Small arms in the Second World War. "general designer m.p.

“The name of the outstanding Russian aircraft designer of our time, Mikhail Petrovich Simonov, has long been immortalized abroad: it is inscribed in golden letters in the history of world aviation in the Gallery of Fame of the National Air and Astronautics Museum in Washington (USA) along with such legendary names as I.I. Sikorsky , S.V. Ilyushin and Wernher von Braun. In Russia, for many years, his activities remained under seven seals - primarily due to secrecy, and also due to a general decrease in attention to aviation and, most importantly, to its creators. This injustice eliminates to a certain extent the decision of the grateful students of one of the pillars of domestic aviation, and (above all) general director aviation holding company OJSC Sukhoi Company M.A. Pogosyan, to publish a book about the great designer, as well as the desire of former and current associates and colleagues of M.P. Simonov to tell the general reader about him.

Casting the memory of Mikhail Petrovich into lines, restoring events that time mercilessly erases, we hoped to convey to the reader a feeling of deepest respect for a man whose whole life was given to aviation. While working on the book, we also hoped that it, full of testimonies from direct participants and eyewitnesses of the development of the Russian aircraft industry at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, could become a serious source of information for aviation historians, allowing them to find the answer to the question of how to achieve success, modern aviation engineers and designers, and veterans of the Sukhoi Design Bureau to once again surrender themselves to the power of a natural and bright feeling of nostalgia for the happy moments of their youth.

We hope that the book will be of interest to young people who are still far from aviation. Perhaps someone, after meeting a remarkable aircraft designer in absentia, people long years those who worked with him hand in hand, who are sincerely and forever in love with aviation, will often look into the sky, hearing the hum of the aircraft’s turbines, looking for the swift contours of Simon’s machines in the bottomless blue of the sky. They are an integral and main part the life story of Mikhail Petrovich Simonov - may well claim to be a guiding star in the vast ocean of life."

22.09.1894 – 06.05.1986

Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov- a major Soviet designer of small arms. Honored Inventor of the RSFSR (1964), Hero Socialist Labor(1954), twice laureate Stalin Prize first degree (1942, 1949).

Biography

Born on September 22 (October 4), 1894 in the village of Fedotovo, now Vladimir region, in a peasant family.

Graduated from 3rd grade of a rural school. From the age of 16 he worked in a forge. In 1915, he went to work as a mechanic at a small factory and completed technical courses. In 1917 he began work at Kovrov plant(currently OJSC "Plant named after V. A. Degtyareva") a mechanic. He took part in the refinement and debugging of the first Russian Fedorov assault rifle. Member of the CPSU(b)/CPSU since 1927.

Since 1922 - master, then senior master. Since 1929 - head of the assembly shop, designer, head of the experimental workshop. In 1922-1923 designs a light machine gun and an automatic rifle under the leadership of V. G. Fedorov and V. A. Degtyarev. Introduced in 1926, and adopted into service by the Red Army in 1936 Simonov automatic rifle(ABC-36).

In 1932-1933 he studied at the Industrial Academy.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War Simonov was evacuated to Saratov along with the enterprise. He paid great attention to the creation of light and heavy machine guns, but did not stop developing other weapons. In 1941 he developed 14.5 mm anti-tank self-loading rifle(PTRS). By the end of 1944, Sergei Gavrilovich created the first samples of his famous SKS chambered for 7.62x39 mm based on a carbine, which he developed as part of a competition for a new carbine back in 1940-1941, but which did not go into production due to the evacuation of factories .

In 1950–1970, S. G. Simonov worked in NII-61(now the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering TSNIITOCHMASH) in the city of Klimovsk, Moscow region.

Was born 22 September (October 4, new style) 1894 in the village of Fedotov, Vladimir region, in peasant family. Article about him:

A remarkable domestic designer, the creator of first-class models of automatic small arms, was Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov (1894-1986) - Hero of Socialist Labor, twice laureate of the USSR State Prize, Honored Inventor of the RSFSR. The work biography of a simple rural boy from the village of Fedorovka, Ivanovo-Voznesensk province, began early, after graduating from three classes of a rural school, and was associated with technology almost from the first days. Already at the age of sixteen, he worked as a blacksmith in a metalworking workshop, and then as a mechanic at a mechanical plant. After completing vocational courses, Simonov goes to work as an automatic weapons debugger at the Kovrov Machine Gun Plant. His first teachers were Vladimir Grigoryevich Fedorov, the founder of the Russian school of automatic weapons, and Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev, head of the plant’s experimental workshop. They inspired the inquisitive young man’s passion for designing small arms, which later became the main work of his life.
Sergei Gavrilovich showed thoroughness in everything. Having taken on any work that was new to himself, Simonov tried to perform it not just well, but with that uniqueness that only a true master of his craft is capable of.

