Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov was the creator of weapons. Small arms in the Second World War. The further fate of the gunsmith

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"Cultivating love for native land, to my native

culture, to native village or city, to native speech -

The task is of paramount importance and not

There is no need to prove it. But how to educate

This love? It starts small - with love for

To your family, to your home, to your school.

Gradually expanding, this love for the native land

Turns into love for his country - for its history, its

Past and present."

D. S. Likhachev. Letters about the good and the beautiful.

Memory of the past, of glorious ancestors, of the great cultural traditions native land is one of the most effective means of educating a future citizen. An integral part of national history is the history of the Kovrov land, which made a significant contribution to the economic and cultural development of the country, to the spiritual life of society, and to increasing the defense capability of our great Motherland.

Project name -“A nugget of Fedotovskaya land. Constructor

Automatic small arms S.G. Simonov"

Project type: information and research.

Project goals and objectives:

Collection and systematization of materials about S.G. Simonov: scattered, sometimes contradictory information about the facts of his biography, the history of his creation of various types of small arms, the Simonov dynasty of gunsmiths.

Research methods:

Our students and teachers strive to have the school named after S.G. Simonov. In this regard, our project haspractical significance:

Project participants:

Stages of work on the project:

November – December 2010

January – February 2011

While working on the project we wereThe following sources were used:

• Internet resources:

http://www.legendary-arms.ru

http://www.weaponland.ru Encyclopedia of weapons. The creator of “Armored Punchers” is Sergei Simonov. Sergey Monetchikov.

http://www.agentura.ru

http://www.souz-avtorov.ru. Could big losses in World War II have been avoided? Anatoly Antonov.

• Books donated to the museum by V.V. Simonov:

Shestakovsky A.F. Achieve the impossible. Enlightenment, 1989.

Bolotin D.N. Soviet small arms, Leningrad, 1967.

Bolotin D.N. The oldest Soviet gunsmith. - “Military. news", 1969, No. 10.

Martynchuk N. N. Business of life. M., 1975, p. 100-105.

“Weapons of Victory” (edited by V.N. Novikov, M., Publishing House “Machine Building”, 1985) Chapter V -

"Weapon".

"Weapon of feat." Central Order of the Red Star Museum of the USSR Armed Forces.

M., 1983.

• Periodicals:

Factory truth. Social and political newspaper of the Klimovsky specialized cartridge plant. No. 34, 39, October 2004

Border guard of the North-East. Regional border newspaper of the FSB of Russia, No. 44, November 3-9, 2004. Victor LITOVKIN, Strike force of Ichthyander.

• Photos from the personal archive of S.G. and V.V. Simonov.

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“Love for your Motherland is not something abstract; it is love for your city, for your locality, for the monuments of its culture, pride in your history.” Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev

Small arms designer S.G. Simonov 1894 - 1986

Goals and objectives of the project: Collection and systematization of materials about S.G. Simonov: scattered, sometimes contradictory information about the facts of his biography, the history of his creation of various types of small arms, the Simonov dynasty of gunsmiths. Research methods: Working with Internet sources, literature, periodicals, studying materials available in the school museum. Meeting with the relatives of the famous gunsmith living in the city of Kovrov, correspondence with the family of V.V. Simonov, nephew of Sergei Gavrilovich. Analysis, comparison of materials from various sources, systematization and synthesis.

Project participants: students of grades 8-9: Alena Sidorkina, Mikhail Semichev, Maria Galaktionova, Anna Korobko, Mikhail Askalin, Kirill Pikaev, history teacher N.V. Kuleva, head of the school museum E.A. Sazhenyuk. Duration of work on the project: November 2010 - February 2011. Stages of work on the project: November - December 2010 - collection of materials about S.G. Simonov: interesting biographical facts, the history of the creation of various types of small arms, the Simonov dynasty of gunsmiths; January – February 2011 – systematization of the information received, analysis of contradictory facts, clarification and elimination of inaccuracies; creation of a computer presentation, brochure and set of photographs dedicated to S.G. Simonov and the successors of his work.

Father Gavrila Ignatievich Among the workers of the experimental workshop at the Degtyarev plant in Kovrov Mother Evlampiya Terenyevna

“From the very first days of work, he showed a keen interest in our business. Both Fedorov and I noticed this. Whatever work was assigned to him, he performed it conscientiously and diligently. We began to help Simonov, and he very soon became a first-class gunsmith. Having studied the principles of automation, he repeatedly amazed us with his rationalization proposals and inventive abilities, which he showed in everyday work. Simonov began to be entrusted with independent work, and he successfully coped with it.” From the memoirs of Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev Vladimir Grigorievich Fedorov, founder of the Russian school of automatic weapons Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev, head of the experimental workshop of the plant Brigade of Stakhanov shock workers of the plant named after. Kirkizha (in the bottom row, second from left, S.G. Simonov)

1922-1923 - a light machine gun and an automatic rifle, characterized by simplicity and low cost of production. 1936 - ABC-36 (Simonov automatic rifle), which surpassed the designs of Degtyarev and Tokarev 1938 - SVS-14 (Simonov sniper rifle), which has high combat qualities 1941 - PTRS (Simonov anti-tank self-loading rifle), for the development of which Simonov was awarded the Stalin (State) Prize. 1945 - SKS-45 ( self-loading carbine Simonov) and its sniper version, which truly became a masterpiece of design thought by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov

Weapon of Victory

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“Love for your homeland is not something abstract; it is love for your city, for your locality, for the monuments of its culture, pride in your history,” wrote academician Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev.

Wherever we live - in a city or a village - we love our “small Motherland”. The history of our Fatherland, like a huge mosaic panel, is made up of the history of small towns, villages, and the history of the people living in them. And it is clear that you cannot know the history of the entire state without knowing the past and present of your small homeland, the land where you were born and raised.

An integral part of national history is the history of the Kovrov land, which made a significant contribution to the economic and cultural development of the country, to the spiritual life of society, and to increasing the defense capability of our great Motherland.

As part of the regional project competition “Pages of the History of My small homeland“We have developed the project “Nugget of the Fedotov Land”, dedicated to the life and work of our fellow countryman, a wonderful domestic gunsmith, a man of world renown - Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov.

The choice of the project topic is not accidental. For almost 30 years, our school has been associated with the name of the gunsmith Simonov: in 1982, Sergei Gavrilovich was our guest, at the same time former director Samorodov Z.I. school began collecting materials about his biography, which formed the basis of the exhibition of the school museum opened in 2005. His relatives, including his nephew, Vladimir Vasilyevich, also a famous gunsmith, came to the opening of the museum and bas-relief dedicated to Simonov. Books about our famous fellow countryman, photographs and other interesting materials were donated to the museum.

Therefore, when the topics of future projects were discussed, everyone unanimously decided: of course, about Simonov - our most famous fellow countryman!

The goals and objectives of the project werecollection and systematization of materials about S.G. Simonov: scattered, sometimes contradictory information about the facts of his biography, the history of his creation of various types of small arms, the Simonov dynasty of gunsmiths.

Our students and teachers strive to have the school named after S.G. Simonov. In this regard, our project hadpractical significance:enriching the materials of the school museum, expanding the exhibition dedicated to our wonderful fellow countryman, creating a computer presentation that can be used in lessons and extracurricular activities in the future, the creation of printing materials for the museum and its guests - brochures and a set of photographs. In addition, we are confident that our work will be of interest to the regional information and local history center.

The research methods were:

• Working with Internet sources, literature, periodicals,

Studying materials available in the school museum.

• Meeting with relatives of the famous gunsmith living in Kovrov, correspondence with the family of V.V. Simonov, nephew of Sergei Gavrilovich.
• Analysis, comparison of materials from various sources, systematization and synthesis.

Project participants:students of grades 8-9: Alena Sidorkina, Mikhail Semichev, Maria Galaktionova, Anna Korobko, Mikhail Askalin, Kirill Pikaev, history teacher N.V. Kuleva, head of the school museum E.A. Sazhenyuk.

Stages of work on the project:

November – December 2010- collection of materials about S.G. Simonov: interesting biographical facts, the history of the creation of various types of small arms, the Simonov dynasty of gunsmiths;

January – February 2011– systematization of the information received, analysis of contradictory facts, clarification and elimination of inaccuracies; creation of a computer presentation, brochure and set of photographs dedicated to S.G. Simonov and the successors of his work.

