AO-46 personal defence weapon

AO-46
Type	Personal Defence Weapon
Land of Origin	Soviet Union
Specifications
Length	655 mm (25.7") stock extended 458 mm (18.0") stock folded
Barrel length	245 mm
Weight	2.0 kg (4.4 lb)
Cartridge	5.45x39 mm
Action	Gas operated, Select Fire
Rate of Fire	700 RPM
Muzzle velocity	715 m/s
Effective Range	500 m
Feed	15-rd magazine/grip see below
Sights	iron sights
Production History
Designer	Peter Andreevich Tkachev
Design Date	1964
Manufacturer	TsNIITochMash (ЦНИИточмаш)

The AO-46 is a gas-operated 5.45x39mm caliber compact carbine/assault rifle and one of the worlds first PDW concepts. Although not particularly ergonomic, it is a reliable weapon but better off as a personal defense weapon for downed aircrew etc., as well as a close quarters battle weapon. It lost out to AKS-74U.

Development

AO-46 was developed in 1964 as a private venture (or as close to "private" as one could get in communist Russia) by P. Tkachev, a senior researcher at TSNIITOchMash. The gun was meant as a defensive weapon for troops whose status does not provide for typical direct fire contact with the enemy, such as artillery crews, missile troops, tank crews, logistical and HQ staff, etc.

In keeping with the basic requirements for personal defense weapons - quickly readied, compact enough not to interfere with a soldier's other operations, and effective range of up to 200 meters - at the conceptual stage of design it was determined that even with shortening the full-length 5.45-mm barrel in half (from 415 to 210 mm), muzzle velocity decreased by only 16% (from 880 to 735 m/s). This initial velocity can be counted on as more than sufficient for this type of weapon's range of effective fire but, when fired from such a short barrel, the discharge formed a strong tell-tale muzzle flash, and the magnitude of recoil pressure can have a traumatic effect on the ears of the shooter. These two phenomena were eliminated after the development of a special muzzle attachment in the form of a sufficiently large volume expansion chamber. Now it discharges gases first through a series of lateral openings in the front of the barrel, and then from the muzzle. Simultaneously, this nozzle performs the functions of the gas chamber vapor system in automation weapons.

Design

Pretty screwy, actually. This weapon is both weird and remarkable because its 5.45x39 mm magazine pulls double duty as a hand grip. No, it doesn't go inside the grip (like an Uzi); the damn magazine IS the grip. Certainly not advantageous from a ergonomic point of view (or robust) but the design means that in unloaded state, this weapon is extremely compact and no encumbrance. Maybe this layout is better used for a survival rifle than for a PDW? The original idea behind this was (supposedly) to simplify the design but, to reduce the width of such a "grip," the ammunition needs to be arranged in the magazine at a rather steep angle which can impair feeding under field conditions. This resulted in design changes to both the receiver and magazine to ensure reliable feeding.

References

• "Солдат удачи" номер 9 (72) 2000 Д.Ширяев "Кто изобрел автомат Калашникова" (D. Shiryaev, "Who invented the Kalashnikov". Soldier of Fortune Number 9 (72) 2000)
• http://www.personaldefenceweapons.com//subcarbines/subcarbines.htm

See also

• Modern Sub Machine Carbine

Links

• http://talks.guns.ru/forums/icons/forum_pictures/000668/thm/668627.jpg
• http://talks.guns.ru/forums/icons/forum_pictures/000668/thm/ 668629.jpg
• http://talks.guns.ru/forums/icons/forum_pictures/000668/668633.jpg
• http://talks.guns.ru/forum_light_message/51/222113-m4716260.html

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AO-46 personal defence weapon is part of a series on Weird guns
Rifles	Heckler & Koch G11 | CornerShot | Periscope rifle | Krummlauf
Shotguns	Pancor Jackhammer
Pistols	Duck's foot | Protector Palm | AF 2011
Revolvers	Chiappa Rhino | Apache Revolver
Others	AO-46 PDW | Harmonica gun