Started on my own inventive activity Simonov in 1922-1923, when he designed and assembled his first light machine gun and automatic rifle. Sergei Gavrilovich is one of the first Soviet gunsmiths, who developed the design of the machine gun taking into account simplification and reduction in cost of production by introducing stamping and casting for the manufacture of the most critical part of the machine gun - the receiver, which also has an extremely simple configuration. The parts of the moving automation system also did not require complex machining. This rational approach of the designer to the design of a new model, not only from a purely technical, but also a technological side, contributed to the creation of a very simple and, in many respects, promising weapon. However, tests carried out in 1926 revealed insufficient reliability of the weapon's automatic operation, which influenced the future fate of the light machine gun.
The situation was similar with the first model of the 7.62 mm Simonov automatic rifle. Chief's Commission Artillery Directorate The Red Army (GAU) noted the design simplicity of the rifle. However, the designer made a serious miscalculation by making a gas outlet on the side. As a result of the violation of symmetry, the center of gravity of the weapon shifted, which, when firing, caused the bullet to deflect along its trajectory. The issues of assembling and disassembling the rifle were not fully thought out; there was no single-fire translator. The commission's conclusion was clear: the rifle did not even pass the preliminary examination.
Failure did not stop the young designer. With even greater persistence, he began to work on improving his rifle.
In 1931, the fifth version of the automatic rifle (ABC) appeared. It successfully withstood the fight against such strong competitors as the designs of Degtyarev and Tokarev, and passed all field and military tests. In the process of putting ABC into serial production for several years, the designer sent to the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant constantly made improvements to its design. To increase the accuracy of the weapon's engagement (especially when conducting automatic fire), the rifle received an effective muzzle brake, which absorbed part of the recoil energy and stabilized the position of the weapon when firing; new receiver cover; a one-piece stamped back of the butt was made; The barrel lining has been shortened. Instead of a folding needle bayonet, a detachable blade-type bayonet was adopted for the rifle, which could be used in the folded position as a stop during automatic shooting. New sample entered service with the Red Army under the designation “7.62 mm Simonov automatic rifle mod. 1936 (ABC-36).”
The rifle was produced in 1934-1939. Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant. Along with its standard version, a sniper modification of this weapon, equipped with optical sight PE. ABC-36 rifles were used quite widely during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. and in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War.
In 1938, Simonov presented an improved model - SVS-14. The upgraded rifle had higher combat and fairly good performance qualities. But a rather curious incident influenced the fate of this sample. People's Commissar of Defense Industry B.L. Vannikov later recalled: “In 1937-1939. we tested several self-loading rifles, including those presented by designers Tokarev and Simonov. That's when they made a mistake. Simonov created the lightest sample with the best mechanism automatics, but due to the negligence of the designer himself during the manufacture of the experimental rifle, it showed slightly worse results in shooting than Tokarev’s design... Along with other advantages, Simonov’s rifle had smaller dimensions and a smaller cleaver bayonet, which ensured good maneuverability. But it was precisely the small cleaver that the military took up arms against, citing the fact that the Russian rifle, due to the greatest length of the bayonet, always had advantages in close combat. I insisted that the Simonov rifle was better than others, and asked for the opportunity to make new samples for repeated testing. The majority of the commission members did not agree to this and decided to recommend the Tokarev rifle for service...” Thus, victory went to the Tokarev SVT-38 self-loading rifle.
In 1938-1940 Another competition was held aimed at developing a self-loading or automatic carbine chambered for the 7.62 mm rifle cartridge mod. 1908. Tokarev and Simonov also presented their samples.
Sergei Gavrilovich offered the army a choice of three carbines in self-loading versions - SKS-41 with a magazine for 5 rounds, automatic - AKS-20, as well as AKS-22. The main features of these carbines were their thoughtful design, light weight and the presence of a permanent magazine, which later became the main distinguishing features of the weapons of the talented Soviet gunsmith. As a result of lengthy field tests, the most successful were the Simonov system weapons, which met many, but not all, of the requirements of the tactical and technical specifications of the GAU. This manifested itself in the low survivability of weapons, frequent failures at work due to large quantity delays when firing. After the completion of the tests, Artcom GAU did not make any concrete decision on their results, since the main reason for many failures was long known to our gunsmiths - the use of a 7.62-mm rifle-machine-gun cartridge with its outdated rimmed cartridge case in all systems of individual infantry automatic weapons .
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Simonov switched to the creation of light and heavy machine guns. However, luck accompanied the designer in other areas of the arms business. For real finest hour For Sergei Gavrilovich, it was the summer of 1941, when the Soviet armed forces needed, along with an increase in the production of anti-tank artillery, to supply the front with an effective, mobile, easy-to-handle close-combat anti-tank weapon. At that time, only an anti-tank rifle (ATR) could become such a weapon, which had a low mass, high maneuverability on the battlefield and the ability to have good camouflage in relation to the terrain. Gunsmith designers N. Rukavishnikov, V. Degtyarev and S. Simonov are involved in the creation of PTR. Sergei Gavrilovich himself subsequently recalled the design of a 14.5-mm self-loading anti-tank rifle: “There was no time for experiments, because we were given only a month’s time. Therefore, during the design, many well-proven automatic rifle components were used. They only had to be enlarged to a size that allowed the use of 14.5-mm caliber cartridges, the production of which was established by industry. We worked without leaving the workshop, day and night...”
History knows, perhaps, no other examples of such rapid creation of small arms. August 29, 1941 14.5 mm Degtyarev anti-tank rifles (PTRD) and Simonova (PTRS) adopted by the Red Army. In terms of its combat and operational qualities, it is new anti-tank weapon surpassed almost all similar foreign systems, allowing Soviet infantrymen to successfully fight enemy light and medium tanks.
Stalin gave the order to begin production of PTRS at the Tula Machine Gun Plant No. 66. The good technical and economic indicators of this model allowed the arms plant to master its production in a short time. Subsequently, Simonov wrote about this: “There were no misunderstandings in production with PTRS. It went, as they say, right away. True, I had to stand at the machine more than once and show how best to mill and sharpen this or that part.” The urgent need of the troops for these powerful weapons forced the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant No. 622 to organize the production of Simonov rifles. The total production of PTRD and PTRS in 1942 amounted to more than 20,000 units. per month. For the development of an anti-tank rifle, Simonov was awarded the Stalin (State) Prize.
Simonov's anti-tank rifle was highly praised on all fronts. It had such combat qualities as ease of use, trouble-free shooting and high armor penetration. The presence of a five-round magazine and the ability to conduct semi-automatic fire distinguished it favorably from the Degtyarev PTR.
Especially important role anti-tank rifles played a role in the Stalingrad epic, in the battles along the Aksai and Myshkov rivers southwest of Stalingrad. So, on December 15, 1942, during a counterattack by enemy tanks, a platoon of armor-piercing soldiers from the 59th mechanized brigade took up positions. There was thick winter fog. Having placed their anti-tank rifles on the shoulders of the second numbers, the armor-piercers stood and waited for the tanks to appear from behind the fog. This happened at a distance of 250-300 m. A short command was heard. PTRS shots flashed, and immediately enemy vehicles began to flare up one after another. "Behind a short time“,” one of the participants in this battle, A. Alenchenko, later recalled, “we managed to set fire to and knock out 14 tanks, after which the Germans retreated. They did not understand why the tanks were burning, because... in the fog they did not see us. And then the fog cleared, and the Germans went on the attack again, now directly at us... This battle was not easy for us: out of 21 fighters, only three remained alive...”
After Battle of Stalingrad the importance of PTR as a means of fighting tanks began to decrease, although still in battles on Kursk Bulge armor piercers have crowned themselves with glory more than once. Simonov said after the war: “I knew armor-piercing soldiers, junior lieutenant Yablonka and Red Army soldier Serdyukov, who destroyed 22 fascist tanks in one day.” During the war, the list of targets for anti-tank rifles was significantly expanded - along with the destruction of enemy armored personnel carriers, armored cars and tanks, these weapons were successfully used to combat firing points, vehicles and low-flying aircraft. This weapon turned out to be a real find for the Soviet partisans, for whom it was, in fact, the only effective means fighting enemy armored vehicles. With one or two shots, the PTRS could disable a steam locomotive or set fire to a fuel tank.
Along with the Kalashnikov assault rifle, a special place in the history of Soviet automatic weapons, designed to use the 7.62-mm “intermediate” cartridge model 1943, occupied self-loading carbine Simonova - SCS, distinguished by the greatest completeness both in technical and in industrial relations. Created in 1944 on the basis of the AKS-22 carbine model 1941, it absorbed all the best features of its predecessor: lightness, compactness, good combat and operational qualities.
In the same year, a fairly large batch of Simonov self-loading carbines was sent to undergo military tests in part of the 1st Belorussian Front and to the “Vystrel” courses, where they received a positive assessment: the simplicity of the device, lightness, and ease of handling them in a combat situation were noted . Although tests in a real combat situation revealed certain shortcomings of the new weapon, including tight extraction of spent cartridges; sticking cartridges when feeding from the store; insufficiently high reliability of automation operation in difficult conditions. Therefore, Soviet soldiers, unfortunately, did not receive this fairly powerful weapon at the final stage of the war. Full modification and debugging of all components of the carbine was completed after the end of the Great Patriotic War. For service Soviet army it was adopted only in 1949 under the name “7.62-mm self-loading carbine of the Simonov system (SKS).” The designer's merits were awarded the second Stalin (State) Prize of the USSR, and in 1954 Simonov was awarded the high title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
The new weapon quickly took root among the troops, which was greatly facilitated by its good combat and performance qualities, including good combat accuracy. Serial production of Simonov carbines was mastered in 1949 by the Tula Arms Plant, and in 1952 by the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant and continued until 1956. During this time, 2,685,900 Simonov SKS self-loading carbines were manufactured. And only a significant improvement in the combat qualities of the lightweight model of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, which ensured high shooting accuracy at a range of up to 400 m, made it possible to standardize the AK assault rifle as the main individual weapon of the infantryman. The Simonov carbine was withdrawn from production, but not from service. In the Air Force, Navy, Strategic Missile Forces and ground forces it remained until the mid-80s, until it was finally supplanted by the 5.45 mm Kalashnikov AK-74 assault rifle. Now SCS have been preserved in Russian army only armed with honor guard companies. In addition, Simonov’s self-loading carbines were also in service in more than 30 foreign countries. This weapon truly became a masterpiece of the design ideas of Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov.
In the 50-70s. Simonov worked very fruitfully in NII-61 (Klimovsk, Moscow region.), where he created more than 150 samples of small arms, including several dozen different variants of self-loading and automatic carbines created on the basis of the SKS, as well as self-loading rifles, self-loading sniper rifles, submachine guns, light machine guns. These colossal numbers testify to the perseverance and hard work of the talented designer.

