The main competitor of AK-47 on competitive tests is the automatic machine Bulkina AB-46
Prototype auto weapons AB-46 with a production index TKB-415, developed by Tula designer A. Bulkin, appeared in 1945 year. In the same year, he takes part in the competition of the Soviet Armed Forces Armed Forces of the Soviet Union together with other copies of the new machine gun of various design bureaus. Three years later, in the ongoing competition, the TKB-145 submachine gun yields to the prototype KB-P-580, which in the future will be known as the AK-47.
Competition for the creation of automatic weapons - ammunition Chief Art Department announced at the end of 1943 year. This event was greatly contributed by the presentation of the German trophy machine MKb-1943 with its ammunition to the technical council of the People's Commissariat of weapons in the middle of 42 of the year.
The domestic analogue of the German 7.62 caliber cartridge with a 41 mm sleeve length, called the intermediate one, was created by Soviet designers Semin and Elizarov in an incredibly short time - by the end of the year, the cartridge was ready for testing. Later the sleeve was shortened to 2 mm.
All contestants developed automata for a new domestic ammunition. In the first competition, designer A.Sudaev was credited with the victory - his development, an automatic carbine AC-44, weighing a kilogram in 5.35 was mass-produced at the Tula factory. At this time, the AU-44 has successfully proved itself to the test in the 4-s military districts and was used by the occupying forces of the Soviet Union in captured Germany. The designer was recommended to reduce the weight characteristics of the AC-44. In the summer of 1945, GAU announced the start of the second competition. A. Sudayev presented on it his improved AC-44 or SLA. At this competition, first appeared among contestants AB-46 designer Bulkin. This time, Sudaev’s lightweight machine gun failed to demonstrate the previous characteristics, the Bulkin machine's automaton with some remarks passes the competition and after the modifications was able to take part in the upcoming trials. Sudaev's sudden death put a fat cross on the future of his brainchild AC-44, which was the clear leader among the contestants. The remaining contestants with new efforts are beginning to fight for the primacy of their model of automatic weapons. The State Agrarian University takes into account the changed situation and makes tactical and technical requirements to the participants of the competition with consideration of the draft design of each machine gun before demonstration of a prototype. After reviewing the sketches for admission to testing, the GAU selects only 5 projects. Here the automatic machine developed by Kalashnikov first appeared. The sample of the automatic carbine of the Bulkin design was the leader of almost the 2,5 year of testing. At the beginning of 1948, all tests are completed. AB-46 on the accuracy of shooting in short bursts was the only machine that fit into the requirements of the GAU. The rest of the shooting characteristics also showed itself well. In terms of maintenance, simplicity and ease of assembly and disassembly were not inferior to the Kalashnikov automatic rifle. But Bulkin did not succeed in solving the problems of the survivability and reliability of his machine gun, which, in the end, nullified all its advantages. The results of the latest tests were recorded in the 10 January 1948 report of the year, “a sample of automatic weapons from designer Kalashnikov for an ammunition sample of the 1943 of the year satisfied GAU requirements for many characteristics and is recommended for mass production with field military tests. The automatic machine AB-46 of the designer Bulkin did not fit the requirements of the GAU and did not pass the main tests. ” 10-day final tests passed KB-P-580, also known as AK-47. It is not excluded that it was thanks to the constant support of the leadership, as well as the introduction of the AB-47 design elements in AK-46, and the competition for the GAU machine-ammunition was won. Therefore, in 1949, the 7.62 mm machine gun, designed by Kalashnikov under the symbol 56-А-212, is put into service. The automatic weapon of the designer Bulkin was not massively produced, but it made its unique contribution to the now famous AK-47.
