Machine gun "Val" was designed specifically for special forces of the USSR in the Central Research Institute of Tochmash Klimovsk. The purpose of its creation is to obtain small arms that fire silently and without flame.
The development of Soviet models of silent weapons at that time went mainly in three ways. The first is the use of devices that provide silent and flameless firing together with standard weapons, the second is the improvement of the standard model and the installation of a silencer on it. Machine gun "Val" is a product of the third direction, the concept of which lies in the creation of fundamentally new guns and ammunition. Due to contradictions between various departments, the creation of silent weapons dragged on until the mid-eighties. The “Val” assault rifle appeared two years after agreeing on the requirements for a sniper rifle, on the basis of which it was created.
However, the delay of time had a positive effect on the characteristics of silent automatic weapons, since one of the technical reasons for the late approval of the TTZ (tactical and technical specifications) was the increased requirements for striking ability. These requirements were fully met by Val. The machine gun became a weapon capable of ensuring the defeat of people wearing bulletproof vests from a distance of 400 m, while developing the rifle it was only a man who was protected by an army helmet. As a result of approvals, the sniper rifle was redesigned for the new 9x39 mm ammunition, and 6P30 (“Shaft”) was developed on its basis.
Silent machine "Val" is designed on the basis of gas exhaust automation, which has a long working stroke of the gas piston. The piston itself is located above the barrel and is firmly connected to the shutter frame. The gun is equipped with firing mechanism trigger type. The barrel is locked by a rotary shutter for cutouts in the receiver, which is made by milling. This method of manufacturing the box increased its rigidity, but at the same time increased the cost of the gun. For uniform gas removal, the Shaft machine has four rows of inclined holes in the barrel walls. At the same time, part of the gases goes into the gun silencer chamber during the movement of the bullet along the barrel. Steel parts of the machine are protected from corrosion by bluing.
The silencer on the barrel is fixed with cracking tabs and a latch in combination with a spring on the barrel muzzle. The separator in the silencer housing is secured by a latch. For aiming, both the main open sight (sector, mechanical, height-adjustable) on the silencer body and the night sight can be used. Butt at the “Val” folding tubular. Handguard, pistol grip and shops are made of plastic.
Cartridges are used special subsonic, two types. The SP-5 cartridge has a steel core, the SP-6 cartridge (armor-piercing) - an increased core of hardened steel. The first cartridge per 100 m pierces a sheet of steel 6 mm, the second - 8 mm. An armor-piercing cartridge has the potential to disable not only manpower, but lightly armored vehicles. A special case is used to transport the machine, in which it is disassembled. Its assembly in a person with training takes no more than a minute.