S.G. Simonov was born in the village of Fedotovo in 1894. The work biography of a simple rural boy began early, after graduating from three classes of a rural school, and almost from the first days it was connected with technology. Already at the age of sixteen, he worked as a blacksmith in a metalworking workshop, and then as a mechanic at a mechanical plant. After graduating from vocational courses in 1917, he went to work as a fitter-debugger of automatic weapons at the Kovrov Machine Gun Plant (currently OJSC V.A. Degtyarev Plant).

Sergei Gavrilovich's first teachers wereVladimir Grigorievich Fedorov, founder of the Russian school of automatic weapons, andVasily Alekseevich Degtyarev, head of the experimental workshop of the plant. They prompted the inquisitive young man

a craving for designing small arms, which later became the main work of his life. Sergei Gavrilovich showed thoroughness in everything. Having taken on any work that was new to himself, Simonov tried to perform it not just well, but with that uniqueness that only a true master of his craft is capable of.

All further biography Sergei Gavrilovich is closely connected with the weapons that he created.

1922-1923 - the beginning of his independent inventive activity - a light machine gun and an automatic rifle were created, characterized by simplicity and low cost of production.

1936 – ABC-36 (Simonov automatic rifle), which surpassed the designs of Degtyarev and Tokarev in its characteristics.

1938 – SVS-14 (Simonov sniper rifle), which has high combat qualities.

1941 – PTRS (Simonov anti-tank self-loading rifle), for the development of which Simonov was awarded the Stalin Prize.

1945 - SKS-45 (Simonov self-loading carbine) and its sniper version, which truly became a masterpiece of Sergei Gavrilovich’s design thought.

The SKS-45 was successfully used at the front and after the war. The carbine was supplied to various countries around the world. Appearance The SKS allowed it to take the place of the Russian ceremonial weapon; it fit perfectly into army rituals. The uniqueness of the Simonov carbine is also in the fact that it is easily modified at arms factories and is sold as a hunting rifle with the abbreviation OP-SKS.

50-70s – these are more than 150 types of small arms, including several dozen different variants of self-loading and automatic carbines created on the basis of SKS, as well as self-loading rifles, self-loading sniper rifles, submachine guns, light machine guns. These colossal numbers testify to the perseverance and hard work of the talented designer.

Sergei Gavrilovich paid great attention to the introduction of new models in

production, education of competent and responsible specialists. He charged everyone with his energy and dedication to his work. Could work around the clock. I often met with young people. Was happy father. He raised and raised eight children.

Sergei Gavrilovich played a huge role in the fate of one of his nephews, Vladimir Vasilyevich Simonov. Vladimir Vasilyevich was born in 1935 in the city of Kovrov. Having received his education, from 1967 he worked at the Central Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering under the guidance of his uncle, the famous designer S.G. Simonov. Sergei Gavrilovich played a huge role in his life. He taught Vladimir dedication to his work:“You have to get sick of the case, it has to completely absorb you, only then will you get results”. He was convinced that there was never just one solution. You need to constantly think and look for new ways. He himself was an incorrigible workaholic and charged his younger employees with energy and hard work.

In 1969, Sergei Gavrilovich persuaded Vladimir Vasilyevich’s wife, Elena Mikhailovna, also a design engineer, to move to TsNIITM. Elena Mikhailovna doubted and denied for a long time:“I work with sewing machines and not

I understand small arms.”S.G. Simonov insisted:“In the sewing room

There are a hundred parts in a typewriter, and ten in a machine. I know you can handle it.”

The Simonovs became the creators of very serious weapons - a special underwater pistol and a machine gun, which still have no analogues in the world. The couple worked together for many years. Vladimir Vasilyevich is the author of 107 inventions, and Elena – 75.

The Simonovs are not only famous designers, but also happy parents. They have four daughters, all of whom, like their parents, became design engineers.

The eldest Natasha (by her husband Masilevich) participated in the development of a special scout knife - NRS, from the handle of which, like a pistol, you can shoot at a distance of 25 meters.

In 2005 V.V. Simonov, together with one of his daughters, visited our school at the opening of the bas-relief.

For great national economic significance to V.V. Simonov. awarded the title of Honored Inventor of Russia and Laureate of the USSR State Prize.

III.

The Simonov dynasty is a whole galaxy of outstanding designers.

Having developed many types of weapons, they entered not only

domestic, but also in world history. It is with their unique

our soldiers use small arms, anti-tank and underwater weapons

ensured the safety of our people.

While working on the project, we studied many articles and books telling about Simonov’s life path, and were convinced that the exact number of small arms designs he created had not yet been revealed. Moreover, in some publications dedicated to Soviet gunsmiths, Simonov’s name is not mentioned at all. We were especially shocked by excerpts from Andrei Kuptsov’s book “ Strange story weapons. S.G. Simonov - the unknown genius of Russia, or Who disarmed the Russian soldier." The author, in particular, writes: “Simonov opened a new direction in small arms automation. Simonov - these are large-caliber and heavy machine guns. These are light machine guns and submachine guns. These are tank machine guns from America, England, France and Japan. Simonov is the entire range of Japanese small arms and machine guns. Simonov is promising weapon US infantryman of the 21st century." Kuptsov tells in detail how it was with great difficulty, overcoming numerous political and bureaucratic obstacles, that Simonov’s weapons, so needed by the army, were obtained. And how much of it didn’t reach! And the price for this is millions of human lives!

And yet, we have something to be proud of!

A.G. KUPTSOV “STRANGE HISTORY OF WEAPONS” S.G. Simonov is the unknown genius of Russia, or who and how disarmed the Russian soldier. – M.: Kraft+ Publishing House, 2003. – 432 pages. Circulation 3000 copies.

As long as people in Russia are afraid of their people, no one will give the people the right to own weapons.

Until a person owns a weapon, he will never become a citizen, and he will not be interested in the weapons of his army or the weapons of his own. possible enemies. He will not know anything about this weapon until, once again, mothers cry all over Russia, receiving a funeral or a zinc box.

The ability to understand weapons, use and wield them without any restrictions is the key to developing nationwide civic maturity. Only an armed, self-confident man who obeys the law of his country, and not the force of the law's enforcers, can be considered a citizen.

The right to force of arms must be part of the national idea.
One of the founding fathers of the United States gave the following definition: “Democracy is a space of agreement among armed men.”
.
All my life I have said, I say, and I will say that in order for a person to feel like a citizen with all the volume civil liability and the acquired symbol for self-control, he must have the right to acquire, store and carry any weapon (up to MG-42). And not a single responsible bastard simply has the moral right to put under his control the right given to me by God to safety and protection of honor and dignity, as well as simply to love weapons.

Russia is a country with an unpredictable past.
There is a continuous mythologization of reality. "The Myth of Great Russia before 1917”, “The myth of raw material abundance”, “The myth of grain vodka “Crystal” (for those who do not know, it is made from gas). In the same system is the “Myth of the best Kalashnikov assault rifle in the world.” The main problem with the AK is that it is a weaker cartridge compared to the NATO and US cartridges. And the cartridge is the strength of the nation, for the strength of the state is equal to the strength of its weapons.

The record for penetration in 7.62 caliber belongs to a Belgian bullet with a boron carbide core, which allows it to penetrate 16 mm armor at a distance of 300 meters. Translated into Russian, a NATO soldier can destroy the entire crew of an infantry fighting vehicle by simply firing a burst at it at a distance where, it would seem, the soldiers are safe.

Moreover, American cartridges produce greater muzzle energy, but tests showed that the bullet of the Belgian cartridge, having a different design and slightly greater weight combined with an excellent cross-sectional profile, was more stable in flight and lost kinetic energy more slowly. At a distance of 400 m, the Belgian bullet had 59% more energy than American cartridge bullets.
To this we must also add the enormous influence of the barrel on the flight characteristics of the bullet.

Russians are proud of their academics and the universality of school education. They are proud of universities, comparing the preparation and level of knowledge of students. We laugh at the hilariously stupid Americans in Mikhail Zadornov’s monologues. And we dream of buying a German car, Italian shoes and a Japanese TV.

Weapons are the last bastion of our leavened self-indulgence.
Vodka, black bread, chocolate from the Red October factory and a Kalashnikov assault rifle are considered winners in the category " Best products Russia" 1988. But everyone likes Riga Bread, Kristall vodka is made from gas, chocolate doesn’t grow in Russia, but the Kalashnikov assault rifle...

Its muzzle energy is 1991 J. And the muzzle energy of the most popular weapon in the world, the “automatic rifle” FN FAL, depending on the barrel and the type of bullet, is 3160-3420 J. The muzzle energy of the American M-14A1 with a 520 mm barrel is 3000 J.

