Home Useful properties of fruits Avs 36 automatic. Simonov automatic rifle: characteristics and photos. History of creation and production

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Avs 36 automatic. Simonov automatic rifle: characteristics and photos. History of creation and production

Caliber: 7.62×54mmR
Length: 1260 mm
barrel length: 627 mm
Weight: 4.2 kg empty
rate of fire: 800 rounds per minute
Score: 15 rounds

The Red Army began the first tests of self-loading rifles back in 1926, but until the mid-thirties, none of the tested samples met army requirements. Sergei Simonov began the development of a self-loading rifle in the early 1930s, and exhibited his developments at competitions in 1931 and 1935, however, only in 1936, a rifle of his design was adopted by the Red Army under the designation "Simonov's 7.62mm automatic rifle, model 1936", or ABC -36. Experimental production of the ABC-36 rifle was started back in 1935, mass production in 1936-1937, and continued until 1940, when the ABC-36 was replaced in service with the Tokarev SVT-40 self-loading rifle. In total, according to various sources, from 35,000 to 65,000 ABC-36 rifles were produced. These rifles were used in the battles at Khalkhin Gol in 1939, in the winter war with Finland in 1940. And also in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. Interesting. That the Finns, who captured rifles designed by both Tokarev and Simonov as trophies in 1940, preferred to use the SVT-38 and SVT-40 rifles, since the Simonov rifle was significantly more complex in design and more capricious. However, that is why the Tokarev rifles replaced the ABC-36 in service with the Red Army.

The ABC-36 rifle is an automatic weapon that uses the removal of powder gases and allows single and automatic fire. The fire mode translator is made on the receiver on the right. The main mode of fire was single shots, automatic fire was supposed to be used only when repulsing sudden enemy attacks, while with the consumption of cartridges in bursts of no more than 4 - 5 stores. The gas outlet unit with a short stroke of the gas piston is located above the barrel. The barrel is locked using a vertical block that moves in the grooves of the receiver. When moving the block up under the action of a special spring, it entered the grooves of the shutter, locking it. Unlocking occurred when a special clutch connected to the gas piston squeezed the locking block down from the shutter grooves. Since the locking block was located between the breech and the magazine, the trajectory for feeding cartridges into the chamber was quite long and steep, which served as a source of delays in firing. In addition, because of this, the receiver had a complex structure and a long length. The device of the bolt group was also very complicated, since inside the bolt there was a drummer with a mainspring and a special anti-bounce mechanism. The rifle was powered from detachable magazines with a capacity of 15 rounds. Shops could be equipped both separately from the rifle, and directly on it, with the shutter open. To equip the magazine, regular 5-round clips from the Mosin rifle were used (3 clips per magazine). The barrel of the rifle had a large muzzle brake and a mount for a bayonet - a knife, while the bayonet could adjoin not only horizontally, but also vertically, with the blade down. In this position, the bayonet was used as a one-legged bipod for firing from the stop. In the stowed position, the bayonet was carried in a sheath on the fighter's belt. The open sight was marked in range from 100 to 1,500 meters in increments of 100 meters. Some ABC-36 rifles were equipped with an optical sight on a bracket and were used as sniper rifles. Due to the fact that the spent cartridges are ejected from the receiver up and forward, the optical sight bracket was attached to the receiver to the left of the axis of the weapon.

Ruslan Chumak. A rifle ahead of its time

ABC-36. Hearing this abbreviation, many will say: well, we know, this is a 7.62-mm automatic rifle of the Simonov system mod. 1936, could fire bursts, had a magazine for 15 rounds. And they will be absolutely right. But then, as a rule, the categorical follows: ABC turned out to be complex and unreliable, because of it it was discontinued even before the start of World War II. And this is true, but not all ...

Few people managed to see the ABC-36, so to speak, “live” and, moreover, get acquainted with its design. As a rule, our knowledge of the rifle is limited to a couple of paragraphs in Bolotin's book "Soviet Small Arms". Meanwhile, the construction of ABC deserves a more detailed description. The ABC-36 rifle is a further development of the design of the Simonov automatic rifle mod. 1931 At that time, the design of the ABC was original, very bold, one might say "on the verge of fantasy."

Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov

Simonov automatic rifle arr. 1936 belongs to weapons systems in which the reloading mechanism is driven by powder gases vented from the bore. The shutter is locked by a vertically moving wedge. The striker-type trigger mechanism, driven by a separate mainspring located inside the bolt, allows both single and continuous fire. The switching of fire modes is carried out by the translator, who was first in front of the trigger guard.

