OC-14-4A

OC-14-4A
An artist rendering of OC-14-4A-01 (with vertical forward grip).
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	Russian Federation
Service history
In service	1994–present
Used by	MVD, Spetsnaz
Wars	First Chechen War Second Chechen War 2008 South Ossetia war
Production history
Designer	V.N. Telesh and U.V. Lebedev
Designed	1990s
Manufacturer	CKIB SOO
Variants	OC-14-4A OC-14-4A-01 OC-14-4A-02 OC-14-4A-03
Specifications
Weight	about 3 kg (OC-14-4A-01 and OC-14-4A-02) about 4 kg (OC-14-4A and OC-14-4A-03)
Length	610 mm (OC-14-4A) 565 mm (OC-14-4A-01) 500 mm (OC-14-4A-02) 720 mm (OC-14-4A-03)
Barrel length	240 mm
Cartridge	9x39mm
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	700 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	300 m/s
Effective range	about 200 meters
Maximum range	400 meters
Feed system	20-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Iron sights or telescopic sight

OC-14-4A "Groza-4" (ОЦ-14-4А "Гроза-4") is a Russian selective fire bullpup assault rifle chambered for the 9x39mm subsonic round. It was developed in the 1990s at the CKIB SOO (Central Research and Design Bureau of Sporting and Hunting Weapons) in Tula, Russia. The weapon is also colloquially known as OC-14 "Groza" or OTs-14 "Groza" ("Thunderstorm"). The OC-14-4A "Groza-4" has one derivative, the TKB-0239 (ТКБ-0239), also known as OC-14-1A "Groza-1", chambered for the 7.62x39mm round.

History

Work on the OC-14-4A project began in December 1992. The weapon's chief designers were Valery Telesh, responsible for the GP-25 and GP-30 under-barrel grenade launchers, and Yuri Lebedev. The team set out to design an integrated system that would incorporate all the best features of a close combat arm into a single weapon using the AKS-74U as a starting platform. Prototypes were ready for testing in less than a year and the weapon was ready for production by early 1994. It was first presented to the public at the MILIPOL Moscow trade show in April 1994 and adopted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) shortly thereafter. The success of the OC-14-4A in the hands of MVD personnel brought it to the attention of the Ministry of Defence (MO), who also had a requirement for such a weapon. After a period of testing, the weapon was adopted for Spetsnaz forces and some airborne and specialist front-line combat units such as combat engineers. The weapon was originally intended to have used any one of four cartridges: 5.45x39mm, 5.56x45mm, 7.62x39mm or 9x39mm. That idea was dropped and the assault rifle was originally chambered in 9x39mm to meet the MVD's requirement for a close combat weapon for deployment in Chechnya.

Design details

Operating mechanism

The OC-14-4A is a small arms weapon system based on the 5.45x39mm AKS-74U carbine. It is a selective fire, air-cooled magazine-fed rifle with a gas-actuated piston operating system and a rotary bolt locking mechanism.

Features

The OC-14-4A shares a 75% component commonality with the AKS-74U. The basic components of the weapon are borrowed directly from the AKS-74U assault rifle and slightly modified, simplifying the design as a whole and making the weapon considerably cheaper. The weapon has modular design allowing for assembly of one of four weapon versions depending on the assigned mission. It is configured in a bullpup layout for increased portability and balance. The grip is displaced forward, making the assault rifle compact, suitable for concealed carrying and so well balanced that it can be fired using just one hand, like a pistol.

The weapon fires from a closed bolt and has a hammer-type firing mechanism. A fire mode selector is provided which also serves as a manual safety catch. The assault rifle is equipped with iron sights contained in the carrying handle that consist of an adjustable rear aperture sight on a tangent leaf with range graduations from 50 to 200 m, and a forward post. The grenade launcher is aimed using a folding leaf sight. The weapon will also accept several optical sights, including the PSO telescopic sights which mount directly onto the carrying handle or, as on early models, onto a bracket on the left side of the receiver housing. The OC-14-4A also has a night sight dovetail that will accept all standard night vision optics.

Accessories

It is issued in an aluminum transport case with equipment and accessories for a wide array of tactical situations. Included in the case are two different grip and trigger assemblies, one for use with the modified GP-25/30 grenade launcher and another for use when the launcher is detached. When the grenade launcher is installed, the combined rifle and grenade launcher is operated with a single trigger. A selector switch on left side of the grip near the trigger guard allows the user to select between rifle or grenade barrels. When the grenade launcher is detached, it is replaced by a vertical grip. A suppressor is also included in the standard kit, as is a quick-change short barrel for use with the suppressor or for when maximum compactness is desired.

Variants

• OC-14-4A - variant with a grenade launcher
• OC-14-4A-01 - variant with a vertical forward grip
• OC-14-4A-02 - variant without barrel attachments
• OC-14-4A-03 - variant with a suppressor

See also

• 9A-91
• AK-9
• AS
• OC-12
• SR-3
• TKB-022PM
• TKB-059
• VSK-94
• VSS

References

• KBP Subsidiary "TsKIB SOO" — official page
• Project "Groza"
• EnemyForces
• Modern Firearms
• Энциклопедия Оружия

Bibliography

• Cutshaw, Charlie (1998). The New World of Russian Small Arms & Ammo. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press. ISBN 0-87364-993-1. 

External links

• OC-14-4A
• OC-14-4A-01
• OC-14-4A-02
• OC-14-4A-03