The design and principle of operation of AB-46
Bulkin created an automaton according to the principle of the automatic operation of the vapor-discharged design with the execution of the vapor-extraction unit above the barrel. To lock the barrel used the principle of rotation of the shutter. A device for the gas outlet is not provided with a regulator. The locking assembly consists of a stem with a stem, which ends in a gas piston. The stem of the bolt has a hole in which a combat rotary larva is made with 2 combat-type stops. When the bolt stem moves, it first rotates the battle larva, removing its two war lugs from the coupling with the breech support, the stem continues to move with the war larva picked up. For the direction of movement of the stem, press-shaped shutter box bends are made with the touch area as small as possible, which gave the AB-46 mobile system a weak sensitivity to contamination. The supply of ammunition comes from the sector 30-ti charging shop, the location of the ammunition - a chess with a double row. The shop is made of fine steel using stamped welding.
The mechanism of the trigger trigger type is made with the interception of the trigger. Triggering is a fairly simple mechanism, without a device for separating the trigger with the sear for firing single shots. The rolling bolt retracts the trigger, which in this position captures the spring-loaded trigger stop. When the trigger is released, the trigger intercepts the trigger lug of the trigger. The trigger mechanism provides an arrow firing in bursts and single shots. The fuse-translator of the flag-type fire modes is located on the right side of the AB-46 on the control stick above the trigger. The last samples of the AB-46 / TKB-415 submachine gun had a shortened stem on 10 centimeters. Flap fuse-translator is made on the left side of the automatic weapon, which has become convenient to translate with the thumb of the right hand. Sighting devices are adjustable type fly with ring impact protection and sector type sight.
In total, two variants of AB-46 were presented at the tests:
- AB-46 with a wooden butt version to arm the main military units;
- AB-46 with a folding butt to the right side for special forces and airborne units.
The main characteristics of AB-46:
- weight - 4.5 kilogram;
- barrel - 51 centimeter;
- length - 94.4 centimeter;
- sighting range of shooting - 800 meters;
- bullet flight speed - 750 m / s;
- rate of fire - 600 vyst / minutes;
- The amount of ammunition in the store - 30 units.
Information sources:
http://www.dogswar.ru/oryjeinaia-ekzotika/strelkovoe-oryjie/3730-avtomat-bylkina-ab-4.html
http://eragun.org/ross/avtvin/vintav_5.html
http://warfiles.ru/show-2182-avtomat-bulkina-ab-46.html
Competition for the creation of automatic weapons - ammunition Chief Art Department announced at the end of 1943 year. This event was greatly contributed by the presentation of the German trophy machine MKb-1943 with its ammunition to the technical council of the People's Commissariat of weapons in the middle of 42 of the year.
The domestic analogue of the German 7.62 caliber cartridge with a 41 mm sleeve length, called the intermediate one, was created by Soviet designers Semin and Elizarov in an incredibly short time - by the end of the year, the cartridge was ready for testing. Later the sleeve was shortened to 2 mm.