ABC-36. Left side view

ABC-36. Right side view

The extraction of the spent cartridge case is carried out by an extractor located in the upper part of the bolt, reflection - by a spring-loaded reflector at the bottom of the receiver (box). The direction of sleeve extraction is up and forward. Cartridges are fed from a detachable double-row box magazine with a capacity of 15 rounds. The magazine attached to the rifle could be loaded with cartridges from standard rifle clips, and it can also be loaded in the usual way. At the end of the cartridges in the store, the shutter stops at the shutter delay and supports the trigger. The sector-type sight is cut at distances up to 1500 m. The rifle is equipped with an effective single-chamber muzzle brake. For hand-to-hand combat, a bladed bayonet adjoins it. The rifle is fired without a bayonet.

In many ways, the definition of "first" can be applied to the construction of ABC. A number of technical solutions implemented in ABC had no analogues, both in domestic and world weapons practice. For the first time, a serial domestic 7.62-mm rifle received a bladed bayonet and a muzzle brake, as well as an unprecedentedly capacious general store. For the first time in world practice, the gas chamber of a rifle was located above the barrel. For the first time in the world in a weapon of this caliber, the principle of wedge locking of the bolt was implemented.

ABC has some technical features that need to be described. The main feature of ABC is the locking knot. The locking of the shutter (namely the shutter!) Is carried out by a vertically moving wedge. The wedge is a rectangular prism with a through window for the passage of the shutter and the shutter stem. In the locked position, the wedge, as it were, “supports” the bolt from below. This is a very important point, since in all publications, with the possible exception of Blagonravov's reference book, the wedge method of locking the barrel, and not the bolt, is indicated. The lowering of the wedge to disengage it from the bolt is carried out by a cocking clutch - a special part driven by a gas piston. The rise of the wedge is carried out by the stem of the shutter when rolling.

The position of the parts of the rifle with the bolt locked. The drummer is held by a sear.

The problem of fixing the bayonet on the rifle barrel was solved in an original way. The latch function is performed by a movable spring-loaded bayonet handle. The stock of the rifle was made of walnut. Part of the rifles was produced in a sniper version and was equipped with a VP optical sight mod. 1931 In order not to prevent the ejection of cartridge cases, an optical sight was installed near the left wall of the receiver.

ABC-36 was equipped with a detachable bladed bayonet. In the picture with a rifle, Pyotr Goreglyad, the custodian of the background of domestic weapons of VIMAIViVS

For maintenance, an accessory was attached to the ABC. In addition to the usual brush, wiping, drift and ramrod, the accessories also included a key for locking the translator, a screwdriver-key for switching the gas regulator and a ramrod extension. All accessories fit into a pencil case (except, of course, a ramrod), which is a screwdriver handle and a ramrod handle when cleaning. The cover of the case served as a muzzle pad. Such a design of packing accessories was used in our army for the first time and later became traditional. The ramrod was located to the right of the barrel and was fixed with its head in the cutout of the muzzle brake due to its own elasticity.

ABC-36 aiming block was mounted on the breech breech. The ramrod of the rifle is located on the right side of the box

The accessory also included a case for carrying a rifle. The case protects the weapon from dust, dirt and scratches on a hike, in transport - in all cases when it is not intended to be used immediately. In the case of the ABC, the case performed another function - it covered the rifle from prying eyes. After all, ABC was an ultra-modern model of those years, so secrecy was fully justified.

Getting ABC into production was not easy. The decision to launch the rifle into series took place in 1932, but in fact, production began only in 1934. ABC went into series without being officially adopted, which led to serious difficulties in mastering production. The difficulties were such that for the organization of production at the Izhevsk Arms Plant, a rifle designer S.G. Simonov was sent, who, for this, was forced to leave his studies at the Industrial Academy. Upon the arrival of Simonov, it turned out that the plant was completely unsuitable for the production of modern automatic weapons - both technically and organizationally. Technological discipline at the plant was very weak. For example, parts were hardened “by eye”. Parts were made with unacceptably large allowances, there was no question of any interchangeability. Only Simonov's energy and special powers, as well as the intervention of People's Commissar S. Ordzhonikidze, made it possible to get things off the ground.

In the end, the difficulties of mastering production were left behind. In 1936, the ABC rifle was officially adopted by the Red Army under the designation ABC-36 (index 56-A-225). ABC-36 was significantly different from ABC mod. 1931 In 1932, the hinged needle bayonet was replaced with a detachable blade bayonet, and a muzzle brake appeared.