The conclusion is clear. We lost already by force of arms.
Our main cartridge is equal in strength to the NATO low-impulse cartridge. What about the short barrels of our machine guns? After all, experts know that a long barrel increases the aiming and effective range of a shot.

“Automatic Rifle” is a military weapon that must have an inertial accumulator-interrupter that allows automatic firing in fixed bursts, etc. This term is associated with international system control over the trade in weapons, especially military weapons, to which the AR - “automatic rifle” belongs. This term is associated with a complex system of duties and tariffs, with its own rules for import and export...

The AK suits semi-legal arms dealers precisely because it does not fall into the category of combat weapons, but is quite powerful in the class of “defense weapons” and in that tactical niche where there is no point in putting powerful service models into service. Don't forget that it was originally not a live cartridge, which reduced its muzzle characteristics. Therefore, marginalized people, not being able to buy even the same German G-3, buy AKs. The advantage of the AK is its reduced combat performance, and this means that many trade and administrative restrictions do not apply to it.

In short, the AK is something like a Volga car. Take any car in the world with the same weight, and you will see that its engine should be 2.5 -3 times more powerful. It's the same with AK. The first thing that catches your eye is the short barrel and weak muzzle energy with a massive body. If it at least had a front sight above the gas chamber, then it would be possible to make a mid-flight version with a longer barrel. But its design graphics are such that a lot needs to be changed, that is, everything. And this is only if the task is set: to increase the muzzle energy due to the barrel. And why does he need such a long bolt box? After all, the return spring could be placed in the cavity of the piston of the gas exhaust mechanism. Then the return stroke length could only be calculated for the length of the cartridge. So much for an additional 150-200 mm of barrel without increasing the overall length. And these are the most general comments that any techie can make. What was good immediately after the war should not have been elevated to a cult for many decades, while new models with a lot of promising modifications were being developed all over the world.

The main version, combining books by A.G. Kuptsov, - the existence of an anti-republican noble conspiracy that is destroying the country. It was this conspiracy that prevented Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov from patenting his ingenious invention - the principle of locking the bore of a weapon with a “bolt skew.” Simonov is the best weapon in the world.

If someone thinks that finding a new solution to a technical problem is easy, then this is a deep misconception. Mass creativity is nonsense. Throughout the history of mankind, one can count about forty design solutions that created modern civilization. For example, the power of falling water has been used in one form or another for two thousand years. But only two hundred years ago a bevel gear was created, which made it possible to remove the load at a right angle. Sails have been used for thousands of years, but only about three hundred years ago they learned to install a boom (longitudinal beam), attaching the lower luff of the sail to it, which made it possible to tack sharply and move almost against the wind.

Archimedes, Singer, Diesel, Tesla, Simonov suddenly, in a way unknown to this day, generated an idea, catching, among the structural chaos of existence, an invisible wave of the primordial eidos, in which the Creator laid down the harmony of spatial relationships. An incomprehensible motive - creative power - turned on the volitional principle, and the brain, having broken a tunnel from the depths of invisible wisdom into real existence, graphically designed this idea.
Something new was born. And then, if society is ready, this idea is embodied in metal.

In fact, creativity can only exist in technology, if by this we mean the creation of something that did not exist before. This is an act of independence, because something is created in a ready-made world of things. Normal consciousness perceives the world as a given. Everything already exists and should be so. Even the most talented designer, if he is not a genius, does not create something new, he combines. But only.

Art is immeasurably more primitive, because it is illustrative, at best, and secondary in essence. This is just a pathetic graphic, color or sound reaction, it is a fake of participation in life. It is not a fable - “the art of the oppressed”, but art itself - the life of the weak who have lost life. And if the real suffering and problems of humanity touch the soul less than their “film” reflection, then so much the worse for humanity.

ADDITION:

Simonov developed a scheme that made it possible to reduce the size of submachine guns. On this basis, the following were created: Ultrasound, Ingram, Bereta. The structural basis of the Kalashnikov assault rifle is also the work of Simonov.

Simonov created a bolt misalignment in the light machine gun system in 1922.

In Russia, bolt misalignment was used in the legendary ShKAS machine gun and the ShVAK created on its basis. The skewed bolt is a machine gun of the Goryunov brothers, which was adopted into service as a heavy machine gun in 1943.

In 1949, the SKS was discontinued and the AK was adopted, which was classified as secret for another seven years.

Since 1946, the NATO cartridge has been 7.62x51 mm, and in the USSR the cartridge has been 7.62x39 mm, which dooms any type of Soviet weapon to comparative weakness in terms of muzzle energy and salvo power.

Do you know what the knocking force of a cartridge and the effective range are? Muzzle energy is equal to half the product of the bullet mass times the square of the initial velocity. This is sometimes called muzzle velocity.

Barrel power (or "muzzle") is equal to the product of muzzle energy and rate of fire.
Specific muzzle power is the ratio of muzzle power to the mass of the system. According to this indicator, the AK is inferior to any NATO models.

Muzzle energy of AK-74 caliber 5.45 mm – 1316 J.
Muzzle energy of AK-47 1991 J.
Muzzle energy of a three-line model. 1891 – 2844 J.
Muzzle energy FN FNK caliber 5.45 - 1576 J.
Muzzle energy when firing from the M-16 – 1780 J. (5.45)
Muzzle energy of M-14A1 with a 520 mm barrel – 3000 J. (5.45)

Therefore, if I go on an attack with a Kalash against the G-3, FN FAL or, God forbid, against the Swiss roller systems of the SIG AM series, these devices will simply kill me before I reach effective fire range. And if the owner of this sample also places it on the bipod included in the kit and immediately attaches an optical sight, taking it out of the pouch, then, like in the old days, I need to “call” the penalty officers for help and litter the field with corpses...

There is no patent for Kalashnikov - there is nothing to patent. Neither the system as a whole, nor individual nodes.
After all, barrel linings with wooden safety layers pressed onto them are Simonov.
Gas outlet on top? Simonov.
Separately attached gas pipe? Simonov.
A cleaning rod secured by its own spring tension? Simonov.
The trigger mechanism, even officially recognized, is taken from the ZB-29 (Kholek) i.e. from a machine gun and a Simonov automatic rifle, so there is nothing to patent...

NATO experts believe that a sniper must hit a living target at a distance of up to 900 meters. In this case, a high probability of hitting a waist target at a distance of up to 600 meters and a chest target up to 400 m is necessary. Let’s not forget that at a distance of 200 meters a person, on average, has a “height” of 8-12 mm, at 400 m his “height” "4mm!
What is a kilometer and a half of aimed shot?

Cartridge for sniper large caliber rifle 12.7x108 mm.
Simonov anti-tank rifle is a 5-round self-loading cal. 14.5 mm; total length – 2108 mm; initial speed – 1012 m/s; at 300 meters it penetrated 35 mm armor at an angle of 90 degrees.

The FAL penetrates 3 mm armor plate at a distance of 620 meters, a US helmet at 800 m and a Bundeswehr helmet at 690 m.

P.-S. A funny comparative analysis: "Confrontation: M16 - AK47 - Three-line" - http://smi2.ru/mat33/c645909/

no 11/21/2012 20:04:08
Review: positive
Well, I don’t know how it’s possible to learn how to disassemble and assemble an AKM for so long. This is not a motorcycle or a car. It is enough for the average soldier to be shown how this is done for half an hour and, under the supervision of a sergeant, to do it himself, that’s all the training is.

Sergey Pavlukhin 11/22/2012 13:58:59

And at first I simply enjoyed Kuptsov’s books - so much interesting information!!!
And only over the years I began to perceive them more critically (largely thanks to the opinions of authoritative weapons specialists and military historians).
Nevertheless, the author is interesting, puts forward original versions, does not curry favor with authorities and defends his point of view as best he can.