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Designer Simonov S.G. Biography and history of his creation of small arms samples

Simonov Sergey Gavrilovich

Biography

First developments

ABC-36: history of creation, general information

PTRS: history of creation, general information

SCS: history of creation, general information

Main characteristics (SKS-45)

Used Books

Simonov Sergey Gavrilovich

Biography

Simonov Sergei Gavrilovich - Soviet designer of small arms. Born on September 22 (October 4), 1894 in the village of Fedotovo, now the Vladimir region, into a peasant family. Russian. Studied in a rural school, 3rd grade. From the age of 16 he worked in a forge. Since 1915, he worked as a mechanic at a small factory, studied and completed technical courses. Since 1917, he worked as a fitter-debugger of automatic weapons at the Kovrov Machine-Gun Plant (now OJSC Plant named after V.A. Degtyarev). He took part in the refinement and debugging of the first Russian machine gun V.G. Fedorov. From 1922 he held the positions of foreman, later senior foreman.

Since 1922 - master, then senior master. Since 1929 - head of the assembly shop, designer, head of the experimental workshop. In 1922-1923 designs a light machine gun and an automatic rifle under the leadership of V.G. Fedorov and V.A. Degtyareva. In 1926, the Simonov automatic rifle (ABC-36) was introduced and in 1936 adopted by the Red Army.

Member of the CPSU(b)/CPSU since 1927

In 1932-1933 - studied at the Industrial Academy

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Simonov and the enterprise were evacuated to Saratov. He paid great attention to the creation of light and heavy machine guns, but did not stop developing other weapons.

In 1941, he developed a 14.5-mm anti-tank self-loading rifle (PTRS), which was successfully used in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

In 1944, the Simonov self-loading carbine was adopted by the Red Army. It was produced under license in many countries: China, Yugoslavia, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, etc. It was in service in 20 countries.

In the 50-70s S.G. Simonov worked at NII-61 (now the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering TsNIITOCHMASH) (the city of Klimovsk, Moscow region), where he created more than 150 samples of small arms, including several dozen different versions of self-loading and automatic carbines created on the basis of SKS, as well as self-loading rifles, self-loading sniper rifles, submachine guns, light machine guns. For the creation of new types of weapons, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1954, Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal. The outstanding designer was not a brawler, he always said that you just need to work hard and be completely dedicated to your work. He was one of the first Soviet gunsmiths who developed the design of weapons taking into account simplification and reduction in production costs by introducing stamping and casting for the manufacture of the most critical parts. He also developed a scheme that made it possible to reduce the size of submachine guns. On this basis, the following were created: Ultrasound, Ingram, Bereta.

The structural basis of the Kalashnikov assault rifle is also the work of S.G. Simonova. The Museum of the Armed Forces displays more than 200 samples and modifications of his weapons. He paid great attention to the introduction of new models into production and the education of competent and responsible specialists. He charged everyone with his energy and dedication to his work. Could work around the clock. Was happy father. He raised and raised eight children. Laureate of the Stalin Prize, 1st degree (1942) and 2nd degree (1949), Honored Inventor of the RSFSR (1964), was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR. Awarded three Orders of Lenin, Orders of the October Revolution, Kutuzov 2nd degree, Patriotic War 1st degree, Red Star, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, and medals. Died May 6, 1986. He was buried in Moscow at the Kuntsevo cemetery. In the center of Podolsk in the presence of S.G. Simonov a monument was unveiled to him. The name of the designer is immortalized on a stele for gunsmith designers on the territory of the Degtyarev plant in the city of Kovrov.

Rice. 1. S.G. Simonov against the backdrop of his weapons collection at NII-61. Klimovsk, 1953

First inventions

Simonov began his independent inventive activity in 1922-1923, when he designed and assembled his first light machine gun and automatic rifle. Sergei Gavrilovich is one of the first Soviet gunsmiths who developed the design of a machine gun, taking into account simplification and reduction in production costs by introducing stamping and casting for the manufacture of the most critical part of the machine gun - the receiver, which also has an extremely simple configuration. The parts of the moving automation system also did not require complex machining.

This rational approach of the designer to the design of a new model, not only from a purely technical, but also a technological side, contributed to the creation of a very simple and, in many respects, promising weapon. However, tests carried out in 1926 revealed insufficient reliability of the weapon's automatic operation, which influenced the future fate of the light machine gun. The situation was similar with the first model of the 7.62 mm Simonov automatic rifle. The commission of the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army (GAU) noted the design simplicity of the rifle. However, the designer made a serious miscalculation by making a gas outlet on the side. As a result of the violation of symmetry, the center of gravity of the weapon shifted, which, when firing, caused the bullet to deflect along its trajectory. The issues of assembling and disassembling the rifle were not fully thought out; there was no single-fire translator. The commission's conclusion was clear: the rifle did not even pass the preliminary examination. Failure did not stop the young designer. With even greater persistence, he began to work on improving his rifle.

Rice. 2. 7.62 mm automatic rifle of the Simonov system, prototype 1931

Simonov automatic rifle (AVS)

History of creation

In 1931, the fifth version of the automatic rifle (ABC) appeared. It successfully withstood the fight against such strong competitors as the designs of Degtyarev and Tokarev, and passed all field and military tests. In the process of putting ABC into serial production for several years, the designer sent to the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant constantly made improvements to its design. To increase the accuracy of the weapon's engagement (especially when conducting automatic fire), the rifle received an effective muzzle brake, which absorbed part of the recoil energy and stabilized the position of the weapon when firing; new receiver cover; a one-piece stamped back of the butt was made; The barrel lining has been shortened. Instead of a folding needle bayonet, a detachable blade-type bayonet was adopted for the rifle, which could be used in the folded position as a stop during automatic shooting. The new model entered service with the Red Army under the designation 7.62-mm Simonov automatic rifle mod. 1936 (ABC-36).

The rifle was produced in 1934-1939. Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant. Along with its standard version, a sniper modification of this weapon, equipped with a PE optical sight, was also produced in very small quantities. ABC-36 rifles were used quite widely during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. and in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War.

In 1938, Simonov presented an improved model - SBC-14. The upgraded rifle had higher combat and fairly good performance qualities. But a rather curious incident influenced the fate of this sample. People's Commissar of Defense Industry B.L. Vannikov later recalled: “In 1937-1939, we tested several self-loading rifles, including those presented by the designers Tokarev and Simonov. That’s when we made a mistake. Simonov created the lightest model with the best automatic mechanism, but due to the negligence of the designer himself, during the production of an experimental rifle, it showed slightly worse results in shooting than Tokarev's design... Along with other advantages, Simonov's rifle had smaller dimensions and a smaller cleaver bayonet, which ensured good maneuverability.But it was precisely the small cleaver that the military took up arms against, citing that the Russian rifle, due to the greatest length of the bayonet, always had advantages in close combat. I insisted that the Simonov rifle was better than others, and asked for the opportunity to make new samples for repeated testing. The majority of the commission members did not agree to this and decided recommend the Tokarev rifle for service..." Thus, victory went to the Tokarev SVT-38 self-loading rifle.

Rice. 3. Bayonet for ABC

General information

The Simonov automatic rifle was put into service in 1936 under the name “7.62-mm automatic rifle of the Simonov system model 1936 (ABC-36).”

The rifle's automatic operation operates using the energy of powder gases removed from the barrel.

