Fedorov Avtomat
Encyclopedia
The Fedorov Avtomat was an early assault rifle
designed by Vladimir Grigoryevich Fedorov and produced in Russia
in 1916. It was the first practical assault rifle to be adopted, and this concept would later become the basis for the first assault rifle to incorporate a modern layout, the StG 44. 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 I
in 1916, in 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in 1940, when some were withdrawn from storage and issued to elite units of the Red Army.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 considered to be an early predecessor to the modern assault rifle
, due to its relatively light weight, large detachable magazine, intermediate powered cartridge and selective fire
capabilities.
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. A bolt hold-open device is fitted and the firing mechanism is of hammer type.
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 7.62x54mmR, 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 7.62x54mmR ammunition).
6.5mm 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 6.5mm Fedorov rifles to use the Japan
ese 6.5x50mm Arisaka Type 38 ammunition (bullet weighting 9.0 grams at an initial velocity of 760 m/s with a muzzle energy of 2,600 J). 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.
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...
designed by Vladimir Grigoryevich Fedorov and produced in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1916. It was the first practical assault rifle to be adopted, and this concept would later become the basis for the first assault rifle to incorporate a modern layout, the StG 44. A total of 3,200 Fedorov rifles were manufactured between 1915 and 1924 in the city of Kovrov
Kovrov
Kovrov is a city and the administrative center of Kovrovsky District of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated on the right bank of the Klyazma River . Kovrov's population as of the preliminary results of the 2010 Census was 145,492; down from 155,499 recorded in the 2002 Census, and further down from...
. In 1919, after 500 had been built, production was increased. The weapon saw combat in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1916, in the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, and later in the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
with Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
in 1940, when some were withdrawn from storage and issued to elite units of the Red Army. The Fedorov Avtomat is considered to be an early predecessor to the modern 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...
, due to its relatively light weight, large detachable magazine, intermediate powered cartridge and selective fire
Selective fire
A selective fire firearm has at least one semi–automatic and one automatic mode, which is activated by means of a selector which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some selective fire weapons utilize burst fire mechanisms to limit the maximum or total number of shots fired automatically in...
capabilities.
Development
The Fedorov Avtomat is a short recoilRecoil operation
Recoil operation is an operating mechanism used in locked-breech, autoloading firearms. As the name implies, these actions use the force of recoil to provide energy to cycle the action...
operated, locked-breech weapon which fires from a closed bolt
Closed bolt
A semi or full-automatic firearm which is said to fire from a closed bolt is one where, when ready to fire, a round is in the chamber and the bolt and working parts are forward...
. 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. A bolt hold-open device is fitted and the firing mechanism is of hammer type.
Semi-automatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent cartridge, chambers a fresh cartridge from its magazine, and is immediately ready to fire another shot...
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 7.62x54mmR, 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 7.62x54mmR ammunition).
6.5mm 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 6.5mm Fedorov rifles to use the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese 6.5x50mm Arisaka Type 38 ammunition (bullet weighting 9.0 grams at an initial velocity of 760 m/s with a muzzle energy of 2,600 J). The ammunition was also produced in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, which had purchased Arisaka rifles for the Royal Navy during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. 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. Production of the new cartridge was out of question so 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.See also
- Mondragón rifle
- Farquhar-Hill RifleFarquhar-Hill RifleThe British Farquhar-Hill Rifle was one of the first automatic rifles designed in the early 20th century. It was first tested in May 1908, but had many failures. Design was by Major H J Farquhar-Hill, who produced several improved designs none of which completely satisfied the Small Arms Committee...
- Furrer M25Furrer M25The Furrer M25 is a Swiss recoil operated light machine-gun designed by Colonel Furrer of the Swiss Arsenal in the 1920s and produced since 1925. It takes the 7.5 mm Swiss Service cartridge from a 30-round box magazine and has a cyclic rate of fire of 450 rounds-per-minute...
- Huot automatic rifleHuot automatic rifleThe Huot was a Canadian World War I light machine gun project.-Design and development:In 1916, the Canadian Expeditionary Force was desperately short of light machine guns. Since the Ross rifle had finally been taken out of service, there were large numbers of surplus rifles.That year, Joseph Huot,...
- Cei-RigottiCei-RigottiThe Cei-Rigotti is an early automatic rifle created by Amerigo Cei-Rigotti, an officer in the Italian Army, in 1890, and extensively modified until its final form circa 1900....
- Johnson
- Sturmgewehr 44Sturmgewehr 44The StG 44 was an assault rifle developed in Nazi Germany during World War II and was the first of its kind to see major deployment, considered by many historians to be the first modern assault rifle...
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
- Fedorov Avomat modified with spade grips
