I have got to have one of these!!
Russia Tour 2001 Testing the AN-94 Nikonov: Corrspondent David Fortier gives us a look at the cutting edge of Russian Small Arms Development
Guns Magazine, March, 2002 by David M. Fortier
In September of 2001, a three-man team journeyed to Russia and had an inside look at some of the latest and most advanced Russian small arms. The team consisted of Marc Krebs, a nationally known gunsmith, Mark Vorobiev, a Russian native who served his country in Afghanistan as part of a SPETsNAZ unit, and myself. After the September 11th attack on New York and Washington D.C., the United States began waging war in Afghanistan. One country that stands in support of the United States is Russia. It, too has suffered attacks by terrorists. Additionally, it has had more experience fighting in Afghanistan than any other country.
From 1979 until 1989 Russia was embroiled in a bitter Afghan war. The combat experience garnered while fighting there not only changed the Russian army's tactics and techniques for waging a modern war, but also helped refine weaponry. While the venerable AK-74M is still in service, its replacement has been adopted and is already issued to SPETsNAZ units Hard as it may seem to believe, the days of the Kalashnikov in Russian service may well be coming to an end.
The Challenge
Type-classified by the Russians as the Avtomat Nikonova-94, the AN-94 is a radical departure from what came before it. While rumors of the Nikonov reached the west as far back as 1993, few outside of Russia had seen it. Knowing this, Marc Krebs, Mark Vorobiev and I decided to seek out and testfire this largely unknown Russian rifle. We began our quest by flying into Moscow where our friend Eric Mustafin met us. Mustafin, a nationally ranked Sambo (Russian martial arts) champion, had, made all our hotel and travel arrangements, including a flight the next day to Izhevsk.
Located in the Udmurt Republic, Izhevsk is approximately 1,200 kilometers east of Moscow on the European side of the Western Urals, Formerly a closed city, it's the home of Izhmash OJSC Russia's premiere arms manufacturer. Founded in 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars, this arms plant has played a significant role in the country's defenses. While Izhmash is currently most famous for being the home of Dr. Kalashnikov and his Avtomat, it's also the home of Gennadiy Nikonov and his AN-94.
We flew there on rickety old ex-Areoflot passenger plane. Touching down, were greeted by Andrei Vishnyakov, the head of public, relations for Izhmash International Trading Center Ltd., and Ahat Khisamutdinov, the personal photographer of Mikhail Kalashnikov.
A Need For Change
The seed for the AN-94 was planted in the 1960s because of the Soviet's dissatisfaction with the basic AKM. While Russia was impressed with the AKM's ruggedness and reliability, it was difficult for conscripts to control on full-auto. Due to this problem, the Soviets desired a lighter, more controllable we weapon that fired a small caliber, high-velocity low impulse cartridge.
Russia's intention w is to field an assault rifle that eliminated recoil through a balanced counter-recoil system. This in conjunction with the new cartridge would yield an assault rifle with dramatically less dispersion, a flatter trajectory, lighter ammunition, and increased effectiveness over anything currently fielded. This bore fruit in the 5.45x39 AL-4, but due to the failing Soviet economy, it was never put into production Instead the AK-74 was adopted in its place. While a superb rifle, the AK -74's increased controllability comes simply through the change from 7.62x39 to 5.45x39 and its effective muzzlebrake not its mechanical design.
The Soviet's desire for a technological leap forward in assault rifles didn't however, fade away. Realizing that the AK-74 represented the zenith of the Kalashnikov design, the Soviets opened a competition for its replacement. This was code named Abakan and began some time in the late 1970s.
The primary requirement of the new rifle was for it to have a hit ratio 1.5 to 2 times greater than the AK-74. In addition it needed to have reduced recoil and increased reliability. Anyone who has ever fired an AK-74 knows what a tall order this was. The AK-74 is extremely controllable, has very light recoil, and is eminently reliable. At least eight different design teams, including one led by Mikhail's son, Victor Kalashnikov, submitted rifles to the competition. In the end, Gennadiy Nikonov's entry was selected and adopted as the AN-94. While placed in limited production in 1998, it has only been built in limited quantities due to manufacturing costs. This has kept the rifle a mystery here in the West.
On September 12, our team met with Alexander G. Likhachev, the general director of Izhmash. He graciously gave us permission to testfire the AN-94 and other new Russian weapons. A few hours later, we pulled into a small 100-meter range where a group of men were gathered. There was not only a small security detail and members of Izhmash's Public Relations Department, but also a member of the Nikonov design team. With him was an AN-94 built in 2000, serial numbered 1990893, plus a bunch of 30round mags!
At Last-A Close Look
All it takes is hefting the AN-94 to see that it's a completely different animal than anything that came before it. The first thing you notice is that the upper and lower receiver are produced from a modern fiberglass-reinforced polyamide. This is a rifle that would make Gaston Glock smile. When I first saw pictures of the AN-94, I can remember thinking that it looked somewhat awkward: It feels good in your hands, but different.
With the sidefolding stock extended, the overall length is 37.1 inches, and with the stock folded, it drops to 28.6 inches. It features a cold hammer forged 15.9-inch barrel that's chrome-lined for durability. Unloaded, the Nikonov tips the scale at 8.8 pounds, so it's no lightweight. Locking in a loaded 30-round mag brings the weight up to almost 9.5 pounds. In comparison, a loaded AK-74M weighs only 7.9 pounds.
The next feature that grabs your attention as you're pawing it over is the rifle's muzzle attachment. Referred to as a flash eliminator, it's a significant departure from the brake utilized on the AK-74M, or anything else in the world for that matter. An asymmetrical design, it features two chambers with a port on either side at the muzzle. In addition, there is one strategically placed vent hole on the upper right of the first chamber. This is referred to as a "whistle," which Krebs took to indicate a sonic whistle.