I don’t have his books in my personal library, but if I come across them at a second-hand bookseller, I’ll buy them.
Some pages are still interesting to me.

no 11/22/2012 07:06:19 PM

I have been interested in weapons since childhood. I saw, held in my hands and shot from various things, both ours and foreign. Therefore, reading Kuptsov’s opuses did not particularly inspire me. Here's an example: in retirement, I at one time worked as the deputy head of the military maintenance team at a military unit. Let's go to the shooting, I was the leader of this shooting. All of us fired, two senior lieutenants who were with us asked to let them shoot from the SKS. I gave them cartridges, they lay down and started shooting, and I stood at their feet. Once again the left one shoots and the ejected cartridge flies up. At the same moment the right one shoots. Again the left one has a shot, but the right one doesn’t. Stop, I say, stop shooting. This rightist begins to say that the carbine has stopped firing. I called the others over and suggested they look at the reason, which I saw immediately, since I was looking at them during the shooting. The flying cartridge case of the right shooter fell in front of the bolt of the left shooter's carbine and was pinched by it. You’ll shoot for a year and it’ll never work out, but it did. But AKM doesn’t have such things. I talked a long time ago with an officer, a former adviser in Africa. He went with the Africans to shoot, they had a variety of weapons, from all countries of the world. During a smoke break, all the weapons lay in one row, with their barrels facing the targets. He stood with his feet on each machine gun or carbine, and then kicked him (they were lying on the sand). When firing resumed, nothing was firing except the AKM. All these arguments by Kuptsov about exceeding the power are not worth a penny, since the capabilities of the machine gun clearly exceed the capabilities of the average shooter. He writes about tarpaulin boots and overcoats, generally nonsense. Kirzachi are lighter than ankle boots, I weighed them myself. No need to fuss with laces. Your feet get wet, rewind your footcloths and that’s it. For a city dweller, this thing is certainly unusual, but for the field and dirt, it’s just right. During the entire period of its existence, they tried many times to put shoes and boots on the Russian army, and each time they still returned to boots.

Sergey Pavlukhin 11/22/2012 20:17:31

I have long had my own idea of ​​the functionality of shoes.
And I believe that boots (an element of the national Russian costume) in the best possible way adapted for our natural environment. About two years ago I wanted to buy myself some officer-style boots (chrome or cowhide). I visited all the local markets, but saw only tarpaulin ones. I would love to buy kirzachi, but the sizes were too small (I didn’t have my 44). Only boots with long tops are available.
I must say that felt boots are among the most functional shoes. And in winter they are the warmest and most comfortable. I read somewhere that these are the healthiest winter shoes.
If we turn to ancient times, we can also remember about bast shoes - the ability to weave shoes for ourselves was widespread, and bast shoes were light, dried quickly after being in water, and were quite easy to make (for an experienced person).

no 11/22/2012 20:51:02

When I arrived in the North (Tiksi village), I went to convey greetings from my colleague to one warrant officer. I found him, standing and talking to some newcomer. He complains that he asked for high boots, but they gave him felt boots. This old ensign tells him - high boots are certainly a beautiful thing, but you just know how many people here have frozen their feet in them. And in felt boots, your feet breathe and are much warmer. Later, I also took some felt boots for myself. And they have two centimeters of felt in their heads, you won’t freeze them. Then, even in my presence, my fingers in my boots froze.

no 11/22/2012 20:45:58

In 1956 they built new house. Five pairs of new bast shoes were found in the old attic. They were made of woven ropes and hemp. The knots are larger on the sole, smaller higher up, and slightly larger around the foot. Not bast shoes, but a work of art. For some time they hung on a string in the entryway of the new hut, and then, apparently, they were thrown away. I still regret it. Cow boots, by the way, are heavier than tarpaulin boots. Following my father’s method, I lubricated the new tarpaulins with fish oil three times, eight hours apart. After that they never let water through. I regret that I didn’t learn how to weave bast shoes from my grandfather, now they would be worth a lot. I once saw on TV, a grandfather weaving in one of the regional centers, but this is not bast shoes, but profanation. Perhaps for those who have not seen the real ones.

Gennady Botryakov 02/26/2010 08:38:22
Review: positive
About 10-12 years ago in some newspaper (I think in " Komsomolskaya Pravda") I read about another domestic machine gun "Abakan", which in its own way tactical and technical characteristics was much better than the AKM, but then nothing changed, the AKM is still considered the best in the world, or so they tell us. Sincerely! GB.

Sergey Pavlukhin 02/26/2010 23:44:53

Hello, Gennady!
Here is information on the Nikonov AN 94 assault rifle (Abakan):
Caliber: 5.45x39 mm
Length: 943 mm (728 mm with stock folded)
Barrel length: 405 mm
Magazine: 30 rounds
Weight without magazine 3.85 kg
Effective firing range up to 700 meters
Rate of fire: 1800 / 600 rounds per minute

When the new 5.45mm caliber cartridge was adopted by the Soviet Army, it was understood that those accepted with it modernized automatic and the Kalashnikov AK-74 and RPK-74 light machine guns will be replaced over time by more advanced and effective small arms. The research and then competition topic under the code name “Abakan” was started precisely to create a fundamentally new model of individual small arms of 5.45mm caliber to replace the AK-74. Within the framework of the theme "Abakan" it worked a large number of design teams led by, among other things, very venerable designers. However, the victory in the competition went to a design developed by designer Gennady Nikonov at the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant (IZHMASH) under the name ASN. Why the victory went to this particular model can only be debated if you have the full results of official tests in hand, but one way or another, in 1994, the Nikonov assault rifle was officially adopted by the Russian Army under the designation AN-94. It was initially planned that the AN-94 would eventually replace all AK-74 and AKM assault rifles in the army, however, in light of recent trends and taking into account the design features of the AN-94, this assault rifle became the weapon of the elite of the Russian Army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The AN-94 requires much longer training than the AK-74, and therefore is of little use for conscripts, and the Army does not have the money for complete rearmament. Currently, AN-94 assault rifles are in service with a number of units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Republic of Armenia in Chechnya (mostly staffed by professionals, not conscripts), as well as in the Taman division.

There are many different opinions about the AN-94 assault rifle, but here is my personal opinion, formed on the basis of existing publications, as well as communication with people who have personal experience using the AN-94. So, the main distinguishing feature of the AN-94 over the AK-74 from the point of view combat use- this is the introduction of an additional fire mode in bursts of 2 rounds at a high rate. This mode of fire ensures high accuracy and accuracy of hits - according to people who shot from the AN-94, an experienced shooter can put both bullets into one hole in the target at 100 meters. Such shooting significantly increases the chances of hitting a target compared to single aimed shooting, significantly increasing the lethal, stopping and armor-piercing effect of bullets. In fact, the 2-round fast fire mode is a replacement for the single fire mode, which is necessary due to the insufficient effectiveness of 5.56mm bullets. In single-shot and long-burst fire modes, the AN-94 does not have a significant advantage over the AK-74. From the point of view of ergonomics, there are also no significant improvements - I myself once held the AN-94 in my hands and it did not seem to me any more comfortable than the AK-74M, and even vice versa. The price for the few, frankly speaking, advantages obtained was a significant complication of the design of the weapon, and a significant complication of its maintenance, assembly and disassembly. It takes no more than 10 hours to learn how to assemble and disassemble an AK-74, while for the AN-94 it takes weeks. But what is especially surprising is that despite all the complexity of the design, Nikonov managed to achieve exceptionally high reliability of the design of his machine gun. If only the ergonomics were at the same high level...

Technical description of AN-94.
I must warn you right away that this description does not pretend to be complete, in particular, I will practically not describe the very complex firing mechanism (trigger mechanism) of this machine gun.

The heart of the AN-94 is a more or less traditional automatic gas control unit with locking by turning the bolt. The barrel with the gas chamber and gas tube located above it is mounted on the receiver, inside which the bolt frame with a rotary bolt moves horizontally. Inside the receiver behind the bolt frame there is a return spring for the bolt group and an additional buffer that accelerates the roll of the bolt group when moving forward. The entire receiver is completely hidden inside the plastic body of the machine gun and can move back and forth inside the body under the influence of recoil when firing. Under the movable receiver on the left in the body there is a return spring of the bolt box, which is why the magazine is deflected to the right. The rod protruding from the body of the machine gun under the barrel is the front guide for the moving group, and also serves to mount the under-barrel grenade launcher.

Due to the fact that the magazine is stationary when firing, and the barrel chamber moves back and forth in space, Nikonov had to introduce a two-stage cartridge supply scheme with an intermediate chamber located in the lower part of the movable receiver, and an additional rammer connected to the bolt frame using a flexible steel cable passing through a large pulley located on the left side of the receiver. Whenever the bolt frame moves backward, the cable pulls the rammer forward, and it pushes the top cartridge out of the magazine and feeds it into the intermediate chamber immediately behind the breech end of the barrel. When the bolt frame moves forward, the bolt picks up a cartridge from the intermediate chamber and sends it into the barrel, and the rammer returns back to the next cartridge in the magazine. When the bolt frame moves backward, the hammer, located in the rear of the movable receiver and connected to the trigger by a rather complex system of rods and levers, is also cocked.

