKMS (Modified) is a lightened version of the basic design. The barrel is not
fluted, and has a different style shorter flash hider. The feed cover is strengthened by the
introduction of stamped ribs. The Samozhenkov tripod is replaced by a new, lightweight
tripod designed by Stepanov. This tripod has a special mount for the belt box, so a
mounted PKMS gun can be moved through the battlefield without the need for unloading
before movement and subsequent loading in a new position.
PKT (Tank) is coaxial weapon used on most Soviet and Russian main battle tanks. It has
a heavier, nonfluted barrel. The barrel is also longer than on the PK to provide ballistics
similar to that of the earlier SGMT weapon it replaced (to avoid replacement of the
expensive tank sights). The gas block is modified and the stock, bipod and pistol grip are
discarded. The firing solenoid is attached to the rear of the receiver, but the PKT also
retains an emergency mechanical (manual) trigger.
PKB (for armored cars) is the same as the PK but installed on a special mount.
However, there were special versions of the PKB fitted with dual spade grips instead of
the pistol grip and shoulder stock. Such versions also were used on Mi8 Hip transport
and Mi24 Hind attack helicopters in window and door mounts through the Afghanistan
campaign of the Soviet army.