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| The Fedorov Avtomat |
Introduction
The first true assault rifle put into service by any nation, the Fedorov Avtomat, was designed and produced in Russia. A total of 3,200 Fedorov Avtomat’s were manufactured between 1915 and 1924. It saw combat in World War I, the Russian Civil War, and in the Winter War of 1940. It is considered as an early predecessor to the modern assault rifle with its light weight, large detachable magazine, and selective fire capabilities.
Design
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, which are mounted on either side of the breech. These latch the barrel and bolt together through lugs on the bolt. The plates are allowed to tilt down slightly after about 10mm of free recoil, unlocking the bolt. The barrel is fluted to save on weight and improve on cooling.
The trigger unit uses a pivoting hammer to fire. The selector levers are inside the trigger guard, with the safety and fire-selector levers being separate. The stock is made of wood, with a semi-pistol grip and additional fore-grip in front of the magazine. The detachable magazine is a curved box holding 25 rounds in two rows. A special bayonet attaches to the front of the steel heat-shield below the barrel. The rifle has standard open sights, with a tangent rear installed on the barrel.
History
Captain V Fedorov began his prototype semi-automatic rifle in 1906, working with Vasily Degtyaryov as his assistant. His model was submitted to the Rifle Commission of the Russian Army in 1911, and this led to an order of 150 for testing. In 1912, the Rifle Commission of the Russian Army ordered 150 Fedorov rifles for further trials, and in 1913, Fedorov submitted a prototype automatic rifle. This rifle featured a stripper clip-fed fixed magazine, and was chambered for Fedorov’s experimental rimless 6.5mm cartridge, called the 6.5mm Fedorov. The newer, rimless ammunition was more compact than the standard Russian ammo of the time, and was much better suited for automatic weapons because it produced less recoil. 6.5mm Fedorov ammunition fired a pointed jacketed bullet weighting 8.5g at an initial velocity of 860 m/s.
Fedorov’s automatic rifles were tested in late 1913, with very favorable results. Because producing a new cartridge wasn’t feasible, it was decided to re-chamber the rifle to fire 6.5mmx50mm Arisaka Type 38 ammunition (bullet weighting 9.0g, firing at initial velocity of 760 m/s). This ammunition was produced in Great Britain, who had purchased Arisaka rifles for the Royal Navy for use in World War I. The fixed magazine was also replaced with a detachable, 25 round, curved box magazine.
In 1915, the need for lightweight, automatic arms led the Russians to order and manufacture Fedorov Avtomat’s with larger-capacity magazines. Production of new cartridges was out of the question, and thus the rifles were converted to use 6.5x50SR Arisaka ammunition (Russia had lots of this kind of ammunition, purchased from Japan and Great Britain along with Arisaka rifles). The change in ammunition only required minimal changes to the rifle, including a new chamber insert and new range scale for the rear sights.
The firearm was not without its shortcomings either. It’s recoil-operated action was sensitive to jamming; early production guns did not interchange parts easily, including magazines; disassembly and reassembly were rather complicated.
In 1916, the Weapons Committee of the Russian Army deemed it necessary to order at least 25,000 Fedorov rifles. However, in early 1918 this was reduced to 9,000, and in the turmoil of the revolution and civil war, only 3,200 Fedorov rifles were manufactured.
Operational History
When it was first ordered, Fedorov automatic rifles were considered a substitute for light machine guns. However, when they were placed on the battlefield they were used as an individual armament for infantry – the exact tactical place of the modern assault rifle.
Fedorov Avtomat’s served the Russians (in both the Russian and Red Armies) throughout World War I, the Russian Civil War, and into the late 1920’s. At that time, it was decided to retire all firearms that did not use standard 7.62x54R ammunition. As a result, all Fedorov’s were put into reserve storage. However, during the Winter War with Finland in 1939/1940, some Fedorov rifles were withdrawn from storage and issued to elite units of the Red Army – marking their last combat use.
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| Fedorov Avtomat captured during the Winter War |
Legacy
The Fedorov automatic rifle was universally known as the Avtomat (automatic), the name being devised by a Russian small-arms expert during the mid to late twenties. At the time, the term Avtomat was the designation of any shoulder-fired, automatic weapon – be it rifle or submachine gun. The Fedorov rifle can be considered as one of the world’s first practical assault rifles – arming individual soldiers on a battlefield. At the time of its peak usage, 1918-24, only one other practical automatic rifle was in use – the Browning BAR M1918. The BAR was initially intended as an assault rifle, but being almost twice as heavy and twice as powerful as the Fedorov Avtomat, it was evolved into a light machine gun – leaving the Avtomat to be the predecessor of a whole new class of infantry weapons.
However, today’s standards would consider the Avtomat was a Battle Rifle, because its cartridge was much larger than modern assault rifle rounds, and also because of its long barrel and foregrip. Should this be true, than the first true assault rifle would be the StG-44, which was completely different than the Fedorov Avtomat. Despite this, the Fedorov’s ballistic properties are very close to modern idea’s of the “ideal” assault rifle and ammunition.
Specifications
Empty Weight: 4.4kg (9.7 lbs)
Loaded Weight: 5.2kg (11.5 lbs)
Length: 1,045mm (41in)
Barrel Length: 520mm (20.5in)
Caliber: 6.5mm
Cartridge: 6.5x50mm Arisaka
Action: Short Recoil Operation
RPM: 600
Feed System: 25 round detachable box magazine
Muzzle Velocity: 660 m/s
Sights: Iron Sights
Sources:
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