The barrel bore is locked by a wedge moving in a vertical plane. The wedge is lowered by the cocking clutch, and raised by the bolt stem.

The impact-type trigger mechanism allows for both single and continuous fire.

The flag-type fire mode selector is located at the rear of the trigger guard.

The magazine is replaceable box-type with a double-row arrangement of 15 rounds in a checkerboard pattern. The magazine can be loaded either individually with the magazine removed, or from a clip without storing the magazine.

Sighting devices open type consist of a front sight and a sector sight, allowing targeted fire at a range of up to 1500 m.

The rifle has a special bracket for installing an optical sight, which is mounted on the left wall of the box in a longitudinal groove. The safety locks only the trigger. The stock is made of wood with a pistol neck. For hand-to-hand combat the rifle is equipped with a blade-type bayonet, which, during automatic fire, rotated 90°, can serve as a support.

Rice. 4. 7.62 mm Simonov automatic rifle mod. 1936 (ABC-36)

Rice. 5. 7.62-mm sniper self-loading rifle Simonov SVS-14

Main characteristics (ABC-36)

without bayonet, optical sight and magazine
with bayonet, optical sight and magazine
with a bayonet
without bayonet
Initial bullet speed
Magazine capacity	15 rounds
Rate of fire:
single shots	25 shots/min
in short bursts	40 shots/min
Sighting range

Rice. 6. ABC of different types

Anti-tank self-loading rifle (PTRS)

History of creation

The truly finest hour for Sergei Gavrilovich was the summer of 1941, when the Soviet armed forces needed, along with an increase in the production of anti-tank artillery, to supply the front with an effective, mobile, easy-to-handle close-combat anti-tank weapon. At that time, only an anti-tank rifle (ATR) could become such a weapon, which had a low mass, high maneuverability on the battlefield and the ability to have good camouflage in relation to the terrain.

Gunsmith designers N. Rukavishnikov, V. Degtyarev and S. Simonov are involved in the creation of PTR. Sergei Gavrilovich himself subsequently recalled the design of a 14.5-mm self-loading anti-tank rifle: “There was no time for experiments, because we were given only a month’s time. Therefore, during the design, many well-proven automatic rifle components were used. They only had to be enlarged to size , which made it possible to use 14.5 mm caliber cartridges, the production of which was established by industry. We worked without leaving the workshop, day and night:

“History, perhaps, knows no other examples of such rapid creation of small arms models. On August 29, 1941, the 14.5-mm anti-tank rifles of Degtyarev (PTRD) and Simonov (PTRS) were adopted by the Red Army. In terms of their combat and operational qualities, they were new anti-tank weapons were superior to almost all similar foreign systems, allowing Soviet infantrymen to successfully fight enemy light and medium tanks.

Stalin gave the order to begin production of PTRS at the Tula Machine Gun Plant No. 66. The good technical and economic indicators of this model allowed the arms factory to master its production in a short time. Subsequently, Simonov wrote about this: “There were no misunderstandings in the production with PTRS. It went, as they say, right away. True, I had to stand at the machine more than once and show how best to mill and sharpen this or that part.” The urgent need of the troops for this powerful weapon forced the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant No. 622 to organize the production of Simonov's rifles. The total production of PTRD and PTRS in 1942 amounted to more than 20,000 units. per month. For the development of an anti-tank rifle, Simonov was awarded the Stalin (State) Prize.

Simonov's anti-tank rifle was highly praised on all fronts. It had such combat qualities as ease of use, trouble-free shooting and high armor penetration. The presence of a five-round magazine and the ability to conduct semi-automatic fire distinguished it favorably from the Degtyarev PTR. Anti-tank rifles played a particularly important role in the Stalingrad epic, in the battles along the Aksai and Myshkov rivers southwest of Stalingrad. So, on December 15, 1942, during a counterattack by enemy tanks, a platoon of armor-piercing soldiers from the 59th mechanized brigade took up positions. There was thick winter fog. Having placed their anti-tank rifles on the shoulders of the second numbers, the armor-piercers stood and waited for the tanks to appear from behind the fog. This happened at a distance of 250-300 m. A short command was heard. PTRS shots flashed, and immediately enemy vehicles began to flare up one after another. “In a short time,” one of the participants in this battle, A. Alenchenko, later recalled, “we managed to set fire and knock out 14 tanks, after which the Germans retreated. They did not understand why the tanks were burning, because in the fog they did not see us. And then the fog cleared, and the Germans went on the attack again, now directly at us: This battle was not easy for us: out of 21 soldiers, only three remained alive...” After the Battle of Stalingrad, the importance of anti-tank rifles as a means of fighting tanks began to decrease, although Even in the battles on the Kursk Bulge, armor-piercing soldiers crowned themselves with glory more than once. Simonov said after the war: “I knew armor-piercing officers, junior lieutenant Yablonka and Red Army soldier Serdyukov, who destroyed 22 fascist tanks in one day.” During the war, the list of targets for anti-tank rifles was significantly expanded - along with the destruction of armored personnel carriers, armored cars and enemy tanks, these weapons were successfully used to combat firing points, vehicles and low-flying aircraft. This weapon turned out to be a real find for the Soviet partisans, for whom it was, in fact, the only effective means of fighting enemy armored vehicles. With one or two shots, the PTRS could disable a steam locomotive or set fire to a fuel tank.

Rice. 6. 14.5 mm Simonov PTRS anti-tank self-loading rifle mod. 1941

General information

The PTRS automation operates on the principle of removing part of the powder gases from the barrel. There is a gas regulator with three positions for dosing gases discharged to the piston depending on operating conditions. Locking is carried out by skewing the bolt frame in a vertical plane. The trigger mechanism provides fire only in single shots. When the cartridges are used up, the bolt stops in the open position. Flag fuse.

The barrel has eight right-hand rifling and is equipped muzzle brake. A shock absorber (cushion) is installed on the butt plate.

The magazine is integral, with a hinged bottom cover and a lever feeder. Loading was carried out from below, with a metal pack with five cartridges arranged in a checkerboard pattern. The gun came with six packs.

The sight is open, sector type, at a distance from 100 to 1500 m.

The PTRS is heavier and structurally more complex than the PTRD, but the rate of fire is 5 rounds per minute. The PTRS served a crew of two people. In battle, the gun could carry one crew number or both together (carrying handles were attached to the barrel and butt). In the stowed position, the gun was disassembled into two parts - the barrel with a bipod and the receiver with the butt - and carried by two crew numbers.

Main characteristics (PTRS-41)

Caliber, mm 14.5

Weight (without cartridges), kg 22.0

Length, mm 2108

Barrel length, mm 1219

Chuck 14.5 x 114 mm

Rate of fire, rounds/min. 15

Muzzle velocity, m/s 1020

Sighting range, m 1500 (800 - effective)

Magazine capacity, cartridges 5

Bullet weight, g 64

Muzzle energy of a bullet, kGm 3320

Rice. 7. 14.5x114 cartridges in a pack (clip) for the Simonov PTRS anti-tank rifle

Rice. 8. PTRS-41

Simonov self-loading carbine (SKS)

History of creation

Along with the Kalashnikov assault rifle, a special place in the history of Soviet automatic weapons, designed to use the 7.62-mm “intermediate” cartridge mod. 1943, was occupied by the Simonov self-loading carbine - SKS, which was distinguished by the greatest completeness both in technical and production terms. Created in 1944 on the basis of the AKS-22 carbine mod. 1941, it absorbed all the best features of its predecessor: lightness, compactness, good combat and operational qualities.

