Mikhail Kalashnikov designed the RPK (Ruchnoi Pulemiot Kalashnikova), or Light Machine Gun of RPK, as an effective heavy automatic fire support weapon to assist Russian paratroopers’ rifles with richer mechanical fire support. It uses either 45-round box magazines or 75-round drum magazines interchangeable with those found on AK assault rifles for effective operation.
An updated variant known as the RPK-74M features polymer furniture with a pistol grip and side rail for mounting optics, as well as being available as an export model RPKM chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition.
Features
The RPK light machine gun is an iconic light machine gun that has played an essential role in several historical conflicts. With multiple variants and widespread battlefield utilization, its adaptability and importance as a support weapon are clear. This article will delve into its intricate features while discussing any differences between it and its predecessors, as well as any history of adaptation.
Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the AK series rifles, created the RPK as heavier automatic fire support for his AKM assault rifle. While similar in many ways to its counterpart, it features heavier barrels and more prominent capacity magazines, which allows longer burst fire rates without frequent reloads; plus, it boasts ergonomic pistol grips and folding buttstocks for added user convenience.
RPK rifles are famous for their distinctive wooden stocks attached to a trunnion that is riveted to both receiver walls. Each socket and tang hinge on a pin for easy folding of the store for transportation or deployment purposes, while this unique feature makes folding easy. Furthermore, paratroopers use variants known as RPKKSs with similar trunnion designs specifically tailored for them.
RPK rifles stand out with their leaf-style rear sight, adjustable up to 1,000 meters at 100-meter increments. Furthermore, this rifle can use either 40-round box magazines or 75-round drum magazines and comes equipped with an optional 30-round stripper clip for faster reloading.
RPKM, the more modern variant of the RPK, features polymer furniture and an integral side rail for mounting optics. Chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition and available for export. This variant gradually replaced its predecessor when used by Soviet Airborne troops.
The RPKM stands out with its optional handguard, which can be mounted either at the top or bottom of its receiver for added flexibility depending on the mission and combat environment. Furthermore, its reduced weight helps balance recoil.
Construction
The RPK is a variant of the AK-47 designed specifically for squad use. Its longer, heavier barrel enables full-auto fire without heat buildup compromising accuracy; furthermore it features threaded muzzle threading to accept various muzzle devices like flash hiders, compensators, and blank firing adapters; in addition, it includes an adjustable bipod that can be mounted in either of two positions near its muzzle for ease of use; furthermore its 11-pound weight makes it suitable as a powerful support weapon in dynamic close contact battle environments.
This rifle features a thick laminated wood forearm and fixed laminated wood buttstock designed to mimic RPD stocks for optimized prone firing. It can be utilized either with pistol grips or a rear-mounted detachable box or drum magazines; it is most often fed from 40-round box magazines but can also be provided using 75-round drum magazines if desired. In addition, various accessories, such as telescopic buttstocks and different sling mount options, can be added for modification.
The RPK features a U-shaped receiver crafted from a 1.5 mm sheet of steel, as opposed to the AKM’s 1.0 mm steel receiver. Furthermore, its recoil assembly differs significantly, consisting of both its rear spring guide rod from AKM and a unique forward flat guide rod with coil spring. The RPK is known to be highly durable and easy to maintain, which has earned it widespread use by military agencies worldwide – from Georgian special forces to Mali’s Armed and Security Forces. Law enforcement officers across Latin America and Malaysia also widely utilize this rifle, while civilians also own them; its parts are sold and assembled by numerous private companies and manufacturers; it’s even regularly featured as part of Airsoft games!
Adjustability
The PT-1 RPK stock is explicitly tailored for rifles based on the RPK (Vepr), offering maximum adjustability to meet shooters’ goals and anatomical features. With two sling mount options and high-grade steel construction coated with black paint, it allows users to choose their ideal position for firing.
The RPK is a light machine gun/squad automatic weapon chambered in 7.62x39mm that is widely utilized by former Soviet motorized units as well as military agencies around the world. This weapon can be fed using box or drum magazines with 40 or 75-round capacities that are compatible with magazines used for AKM variants; its pistol grip comes from AKM itself, while its distinctive wooden clubfoot buttstock provides enhanced prone shooting stability and its elevation-adjustable rear sight leaf graduated for ranges out to 1,000 meters with 100-meter increments.
Inter Ordnance’s RPK may offer unparalleled ergonomics, but one aspect may prove challenging for most shooters: length of pull. If you are used to shooting modern rifles such as ARs or M4s, a clubfoot buttstock may feel foreign in your hand; credit should go to Inter Ordnance designers for designing such an iconic Soviet weapon so comfortably, and we applaud their designers for this accomplishment!
PT-1 RPK stocks use an adjustable mechanism similar to that found on an AK-74 rifle, featuring a lever that raises and lowers a regular folding button at the buttpad to allow users to set desired stock length. To close, press the button below the lever. When complete, the regular folding button can then be prompted again for folding stock. Moving parts of this mechanism must be regularly maintained during gun maintenance; for disassembling stocks, using one requires both a hammer and drift pin, with the latter used to dislodge the regular hinge from the folding mechanism.
Weight
The RPK is a light machine gun/squad automatic model chambered in 7.62x39mm adopted by the former Soviet Union and later several military agencies worldwide. This weapon features a long, ventilated barrel, bipod, clubfoot buttstock, elevation-adjustable leaf sights, and bipod mount and can be fired from various firing positions, including prone.
This rifle can be fed from either 40-round box magazines or 75-round drum magazines that can be loaded individually or in bulk. A specially designed rear spring guide rod and coil spring reduce recoil force for improved accuracy while remaining consistent with its design compared with similar assault rifles such as the AK-47 or AKM models.
As with other Kalashnikov weapons, the RPK is built for durability and ease of maintenance, featuring a receiver cover stamped from 1.5 mm (0.1 in) steel sheet compared to only 1 mm in its AKM counterpart. In terms of interchangeability between parts from these two models, however, only specific recoil systems differ; RPK utilizes different rear spring guide rod and coil spring systems than its AKM counterpart.
The RPK weighed 11 pounds versus an AK47 at 8 pounds and was designed as an automatic weapon designed to deliver sustained full auto fire for use by squad mechanical weapons teams. Its fixed wooden stock was specifically shaped after RPD stocks for optimized prone firing with its pistol grip from AKM weaponry incorporated on either side. Furthermore, this weapon features a side mount on its receiver to accommodate optical sights for more effective sight use.
The rifle features dual leaf sights that are elevation and windage adjustable and graduated between 100 to 1,000 meters in 100-meter increments, while its rear sight leaf also comes equipped with its windage adjustment knob – unique to RPK series weapons. Also included with an RPK are spare magazines, a cleaning rod, cleaning kit (stored in hollowed compartment in buttstock), an oil bottle, a sling, oil bottle pouches for drum magazines or 4-pocket pouches explicitly designed for box magazines as well as magazine pouches tailored for box magazine usage such as its variant RPKKS variant; its side folding wood stock makes this weapon ideal for airborne infantry forces who require smaller weapons for airborne infantry troops requiring airborne infantry troops.
