PK machine gun

PK machine gun
PKS (PK machine gun mounted on a Samozhenkov 6T2 tripod)
TypeGeneral-purpose machine gun
Squad automatic weapon
Medium machine gun
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1961–present
Used bySee Users
WarsSee Conflicts
Production history
DesignerMikhail Kalashnikov
Designed1961
ManufacturerDegtyaryov plant
Produced1961 – present
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass9 kg (19.84 lb) (gun + integral bipod)
Length1,203 mm (47.4 in)
Barrel length605 mm (23.8 in)

Cartridge7.62×54mmR
ActionGas-operated, long-stroke piston, open, rotating bolt
Rate of fireCyclic:
600–800 rounds/min[1]
700–800 rounds/min (PKT/PKTM)[2]
Practical:
250 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity825 m/s (2,707 ft/s)
Effective firing range1,000 m (1,094 yd) (100–1,500 m sight adjustments)
Maximum firing range3,800 m (4,156 yd)
Feed systemNon-disintegrating metal link 50-round belts in 100 and 200 or 250-round ammunition boxes
SightsTangent iron sights (default);
Optical, night-vision, thermal, and radar sights[3]

The PK (Russian: Пулемёт Калашникова, transliterated as Pulemyot Kalashnikova, or "Kalashnikov's machine gun")[4] also commonly known as the PKM, is a belt-fed general-purpose machine gun, chambered for the 7.62×54mmR rimmed cartridge.

Designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia,[1] the original PK machine gun was introduced in 1961 and the improved PKM variant was introduced in 1969. The PKM was designed to replace the SGM and RP-46 machine guns that were previously in Soviet service.

The weapon remains in use as a front-line infantry and vehicle-mounted weapon with Russia's armed forces and has also been exported extensively and produced in several other countries under license.

  1. ^ a b "7.62mm PKM Kalashnikov modernized machine gun". Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Sights". Russian Close Combat Weapon. Moscow: Association "Defense Enterprises Assistance League". 2010. ISBN 978-5-904540-04-3.
  4. ^ Lawrence, Erik (13 March 2015). Practical Guide to the Operational Use of the PK/PKM Machine Gun. Erik Lawrence Publications. ISBN 9781941998212. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2017 – via Google Books.