When firing automatic fire with two-round bursts or long bursts, the first two shots are fired at a high rate (1800 rounds per minute), while the entire bolt box rolls back smoothly under the influence of recoil inside the weapon body. The recoil of the receiver ends after the first two bullets have left the barrel, and only at this moment the full recoil impulse begins to act on the body of the weapon and on the shooter, displacing the weapon in space and knocking down the sight. That is why the AN-94 assault rifle is called a “weapon with a displaced recoil impulse,” for some reason omitting the fact that the impulse is shifted in time and not in space. If the weapon was set to fire 2 rounds at a time, then after the 2nd shot the hammer is locked in the cocked state, the entire moving system returns forward under the action of the return spring, while the next (3rd) cartridge is already in the barrel, and to continue firing it must be released and press the trigger again. If the machine gun was in long burst mode, then after the 2nd shot, as usual, the spent cartridge case is removed and the 3rd cartridge is chambered. In this case, however, the hammer is automatically held in the cocked position until the moving system has completely returned to the forward position, after which the self-timer releases the hammer and fires a shot. Starting from the 3rd shot, the self-timer fires only once at a time full cycle rollback of the mobile system, providing a low (600 rounds per minute) rate of fire.

For a better understanding (I hope, at least) of the operation of the AN-94 mechanisms, here you can see diagrams of the operation of the AN-94 mechanisms with descriptions.

The selection of fire modes is carried out by a separate translator located on the left side of the weapon body, above the trigger guard. The translator has 3 positions, marked “OD” (single shots), “2” (2-shot burst) and “AB” (random-length burst). A two-position safety in the form of a transverse button is located at the trigger guard. The charging handle is located on the right directly on the bolt frame.

Sighting devices include a front sight in the muzzle, adjustable when zeroing, and a diopter rear sight with 5 different apertures, made in the form of a five-rayed rotating star with holes in the rays. The selection of the desired firing range is carried out by rotating the star until the aperture with the desired marking is placed on the aiming line. Despite the lengthening of the line of sight compared to the AK-74, such a sight also has disadvantages - the holes in the rear sight have a small diameter, which makes it difficult to shoot in low illumination of the target, as well as cleaning if the holes in the rear sight become dirty in combat conditions. On the left side of the weapon body there is a universal rail for attaching day and night optical, collimator and IR sights.

The butt of the weapon is foldable on the right side, made of impact-resistant plastic, as is the body with the forend. On the muzzle of the barrel there is an original quick-release muzzle brake in the form of the number “8” placed on its side. The base of the front sight bears a lug at the bottom left for attaching a bayonet. The bayonet-knife is mounted horizontally, to the right of the barrel, and when attached does not interfere with firing from an under-barrel grenade launcher. Due to the design features of the AN-94, 40mm underbarrel grenade launcher GP-30 is attached to it through a special additional bracket.

The AN-94 is fed from standard box magazines from the AK-74 and RPK-74 for 30 and 45 rounds, respectively. In addition, it is possible to use new four-row box magazines with 60 rounds.

Holding small arms in hands, using hand and heavy machine guns, carbines, anti-tank self-loading rifles (PTRS), developed by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov, soviet soldier I was confident that it would not only not fail in battle, but would also protect his native land from the enemy. Weapons S.G. Simonov was created taking into account the needs of the Red Army, since it needed the most effective, mobile, easy-to-handle small arms. All this could be achieved by Sergei Gavrilovich’s weapon designs. Among other things, they, according to professionals, amazed with their excellent combat and operational qualities.

Simonov Sergei Gavrilovich was born in 1894 into a peasant family. The work biography of a simple rural boy from the village of Fedorovka, Ivanovo-Voznesensk province (now Vladimir region) began early, immediately after he graduated from three classes of a rural school, and almost from the first days was associated with technology. Already at the age of sixteen he worked as a blacksmith in a metalworkshop, and then as a mechanic at a mechanical plant. Having completed vocational courses, S.G. Simonov went to work as a fitter-debugger of automatic weapons at the Kovrov Machine-Gun Plant (currently OJSC V.A. Degtyarev Plant).

His first teachers were Vladimir Grigoryevich Fedorov, the founder of the Russian school of automatic weapons, and Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev, the head of the experimental workshop of the plant. They awakened in the inquisitive young man a craving for designing small arms, which later became the main work of his life. While still acting as a senior foreman at the Kovrov arms factory, he often worked together with the leading designers of the plant and was engaged in the creation of individual weapon components. Soon the accumulated experience allowed S.G. Simonov to continue Fedorov's work and begin to develop an automatic rifle of his own system.

Independent inventive activity of S.G. Simonov began in 1922-1923, when he designed and assembled his first light machine gun and automatic rifle. It should be noted that Sergei Gavrilovich is one of the first Soviet gunsmiths who developed the design of a machine gun, taking into account simplification and reduction in production costs, as well as an extremely simple configuration. The parts of the moving automation system also did not require complex machining. However, tests carried out in 1926 revealed insufficient reliability of the weapon's automatic operation, which influenced the future fate of the light machine gun. So, for example, in order to remove the bolt, it was necessary to separate the butt and remove the handle. This caused some inconvenience. But failure did not stop the young designer. With even greater persistence, he began to work on improving his machine gun.

In 1931, another small arms competition was held. Simonov presented him with a modernized automatic rifle, which he had worked on in the late 20s. In addition to the obvious combat superiority, Simonov’s design was immeasurably more technologically advanced and half the price of its competitors. In the new project, Simonov managed to increase the range of aimed fire to 1500 m. M.N., who was present at the tests. Tukhachevsky personally congratulated the designer and wished to see his machine gun in service with the army as soon as possible. Also in 1931, the automatic rifle of the Simonov system quite successfully passed factory tests and was admitted to field testing.

Soon the weapon was put into service rifle units Red Army under the designation ABC-36. Its power is amazing: one soldier of a rifle unit, armed with an automatic rifle of the Simonov system, could achieve the same density of fire as was achieved by a group of three or four shooters armed with rifles of the Mosin system of 1891–1930.

Oddly enough, there were no “purges” among the creators of small arms and machine guns, like those that befell aircraft manufacturers. With one exception. The only casualty in 1937 was Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. He will be removed from all responsible positions, and weapons samples will not reach the troops in the volume required by the army. Moreover, the “promoter of Tukhachevsky”, both after the death of Stalin and after the 20th Congress of the CPSU (1956), will not gain any stable administrative position, will not occupy a single position that would help him somehow influence the fate of his designs .

In 1938, a competition was announced to develop the best self-loading weapons. Such famous designers of automatic weapons as F.V. took part in it. Tokarev, V.A. Degtyarev and others. S.G. also decided to take part in the competition. Simonov, despite the fact that he was much younger than his colleagues.

It is worth noting that the RGANTD branch stores application materials for S.G.’s inventions. Simonova. Archival documents were studied for the period from 1938 to 1945. The chronological framework was not chosen by chance. 2015 is the anniversary year of victory in the Great Patriotic War. That is why it is very important to remember the brilliant inventors of domestic military designs, which are an integral part of the Red Army’s weapons. What makes some documents unique is that they contain the signatures of Sergei Gavrilovich himself.

So, in 1938, Simonov submitted an application for a new type of weapon - ABC - 037. The rifle was classified as an automatic weapon with the removal of powder gases from the barrel. The description of the invention reveals the principle of operation of the rifle: its charging, disassembly and assembly. The application for the invention is provided with visual drawings of the rifle design. A review received from the Bureau of Inventions of the USSR State Planning Committee on the Simonov rifle read: “In known automatic weapons, it is not possible to change the rate of fire. To eliminate this drawback, this invention provides the ability to reduce the rate of fire." Based on this, in 1938, the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR S.G. Simonov was issued copyright certificate No. 3012 entitled “Copyright automatic weapon”.

However, according to the results of the competition, it turned out that the expert commission gave preference to the Tokarev rifle. It took almost 50 years to be convinced that the Simonov rifle was structurally better and simpler than the SVT adopted for service. Simonov's design was 650 grams lighter and had 25 fewer parts than the Tokarev rifle. Recalling the events of those years, former deputy people's commissar weapons V.N. Novikov in his book “On the Eve and on the Days of Testing” writes: “the decisive role was played by the fact that Stalin knew Tokarev well. The name Simonov meant little to him. The issue of a self-loading rifle was considered at a meeting of the Defense Committee. Only B.L. Vannikov defended Simonov’s rifle, proving its superiority.”