All contestants developed automata for a new domestic ammunition. In the first competition, designer A.Sudaev was credited with the victory - his development, an automatic carbine AC-44, weighing a kilogram in 5.35 was mass-produced at the Tula factory. At this time, the AU-44 has successfully proved itself to the test in the 4-s military districts and was used by the occupying forces of the Soviet Union in captured Germany. The designer was recommended to reduce the weight characteristics of the AC-44. In the summer of 1945, GAU announced the start of the second competition. A. Sudayev presented on it his improved AC-44 or SLA. At this competition, first appeared among contestants AB-46 designer Bulkin. This time, Sudaev’s lightweight machine gun failed to demonstrate the previous characteristics, the Bulkin machine's automaton with some remarks passes the competition and after the modifications was able to take part in the upcoming trials. Sudaev's sudden death put a fat cross on the future of his brainchild AC-44, which was the clear leader among the contestants. The remaining contestants with new efforts are beginning to fight for the primacy of their model of automatic weapons. The State Agrarian University takes into account the changed situation and makes tactical and technical requirements to the participants of the competition with consideration of the draft design of each machine gun before demonstration of a prototype. After reviewing the sketches for admission to testing, the GAU selects only 5 projects. Here the automatic machine developed by Kalashnikov first appeared. The sample of the automatic carbine of the Bulkin design was the leader of almost the 2,5 year of testing. At the beginning of 1948, all tests are completed. AB-46 on the accuracy of shooting in short bursts was the only machine that fit into the requirements of the GAU. The rest of the shooting characteristics also showed itself well. In terms of maintenance, simplicity and ease of assembly and disassembly were not inferior to the Kalashnikov automatic rifle. But Bulkin did not succeed in solving the problems of the survivability and reliability of his machine gun, which, in the end, nullified all its advantages. The results of the latest tests were recorded in the 10 January 1948 report of the year, “a sample of automatic weapons from designer Kalashnikov for an ammunition sample of the 1943 of the year satisfied GAU requirements for many characteristics and is recommended for mass production with field military tests. The automatic machine AB-46 of the designer Bulkin did not fit the requirements of the GAU and did not pass the main tests. ” 10-day final tests passed KB-P-580, also known as AK-47. It is not excluded that it was thanks to the constant support of the leadership, as well as the introduction of the AB-47 design elements in AK-46, and the competition for the GAU machine-ammunition was won. Therefore, in 1949, the 7.62 mm machine gun, designed by Kalashnikov under the symbol 56-А-212, is put into service. The automatic weapon of the designer Bulkin was not massively produced, but it made its unique contribution to the now famous AK-47.
The design and principle of operation of AB-46
Bulkin created an automaton according to the principle of the automatic operation of the vapor-discharged design with the execution of the vapor-extraction unit above the barrel. To lock the barrel used the principle of rotation of the shutter. A device for the gas outlet is not provided with a regulator. The locking assembly consists of a stem with a stem, which ends in a gas piston. The stem of the bolt has a hole in which a combat rotary larva is made with 2 combat-type stops. When the bolt stem moves, it first rotates the battle larva, removing its two war lugs from the coupling with the breech support, the stem continues to move with the war larva picked up. For the direction of movement of the stem, press-shaped shutter box bends are made with the touch area as small as possible, which gave the AB-46 mobile system a weak sensitivity to contamination. The supply of ammunition comes from the sector 30-ti charging shop, the location of the ammunition - a chess with a double row. The shop is made of fine steel using stamped welding.
The mechanism of the trigger trigger type is made with the interception of the trigger. Triggering is a fairly simple mechanism, without a device for separating the trigger with the sear for firing single shots. The rolling bolt retracts the trigger, which in this position captures the spring-loaded trigger stop. When the trigger is released, the trigger intercepts the trigger lug of the trigger. The trigger mechanism provides an arrow firing in bursts and single shots. The fuse-translator of the flag-type fire modes is located on the right side of the AB-46 on the control stick above the trigger. The last samples of the AB-46 / TKB-415 submachine gun had a shortened stem on 10 centimeters. Flap fuse-translator is made on the left side of the automatic weapon, which has become convenient to translate with the thumb of the right hand. Sighting devices are adjustable type fly with ring impact protection and sector type sight.
In total, two variants of AB-46 were presented at the tests:
- AB-46 with a wooden butt version to arm the main military units;
- AB-46 with a folding butt to the right side for special forces and airborne units.
The main characteristics of AB-46:
- weight - 4.5 kilogram;
- barrel - 51 centimeter;
- length - 94.4 centimeter;
- sighting range of shooting - 800 meters;
- bullet flight speed - 750 m / s;
- rate of fire - 600 vyst / minutes;
- The amount of ammunition in the store - 30 units.
Information sources:
http://www.dogswar.ru/oryjeinaia-ekzotika/strelkovoe-oryjie/3730-avtomat-bylkina-ab-4.html
http://eragun.org/ross/avtvin/vintav_5.html
http://warfiles.ru/show-2182-avtomat-bulkina-ab-46.html
Information