In the same year, a fairly large batch of Simonov self-loading carbines was sent to undergo military tests in part of the 1st Belorussian Front and to the “Vystrel” courses, where they received a positive assessment: the simplicity of the device, lightness, and ease of handling in a combat situation were noted . Although tests in a real combat situation revealed certain shortcomings of the new weapon, including tight extraction of spent cartridges; sticking cartridges when feeding from the store; insufficiently high reliability of automation operation in difficult conditions. Therefore, Soviet soldiers, unfortunately, did not receive this fairly powerful weapon at the final stage of the war. Full modification and debugging of all components of the carbine was completed after the end of the Great Patriotic War.

It was adopted into service by the Soviet Army only in 1949 under the name “7.62 mm self-loading carbine of the Simonov system (SKS).” The designer's merits were awarded the second Stalin (State) Prize of the USSR, and in 1954 Simonov was awarded the high title of Hero of Socialist Labor. The new weapon quickly took root among the troops, which was greatly facilitated by its good combat and performance qualities, including good combat accuracy. Serial production of Simonov carbines was mastered in 1949 by the Tula Arms Plant, and in 1952 by the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant and continued until 1956. During this time, 2,685,900 Simonov SKS self-loading carbines were manufactured. And only a significant improvement in the combat qualities of the lightweight model of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, which ensured high shooting accuracy at a range of up to 400 m, made it possible to standardize the AK assault rifle as the main individual weapon of the infantryman.

The Simonov carbine was withdrawn from production, but not from service. It remained in the Air Force, Navy, Strategic Missile Forces and ground forces until the mid-80s, until it was finally replaced by the 5.45 mm Kalashnikov AK-74 assault rifle. Now SKS have been preserved in the Russian army only in service with honor guard companies. In addition, Simonov’s self-loading carbines were also in service in more than 30 foreign countries. This weapon truly became a masterpiece of the design ideas of Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov.

Rice. 9. Simonov self-loading carbine (SKS-45)

General information

The carbine's automatic operation works by removing part of the powder gases through a hole in the side wall of the barrel. The shutter is longitudinally sliding.

The barrel bore is locked by tilting the bolt downwards.

The hammer-type trigger mechanism, which allows only single fire, is assembled in a separate housing.

Non-detachable box-type magazine for 10 rounds, arranged in a checkerboard pattern. The magazine is loaded from a clip.

The sights are open type and consist of a front sight and a sector sight with a firing range of up to 1000 m.

The flag-type safety is located at the rear of the trigger guard.

The stock is solid wood with a “pistol” projection of the neck. The carbine is equipped with an integral knife-type bayonet.

The carbine kit includes: accessories (cleaning rod, cleaning rod, brush, drift, pencil case and oil can), belt, cartridge bags and clips

Reloading of the SKS after the next shot is carried out automatically, for which the energy of the powder gases removed from the barrel is used. The barrel bore is locked by tilting the bolt downwards.

Rice. 10. 7.62-mm Simonov SKS self-loading carbine in sniper version

Rice. 11. SKS in analysis

Main characteristics

with empty magazine
with loaded magazine
with a bayonet
without bayonet
Sighting range
Rate of fire	35--40 shots/min
Muzzle Energy
Initial bullet speed
Magazine capacity	10 rounds

Simonov automatic anti-tank weapon

SKS of different types

Simonov's experimental weapons

Simonov headed design bureaus at defense industry enterprises and only retired in 1959. But even then he did not stop working on new types of weapons. Evidence of the high appreciation of his merits is the title of Hero of Socialist Labor and twice laureate of the Stalin Prize, the awarding of eight orders and several medals. Over the years creative activity Simonov designed one and a half hundred different systems, but for a number of reasons only three became famous: the ABC-36 automatic rifle, the PTRS anti-tank rifle and the SKS self-loading carbine, which became the service weapon of our army. What about the rest of the designs? What were they like? Let's try to answer this question, especially since the prototypes did not disappear without a trace, as often happened, but are stored in the collection of the Central Museum of the Armed Forces in Moscow. Simonov himself contributed a lot to this, bequeathing his experimental weapons to the museum in 1960-1981. who transferred 155 “trunks” here. With a few exceptions, these are automatic systems, among which submachine guns and machine guns occupy a significant place.

1) Sergei Gavrilovich developed his first submachine gun in 1945-1946. It seemed that during the Second World War, all conceivable improvements were made to the design of such weapons. However, Simonov found new, original solutions in the design of individual components and elements, so that the initial version of the PPS-6P model of 1946 had undeniable advantages over the Shpagin and Sudaev submachine guns that were in service. Its automation remained traditional for such systems and was based on the recoil of the free shutter, but the moving parts were much better protected from contamination. In particular, the bolt and receiver were protected from dust and moisture by a thin-walled stamped cover, which remained motionless during firing.

On all production submachine guns spent cartridges were thrown up and to the side through a window in the receiver and prevented the shooter from sighting the target, Simonov directed the extraction of cartridges downward, the PPS-6P model of 1946 had a permanent sight at 200 m, consisting of a front sight and rear sight, and a carbine-type stock; The ammunition was 7.62 mm pistol cartridges of the 1930 model.

Rice. 12. PPS-6P submachine gun mod. 1946

Caliber - 7.62 mm, total length - 798 mm, weight without cartridges - 3.27 kg, rate of fire - 700 rounds per minute, magazine capacity - 35 rounds

2) In 1949, the designer redesigned this weapon for 9-mm PM pistol cartridges and reduced its size by using a retractable metal stock. The new sample received the PPS-8P brand of 1949. In the same year, on instructions from the NKVD, Simonov began working on the first Soviet compact submachine gun. Taking the PPS-8P as a basis, to further reduce the dimensions, he used the bolt to roll out onto the barrel at the moment of firing. (It was only in 1954 that a similar solution was embodied in the Israeli Uzi, so its author Uziel Gal was far from the first).

A feature of the new weapon was a low rate of fire, which was achieved by a relatively large mass of moving parts, a long automatic stroke and a bolt rollout. The impact mechanism was of the classic type - striker-fired, the sight was reversible, designed for aimed fire at distances of 50 and 100 m, the safety lock fixed the bolt in the cocked position. The submachine gun turned out to be small, 600 mm long with the shoulder rest folded down and 380 mm with the shoulder rest folded, and weighed 1.88 kg without cartridges. PPS-10P arr. The 1950 was manufactured in 1950, but, unfortunately, it did not withstand the entire test cycle. In addition, due to the lack of a muzzle brake-compensator, the accuracy of fire was low, and the strength of some parts was insufficient. It took two decades to evaluate Simonov's achievements - only in 1970 did the USSR resume the design of small-sized submachine guns. Moreover, history repeated itself: the samples presented by N.M. Afanasyev and E.F. Dragunov, did not satisfy the military sighting range shooting. And only in 1993 did mass production of the Kedar, which was very similar to the PPS-10P, begin.

Rice. 13. Submachine gun PPS-10P mod. 1950

Caliber - 9 mm, total length - 600 mm, length with folded butt - 380 mm, weight without cartridges - 1.88 kg, rate of fire - 700 rounds per minute, magazine capacity - 30 rounds.

3) At the same time, Sergei Gavrilovich was engaged in machine guns - as the combat experience of the Second World War showed, the most successful and promising light small arms. Your own AS-13P mod. 1949, he designed in 1948. To operate the automation, the energy of the powder gases was used, partially vented through the side hole in the barrel; to lock the cartridge - a bolt misalignment well worked out by the author; to slow down the rate of fire - a long stroke of the piston rod. To shorten the length of the receiver, the designer placed a recoil spring in the butt.

