Questions on Small Arms - Soviet/Russia

[PvtJoker]

Originally Posted by Suhiir

Thanks again.
So more realistic dates for the AK-47 would be 1952-1975?

Yeah, weapons never get immediate replacement but if I can get a reasonable time-frame for front-line service I can probably come up with reasonable dates for second-line usage.

VERY interesting about the Pecheneg ... no tripod issued (and no quick change barrel)? That makes a HUGE difference to it's game stats. So the PKM is still the primary GPMG and the Pecheng fills the LMG role.

Yes, 1952-1975 would be as accurate as one can reasonably hope for front-line service years of the AK-47/AKM.

The Pecheneg was designed according the experiences of the Chechen wars. The RPK-74 was found lacking in range and firepower, so the PKM was often used in the squad LMG role. However, there wasn't that much use for the QCB in that role. If a barrel change was required, doing so while maneuvering was found time-consuming.

Therefore, the Pecheneg was designed with a slightly heavier and better cooled barrel, but the cooling arrangement derived from the Lewis(!) LMG precludes rapid barrel changes. It can fire up to 600 rounds continuously without risking damage to the barrel. In the LMG role that is deemed more than sufficient. However, in the GPMG role the QCB of the PKM(S) is still highly useful since it allows much larger volumes of continued fire.