Rifles produced before 1936 were equipped with magazines with a capacity of 10, 15 and even 20 rounds, since 1936 - only 15 rounds. The cut-off mentioned above was introduced into the design of the rifle in 1935, in 1936 its final version was installed on the rifle, as well as a much simplified version of the trigger mechanism. The fire mode translator was moved to the right side of the box and began to be actuated by the latch of the receiver cover checks. There were differences in the shutter and other components and details.

The safety of the rifle was located at the back of the trigger guard and locked the trigger (the fuse is on in the photo)

With the adoption of the ABC-36, the Soviet Union entered the first row of countries in the world in equipping the army with the most modern small arms. The 7.62 mm Garanda Ml self-loading rifle, adopted by the US Army in the same year, was inferior to the ABC in a number of indicators.

There are a number of myths associated with ABC. The first is the bayonet-bipod, which was equipped with ABC-36. In fact, only a part of the rifles produced before the middle of 1936 was equipped with a bipod bayonet. The bipod bayonet did not justify itself, and the rifle went into the main series (1936-40) without it. Another myth. Say, ABC could replace a light machine gun and even on equal terms to resist the German single machine gun MG-34. Deep delusion. ABC-36, although an automatic rifle, but the main type of fire from it was single-shot fire. Shooting in continuous bursts was allowed only when repelling an attack, and then no more than 4 stores in a row, otherwise the rifle could fail due to overheating. The reader can evaluate the effectiveness of automatic fire from the table.

Characteristics of accuracy of fire from the ABC-36

Shooting was carried out lying down from the stop by experienced shooters in the conditions of the training ground, continuous fire - 15 rounds in a queue. In terms of accuracy of automatic fire, ABC barely reached the submachine guns of those years. So there was no question of any opposition to the ABC machine gun. At best, ABC could be considered a high-powered rifle, but not an analogue of a light machine gun.

We will try to be objective in everything. Some parts of the ABC-36 were expensive and time consuming to manufacture, especially the box. In addition, the rifle was distinguished by increased sensitivity to the quality of the steels used and their heat treatment. This directly affected the reliability of the weapon as a whole, since in order to ensure the required resource and at the same time comply with strict weight restrictions, a number of critical automation parts were made from special. steels. Nevertheless, subject to all the requirements of the TU, the rifle had a technical resource of at least 27,000 rounds, which is commensurate with the resource of a modern PKM machine gun - at least 30,000 rounds.

ABC-36 had a number of features in operation. The presence of automation led to the appearance of delays previously unknown to the ordinary soldier. These include, for example, double shots, incomplete recoils of moving parts, etc. Most of the delays were due to contamination of the gas paths or thickening of the lubricant. At the same time, not everything was thought out in terms of ease of maintenance of the rifle.

General view of parts with partial disassembly of the rifle

To remove the handguard and get to the gas chamber, it was necessary to separate the barrel from the stock. The dismantling of ABC concealed a number of surprises. For example, when taking out a rifle, it was possible to pinch the fingers of the drummer that had fallen off the self-timer (the compressed mainspring is inside the bolt!). Assembling the shutter also required a certain dexterity from the shooter. Of course, such a design of the rifle design did not contribute to the desire of the soldier to clean his weapon in a timely and thorough manner. However, these were precisely the features of operation, and not the flaws in the design of the rifle. Unfortunately, it is customary for us to “take hostility” to any feature if it leads to a break in the established order. It happened this time as well. Despite the rather cautious introduction of the rifle into the troops and the participation of the ABC in the conflicts of the pre-war period (Khalkhin-Gol, the Finnish campaign), the ABC-36 did not receive recognition among the troops. The main claims against ABC have come down to us: the rifle is unreliable, sensitive to weather conditions, and complex in design. Is it really?

The arrow shows the gas regulator

The answer is far from clear. Anyone who is familiar with the device of the "coeval" ABC-36 - with the American self-loading rifle Garanda Ml arr. 1936 - not superficially, but in detail, he will not say that our ABC is too complex a weapon. And reliability ... Here you need to consider the following factors. ABC production began in 1932-35. It was a period of formation of the domestic heavy and steel industry, precision engineering. At that time, the production of new steels, equipment, and machine tools was just being mastered in the USSR. It must be clearly understood that the technological culture of weapons production in the USSR in those years was still very far from ideal. And not only at the Izhevsk Arms Plant ... Under these conditions, it was impossible to achieve a stable quality in the manufacture of serial automatic rifles. This explains the long life of ABC prototypes, and at the same time, the premature failure of rifles from production batches. The operation of the rifle was also a significant difficulty. ABC required careful preparation, high responsibility and a certain level of technical literacy of shooters. And with literacy in a country that recently ended a chain of bloody wars, it was not easy.

