ABC-36 - Simonov automatic rifle, released in 1936. Initially, the weapon was developed as a self-loading rifle, but in the course of improvements, the designers added a burst mode. It is the first automatic rifle chambered for 7.62, which was adopted by the Soviet Union, and the world's first rifle of this class, adopted in principle. In the latest achievement, the ABC-36 was just a few months ahead of the American M1 Garand. Today we will look at the history of the production of the Simonov automatic rifle and its main technical parameters.
Development
The first prototype of a Simonov automatic rifle was introduced back in 1926. Having examined the project proposed by S. G. Simonov, the artillery committee decided not to allow this weapon to be tested. In 1930, at an arms contest, the designer managed to succeed. The main competitor of Simonov in the design of automatic rifles was F.V. Tokarev. In 1931, continuing to work on improving his rifle, Simonov significantly upgraded it.
Confession
Simonov’s automatic rifle passed the test quite well at the training ground, as a result of which the Soviet gunsmiths decided to release a small batch of ABC for wide military testing. Simultaneously with the release of the first batch, it was proposed to establish a technological process in order to start mass production at the beginning of 1934. The release was planned to be established in Izhevsk, where Simonov went personally to help organize the production process. In March 1934, the USSR Defense Committee adopted a resolution on the development of capacities for the production of ABC-36 next year.
According to the test results of 1935-1936, Simonov’s model showed itself much better than Tokarev’s sample. And this despite the fact that individual samples of ABC during the test failed. According to the Supervisory Commission, the cause of breakdowns was production defects, and not design flaws. This was confirmed by the first prototypes of the rifle, which withstood up to 27 thousand shots without breakdowns.
Adoption
In 1936, Simonov's automatic rifle was adopted by the USSR. She was the first automatic weapon of the Red Army under a 7.62 caliber rifle cartridge. The weapons that entered service differed from the prototype in a number of design decisions.
In 1938, the ABC-36 was first shown to the public at the May Day military parade. She was armed with the arrows of the First Moscow Proletarian Division. February 26 of the same year A.I. Bykhovsky, director of the Izhevsk plant, said that the ABC (Simonov automatic rifle) was fully mastered and launched into mass production.
Later, when Stalin ordered the construction of a self-loading rifle without the possibility of firing in automatic mode, the ABC-36 will be replaced by the SVT-38. The reason for this decision and the rejection of automatic firing was the saving of cartridges.
When the ABC-36 was adopted, its output increased markedly. So, in 1934 106 copies left the assembly line, in 1935 - 286, in 1937 - 10280, and in 1938 - 23401. Production continued until 1940. By this time, nearly 67 thousand rifles were produced.
Design
The principle of operation of an automatic rifle is based on the removal of powder gases. The model can shoot both single cartridges and in automatic mode. Switching between firing modes is done through a special lever located on the right side of the receiver. Single mode is basic. It was supposed to shoot bursts in case of insufficient number of light machine guns in the unit. As for continuous fire, it was allowed to soldiers only in extreme cases, when there was a sudden attack of the enemy from a distance of less than 150 meters. At the same time, no more than 4 stores could be spent in order to avoid overheating and wear of the key elements of the rifle.
The gas outlet unit, the piston of which has a short stroke, is located above the barrel. The vertical block (wedge) locking the barrel moves in the grooves of the receiver. The line of movement of the unit deviates from the vertical by approximately 5 °, which facilitates the unlocking of the shutter manually. When the unit moves up, it enters the slots of the shutter and locks it. Unlocking occurs when the clutch, which is connected to the gas piston, squeezes the block down. Due to the fact that the locking block was located between the magazine and the breech, the cartridges were fed into the chamber along a long and steep path, which often led to delays. In addition, due to this feature, the receiver was impressive in length and complex in design.
Simonov’s automatic rifle also had a complex bolt, inside of which were located: a drummer with a spring, some parts of the trigger mechanism and a counter-bounce device. Versions of the rifle, released before 1936, differed in the device of the trigger mechanism, cut-off and emphasis of the mainspring.
Shooting modes
According to the instructions, the firing mode switch was blocked with a special key, access to which was only available to the squad leader. In special cases, he allowed soldiers to switch their rifles to automatic mode. Whether the soldiers followed the instructions is a moot point. It is curious to note that in the case of the Fedorov rifle, only the soldier who passed the corresponding exam could get a fire translator in his hands. And during the Vietnam War, US officers removed the translator mechanism from M14 soldier rifles in order to avoid the possibility of firing a burst, which, as in the case of the ABC-36, is practically useless when firing from hands. It was recommended to shoot in automatic mode in the supine position, from the stop, with the same attachment as when shooting with a DP machine gun. Shooting single shots, from a standing or sitting position, the shooter held the rifle from the bottom by the magazine with his left hand.
