Fedorov Avtomat

The Fedorov Avtomat was an early self-loading battle rifle [C. Taylor The fighting rifle – A complete study of the rifle in combat, ISBN 0-87947-308-8] [F.A. Moyer Special Forces foreign weapons handbook, ISBN 0-87364-009-8] [R.J. Scroggie, F.A. Moyer Special Forces combat firing techniques, ISBN 0-87364-010-1] designed by "Vladimir Grigoryevich Fedorov" and made in Russia. A total of 3,200 Fedorov rifles were manufactured between 1915 and 1924 in the city of Kovrov. In 1919, after 500 had been built, production was increased. The weapon saw combat in World War 1 [http://world.guns.ru/assault/as86-e.htm] , the Russian Civil War, and later in the Winter War with Finland in 1940, when some were withdrawn from storage and issued to elite units of the Red Army. The Fedorov Avtomat is sometimes considered to be an early predecessor to the modern assault rifle, due to its relatively light weight compared to other automatic rifles of the time and selective-fire capabilities.

Development

The Fedorov Avtomat is a short recoil operated, locked-breech weapon which fires from a closed bolt. The bolt locking is achieved by two dumbbell-shaped locking plates, mounted at either side of the breech, latching barrel and bolt together through lugs on the bolt. Those plates are allowed to tilt slightly down after about 10 mm of free recoil, unlocking the bolt.

Captain V. Fedorov began a prototype of a semi-automatic rifle in 1906, working with future small arms designer Vasily Degtyaryov as his assistant. A model was submitted to the Rifle Commission of the Russian army in 1911, which eventually ordered 150 more rifles for testing. In 1913, Fedorov submitted a prototype automatic rifle with a stripper clip-fed fixed magazine, chambered for his own experimental rimless 6.5 mm cartridge, called the 6.5mm Fedorov. This new rimless ammunition was more compact than the rimmed Russian 7.62x54R, better suited for automatic weapons and produced less recoil. This experimental cartridge fired a pointed jacketed bullet weighting 8.5 grams at an initial velocity of 860 m/s with a muzzle energy of 3,140 J (as opposed to the 3,600-4,000 J muzzle energy of 7.62x54R ammunition). 6.5 mm Fedorov rifles were tested late in 1913 with favorable results. Since production of a new cartridge was not feasible, the decision was made to convert 6.5 mm Fedorov rifles to use the similar Japanese 6.5mm Arisaka ammunition. The ammunition was also produced in Great Britain, which had purchased Arisaka rifles for the Royal Navy during World War I. The fixed magazine was replaced by a detachable, curved 25-round box magazine.

Production

In 1915, the need for lightweight automatic arms led the Russian Army to order the manufacture of Fedorov automatic rifles with larger-capacity detachable magazines. Since production of the new cartridge was out of question, it was decided to convert 6.5 mm Fedorov rifles to use the Japanese 6.5x50SR Arisaka ammunition which was in abundance, having been purchased from Japan and Great Britain along with Arisaka rifles. The change of ammunition involved only minimal changes to the rifle, including a chamber insert and a new range scale for the rear sights. In 1916, the Weapons Committee of the Russian Army made a decision to order no less than 25,000 Fedorov automatic rifles. In early 1918, the order for Fedorov rifles was limited to 9,000 weapons, but as result of turmoil of the Russian Revolution and the subsequent civil war, only 3,200 Fedorov rifles were manufactured in the city of Kovrov between 1920 and 1924, when production was finally stopped.

Bibliography

A.J.R. Cormack - Famous Rifles and Machine Guns, ISBN 0 214 20325 5

Major F. Myatt - Modern Small Arms, ISBN 0 86101 024 8

Popenker, M. et al. (2004). Assault Rifle. Wiltshire: The Crowood Press Ltd. ISBN 1-86126-700-2

Related Weapons

*Farquhar-Hill Rifle
*Furrer M25
*Huot automatic rifle
*Cei-Rigotti
*Johnson

References

External links

*http://world.guns.ru/assault/as86-e.htm
*http://www.encycl.atsar.ru/guns/avtomatfedorova
*http://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/BeforeWWII/MS1/fedorov/index.html