TKB-022PM
Encyclopedia
TKB-022PM No. 1 TKB-022PM No. 2 (ТКБ-022ПМ № 2) and TKB-022PM5 No. 1 (ТКБ-022ПМ5 № 1) were Soviet bullpup
assault rifle
s, capable of fully automatic fire, chambered for the 7.62 x 39 mm round (TKB-022PM No. 1 and TKB-022PM No. 2) and the 5.6 x 39 mm
round (TKB-022PM5 No. 1), developed by the small arms
designer German A. Korobov in the 1960s.
The weapons were gas operated with annular gas piston located around the barrel and a vertically moving bolt, which made it possible to maximally reduce the length of the receiver group. A U-shaped rammer/extractor was used to chamber and extract the cartridge by pushing it into the chamber where after discharge was pulled back from the chamber and again, upon feeding the new cartridge, pushed forward and slightly up into an ejection tube above the barrel where finally exiting above the muzzle. Due to this ejection mechanism it was possible to fire from both right and left arm positions.
These weapons had the best barrel length to overall length ratio among the assault rifles. Firing from an unstable position, the TKB-022PM No. 1 and the TKB-022PM No. 2 had a three times better accuracy than the AKM
. The TKB-022PM5 No. 1 had a better accuracy than the AKM when fired from a hand in a lying position at a distance of 100 meters.
Although these assault rifles performed well, they were turned down by the Soviet army for being too radical at that time. Additionally, there were concerns about the displaced center of gravity to the tail end of the weapon and the durability of the weapon's plastic housing during prolonged operations under difficult conditions or during storage itself.
Bullpup
Bullpups are firearm configurations in which the action is located behind the trigger group and alongside the shooter's face, so there is no wasted space for the buttstock as in conventional designs. This permits a shorter firearm length for the same barrel length for improved maneuverability, and...
assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
s, capable of fully automatic fire, chambered for the 7.62 x 39 mm round (TKB-022PM No. 1 and TKB-022PM No. 2) and the 5.6 x 39 mm
.220 Russian
The .220 Russian cartridge was developed in the late 1950s for deer hunting in Russia. It is a 7.62x39 cartridge necked down to hold a 5.6mm bullet. It was later adopted by Finland, and by around 1965 was being produced by SAKO and Lapua. When it was introduced to the United States, Sako, and...
round (TKB-022PM5 No. 1), developed by the small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
designer German A. Korobov in the 1960s.
The weapons were gas operated with annular gas piston located around the barrel and a vertically moving bolt, which made it possible to maximally reduce the length of the receiver group. A U-shaped rammer/extractor was used to chamber and extract the cartridge by pushing it into the chamber where after discharge was pulled back from the chamber and again, upon feeding the new cartridge, pushed forward and slightly up into an ejection tube above the barrel where finally exiting above the muzzle. Due to this ejection mechanism it was possible to fire from both right and left arm positions.
These weapons had the best barrel length to overall length ratio among the assault rifles. Firing from an unstable position, the TKB-022PM No. 1 and the TKB-022PM No. 2 had a three times better accuracy than the AKM
AKM
The AKM is a 7.62mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is an upgraded version of the AK-47 rifle and was developed in the 1950s....
. The TKB-022PM5 No. 1 had a better accuracy than the AKM when fired from a hand in a lying position at a distance of 100 meters.
Although these assault rifles performed well, they were turned down by the Soviet army for being too radical at that time. Additionally, there were concerns about the displaced center of gravity to the tail end of the weapon and the durability of the weapon's plastic housing during prolonged operations under difficult conditions or during storage itself.