From AS-18P mod. 1948, it was possible to fire bursts and single shots. There was a safety lock that locked the trigger mechanism. Significant number parts were made using a high-tech cold stamping method. Although the weapon turned out to be quite suitable for use, it was overweight - without ammunition it weighed 4.31 kg. Simonov tried to lighten it by abandoning the dust-proof cover of the receiver window, remaking the reloading handle, changing the safety and the fire mode selector. New AS-18P mod. 1949 “lost weight” by half a kilogram and became more comfortable.

Rice. 14. Automatic AS-18P mod. 1949

Caliber - 7.62 mm, total length - 860 mm, weight without cartridges and magazine - 3.8 kg, magazine capacity - 30 rounds

4) At the same time, the gunsmith tried a different principle for actuating moving parts. Back in 1948, he created the AS-19P with a semi-free (self-opening) bolt, slowed down by friction, which also ensured slow extraction of cartridges. Otherwise, the design was very similar to the AS-13P and AS-18P.

Rice. 15. Automatic AS-19P mod. 1948

Caliber - 7.62 mm, total length - 852 mm, weight without cartridges and magazine - 3.2 kg, magazine capacity - 30 rounds.

5) The last in the series of machines of 1948-1949. became AS-21P arr. 1949, structurally similar to the AS-18P. In it, the functions of the butt were performed by a receiver riveted from thin corrugated metal sheets. The folding sights, which were reminiscent of the German FG-42 parachute rifle on all Simonov assault rifles, received a more convenient retractable rear sight. The bayonet was intended for hand-to-hand combat. At the request of the customer, who paid special attention to the ease of use of the weapon, Sergei Gavrilovich placed all the accessories for cleaning it in the pistol grip. In 1949, the AK-47 designed by M.T. was adopted for service. Kalashnikov, but the improvement of such systems continued. In addition, the use of Kalashnikov by the troops revealed a number of shortcomings. While the author sought to eliminate them, other gunsmiths were busy creating new models. Simonov, who had accumulated considerable experience in the design of automatic machines, also joined them.

In 1955-1956 he offered 6 models. The operation of their automation was based on the removal of powder gases through a hole in the barrel - a scheme recognized as optimal. The cartridges on all models were locked by tilting the bolt, as on the universally recognized SKS carbine. In this experimental series, Simonov finally abandoned sighting devices with a folding front sight and a retractable rear sight, moving on to the classic - a sector sight with a cylindrical front sight protected by a ring-shaped steel front sight. His AS-95P and AS-96P arr. 1955, came out as lightweight as possible. This was achieved by reducing the receiver and wooden parts.

What was original in both designs was the gas piston, made in steps to reduce the speed of movement of the moving parts, and the trigger mechanism, made in a removable block. Tests revealed the pros and cons of new products; Thus, the rigidity and strength of individual parts turned out to be insufficient, and the recoil, due to the low mass, was excessive. At the same time, experts noted the simplicity of the machine’s design and its unification with the SCS.

Rice. 16. Automatic AS-95P mod. 1955

Caliber - 7.62 mm, total length - 890 mm, length with folded butt - 700 mm, weight without cartridges and magazine - 2.59 kg (96P - 2.85 kg), magazine capacity - 30 rounds

6) The most successful were the AS-106P mod. 1955 and AS-107P mod. 1956. Their firing mechanism was a trigger mechanism. To forcefully unload the receiver cover and slow down the rate of fire, Simonov used a long stroke of the piston rod and placed the return mechanism in front of the bolt frame in the receiver, securing the spring stop located on the piston rod by rotating the sector. The frame with the return mechanism was fixed using a detachable handle. The rod tube was attached to the gas chamber with a pin. To reduce the size of the weapon in the stowed position, one of the machine guns was equipped with a sliding metal butt.

Rice. 17. Automatic AS-106P mod. 1955

Caliber - 7.62 mm, total length - 890 mm, weight without cartridges - 3.5 kg, magazine capacity - 30 rounds

7) In 1962, a new “automatic period” began for Simonov. Then it finally became clear that the “Kalashnikov” became the standard for such weapons; the technology for making it was debugged “one hundred percent” and breaking it, even to produce a more advanced model, was considered inappropriate. Therefore, Simonov’s experimental products of the AO-31 series were similar to the AK-47 and AKM; all had similar rotating bolts and fuses designed solely to prevent accidental shots, and signal flag translators located near the trigger served to change the fire mode.

However, Simonov's assault rifles had a number of characteristic features, preventing them from being confused with other systems. Thus, the AO-31 assault rifle with serial number 3, manufactured and tested in 1962, had a gas chamber on the muzzle of the barrel, which simultaneously served as a compensator brake, front sight body and flame arrester. To lengthen the aiming line, the sight was mounted on the receiver cover. However, the AO-31 did not show any tangible advantages over the Kalashnikov, and its performance and reliability turned out to be even lower than that of the serial AK. Of course, Sergei Gavrilovich was upset by this, but did not give up. He tended to look for new things largely empirically, repeatedly remaking and improving components and parts. That's what he did this time too. Introduced in 1964, the AO-31-6 again had a conventional gas chamber and a long-stroke piston; the bolt had an improved device with a roller on the leading lug to reduce friction when unlocking. Simonov considered installing the sight on the receiver cover to be irrational and returned it to the fore-end ring. The AO-31-6 assault rifle received a wooden stock, folding in the stowed position and attached to the right side of the receiver. This made it possible to use the machine gun in all branches of the military. Only two decades later did a similar stock find a place on the Kalashnikov AK-74M.

Rice. 18. Automatic AO-31-6

Caliber - 7.62 mm, total length - 895 mm, length with folded butt - 660 mm, weight without cartridges and magazine - 2.51 kg, magazine capacity - 30 rounds.

8) In the 60s, Simonov was one of the first in the country to begin experimenting with new promising types of ammunition: 5.45 mm low-pulse and 7.62 mm caseless cartridges. In 1963, the designer proposed the AO-31-5 small-caliber assault rifle. With the exception of the barrel, it did not differ from other samples of this series. Although testing at the test site confirmed the viability of such a weapon, it took another 10 years before it became established in the weapon system of the Soviet Army.

Rice. 19. Automatic AO-31-5

Caliber - 5.45 mm, total length - 910 mm, weight without cartridges - 2.57 kg, magazine capacity - 30 rounds

9) The experimental caseless AO-31-7 produced in 1965 turned out to be forgotten. Technically, it was designed like the entire AO series, but did not have an ejector and a reflector. They tested the possibility of firing ammunition in which powder charge was pressed with a capsule. The AO-31-7 assault rifle was not intended to fire single shots; the main thing was to get the weapon and unusual ammunition to operate in automatic mode, but this was prevented by clearly “raw” cartridges. It’s a pity, of course, because caseless ammunition promised considerable benefits. For example, due to the lighter weight and dimensions, it was possible to fit more ammunition into the magazine. And again about priority: Simonov’s assault rifle anticipated the appearance of similar weapons in other countries, in particular in Germany, by 30 years.

10) B last years Sergei Gavrilovich continued to work on small-caliber machine guns chambered for the 5.45 mm cartridge. In particular, in 1975 he created AG-042 and AG-043, which were distinguished by their small size and weight. To activate the automation, the designer used the classic removal of powder gases for such weapons through a hole in the barrel, but due to its short length - only 215 mm - this was done through the muzzle. Gas chamber at the same time served as the base of the front sight.

To reduce recoil, a muzzle brake-compensator with a flame arrester was screwed onto the barrel. As with previous samples, the gunsmith took care of safety - two fuses protected the soldier from premature and unintentional shots. One in the receiver prevented the bolt from cocking, and the second in the trigger mechanism prevented the shot from being fired due to accidental pressing of the trigger. He also served as a fire mode translator. The cartridges were placed in standard 30-round Kalashnikov assault rifle magazines.