It is also necessary to say about the moderator for the ABC system, developed by S.G. Simonov. From the application materials for the invention we learn that it is used in a rifle to slow down the rate of fire during automatic shooting. The retarder itself consists of 18 separate parts. It is designed to reduce the rate of automatic fire by increasing the period between sinking the sear. In 1939, S.G. used this moderator. Simonov submitted an application to the invention department of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR, but it refused to obtain an author's certificate for the designer, arguing that S.G. Simonov “details are presented that do not make it possible to form an idea of ​​the structure and operation of the mechanism as a whole.” In this regard, the invention department of the USSR NPO decided that “until Simonov provides satisfactory materials, the copyright certificate cannot be registered.” The application materials were therefore considered unsatisfactory.

However, already in October 1939 S.G. Simonov was given the long-awaited copyright certificate for the “ABC Moderator” under the heading “secret”, and in November 1939, the Bureau of Inventions of the USSR State Planning Committee registered the copyright certificate and entered it into the register of inventions of the USSR under No. 3254.

Despite the many positive characteristics of the Simonov rifle, there were also its qualitative shortcomings, which the Red Army soldiers complained about. So, for example, when disassembling ABC, there was real opportunity pinch your fingers with the striker; or, if, after complete disassembly, the rifle is inadvertently reassembled without a locking wedge, it is quite possible to chamber a cartridge and fire a shot. At the same time, the bolt bouncing back at enormous speed could cause significant injuries to the shooter. Taking into account these and other facts regarding the operational qualities of the rifle, in 1939 the production of the Simonov system rifle was reduced, and in 1940 it was stopped altogether. Military factories previously engaged in the production of ABC-36 were reoriented to the production of self-loading rifles of the Tokarev SVT-38 system.

Sergei Gavrilovich reacted sensibly to criticism, and with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he devoted all his efforts to ensuring that his inventions were as effective as possible.

During the war, Simonov had a close connection with the fronts. Letters, photographs, and memories that have reached us tell about S.G.’s visit. Simonov on active units of the Soviet Army and correspondence with soldiers. Such meetings, invariably accompanied practical advice, not only contributed to a better study of weapons, but also instilled a love for them and inspired fighters to new feats.

In May 1941 S.G. Simonov filed an application for a new invention - a trigger mechanism for automatic weapons - SKS (self-loading carbine of the Simonov system). The application documents preserved designs, photographs showing such important points, like loading a carbine, disassembling it, etc. Despite the fact that some parts of the weapon are “widely known, for example, in the Czechoslovak machine gun, domestic standard models of the SVT-40 rifle, the DP machine gun, as well as from German patents,” the Bureau of Inventions of the USSR State Planning Committee issued S.G. Simonov received an author's certificate for the invention, noting in his response the features of the trigger mechanism for automatic weapons.

However, for real finest hour For Sergei Gavrilovich, it was the summer of 1941, when the Soviet armed forces needed, along with an increase in anti-tank artillery, to supply the front with an effective, mobile, easy-to-handle close-combat anti-tank weapon. Such a weapon at that time could only be anti-tank rifle(PTR), which had a low mass, high maneuverability on the battlefield and the ability to have good camouflage in relation to the terrain. The urgent need of the troops for this powerful weapon forced the organization of production of Simonov rifles by Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant No. 622. For the development of the anti-tank rifle S.G. Simonov was awarded the Stalin Prize.

In August 1941, Simonov introduced a self-loading rifle, which belongs to class 2 automatic weapons. The designer filed an application for this type of invention called “Self-loading rifle.” The answer was mixed. The USSR State Planning Committee decided to join Simonov’s present application to the previous one for the following reasons: “the author’s certificate does not specify for what type of automatic weapon the trigger mechanism described by the designer in the document is intended.” Due to this fact, it was decided not to issue a new copyright certificate.

The next stage of S.G.’s professional activity. Simonov became 1944. It often happened that designers had to defend their rights to inventions, usually receiving negative responses. So, in 1944, he sent an application to the Bureau of Inventions at the USSR NGO for the invention of an automatic carbine. However, in the official response from the Bureau of Inventions, he was told that “the present proposal basically repeats the proposal in the application of the same applicant filed with the NPO in 1941. Therefore, the Bureau of Inventions of the USSR State Planning Committee considers it possible to terminate this application with production.”

Also in 1944, S.G. Simonov is submitting an application for a “Non-automatic repeating carbine” chambered for a special intermediate cartridge of 7.62 mm caliber with a permanent magazine for 5 rounds. “The non-automatic repeating carbine is an independent weapon and is a repeating rifle of the 1891 model, but has features in terms of locking the bolt of a more simplified type, both in handling and in terms of performance in all parts of the carbine, and it is also lighter in weight.” However, the application materials for this invention say that the Bureau of Inventions of the State Planning Committee “considers refusing to issue an author’s certificate, because “The design of the proposed carbine does not differ significantly from the design of a repeating rifle proposed by the same author. The difference is insignificant, so the difference is not a sign of a new invention and cannot be protected by a copyright certificate."

The fate of the “brainchildren” of the creators of small arms was not always simple and easy. Not all inventions went into mass production. The same fate befell the inventions of S.G. Simonova. In 1944, refusals from NGOs came one after another. In addition to the above designs, which the inventor received a refusal, there were also negative reviews for such designs as “Light Machine Gun”, “Magazine Rifle”. Refusals for copyright certificates were most often given because these types of weapons and improvements to them were already known. However, the designer did not insist on their revision, relying entirely on the experience and knowledge of experts.

Among other things, in the penultimate year of the war, Sergei Gavrilovich offered the army a choice of three carbines in options: self-loading - SKS-41 with a magazine for 5 rounds; automatic - AKS-20 and AKS-22. Main feature These carbines were well-thought-out designs, light weight and the presence of a permanent magazine, which later became the main distinguishing features of the weapons of the talented Soviet gunsmith. So, speaking about the SKS, the most famous design, it should be noted that in 1944, a fairly large batch of Simonov self-loading carbines was sent to undergo military tests in part of the 1st Belorussian Front and to the “Vystrel” courses, where they received a positive assessment. However, there were also shortcomings of the weapon, so it was adopted into service by the Soviet Army only in 1949 under the name “7.62-mm self-loading carbine of the Simonov system (SKS).” After the adoption of the self-loading carbine S.G. Simonov continued to work on improving it. Today, the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering and Signal Corps houses several samples of the SKS-45, to which various design changes have been made. And although not many of them were put into production, but, like any creative search, they are of undoubted interest, revealing the designer’s plans for improving his model.

Touching upon the issue of the scale of production of SKS, it should be noted that serial production of Simonov carbines was mastered in 1949 by the Tula Arms Plant, and in 1952 by the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant and continued until 1956. During this time, 2,685,900 SKS were manufactured. Today, the SKS remains in the Russian Army only in service with honor guard companies.

Behind long years Devoted to his beloved work, Simonov created a huge number of unique models of small arms, conducted many interesting studies, and made a huge contribution to the development of domestic weapons. He paid great attention to the introduction of new models into production and the education of competent and responsible specialists. He charged everyone with his energy and dedication to his work. Could work around the clock

One moment: Simonov Sergey Gavrilovich

Hello, dear friends!

Today is September 22. On this day, in 1894, one of the greatest designers in the field of small arms, Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov, was born. His family lived quite poorly, and therefore, from the age of six, the future gunsmith had to work hard in the field. From the early age The rural boy showed his design skills by creating various agricultural implements. Later, at the age of 21, Sergei Gavrilovich went to work at a small factory, which allowed him to complete technical courses. Having such education and experience, he managed to get a job at the Kovrov Machine Gun Plant (now OJSC “Plant named after V.A. Degtyarev”). After working for some time and receiving the position of senior foreman, he, under the guidance of two venerable gunsmiths: Degtyarev and Fedorov, worked on with our first examples of weapons. We will tell you about the most famous examples created by the hands of a talented craftsman below.

ABC-36

Our first guest is a rifle that passed long haul, before it was put into service. Simonov presented his first prototype of an automatic rifle back in 1926, but the prototype was not allowed for field testing. During factory firing, a shift in the center of gravity of the weapon was noted, associated with the special location of the gas exhaust mechanism, which significantly affected the accuracy when firing. In addition, tests revealed the low reliability of the rifle, due to the low security of its components, as well as the difficulty in disassembling the weapon. Because of these reasons, the commission did not even consider the issue of manufacturing a pilot batch of ABC-36.