Rate of fire
The technical rate of fire of the Simonov automatic rifle was about 800 rounds per minute. However, in practice, this figure was significantly lower. A trained shooter with pre-loaded magazines fired up to 25 rounds per minute with a single fire, up to 50 with bursts, and up to 80 with continuous fire. The open type sight had notches in the range from 100 to 1500 m, with a step of 100 m.
Ammunition
The rifle was fed from detachable sickle-shaped stores containing 15 rounds. The shape of the store was due to the presence of a protruding edge on the cartridge used. It was possible to equip shops both separately from the weapon, and on it, from regular clips. Samples of the rifle, released before 1936, could also be equipped with stores for 10 and 20 rounds.
Bayonet knife
The barrel of the Simonov automatic rifle was equipped with a massive muzzle brake and mount under a bayonet-knife. In earlier versions, the bayonet could be attached not only horizontally, but also vertically, down with a wedge. In this form, it was supposed to be used as a one-legged ersatz bipod for shooting in a prone position. However, the description of the rifle, published in 1937, prohibits such use of a bayonet-knife, ordering instead to shoot in automatic mode while lying with an emphasis on the skating rink or turf. In principle, this refinement was impractical, given that since 1936 the rifle was no longer equipped with a bayonet-bipod. Apparently, the attractive idea in theory of increasing the functionality of such an ordinary object as a bayonet did not materialize itself in practice. During the march, the bayonet was carried in a scabbard mounted on the fighter’s belt, and he remained there when firing.
Specifications
Simonov automatic rifle had the following parameters:
- The weight, taking into account the bayonet with the scabbard, the optical sight and the magazine filled with cartridges, is about 6 kg.
- The mass of a rifle without a bayonet, a sight and a magazine is 4.050 kg.
- The curb weight of the store is 0.675 kg.
- The mass of an empty store is 0.350 kg.
- The weight of the bayonet in the sheath is 0.550 kg.
- The weight of the sight with an arm is 0.725 kg.
- The mass of the bracket is 0.145 kg.
- The mass of the moving parts (rod, lock and cocking sleeve) is 0.5 kg.
- Magazine capacity - 15 rounds.
- Caliber - 7.62 mm.
- Length with bayonet - 1, 520 m.
- Length without bayonet - 1, 260 m.
- The length of the threaded portion of the barrel is 0.557 m.
- The number of rifling - 4.
- The height of the front sight is 29.8 mm.
- The stroke of the shutter is 130 mm.
- Firing Range (aiming) - 1500 m.
- The range of the bullet (limiting) - 3000 m.
- Bullet speed (initial) - 840 m / s.
- Rate of fire (technical) - 800 rounds per minute.
Successor
On May 22, 1938, another competition was announced for the development of a new self-loading rifle based on the removal of powder gases. In the competitive tests, which took place from the end of summer to the beginning of autumn of the same year, the systems of Simonov, Tokarev, Rukavishnikov and other lesser known gunsmiths took part. At the end of November, final tests were held, according to the results of which in February 1939 the Tokarev rifle, called the SVT-38, was adopted for service in the USSR. On the eve of this, January 19, Simonov announced the elimination of all the shortcomings of his rifle in the hope that he would be given another chance. By the end of spring of the same year, a special commission was created to evaluate Tokarev and Simonov systems from the point of view of industrial and economic feasibility.
According to the commission, the CBT was recognized as simpler and less costly to manufacture. Nevertheless, the USSR Defense Committee, striving for the rapid rearmament of the army, did not depart from the idea of mass production of Tokarev rifle. So Simonov’s automatic rifle completed its history, the military review of which became the subject of our conversation.
The production of the Tokarev system was established in less than six months, and on October 1, 1939, gross output began. The first thing involved was the Tula Plant, which in this regard discontinued the Mosin rifle. In 1940, the model was also produced at the Izhevsk arms factory, which previously produced the ABC-36.
Operation result
ABC-36 (a Simonov automatic rifle of the 1936 model) as a whole was not reliable enough for mass use in the army. The complicated design and the large number of parts of complex shape made its production too costly in terms of time and resources. In addition, its release at almost all stages required highly qualified personnel.
The design of the rifle allowed its assembly without a locking unit. Moreover, such weapons could even be fired. In the case of such a shot, the receiver was destroyed, and the bolt group flew back, right in the arrow. The original wedge locking also did not justify itself. In addition, often let down the survivability of the trigger mechanism.
With all this, Simonov’s automatic rifle, the history of which we examined, was remembered as the first of its kind to be adopted for mass weapons and tested in combat conditions. It also became the first model of weapons in the USSR, created purely by domestic engineers, mastered and put into mass mass production. For its time, the ABC-36 was an advanced rifle.
It is interesting to note that in the Finnish army Simonov’s trophy rifles preferred the SVT Tokarev rifle, which was considered more reliable.
