Hearing the name of the famous weapons designer and inventor Tokarev, many people immediately remember the beautiful blued TT pistol. Even those who are completely unfamiliar with this brand and far from firearms. And for good reason: this pistol, which proved its effectiveness during the Great Patriotic War, is still very popular today. You can hear about him in the news of the crime chronicle, see in movies and TV shows.
But few people know that Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev is the author of other, unfortunately, little-known projects. Among his brainchildren are the SVT-40 self-loading rifle and an assault rifle chambered in 7.62 mm.
Tokarev assault rifle: history of creation
Among the participants in the competitive development of weapons, held in 1943, F. V. Tokarev was the oldest. He is 72 years old. Despite age and illness, the designerdecided to create an automatic machine and in October 1943 he entered into a competitive competition with young participants. The layout of the machine was ready within a month. At the same time, a separate weapon design was not created, but the finished AVT rifle was taken as a sample. Such a design made it possible to save time and eliminated the risk in the development of automation units. Until April 44, Tokarev finalized his creation. This was not easy for him. Production problems often arose: in wartime, there was an acute shortage of cartridges - their new samples went straight to the front. By May 1944, the machine gun designed by Tokarev was ready.
Weapon test
The 1944 Tokarev assault rifle was first tested on May 7, 1944. As a test shooter, a girl named Vera was introduced to the designer. Tokarev was skeptical at first, but when he saw the well-coordinated work of the girl with the weapon, he changed his attitude.
In terms of the quality and reliability of the mechanism, the Tokarev assault rifle did not pass this test. The reason for the failure was the delays in firing, double shots and transverse breaks in the shells. During the experiment, the passage of cartridges and their ejection from the magazine was observed. These shortcomings of the capsule mechanism of the weapon were explained by the high speed of the moving structural elements and were noticed by the members of the commission. The machine needed a major overhaul. But the most unpleasant fact was the breakdown of the receiver of the weapon: the back wall was torn, and the machine was damaged.
The second test was plannedin July 44th. The delay during firing was traced in the design of the Tokarev rifle. It was difficult to fix this defect. Therefore, by July, the design of the weapon was not yet ready. The second stage of the test passed without the participation of the Tokarev model.
The third round took place in December of the 44th. The Tokarev assault rifle gave poor results and, according to the designer, required further improvement. The problem was the accuracy and reliability of the mechanism. But the commission considered that the revision was inappropriate, and excluded the machine from the competition. The third test of this weapon was the last one.
Nevertheless, the AVT, like the SVT-40 rifle, was actively used in the Great Patriotic War. Existing defects: damage and wear of the barrel - were eliminated in a makeshift way. The models were suitable for making surrogate carbines out of them.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the Tokarev assault rifle
The weapon is designed for a cartridge having a caliber of 7.62 mm. Bullet size - 7, 62 x 39 mm. The weight of the machine, together with the magazine and thirty rounds, is 4.77 kg. The weapon is designed to hit a target at a distance of one and a half kilometers.
The AVT rifle was used to make the AT-44 structure. On its basis, Tokarev designed the moving elements of the weapon: the bolt and the bolt frame. The difference was in the reduced diameter of the bolt cup, respectively, the diameter of the bottom of the cartridge case used, as well as in the absence of the automatic trigger mechanism and its spring.
Trigger device
Shock-The trigger mechanism of the Tokarev assault rifle allows single and automatic fire. You can switch the shooting mode thanks to the hook, which acts on the sear with its upper part. When the location of the hook changes, it is disconnected from the sear, which makes it possible to conduct a single fire. For automatic mode, it is enough to move the hook further so that it does not reach the disengagement position and the sear remains in the position retracted. It is possible to change fire modes thanks to the fuse-translator, which has the form of a lever with a spring, which is installed at the base of the trigger guard. Turning the lever to the top position, you can carry out single shots. The lower position makes it possible to fire bursts.
Weapon design
The receiver of the F. V. Tokarev submachine gun differs from the rifle one. Due to the different sizes of cartridges used, the magazine opening in the AT-44 is smaller than in the AVT rifle. Unlike its counterpart - the AVT rifle, the Tokarev Automatic Rifle does not contain storage for accessories in its handle. Such a compartment is in the butt and is covered with a special hinged cover.
The automatic barrel has a transverse ribbing, its length is 485 mm. The steel casing, containing one row of round holes on each side, closes the massive barrel of the weapon.
A muzzle was designed on the model of the AVT rifle in the machine, which consists of a gas chamber, a bracket (a bayonet is attached to it) and an activesingle chamber muzzle brake.
The differences in the design of the rifle and the Tokarev assault rifle are in the specifics of the equipment of the return mechanism. The connecting nodes in the guide rods of the return mechanisms and the covers of the receivers are different. The heel of the guide rod in the AVT is connected to the lid through a milling socket made in it, and in the AT-44 through a narrow rectangular groove in the lid. This speeds up the production of stamped caps that do not require additional processing on machines. The stock of the machine is represented by a short forearm with side cutouts for bipod boots. A ramrod is located in the existing longitudinal channel. A bayonet from a Tokarev self-loading rifle can be attached to the butt of the machine gun.
The action of the AT-44 resembles a light machine gun. This is a characteristic feature of the first Soviet-era assault rifles.
Inventor, designer, worker
The range of interests of the famous designer, gunsmith and inventor was not limited to weapons. Having a rich spatial imagination, an excellent memory, F. V. Tokarev was always fond of blacksmithing and jewelry, chasing, embossing on leather, he was a good carpenter, turner, and miller. The inventor loved to improve technological processes, restore worn tools. “Inventor, designer, worker,” he said jokingly about himself.
