Hearing the surname of the famous designer-gunsmith and inventor Tokarev, many immediately recall the beautiful blunt TT pistol. Even those who are completely unfamiliar with this brand and are far from firearms. And not in vain: this gun, which has proved its effectiveness in the years of World War II, is very popular these days. You can hear about him in the news of the crime chronicle, see in movies and TV shows.
But few people know that Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev is the author of other, unfortunately, little-known projects. Among his offspring are the SVT-40 self-loading rifle and an assault rifle used under a 7.62 mm cartridge.
Tokarev assault rifle: history of creation
Among the participants in the competitive development of weapons, conducted in 1943, F.V. Tokarev was the oldest. He was 72 years old. Despite his age and illnesses, the designer decided to create a machine gun and in October 1943 entered into a competition with young participants. The layout of the machine was ready for a month. At the same time, a separate weapon design was not created, and the finished AVT rifle was taken as a sample. Such a design saved time and eliminated the risk of developing automation components. Until April 44, Tokarev finalized his creation. This was not easy for him. Often there were problems of a production nature: in wartime there was an acute shortage of ammunition - their new models went straight to the front. By May 1944, the machine constructed by Tokarev was ready.
Weapon test
Tokarev assault rifle 1944 sample It was first tested on May 7, 1944. As a test shooter, a designer named Vera was introduced to the designer. Tokarev was skeptical at first, but when he saw the girl’s coordinated work with weapons, he changed his attitude.
The quality and reliability of the mechanism Tokarev machine this test failed. The reason for the failure was delays in firing, double shots and transverse cliffs of cartridges. During the experiment, the passage of cartridges and throwing them out of the store was observed. These shortcomings of the capsule mechanism of the weapon were explained by the high speed of the moving structural elements and were noticed by members of the commission. The machine required serious revision. But the most unpleasant fact was the breakdown of the receiver of the weapon: the back wall broke, and the machine was damaged.
The second test was scheduled for July 44th. The delay during the shooting was traced in the design of the Tokarev rifle. It was difficult to eliminate this defect. Therefore, by July, the design of the weapon was not yet ready. The second stage of the test passed without the participation of the Tokarev model.
The third round took place in December 44th. The Tokarev submachine gun gave poor results and, according to the designer, required further refinement. The problem was the accuracy and reliability of the mechanism. But the commission considered that the revision was impractical, and excluded the machine from the competition. The third test of this weapon was the last.
Nevertheless, the AWT, like the SVT-40 rifle, was actively used in the Great Patriotic War. Existing defects: damage and barrel wear - were eliminated in a makeshift way. Models were suitable for the manufacture of surrogate carbines from them.
The performance characteristics of the Tokarev assault rifle
The weapon is designed for a cartridge having a caliber of 7.62 mm. The size of the bullet is 7.62 x 39 mm. The weight of the machine along with the magazine and thirty rounds of ammunition is 4.77 kg. The weapon is designed to defeat the target at a distance of one and a half kilometers.
For the manufacture of structures AT-44 used rifle ABT. Based on it, Tokarev constructed movable weapons elements: a bolt and a bolt frame. The difference was in the reduced diameter of the shutter cup, respectively, the diameter of the bottom of the cartridge case of the cartridge used, as well as in the absence in the mechanism of the trigger gun and its spring.
Trigger mechanism
The trigger mechanism of the Tokarev assault rifle allows for single and automatic fire. You can switch the shooting mode thanks to the hook, which affects the sear with its upper part. When the location of the hook changes, it is disconnected from the sear, which makes it possible to conduct a single fire. For automatic mode, it is enough to move the hook further so that it does not reach the disconnection position and whispers remain in the position retracted. You can change the fire modes thanks to the fuse-translator, which has the form of a lever with a spring, which is installed at the base of the trigger guard. Turning the lever to the upper position, you can carry out single shots. The lower position makes it possible to fire in bursts.
The external design of weapons
The receiver of the assault rifle F.V. Tokarev is different from the rifle. Due to the different sizes of cartridges used, the shop window in the AT-44 is smaller than in the ABT rifle. Unlike its counterpart - AVT rifle, Tokarev assault rifle in its handle does not contain storage for accessories. Such a compartment is available in the butt and covered with a special hinged lid.
Automatic barrel has a transverse ribbing, its length is 485 mm. A steel casing containing one row of round holes on each side covers a massive weapon barrel.
A muzzle, which consists of a gas chamber, an arm (a bayonet is attached to it) and an active single-chamber muzzle brake, is modeled on the ABT rifle in the machine .
The differences in the design of the rifle and Tokarev assault rifle are in the specifics of the equipment of the return mechanism. Various connecting nodes in the guide rods return mechanisms and the covers of the receiver. The heel of the guide rod in the ABT is connected to the cover through the milling socket made in it, and in the AT-44 through a narrow rectangular groove in the cover. This speeds up the production of stamped caps that do not require additional processing on machines. The machine box is represented by a short forend with side cutouts for bipod shoes. In the existing longitudinal channel is a ramrod. A bayonet from a Tokarev self-loading rifle can be attached to the butt of the machine.
In its action, the AT-44 resembles a light machine gun. This is a characteristic feature of the first machine guns of the Soviet era.
Inventor, constructor, worker
The circle of interests of the famous designer, gunsmith and inventor was not limited only to weapons. Having a rich spatial imagination, an excellent memory, F.V. Tokarev was always fond of blacksmithing and jewelry, coinage, embossing on the skin, was a good carpenter, turner, and milling machine operator. The inventor liked to improve technological processes, to restore a worn tool. “Inventor, constructor, worker,” - so he jokingly spoke about himself.