The Soviet industry was rapidly gaining momentum, the output of ABC was constantly growing. If in 1934 only 106 rifles were produced, and in 1935 - 286 units, then in 1937 - already 10280 units, and in 1938 - 23401 units.

In total, until 1940, 65,800 pieces were produced. ABC. Simonov continuously improved the design of the ABC, but ... More modern samples of self-loading rifles have already appeared, simple in design and technologically advanced in manufacture. In 1940, the ABC-36 was taken out of production, freeing up capacity for the production of a new rifle - the Tokarev SVT. The ABC-36 rifle was not just a failure, it was doomed to failure. Perhaps if she had appeared later, her fate would have been different. But we, today, need to remember - ABC was still the first serial automatic rifle in a very young country. The country is learning. Learned to work. Learned to make weapons. Learned to fight. ABC has given our industry and army an invaluable asset. This is an experience. Don't forget about it.

Partial disassembly of ABC-36

1. Detach magazine

2. Check for the presence of a cartridge in the chamber

3, Remove the receiver cover lock

4. Separate the receiver cover with a return spring

5. Separate the bolt with bolt stem and striker

TTX automatic rifle ABC-36

Weight with a bayonet in a sheath, with an optical sight and a magazine filled with cartridges, kg - 5.95

Weight without a bayonet, without an optical sight and without a magazine, kg - 4.05

Store weight with 15 rounds, kg - 0.68

Bayonet weight with scabbard, kg - 0.55

The total length of the rifle without a bayonet, mm - 7260

The total length of the rifle with a bayonet, mm - 1520

Rate of fire, rds / min. – 800

Combat rate of fire: single fire, rds / min. – 20…25

short bursts, shots / min. – 40…50

continuous fire, rds / min. – 70…80

Muzzle velocity, m/s - 840

The length of the rifled part of the barrel, mm - 557

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Published:16 April 2014
In this article I would like to talk about a weapon that was at least 5-10 years ahead of its time, but always in the shadow of its later and more successful competitor and today unreasonably forgotten - the automatic rifle of Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov ABC-36.

Simonov automatic rifle

In this article I would like to talk about a weapon that was at least 5-10 years ahead of its time, but always in the shadow of its later and more successful competitor and today unreasonably forgotten - the automatic rifle of Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov ABC-36.

Undoubtedly, for its time, this rifle was a huge achievement of Soviet weapons thought, and technology, of course, too. None of the leading states then had in their armies a light and powerful automatic rifle, which was also produced in droves. For all the general attractiveness of the idea, the level of technological development often simply did not allow creating a fail-safe system that could work well in different conditions. Only the United States forced the final development and delivery of the John Garand design to the troops, but, alas, only self-loading.

Self-loading rifle Garanda M1

The first project of an automatic rifle was created by Simonov in early 1926. Its mechanism worked on the principle of removal of powder gases. The rifle turned out to be quite simple in design, but, despite the reliable interaction of mechanisms, it had a number of significant drawbacks, such as an unsuccessful layout, poor weapon balance, low accuracy, sensitivity to dust and dirt, low performance, a very wide forearm (due to the placement gas exhaust system on the right side of the rifle

Simonov's attempts in 1928, 1930 and 1931 were also unsuccessful. present improved models of automatic rifles. Each time there were design flaws that caused delays in firing and breakdown of automation. The shortcomings were also due to the low survivability of some parts, a short aiming line, low shooting accuracy, significant weight and insufficient reliability.

And only a rifle mod. 1933 successfully passed field tests and was recommended for transfer to the army for military trials.

Experienced rifle model 1931-1933

As a result of a series of comparative tests with samples of automatic weapons of the Tokarev and Degtyarev systems, which took place in 1935-1936, the Simonov rifle showed the best results. It was adopted by the rifle units of the Red Army under the designation ABC-36 (“automatic rifle of the Simonov system, model 1936”) and put into production.

As in previous models, the operation of the ABC-36 automation was based on the principle of removing powder gases generated during firing from the muzzle of the barrel. However, this time Simonov placed the gas exhaust system above the barrel. Subsequently, such placement of the gas outlet mechanism has become a classic and is still used today. USM was designed for single fire, but allowed fully automatic fire. A powerful muzzle brake compensator and a bayonet, which, when rotated 90 °, turned into a one-legged bipod, contributed to an increase in its accuracy and efficiency. The rate of fire of the ABC-36 with a single fire reached 25 rds / min, and when firing in bursts - 40 rds / min. Thus, one fighter armed with ABC-36 could create such a density of fire that was achieved by a group of three or four shooters armed with Mosin repeating rifles.