Simonov's weapons were distinguished by the fact that they were easily disassembled and very technologically advanced due to wide application cold stamping in the manufacture of parts. Based on the specifics different kinds troops, it was equipped with wooden or metal butts; the latter, in the retracted position, noticeably reduced the length of machine guns and submachine guns. Tests of AG-042 and AG-043 took place in competition with the Kalashnikov shortened AKS-74U. They did not show any significant advantages in terms of rate of fire and ballistics and therefore were not adopted for service. The authority of M.T. also had an effect. Kalashnikov, who by that time had already become twice a Hero of Socialist Labor. The AG-042 and AG-043 assault rifles became the last Simonov exhibits: Sergei Gavrilovich donated them to the museum in 1979.

Rice. 21. Small-sized machine gun AG-043

Caliber - 5.45 mm, total length - 680 mm, length with folded butt - 420 mm, weight without cartridges - 2.1 kg, magazine capacity - 30 rounds

Used Books

1. Zhuk A.B. “Encyclopedia of Small Arms” - M.: “Voenizdat”, 1998

2. A.I. Blagovestov. “What they shoot from in the CIS: Directory of small arms” / Under the general. ed. A.E. Tarasa - Minsk, “Harvest”, 2000.

3. Markevich V.E. "Hand Firearms"

4. “Weapons of Victory 1941-1945” / Under the general. ed. V.N. Novikova - M.: Mechanical Engineering, 1985

5. Bolotin D.N. “Soviet small arms for 50 years” L., 1967

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The history of the creation of the Kalashnikov assault rifle as an individual weapon. Purpose and combat properties. The design and principle of operation of automation. Parts and mechanisms of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. Kalashnikov assault rifle as a type of infantry automatic weapon.

Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov (1894-1986) is deservedly considered one of the patriarchs. His life was typical of the talented nuggets who came to the Soviet defense industry in the 20-30s. Born into a peasant family, he graduated from three classes of a rural school, at the age of 16 he became a blacksmith's apprentice, then a factory mechanic, and in 1917 he began working as an adjuster for machine guns of the V.G. Fedorov system at the Kovrov machine-gun plant, where he was soon appointed a foreman. In 1922, Sergei Gavrilovich had already begun creating light machine gun and an automatic rifle of our own design. After 7 years, he became the head of the plant’s assembly shop, then the experimental workshops, in 1932-1933. completes his education at the Industrial Academy, and after 3 years his automatic rifle is adopted.

After that, Simonov headed design bureaus at defense industry enterprises and only retired in 1959. But even then he did not stop working on new types of weapons. Evidence of the high appreciation of his merits is the title of Hero of Socialist Labor and twice laureate of the Stalin Prize, the awarding of eight orders and several medals. Over many years of creative activity, Simonov designed one and a half hundred different systems, but for a number of reasons only three became famous: the ABC-36 automatic rifle, the PTRS anti-tank rifle and the SKS self-loading carbine, which became the service weapon of our army.

What about the rest of the designs? What were they like? Let's try to answer this question, especially since the prototypes did not disappear without a trace, as often happened, but are stored in the collection of the Central Museum of the Armed Forces in Moscow. Simonov himself contributed a lot to this, bequeathing his experimental weapons to the museum in 1960-1981. who transferred 155 “trunks” here. With a few exceptions, these are automatic systems, among which submachine guns and machine guns occupy a significant place.

Sergei Gavrilovich developed his first submachine gun in 1945-1946. It seemed that during the Second World War, all conceivable improvements were made to the design of such weapons. Nevertheless, Simonov found new, original solutions in the design of individual components and elements, so that the initial version of the PPS-6P of the 1946 model had undeniable advantages over the Shpagin and Sudaev submachine guns that were in service. Its automation remained traditional for such systems and was based on the recoil of the free shutter, but the moving parts were much better protected from contamination. In particular, the bolt and receiver were protected from dust and moisture by a thin-walled stamped cover, which remained motionless during firing. On all production submachine guns, spent cartridges were thrown up and to the side through a window in the receiver and prevented the shooter from sighting the target. Simonov directed the extraction of cartridges downwards, the PPS-6P of the 1946 model had a constant sight at 200 m, consisting of a front sight and rear sight, a stock carbine type; The ammunition was 7.62 mm pistol cartridges of the 1930 model.

Submachine gun PPS-6P mod. 1946.
caliber - 7.62 mm
total length - 798 mm
weight without cartridges - 3.27 kg

magazine capacity - 35 rounds

In 1949, the designer redesigned this weapon for 9-mm PM pistol cartridges and reduced its size by using a retractable metal stock. The new sample received the PPS-8P brand of 1949. In the same year, on instructions from the NKVD, Simonov began working on the first Soviet compact submachine gun. Taking the PPS-8P as a basis, to further reduce the dimensions, he used the bolt to roll out onto the barrel at the moment of firing. (It was only in 1954 that a similar solution was embodied in the Israeli Uzi, so its author Uziel Gal was far from the first.) A feature of the new weapon was a low rate of fire, which was achieved by a relatively large mass of moving parts, a long automatic stroke and a roll-out bolt. The impact mechanism was of the classic type - striker-fired, the sight was reversible, designed for aimed fire at distances of 50 and 100 m, the safety lock fixed the bolt in the cocked position. The submachine gun turned out to be small, 600 mm long with the shoulder rest folded down and 380 mm with the shoulder rest folded, and weighed 1.88 kg without cartridges.

PPS-10P arr. 1950. It was manufactured in 1950, but unfortunately it did not withstand the entire test cycle. In addition, due to the lack of a muzzle brake-compensator, the accuracy of fire was low, and the strength of some parts was insufficient. It took two decades to evaluate Simonov's achievements - only in 1970 did the USSR resume the design of small-sized submachine guns. Moreover, it was repeated: the samples presented by N.M. Afanasyev and E.F. Dragunov did not satisfy the military in terms of effective firing range. And only in 1993 did mass production of the Kedar, which was very similar to the PPS-10P, begin.

Submachine gun PPS-10P mod. 1950.
caliber - 9 mm
total length - 600 mm
length with stock folded - 380 mm
weight without cartridges - 1.88 kg

rate of fire - 700 rounds per minute
.

At the same time, Sergei Gavrilovich was engaged in machine guns - as the combat experience of the Second World War showed, the most successful and promising light small arms. Your own AS-13P mod. 1949, he designed in 1948. To operate the automation, the energy of the powder gases was used, partially vented through the side hole in the barrel; to lock the cartridge - a bolt misalignment well worked out by the author; to slow down the rate of fire - a long stroke of the piston rod. To shorten the length of the receiver, the designer placed a recoil spring in the butt. From AS-18P mod. 1948, it was possible to fire bursts and single shots. There was a safety lock that locked the trigger mechanism. A significant number of parts were made using the high-tech cold stamping method. Although the weapon turned out to be quite suitable for use, it was overweight - without ammunition it weighed 4.31 kg. Simonov tried to lighten it by abandoning the dust-proof cover of the receiver window, remaking the reloading handle, changing the safety and the fire mode selector. New AS-18P mod. 1949 “lost weight” by half a kilogram and became more comfortable.

Automatic AS-18P arr. 1949.
caliber - 7.62 mm
total length - 860 mm
weight without cartridges and magazine - 3.8 kg
Magazine capacity - 30 rounds

At the same time, the gunsmith tried a different principle for actuating moving parts. Back in 1948, he created the AS-19P with a semi-free (self-opening) bolt, slowed down by friction, which also ensured slow extraction of cartridges. Otherwise, the design was very similar to the AS-13P and AS-18P.