But this did not stop the designer, and by 1931 he made another attempt to create an automatic rifle. The presented weapon surpassed similar samples of Degtyarev and Tokarev. ABC passed all field and military tests, and already in 1936 it was put into service. However, it was not produced for long - until 1940. This was due to the fact that Stalin demanded that a self-loading rifle be designed for the army. According to the commander-in-chief, automatic weapons lead to excessive consumption of ammunition, and therefore they decided to adopt self-loading SVT-38. Some historians believe that Simonov’s name was unknown to Stalin, while he was well acquainted with Tokarev, which played in favor of abandoning ABC-36. However, this did not prevent the use of Sergei Gavrilovich’s rifle at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. It is curious that even the Germans did not miss the opportunity to use captured specimens in battle.

Armor-piercing weapons

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the troops experienced an acute shortage of guns capable of hitting light and medium tanks. The production of guns required time, which was running short. Therefore, at the end of the summer of 1941, the front command instructed two gunsmiths - Degtyarev and his student Simonov - to take on the creation of anti-tank rifles. At the same time, only one month was allocated for development and testing. That is why Sergei Gavrilovich, without hesitation, used units almost identical to the ABC-36, albeit enlarged for a 14.5 mm caliber cartridge. Both designers met the deadline. Unlike Degtyarev's gun (PTRD), Simonov's gun (PTRS) was almost 3 kg heavier, but it could hold 5 rounds of ammunition, and therefore provided a higher rate of fire. It is quite a rare case in history when both samples presented to the commission were adopted for service. Surely this was due to the hopeless situation at the front. PTRS showed its high efficiency when firing at a distance of up to 300 meters, it easily penetrated the armor of light and medium tanks - the main weapon of the Wehrmacht in lightning war. Quite a few steel monsters turned into a pile of riddled scrap metal, coming under fire from anti-tank rifles. Blitzkrieg choked - invaluable time was won, which made it possible to organize the production of guns. The role of anti-tank rifles gradually declined, but this did not stop them from being used until the end of the war to suppress firing points and destroy armored vehicles and low-flying aircraft.

SKS-45

The gunsmith never stopped surprising the world with his developments. Along with the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the Simonov self-loading carbine occupies a special place in the history of Soviet automatic weapons chambered for 7.62 mm. It was created on the basis of one of the experimental rifles of the brilliant designer. The weapon received impressive characteristics - it was light, compact and unpretentious to handle. In 1944, the SKS-45 underwent military tests, which revealed a number of shortcomings: tight extraction of spent cartridges, the possibility of cartridge misalignment in the magazine, as well as insufficient reliability of the automation in bad weather conditions. Due to these reasons, the adoption of the Simonov carbine was delayed until 1949. However, the SKS-45 did not stay with the troops, because at the end of the 50s the USSR army began to switch massively from carbines to machine guns. Nevertheless, the SKS remained in service with non-combat units for some time. In our time, the carbine has found a second life in hunters' circles, and also as a ceremonial weapon for honor guards.

The further fate of the gunsmith

For the creation of new types of weapons, the designer was awarded many awards, including: Hero of Socialist Labor, three Orders of Lenin and Golden medal"Hammer and sickle". Many experts note that Simonov was a proponent of simplifying and reducing the cost of production through the use of stamping and casting - technological processes, which are widely used in the production of weapons in our time. Throughout his life, Sergei Gavrilovich was engaged in the development of new and modification of old weapons. The fruit of his painstaking work were about 200 copies of authentic firearms. It is curious that at one time Simonov managed to take part in the development of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, and also became the author of a scheme for reducing the size of submachine guns, which is now used by UZI and MAS-10.

But no one is eternal. Unfortunately, on May 6, 1986, Sergei Gavrilovich died. He became one of the few people to whom a monument was erected during his lifetime. His name is immortalized on a stele dedicated to gunsmith designers on the territory of the plant where he began his career as an engineer. Everyone who worked with Simonov noted his dedication to his work, as well as his good, kind disposition.

Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov (1894-1986) is deservedly considered one of the patriarchs. His life was typical of the talented nuggets who came to the Soviet defense industry in the 20-30s. Born into a peasant family, he graduated from three classes of a rural school, at the age of 16 he became a blacksmith's apprentice, then a factory mechanic, and in 1917 he began working as an adjuster for machine guns of the V.G. Fedorov system at the Kovrov machine-gun plant, where he was soon appointed a foreman. In 1922, Sergei Gavrilovich had already begun creating a light machine gun and an automatic rifle of his own design. After 7 years, he became the head of the plant’s assembly shop, then the experimental workshops, in 1932-1933. completes his education at the Industrial Academy, and after 3 years his automatic rifle is adopted.

After that, Simonov headed design bureaus at defense industry enterprises and only retired in 1959. But even then he did not stop working on new types of weapons. Evidence highly appreciated his merits - the title of Hero of Socialist Labor and twice - laureate of the Stalin Prize, awarding eight orders and several medals. Over the years creative activity Simonov designed one and a half hundred different systems, but for a number of reasons only three became famous: the ABC-36 automatic rifle, the PTRS anti-tank rifle and the SKS self-loading carbine, which became service weapon our army.

What about the rest of the designs? What were they like? Let's try to answer this question, especially since prototypes did not disappear without a trace, as often happened, but are stored in the collection of the Central Museum of the Armed Forces in Moscow. Simonov himself contributed a lot to this, bequeathing his experimental weapons to the museum in 1960-1981. who transferred 155 “trunks” here. With a few exceptions, these are automatic systems, among which submachine guns and machine guns occupy a significant place.

Sergei Gavrilovich developed his first submachine gun in 1945-1946. It seemed that during the Second World War, all conceivable improvements were made to the design of such weapons. Nevertheless, Simonov found new, original solutions in the design of individual components and elements, so that the initial version of the PPS-6P of the 1946 model had undeniable advantages over the Shpagin and Sudaev submachine guns that were in service. Its automation remained traditional for such systems and was based on the recoil of the free shutter, but the moving parts were much better protected from contamination. In particular, the bolt and receiver were protected from dust and moisture by a thin-walled stamped cover, which remained motionless during firing. On all production submachine guns, spent cartridges were thrown up and to the side through a window in the receiver and prevented the shooter from sighting the target. Simonov directed the extraction of cartridges downwards, the PPS-6P of the 1946 model had a constant sight at 200 m, consisting of a front sight and rear sight, a stock carbine type; The ammunition was 7.62 mm pistol cartridges of the 1930 model.

Submachine gun PPS-6P mod. 1946.
caliber - 7.62 mm
total length - 798 mm
weight without cartridges - 3.27 kg

magazine capacity - 35 rounds

In 1949, the designer redesigned this weapon for 9-mm PM pistol cartridges and reduced its size by using a retractable metal stock. The new sample received the PPS-8P brand of 1949. In the same year, on instructions from the NKVD, Simonov began working on the first Soviet compact submachine gun. Taking the PPS-8P as a basis, to further reduce the dimensions, he used the bolt to roll out onto the barrel at the moment of firing. (It was only in 1954 that a similar solution was embodied in the Israeli Uzi, so its author Uziel Gal was far from the first.) A feature of the new weapon was a low rate of fire, which was achieved by a relatively large mass of moving parts, a long automatic stroke and a roll-out bolt. The impact mechanism was of the classic type - striker-fired, the sight was reversible, designed for aimed fire at distances of 50 and 100 m, the safety lock fixed the bolt in the cocked position. The submachine gun turned out to be small, 600 mm long with the shoulder rest folded down and 380 mm with the shoulder rest folded, and weighed 1.88 kg without cartridges.

PPS-10P arr. 1950. It was manufactured in 1950, but unfortunately it did not withstand the entire test cycle. In addition, due to the lack of a muzzle brake-compensator, the accuracy of fire was low, and the strength of some parts was insufficient. It took two decades to evaluate Simonov's achievements - only in 1970 did the USSR resume the design of small-sized submachine guns. Moreover, it was repeated: the samples presented by N.M. Afanasyev and E.F. Dragunov did not satisfy the military in terms of effective firing range. And only in 1993 did mass production of the Kedar, which was very similar to the PPS-10P, begin.

Submachine gun PPS-10P mod. 1950.
caliber - 9 mm
total length - 600 mm
length with stock folded - 380 mm
weight without cartridges - 1.88 kg

rate of fire - 700 rounds per minute
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At the same time, Sergei Gavrilovich was engaged in machine guns - as the combat experience of the Second World War showed, the most successful and promising light small arms. Your own AS-13P mod. 1949, he designed in 1948. To operate the automation, the energy of the powder gases was used, partially vented through the side hole in the barrel; to lock the cartridge - a bolt misalignment well worked out by the author; to slow down the rate of fire - a long stroke of the piston rod. To shorten the length of the receiver, the designer placed a recoil spring in the butt. From AS-18P mod. 1948, it was possible to fire bursts and single shots. There was a safety lock that locked the trigger mechanism. A significant number of parts were made using the high-tech cold stamping method. Although the weapon turned out to be quite suitable for use, it was overweight - without ammunition it weighed 4.31 kg. Simonov tried to lighten it by abandoning the dust-proof cover of the receiver window, remaking the reloading handle, changing the safety and the fire mode selector. New AS-18P mod. 1949 “lost weight” by half a kilogram and became more comfortable.