The rifle has been produced in small batches since 1935, by March 1938 the ABC-36 was mastered and put into mass production, and officially shown at the May Day parade of 1938. Massively, only the 1st Moscow Proletarian Division, an elite rifle unit of the Red Army, was armed with it.

Soldier of the Red Army, armed with a rifle ABC-36. Reconstruction

In total, four (!) Types of ABC-36 were produced - a standard one for arming linear rifle units, a sniper version, a carbine (including a special one, with the possibility of using PBBS!) And an option for airborne troops. All rifle models were equipped with a blade-type bayonet, and also had a groove for a bracket for an optical sight - this phenomenon became widespread on handguns only at the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century. Not a single army in the world at that time could boast of having such weapons!

Variants of the ABC-36 rifle

In the figure above - installation of an optical sight on a carbine of the type SVT-38/40

The airborne version of the ABC-36 had a shortened barrel, a retractable buttstock like a DT machine gun, and a pistol grip.

The sniper version of the ABC-36 actually had no differences from the base model. In the manufacture of the rifle, which was planned to be equipped with optics, additional processing of the barrel bore was carried out to increase the accuracy of fire.

Installation of an optical sight on a rifle ABC-36. Option

Soldier of the Red Army, armed with a sniper version of the ABC-36 rifle. Lake Khasan area, Mongolia, 1938

Despite the advanced positions, the further fate of the ABC-36 was difficult. The plans for arming the Red Army with an automatic rifle were changed to a self-loading one, based on a more rational consumption of cartridges and maintaining a greater aiming range. The AVS-36 was superior to the SVT-38 in many respects, but it turned out to be less tenacious and broke more often, the design turned out to be low-tech, and the cost was higher than that of the DP-27 light machine gun.

In the course of combat use, the ABC-36 showed low performance. USM provided continuous fire too fast. Modernization did not give satisfactory accuracy. Automation ABC-36 quickly wore out and began to work less reliably. In addition, there were other complaints - a loud sound of a shot, too much recoil and shock when fired, the complexity of assembly and disassembly.

One way or another, but already in 1939, the production of ABC-36 was reduced, and in 1940 it was stopped altogether. The factories that were previously engaged in the production of ABC-36 were reoriented to the manufacture of self-loading rifles of the Tokarev SVT-38/40 system. Total production of automatic rifles of the Simonov system arr. 1936 amounted to about, according to various estimates, from 35 to 66 thousand units.

7.62-mm automatic rifle of the Simonov system, model 1936, ABC-36(GAU index - 56-A-225 listen)) is a Soviet automatic rifle designed by gunsmith Sergei Simonov.

It was originally designed as a self-loading rifle, but in the course of improvements, an automatic fire mode was added for use in an emergency. The first automatic rifle developed in the USSR and put into service.

PERFORMANCE AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS AUTOMATIC RIFLE SIMONOV ARR. 1936
Manufacturer:	Izhmash
Cartridge:
Caliber:	7.62 mm
Weight without cartridges:	4.4 kg
Weight with cartridges:	4.725 kg
Length:	1260 (with bayonet 1520) mm
Barrel length:	612 mm
Number of grooves in the barrel:	4
Trigger mechanism (USM):	Impact type
Operating principle:	Extraction of powder gases, wedge locking
Rate of fire:	800 shots/min
Fuse:	At the back of the trigger guard, when engaged, blocks the trigger
Aim:	Front sight with namushnik and sector sight
Effective range:	400 m
Target range:	1500 m
Muzzle velocity:	840 m/s
Type of ammunition:	Detachable magazine
Number of rounds:	15
Years of production:	1934–1940

History of creation and production

The first model of an automatic rifle was presented by S. G. Simonov at the beginning of 1926. In April 1926, the Artillery Committee, having considered the proposed project of the rifle, came to the conclusion that it could not be allowed for testing.

After the 1930 competition, Simonov and F. V. Tokarev managed to achieve the greatest success in the design of automatic rifles. Continuing work on improving the rifle, in 1931 Simonov created a new model.

Simonov's automatic rifle has successfully passed field tests. It was decided to make an experimental batch of rifles and conduct extensive military tests. At the same time, it was proposed to speed up the development of the technological process in order to put into production a batch of rifles already in the first quarter of 1934, and from the beginning of the second half of the year to prepare for gross production. To assist in organizing the production of Simonov rifles, the designer himself was sent to Izhevsk.

On March 22, 1934, the Defense Committee adopted a resolution on the development in 1935 of capacities for the production of automatic rifles of the Simonov system.

