![AVS 36](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/AVS_36.JPG)
The AVS-36 (from ''Avtomaticheskaya Vintovka Simonova 1936 model''; russian: Автоматическая винтовка Симонова образца 1936 года (АВС-36)) was a Soviet
automatic rifle
An automatic rifle is a type of autoloading rifle that is capable of fully automatic fire. Automatic rifles are generally select-fire weapons capable of firing in semi-automatic and automatic firing modes (some automatic rifles are capable of ...
which saw service in the early years of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. It was among the early
selective fire infantry rifles (capable of both single and full-automatic fire) formally adopted for military service.
History
Origins
The designer,
Sergei Simonov, began his work on a gas-operated self-loading rifle in 1930. The first prototype was ready in 1931 and appeared promising. Three years later a trial batch of an improved design was made. In 1935, a competition between Simonov's design and a rifle made by
Fedor Tokarev
Fedor Vasilievich Tokarev (russian: Фёдор Васи́льевич То́карев; 2 June 1871 4 June in old Russian calendarref name=rFedor Tokarev – Brief History Tokarev.com. Retrieved on 2014-02-16. – 6 March 1968) was a Russian we ...
was held. The Simonov rifle emerged as the winner and was accepted into service as the AVS-36. The AVS-36 was first seen in public in the 1938 May Day parade in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
, when it was displayed by the marching
1st Rifle Division. The American public became aware of it when it was covered in the August 1942 issue of the American ''
Infantry Journal
''Infantry'' is the professional journal of the U.S. Army soldier, published by the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Following the success of ''ARMOR
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spell ...
'', in an article by
John Garrett Underhill Jr.
Service
Once in service, it quickly became apparent that the AVS was not a satisfactory design; the operating mechanism was overcomplicated, and the problem was made worse by the rifle's construction which let dirt get inside the weapon. The rifle was also particular about ammunition quality. The muzzle brake design proved to be quite successful, as the rifle had very little overall climb, however its intense recoil impulse still meant the rifle was impractical in automatic fire. Some of the problems with the rifle in the field were thought to be the magazine, which was deemed too long. Production of the AVS-36 was terminated in 1940 after about 34,000 were produced,
and a new design competition was held to which Simonov and Tokarev submitted their improved designs.
In 1938 Tokarev's
SVT-38 was also adopted for service. In 1939 a politicized dispute erupted within the Soviet elite as to which design, that of Simonov or that of Tokarev, should prevail. Simonov's rifle was lighter and contained fewer parts, while Tokarev's rifle was considered sturdier, although this was mainly due to firing pin breakages on Simonov's rifle. Both guns had their supporters and detractors among the
Politburo. Stalin ultimately sided with Tokarev, with whom he had a good personal relationship. By a decision of the Defense Committee dated 17 July 1939, mass production was to concentrate on the SVT-38.
![Red army World War II rifles](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Red_army_World_War_II_rifles.JPG)
Official Soviet production breakdown figures are: 106 made in 1934, 286 in 1935, 10,280 made in 1937, 24,401 in 1938, with an estimated total of 65,800 AVS-36s manufactured until production stopped in 1940 (exact production figures for some years, like 1936 or 1939, is not reported).
World War II and beyond
The rifle first saw service in the
Battle of Khalkhin Gol
The Battles of Khalkhin Gol (russian: Бои на Халхин-Голе; mn, Халхын голын байлдаан) were the decisive engagements of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese border conflicts involving the Soviet Union, Mongolia, ...
, and later in the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
, but did not perform well. Some of the problems were caused by incorrect maintenance; many rifles went into combat without having been cleaned of their storage grease, which then "froze" solid. About 300 AVS-36 examples were captured by the Finns;
some were used by their new owners.
The
SVT-38s and
LS-26
The ''Lahti-Saloranta M/26'' (alternatively ''LS/26'') is a light machine gun which was designed by Aimo Lahti and Arvo Saloranta in 1926. The weapon was able to fire in both full automatic and semi-automatic modes. Both 20-round box and 75-rou ...
s used on the Finnish side suffered from similar problems. After a large amount of the more serviceable SVTs were captured, the AVS-36s were largely withdrawn from service. In the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, the AVS was quickly marginalized and apparently withdrawn from service during 1941, though it saw brief service during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Some reports claim that remaining AVSs were mostly scrapped. The US Ordnance Corps tested the weapon in the early 50s along with several SVT rifles. They noted that in addition to the Soviet's findings, the weapon's gas system, which had a sleeve that moves around the rear sight, also had a habit of loosening the rear sight over time resulting in inaccuracy.
Today, the AVS-36 is a rare collector's item; most of the remaining rifles in existence are in Finland.
Simonov would later design an anti-tank rifle, the
PTRS-41
The PTRS-41 or Simonov anti-tank rifle (russian: ПротивоТанковое Ружьё Симонова) is a World War II-era semi-automatic anti-tank rifle firing the 14.5×114mm cartridge.
Design
The PTRS-41 was produced and used by the ...
, and the
SKS carbine, which employed simpler tilting bolt operation.
Design
The AVS-36 was a gas-operated rifle with a short piston stroke and vertical sliding locking block with secondary locking flappers, each of different size. It was capable of both automatic and semi-automatic fire. The barrel was equipped with a large
muzzle brake
A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...
to reduce recoil. Ammunition was in a detachable
magazine holding 15 rounds. A knife
bayonet was issued with the rifle. A
sniper version was produced in small amounts with a PE (Pritsel YEdinay, e.g. "Unified Sight") 4x variable-power optical scope in an offset side-mounted bracket on the left side.
See also
*
FG 42
*
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle
The Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) is a family of American automatic rifles and machine guns used by the United States and numerous other countries during the 20th century. The primary variant of the BAR series was the M1918, chambered for the ...
*
M1941 Johnson machine gun
The M1941 Johnson Light Machine Gun, also known as the ''Johnson'' and the ''Johnny gun'', was an American recoil-operated light machine gun designed in the late 1930s by Melvin Johnson. It shared the same operating principle and many parts with ...
*
List of Russian weaponry
The following is a list of modern Russian small arms and light weapons which were in service in 2016:
Handguns
Revolvers
Pistols
Special purpose
Submachine guns
Special purpose
Shotguns
Rifles
Bolt-action
Semi-a ...
References
External links
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{{WWIIUSSRInfWeapons
7.62×54mmR battle rifles
Rifles of the Soviet Union
Gas-operated firearms
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1936
World War II battle rifles
World War II infantry weapons of the Soviet Union