Automatic AS-18P arr. 1949.
caliber - 7.62 mm
total length - 860 mm
weight without cartridges and magazine - 3.8 kg
Magazine capacity - 30 rounds

At the same time, the gunsmith tried a different principle for actuating moving parts. Back in 1948, he created the AS-19P with a semi-free (self-opening) bolt, slowed down by friction, which also ensured slow extraction of cartridges. Otherwise, the design was very similar to the AS-13P and AS-18P.

Automatic AS-19P mod. 1948.
caliber - 7.62 mm
total length - 852 mm
weight without cartridges and magazine - 3.2 kg

The last in a series of machines from 1948-1949. became AS-21P arr. 1949, structurally similar to the AS-18P. In it, the functions of the butt were performed by a receiver riveted from thin corrugated metal sheets. The folding sights, which were reminiscent of the German FG-42 parachute rifle on all Simonov assault rifles, received a more convenient retractable rear sight. For hand-to-hand combat a bayonet was intended. At the request of the customer, who paid special attention to the ease of use of the weapon, Sergei Gavrilovich placed all the accessories for cleaning it in the pistol grip.

In 1949, the AK-47 designed by M.T. Kalashnikov was adopted, but the improvement of such systems continued. In addition, the use of Kalashnikov by the troops revealed a number of shortcomings. While the author sought to eliminate them, other gunsmiths were busy creating new models. Simonov, who had accumulated considerable experience in the design of automatic machines, also joined them. In 1955-1956 he offered 6 models. The operation of their automation was based on the removal of powder gases through a hole in the barrel - a scheme recognized as optimal. The cartridges on all models were locked by tilting the bolt, as on the universally recognized SKS carbine. In this experimental series, Simonov finally abandoned sighting devices with a folding front sight and a retractable rear sight, moving on to the classic - a sector sight with a cylindrical front sight protected by a ring-shaped steel front sight. His AS-95P and AS-96P arr. 1955, came out as lightweight as possible. This was achieved by reducing the receiver and wooden parts. What was original in both designs was the gas piston, made in steps to reduce the speed of movement of the moving parts, and the trigger mechanism, made in a removable block. Tests revealed the pros and cons of new products; Thus, the rigidity and strength of individual parts turned out to be insufficient, and the recoil, due to the low mass, was excessive. At the same time, experts noted the simplicity of the machine’s design and its unification with the SKS.

Automatic AS-95P arr. 1955.
caliber - 7.62 mm
total length - 890 mm
length with folded stock - 700 mm
weight without cartridges and magazine - 2.59 kg (96P - 2.85 kg)
Magazine capacity - 30 rounds

The most successful were the AS-106P mod. 1955 and AS-107P mod. 1956. Their firing mechanism was a trigger mechanism. To forcefully unload the receiver cover and slow down the rate of fire, Simonov used a long stroke of the piston rod and placed the return mechanism in front of the bolt frame in the receiver, securing the spring stop located on the piston rod by rotating the sector. The frame with the return mechanism was fixed using a detachable handle. The rod tube was attached to the gas chamber with a pin. To reduce the size of the weapon in the stowed position, one of the machine guns was equipped with a sliding metal butt.

Automatic AS-106P arr. 1955.
caliber - 7.62 mm
total length - 890 mm
weight without cartridges - 3.5 kg
Magazine capacity - 30 rounds

In 1962, a new “automatic period” began for Simonov. Then it finally became clear that the “Kalashnikov” became the standard for such weapons; the technology for making it was debugged “one hundred percent” and breaking it, even to produce a more advanced model, was considered inappropriate. Therefore, Simonov’s experimental products of the AO-31 series were similar to the AK-47 and AKM; all had similar rotating bolts and fuses designed solely to prevent accidental shots, and signal flag translators located near the trigger served to change the fire mode. Nevertheless, Simonov's assault rifles had a number of characteristic features that prevented them from being confused with other systems. Thus, the AO-31 assault rifle with serial number 3, manufactured and tested in 1962, had a gas chamber on the muzzle of the barrel, which simultaneously served as a compensator brake, front sight body and flame arrester. To lengthen the aiming line, the sight was mounted on the receiver cover. However, the AO-31 did not show any tangible advantages over the Kalashnikov, and its performance and reliability turned out to be even lower than that of the serial AK.

Of course, Sergei Gavrilovich was upset by this, but did not give up. He tended to look for new things largely empirically, repeatedly remaking and improving components and parts. That's what he did this time too. Introduced in 1964, the AO-31-6 again had a conventional gas chamber and a long-stroke piston; the bolt had an improved device with a roller on the leading lug to reduce friction when unlocking. Simonov considered installing the sight on the receiver cover to be irrational and returned it to the fore-end ring. The AO-31-6 assault rifle received a wooden butt, folding in the stowed position and attached to right side receiver. This made it possible to use the machine gun in all branches of the military. Only two decades later did a similar stock find a place on the Kalashnikov AK-74M.

Automatic AO-31-6
caliber - 7.62 mm
total length - 895 mm
length with stock folded - 660 mm
weight without cartridges and magazine - 2.51 kg
Magazine capacity - 30 rounds.

In the 60s, Simonov was one of the first in the country to begin experimenting with new promising types of ammunition: 5.45 mm low-pulse and 7.62 mm caseless cartridges. In 1963, the designer proposed the AO-31-5 small-caliber assault rifle. With the exception of the barrel, it did not differ from other samples of this series. Although testing at the test site confirmed the viability of such a weapon, it took another 10 years before it became established in the weapon system of the Soviet Army.

Automatic AO-31-5
caliber - 5.45 mm
total length - 910 mm
weight without cartridges - 2.57 kg
Magazine capacity - 30 rounds

The experimental caseless AO-31-7 produced in 1965 turned out to be forgotten. Technically, it was designed like the entire AO series, but did not have an ejector and a reflector. They tested the possibility of firing ammunition in which powder charge was pressed with a capsule. The AO-31-7 assault rifle was not intended to fire single shots; the main thing was to get the weapon and unusual ammunition to operate in automatic mode, but this was prevented by clearly “raw” cartridges. It’s a pity, of course, because caseless ammunition promised considerable benefits. For example, due to its lighter weight and dimensions, it was possible to fit more ammunition into the magazine. And again about priority: Simonov’s assault rifle anticipated the appearance of similar weapons in other countries, in particular in Germany, by 30 years.

In recent years, Sergei Gavrilovich continued to work on small-caliber assault rifles chambered for the 5.45 mm cartridge. In particular, in 1975 he created AG-042 and AG-043, which were distinguished by their small size and weight. To activate the automation, the designer used the classic removal of powder gases for such weapons through a hole in the barrel, but due to its short length - only 215 mm - this was done through the muzzle. The gas chamber also served as the base of the front sight. To reduce recoil, a muzzle brake-compensator with a flame arrester was screwed onto the barrel. As with previous samples, the gunsmith took care of safety - two fuses protected the soldier from premature and unintentional shots. One in the receiver prevented cocking of the bolt, and the second in trigger, prevented the shot due to accidental pressing of the trigger. He also served as a fire mode translator. The cartridges were placed in standard 30-round Kalashnikov assault rifle magazines.

Simonov's weapons were distinguished by the fact that they were easily disassembled and very technologically advanced due to wide application cold stamping in the manufacture of parts. Based on the specifics of different types of troops, it was equipped with wooden or metal butts; the latter, in the retracted position, noticeably reduced the length of machine guns and submachine guns.

Tests of AG-042 and AG-043 took place in competition with Kalashnikov shortened AKS-74U. They did not show any significant advantages in terms of rate of fire and ballistics and therefore were not accepted into service. The authority of M.T. Kalashnikov, who by that time had already become twice a Hero of Socialist Labor, also had an effect. The AG-042 and AG-043 assault rifles became the last Simonov exhibits: Sergei Gavrilovich donated them to the museum in 1979.

Small-sized automatic machine AG-043
caliber - 5.45 mm
total length - 680 mm
length with stock folded - 420 mm
weight without cartridges -2.1 kg
Magazine capacity - 30 rounds