As a result of a series of tests that took place in 1935-1936, the Simonov automatic rifle showed better results compared to the Tokarev model. And although individual copies failed prematurely, but, as the commission noted, the reason for this was mainly manufacturing defects, and not design. “Confirmation of this,” as indicated in the test site protocol in July 1935, “can be the first prototypes of the ABC, which withstood up to 27,000 shots and did not have such breakdowns that were observed in the tested samples.”

In 1936, the Simonov automatic rifle (AVS-36) was adopted by the Red Army. AVS-36 became the first automatic rifle that entered service with the Red Army after the Fedorov assault rifle. It differed from the original sample proposed by the designer in 1931 in the following: a muzzle brake was installed, the configuration of individual parts was changed, the way the bayonet was attached, and some other changes were made.

Automatic rifles AVS-36 were first shown at the May Day parade in 1938, they were armed with soldiers of the 1st Moscow Proletarian Rifle Division.

On February 26, 1938, the director of the Izhevsk Arms Plant, A.I. Bykhovsky, reported that the Simonov automatic rifle was mastered at the plant and put into mass production.

After the adoption of Simonov automatic rifles, their production, previously produced in separate batches, is noticeably increasing. So, if in 1934 106 rifles were produced, and in 1935 - 286, then in 1937 - already 10280, and in 1938 - 23401 pieces.

Production of the ABC-36 ceased in 1940, with a total of 65,800 produced.

Subsequently, the ABC-36 was replaced in production by the SVT-38. As the People's Commissar for Armaments B. L. Vannikov recalled, Stalin demanded the creation of a self-loading rifle, the conduct of automatic fire from which would be excluded, since in combat conditions aimless continuous firing is possible, leading only to the waste of a large number of cartridges.

Variants and modifications

Design and principle of operation

ABC is an automatic weapon built on the removal of powder gases, it can conduct both single and automatic fire. The fire mode switch is located on the receiver on the right side. The main mode of fire was single. It was supposed to fire in short bursts with an insufficient number of light machine guns, and with continuous fire - only as a last resort, when repelling sudden enemy attacks at a distance of no more than 150 meters. At the same time, it was forbidden to spend more than 4 stores in a row, so as not to overheat and wear out the barrel and other parts. According to the instructions, the translator of types of fire ABC was locked with a special key, which was held by the squad leader, who only if necessary could allow some of the soldiers to fire in bursts (whether this function of the rifle was used in practice is a moot point; however, it is curious that the Fedorov 1916 assault rifle d. the translator of fire was issued to the shooter only after passing a kind of exam. It was recommended to conduct automatic fire from a prone position from the stop, with the same butt as when firing from a DP light machine gun. When firing single shots, sitting or standing, it is recommended to hold the rifle with your left hand behind the shop below.

The automatic rifle has a technical rate of fire of about 800 rounds per minute. The practical rate of fire for aimed fire is much lower than the technical one. A well-trained shooter with magazines pre-filled with cartridges can fire: about 20-25 shots / min with a single fire (at a distance of up to 400 m), 40-50 shots / min in bursts of 3-5 shots (up to 300 m), 70- 80 high / min with continuous fire (up to 100-150 m).

Red Army soldiers on a halt, they are armed with PPSh-41 assault rifles, a DP light machine gun and an AVS-36 rifle

The gas outlet unit with a short stroke of the gas piston is located above the barrel. The barrel was locked using a vertical block (wedge), which moved in the grooves of the receiver (in fact, the wedge movement line had a small, about 5 °, angle with the vertical, which was done to facilitate manual unlocking of the shutter). When the block moved upwards under the action of a spring (during manual reloading) or a special bevel of the bolt frame (during firing), it went into the grooves of the shutter, locking it. Unlocking occurred after a special clutch, which was connected to the gas piston, squeezed the locking block down from the shutter grooves. Since the locking block was located between the breech and the magazine, the trajectory for feeding cartridges into the chamber was quite long and steep, which served as a source of delays in firing. In addition, this led to the fact that the receiver was complex in design and had a long length. The design of the ABC shutter was also very complex, since a drummer with a mainspring, separate parts of the trigger mechanism, and a special anti-bounce device were placed inside it. Automatic rifles made before 1936 differ in the cut-off device, trigger mechanism and mainspring stop.

The rifle was fed from detachable magazines of the original crescent shape (due to the presence of a protruding rim in the used cartridge), holding 15 rounds. Shops could be equipped both separately from the rifle, and directly on it, with the shutter open, from three regular clips for a rifle mod. 1891/30 For rifles manufactured before 1936, there are magazines for 10 and 20 rounds.