Automatic AS-19P mod. 1948.
caliber - 7.62 mm
total length - 852 mm
weight without cartridges and magazine - 3.2 kg

The last in a series of machines from 1948-1949. became AS-21P arr. 1949, structurally similar to the AS-18P. In it, the functions of the butt were performed by a receiver riveted from thin corrugated metal sheets. The folding sights, which were reminiscent of the German FG-42 parachute rifle on all Simonov assault rifles, received a more convenient retractable rear sight. The bayonet was intended for hand-to-hand combat. At the request of the customer, who paid special attention to the ease of use of the weapon, Sergei Gavrilovich placed all the accessories for cleaning it in the pistol grip.

In 1949, the AK-47 designed by M.T. Kalashnikov was adopted, but the improvement of such systems continued. In addition, the use of Kalashnikov by the troops revealed a number of shortcomings. While the author sought to eliminate them, other gunsmiths were busy creating new models. Simonov, who had accumulated considerable experience in the design of automatic machines, also joined them. In 1955-1956 he offered 6 models. The operation of their automation was based on the removal of powder gases through a hole in the barrel - a scheme recognized as optimal. The cartridges on all models were locked by tilting the bolt, as on the universally recognized SKS carbine. In this experimental series, Simonov finally abandoned sighting devices with a folding front sight and a retractable rear sight, moving on to the classic - a sector sight with a cylindrical front sight, protected by a ring-shaped steel front sight. His AS-95P and AS-96P arr. 1955, came out as lightweight as possible. This was achieved by reducing the receiver and wooden parts. What was original in both designs was the gas piston, made in steps to reduce the speed of movement of the moving parts, and the trigger mechanism, made in a removable block. Tests revealed the pros and cons of new products; Thus, the rigidity and strength of individual parts turned out to be insufficient, and the recoil, due to the low mass, was excessive. At the same time, experts noted the simplicity of the machine’s design and its unification with the SCS.

Automatic AS-95P arr. 1955.
caliber - 7.62 mm
total length - 890 mm
length with folded stock - 700 mm
weight without cartridges and magazine - 2.59 kg (96P - 2.85 kg)
Magazine capacity - 30 rounds

The most successful were the AS-106P mod. 1955 and AS-107P mod. 1956. Their firing mechanism was a trigger mechanism. To forcefully unload the receiver cover and slow down the rate of fire, Simonov used a long stroke of the piston rod and placed the return mechanism in front of the bolt frame in the receiver, securing the spring stop located on the piston rod by rotating the sector. The frame with the return mechanism was fixed using a detachable handle. The rod tube was attached to the gas chamber with a pin. To reduce the size of the weapon in the stowed position, one of the machine guns was equipped with a sliding metal butt.

Automatic AS-106P arr. 1955.
caliber - 7.62 mm
total length - 890 mm
weight without cartridges - 3.5 kg
Magazine capacity - 30 rounds

In 1962, a new “automatic period” began for Simonov. Then it finally became clear that the “Kalashnikov” became the standard for such weapons; the technology for making it was debugged “one hundred percent” and breaking it, even to produce a more advanced model, was considered inappropriate. Therefore, Simonov’s experimental products of the AO-31 series were similar to the AK-47 and AKM; all had similar rotating bolts and fuses designed solely to prevent accidental shots, and signal flag translators located near the trigger served to change the fire mode. Nevertheless, Simonov's assault rifles had a number of characteristic features that prevented them from being confused with other systems. Thus, the AO-31 assault rifle with serial number 3, manufactured and tested in 1962, had a gas chamber on the muzzle of the barrel, which simultaneously served as a compensator brake, front sight body and flame arrester. To lengthen the aiming line, the sight was mounted on the receiver cover. However, the AO-31 did not show any tangible advantages over the Kalashnikov, and its performance and reliability turned out to be even lower than that of the serial AK.

Of course, Sergei Gavrilovich was upset by this, but did not give up. He tended to look for new things largely empirically, repeatedly remaking and improving components and parts. That's what he did this time too. Introduced in 1964, the AO-31-6 again had a conventional gas chamber and a long-stroke piston; the bolt had an improved device with a roller on the leading lug to reduce friction when unlocking. Simonov considered installing the sight on the receiver cover to be irrational and returned it to the fore-end ring. The AO-31-6 assault rifle received a wooden stock, folding in the stowed position and attached to the right side of the receiver. This made it possible to use the machine gun in all branches of the military. Only two decades later did a similar stock find a place on the Kalashnikov AK-74M.

Automatic AO-31-6
caliber - 7.62 mm
total length - 895 mm
length with stock folded - 660 mm
weight without cartridges and magazine - 2.51 kg
Magazine capacity - 30 rounds.

In the 60s, Simonov was one of the first in the country to begin experimenting with new promising types of ammunition: 5.45 mm low-pulse and 7.62 mm caseless cartridges. In 1963, the designer proposed the AO-31-5 small-caliber assault rifle. With the exception of the barrel, it did not differ from other samples of this series. Although testing at the test site confirmed the viability of such a weapon, it took another 10 years before it became established in the weapon system of the Soviet Army.

Automatic AO-31-5
caliber - 5.45 mm
total length - 910 mm
weight without cartridges - 2.57 kg
Magazine capacity - 30 rounds

The experimental caseless AO-31-7 produced in 1965 turned out to be forgotten. Technically, it was designed like the entire AO series, but did not have an ejector and a reflector. It tested the possibility of firing ammunition in which the powder charge was compressed with a primer. The AO-31-7 assault rifle was not intended to fire single shots; the main thing was to get the weapon and unusual ammunition to operate in automatic mode, but this was prevented by clearly “raw” cartridges. It’s a pity, of course, because caseless ammunition promised considerable benefits. For example, due to its lighter weight and dimensions, it was possible to fit more ammunition into the magazine. And again about priority: Simonov’s assault rifle anticipated the appearance of similar weapons in other countries, in particular in Germany, by 30 years.

In recent years, Sergei Gavrilovich continued to work on small-caliber assault rifles chambered for the 5.45 mm cartridge. In particular, in 1975 he created AG-042 and AG-043, which were distinguished by their small size and weight. To activate the automation, the designer used the classic removal of powder gases for such weapons through a hole in the barrel, but due to its short length - only 215 mm - this was done through the muzzle. The gas chamber also served as the base of the front sight. To reduce recoil, a muzzle brake-compensator with a flame arrester was screwed onto the barrel. As with previous samples, the gunsmith took care of safety - two fuses protected the soldier from premature and unintentional shots. One in the receiver prevented the bolt from cocking, and the second in the trigger mechanism prevented the shot from being fired due to accidental pressing of the trigger. He also served as a fire mode translator. The cartridges were placed in standard 30-round Kalashnikov assault rifle magazines.

Simonov's weapons were distinguished by the fact that they were easily disassembled and very technologically advanced due to the widespread use of cold stamping in the manufacture of parts. Based on the specifics of different types of troops, it was equipped with wooden or metal butts; the latter, in the retracted position, noticeably reduced the length of machine guns and submachine guns.

Tests of AG-042 and AG-043 took place in competition with the Kalashnikov shortened AKS-74U. They did not show any significant advantages in terms of rate of fire and ballistics and therefore were not adopted for service. The authority of M.T. Kalashnikov, who by that time had already become twice a Hero of Socialist Labor, also had an effect. The AG-042 and AG-043 assault rifles became the last Simonov exhibits: Sergei Gavrilovich donated them to the museum in 1979.

Small-sized automatic machine AG-043
caliber - 5.45 mm
total length - 680 mm
length with stock folded - 420 mm
weight without cartridges -2.1 kg
Magazine capacity - 30 rounds