The barrel of the rifle had a massive muzzle brake and a mount for a bayonet-knife. In the early releases of the ABC, the bayonet could adjoin not only horizontally, but also vertically, with the blade down. In this position, it was supposed to be used as a one-legged ersatz bipod for firing from a stop. However, the corrected description of the rifle, already published in 1937, categorically forbids this, instead prescribing automatic fire from a prone position from a stop in the form of a roll or turf. It also states that from the second half of 1936, they stopped equipping rifles with a bayonet-bipod. Obviously, this idea, which looks attractive in theory, has not justified itself in practice. In the stowed position, the bayonet was carried in a sheath on the fighter's belt and when firing, unlike the rifle mod. 1891/30, did not adjoin. The open sight was notched in range from 100 to 1,500 meters in increments of 100 meters.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

Weight like a Mosin rifle arr. 1891/30 with three times the magazine capacity and the possibility of automatic fire;
The detachable magazine allows you to reload the rifle without lowering it or removing it from the parapet. The magazine can be equipped without removing it from the rifle;
Stopping the shutter in the rear position signals the exhaustion of cartridges and suppresses attempts to shoot with an empty magazine;
The muzzle brake-compensator reduces recoil and flame from shots, increases the accuracy of fire;
High rate of fire rifle.

Flaws

Slots at the bottom of the muzzle brake lead to the formation of a cloud of dust when fired, unmasking the shooter;
The survivability of the drummer and ejector is insufficient;
The rifle is sensitive to dirt and temperature fluctuations;
Often there are delays in firing caused by a warped cartridge with a rim on the sleeve;
In operation, the rifle requires careful handling;
The sniper version has a large dispersion of bullets, significantly inferior in accuracy and accuracy to rifles with manual reloading.

Usage

The rifle was used in the initial period of World War II.

Automatic rifle Simonov AVS-36 Photo relics-citadel.ru

7.62-mm automatic rifle of the Simonov system of 1936, ABC-36 (Index GAU - 56-A-225) is a Soviet automatic rifle developed by gunsmith Sergei Simonov. It was originally designed as a self-loading rifle, but in the course of improvements, a burst firing mode was added for use in an emergency. The first automatic rifle developed in the USSR and put into service. It also became the world's first self-loading rifle put into service, several months ahead of the American M1 Garand.

The first ABC model was presented by S. G. Simonov at the beginning of 1926. In April 1926, the Artillery Committee, having considered the proposed project, came to the conclusion that it could not be allowed for testing.

After the 1930 competition, Simonov and F.V. achieved the greatest success in designing automatic rifles. Tokarev. Continuing work on improving the ABC, in 1931 Simonov created a new model.

The Simonov ABC-36 automatic rifle has successfully passed field tests. It was decided to make an experimental batch and conduct extensive military tests. At the same time, it was proposed to accelerate the development of the technological process in order to put into production a batch of ABC-36 already in the first quarter of 1934, and from the beginning of the second half of the year to prepare for gross production. To assist in organizing the production of Simonov automatic rifles, the designer himself was sent to Izhevsk.

On March 22, 1934, the Defense Committee adopted a resolution on the development in 1935 of capacities for the production of automatic rifles of the Simonov system.

In 1936, the Simonov automatic rifle (AVS-36) was adopted by the Red Army. AVS-36 became the first automatic rifle that entered service with the Red Army after the Fedorov assault rifle. It differed from the original sample proposed by the designer in 1931 as follows: a muzzle brake was installed, the configuration of individual parts was changed, the way the bayonet was attached, and some other changes were made.

Automatic rifles AVS-36 were first shown at the May Day parade in 1938, they were armed with soldiers of the 1st Moscow Proletarian Rifle Division.

On February 26, 1938, the director of the Izhevsk Arms Plant, A.I. Bykhovsky, reported that the Simonov automatic rifle was mastered at the plant and put into mass production.

Subsequently, ABC-36 was replaced in production by SVT-38. As the People's Commissar for Armaments B. L. Vannikov recalled, Stalin demanded the creation of a self-loading rifle, the conduct of automatic fire from which would be excluded, since in combat conditions aimless continuous firing is possible, leading only to the waste of a large number of cartridges.

ABC-36 design

According to the instructions, the ABC-36 translator of types of fire was locked with a special key held by the squad leader, who only if necessary could allow some of the soldiers to fire in bursts (whether this function of the rifle was used in practice is a moot point; however, it is curious that the machine Fedorov 1916, a fire translator was issued to a shooter only after passing a kind of exam.During the years of the Vietnam War, American officers in the same way removed the translator mechanism from their M14 automatic rifles in order to disable the possibility of firing in bursts, which, as in the case of ABC, when firing hand was practically useless). It was recommended to conduct automatic fire from a prone position from the stop, with the same butt as when firing from a DP light machine gun. When firing single shots, sitting or standing, it is recommended to hold the rifle with your left hand by the magazine from below.

AVS-36 has a technical rate of fire of about 800 rounds per minute. The practical rate of fire for aimed fire is much lower than the technical one. A well-trained shooter with magazines pre-filled with cartridges can produce: about 20-25 highs / min with a single fire (at a distance of up to 400 m), 40-50 highs / min in bursts of 3-5 shots (up to 300 m), 70- 80 high / min with continuous fire (up to 100-150 m).

Unlocking occurred after a special clutch, which was connected to the gas piston, squeezed the locking block down from the shutter grooves. Since the locking block was located between the breech and the magazine, the trajectory for feeding cartridges into the chamber was quite long and steep, which served as a source of delays in firing. In addition, this led to the fact that the receiver was complex in design and had a long length. The design of the ABC-36 shutter was also very complex, since a drummer with a mainspring, separate parts of the trigger mechanism, and a special anti-bounce device were placed inside it. ABCs manufactured before 1936 differ in the cut-off device, trigger mechanism and mainspring stop.

The rifle was powered from detachable magazines of the original crescent shape (due to the presence of a protruding rim in the used cartridge), containing 15 rounds. Shops could be equipped both separately from the rifle, and directly on it, with the shutter open, from three regular clips for ABC mod. 1891/30. For samples made before 1936, there are magazines for 10 and 20 rounds.

The ABC-36 barrel had a massive muzzle brake and a bayonet-knife mount. In early releases, the bayonet could adjoin not only horizontally, but also vertically, with the blade down. In this position, it was supposed to be used as a one-legged ersatz bipod for firing from a stop. However, the corrected description of the rifle, already published in 1937, categorically forbids this, instead prescribing automatic fire from a prone position from an emphasis in the form of a roll or turf. It also states that from the second half of 1936, they stopped equipping rifles with a bayonet-bipod. Obviously, this idea, which looks attractive in theory, has not justified itself in practice. In the stowed position, the bayonet was carried in a sheath on the fighter's belt and when firing, unlike the rifle mod. 1891/30, did not adjoin. The open sight was notched in range from 100 to 1,500 meters in increments of 100 meters.

Technical characteristics of the Simonov automatic rifle

Weight with bayonet (in sheath), with optical sight and magazine filled with cartridges: about 6.0 kg
Weight without bayonet, without optical sight (with bracket) and without magazine: 4,050 kg
Magazine weight with 15 rounds: 0.675 kg
Magazine weight without cartridges: 0.350 kg
Bayonet weight with scabbard: 0.550 kg
Weight of optical sight with bracket: 0.725 kg
Bracket weight without optical sight: 0.145 kg
Weight of moving parts (bolt, stem and cocking sleeve): 0.500 kg
Magazine capacity: 15 rounds
Caliber: 7.62 mm
Total length of an automatic rifle
without bayonet: 1260 mm
with bayonet: 1520 mm
The length of the rifled part of the barrel: 557 mm
Number of grooves: 4
Sighting line length on sights 1/15: 591/587 mm
Front sight height: 29.84 mm
Bolt Stroke: 130mm
Sighting range: 1500 m
Maximum range of a bullet: up to 3 km
Muzzle velocity (muzzle) of a light bullet: 840 m/s
Technical rate of fire: about 800 rounds per minute

Characteristics of the optical rifle sight of the 1931 model of the year

magnification: 4x;
field of view: 5°30′;
exit pupil diameter: 7.6 mm;
distance of the exit pupil from the last lens of the eyepiece: 85 mm.

In general, the Simonov ABC-36 automatic rifle turned out to be difficult to manufacture and not reliable enough for mass use in the army. It had a very complex design and many parts of complex shape, the production of which required high qualifications, a lot of time and resources. The design made it possible to assemble a rifle without a locking block and then fire a shot; if by mistake the shooter this happened, the receiver collapsed, the bolt group flew back and injured the shooter. The original wedge locking did not justify itself. USM survivability also left much to be desired.

Nevertheless, the Simonov automatic rifle is remarkable as one of the first of its kind, adopted for mass armament and tested in combat conditions, as well as created by domestic engineers and mastered in large-scale production by the domestic industry, a very advanced model for its time.