A sonic whistle is very old technology, to the point of almost being forgotten. Similar in concept to a dog whistle, it alters the report to an ultrasonic pitch the human ear cannot detect. In the past, the Russians had problems with hearing loss from troops using the AK-74, so anything that can drop the weapons sound signature is appreciated. The unit removes easily by simply depressing a lever and turning it 90 degrees. Looking through it revealed no obvious voodoo. It doesn't surprise me that the Russians have moved away from the AK-74M style muzzlebrake. While effective as a brake, it does have the undesirable side effect of producing a huge muzzle flash in lowlight.
The next thing you notice is the radical departure in rear-sight design. Gone is the traditional Mosin-Nagant style tangent rear sight. In its place is a simple, unique and effective asterisk-shaped diopter sight. Protected from blows, it is calibrated for 200 and 400-700 meters. In addition, the 200-meter sight has two holes at its top for Tritium inserts for low-light use. The front sight is a protected post adjustable for windage and elevation that also accepts a Tritium insert.
While some of the controls of the AN-94 are quite familiar, others are not. For instance, the reciprocating bolt handle is on the right, just like an AK's. Also, the magazine release is located and functions the same as that of an AK. The safety and selector lever, however, are a different story. The safety is a crossbolt located above the magazine release and can be easily manipulated via the trigger finger. This finally gives the Russians a rifle whose safety is easily disengaged from a firing grip. However, the selector is a separate lever located at the rear-left of the receiver. Its forward-most position is semi-auto; its middle position is 2-round burst; and its rear most position is full-auto. While the safety is easy enough to disengage, the selector is somewhat awkward to operate, especially if moving to full-auto.
The weapon features the familiar scope rail on the left side of the receiver. This allows rapid mounting of day and night optics. Whereas the AKS-74 and AK-74M stocks folded to the left, the AN-94's stock folds to the right. This allows an operator to fold the stock with optics mounted, something previously not possible. For maintenance, a sectioned cleaning rod is stored in the stock. Sling-swivels are located on the left side of the weapon. Our test weapon had two rear swivels mounted to facilitate either a normal or tactical carry.
How It Works
In operation, the AN-94 is totally unique. Whereas Western designers have for the most part done the bullpup shuffle and beat 1950's designs to death, the Russians have indeed been hard at work. Nikonov designed a system that is both recoil AND gas operated, what the Russians refer to as Blow Back Shifted Pulse. This ground-breaking rifle fires at a high cyclic rate of approximately 1,800 rpm when set on two-shot burst. When fired on full-auto, the first two rounds are at 1,800 rpm then the rifle kicks down to a low rate of 600 rpm.
A very simplified explanation of how the AN-94 functions follows: When the first round is fired, the entire barreled receiver assembly begins to recoil rearward. As the bullet passes the barrel's gas port, a small amount of gas is tapped off. This forces the bolt carrier to the rear within the already rearward moving barreled receiver. The bolt is unlocked, the empty ejected while at the same time a round is stripped from the magazine and placed in a feed tray by a cable and pulley system. When the bolt reaches the end of its rearward travel, it returns forward, chambers, and fires the second round. Meanwhile, the barreled receiver assembly is still moving to the rear. These two rounds are gone before the recoil impulse ever reaches the shooter. On full-auto, the mechanism then kicks down to cycle at 600 rpm. Releasing the trigger resets the mechanism to fire the first two rounds at 1,800 rpm.
Virtual Testfire
In actual use, the AN-94 is most impressive. Push a button and you can unfold the rifle's stock, which locks solidly in place. A standard 30-round 5.45x39 AK-74 magazine rocks in, although it sits angled slightly to the right. With a twist, the rear sight rotates to the desired aperture. The bolt is easily retracted and, when released, runs home smartly. Thumb the selector to the desired firing mode, such as two-shot burst; lean into the weapon slightly as you place the front post on your target; push the crossbolt safety off with the trigger finger, and squeeze. Two empties explode into the air, and dual 52-grain slugs smack the target, yet the rifle remains flat. There is no muzzle rise and no rearward push. The member of Nikonov's design team that demonstrates the rifle to us keeps both rounds from a two-shot burst on a brick at 100 meters. Firing offhand in two-shot burst mode, he rapidly works his way down a line, vaporizing them into a cloud of dust.
As I take pictures, Mark Vorobiev eagerly accepts the opportunity to shoot the AN-94. Both he and, later, Marc Krebs are extremely impressed by the rifle. Krebs hammers some hanging steel gongs at 50 meters on full-auto, sending one flying. The Russians laugh and call him a hooligan. When I take my turn behind the AN-94, I find out what all the fuss is about.
On semiauto, the rifle feels like a traditional self-loader, but with almost no recoil. Sight picture is very similar to that of an M-16's. Thumb the selector back, with some difficulty, to two-shot burst mode, and the rifle comes into a league of its own. Touching the trigger puts two empties in the air, yet the muzzle stays perfectly flat! The rifle feels completely different than anything else I have ever shot. I work part way through a magazine and then kick the selector to full-auto and hammer out a long burst. The rifle just hangs there, the barrel reciprocating back and forth at 600 rpm as empties spill out. Kicking the empty magazine out, I stuff another one in and dump it in one long 30-round burst. Not only does the muzzle stay flat, but the steady rearward push associated with full-auto fire is nowhere to be found.
Full-auto fire with this rifle is addictive, and we hammer out magazine after magazine swapping the rifle between the three of us. Controllability is easily superior to an AK-74M, M-16A1, SIG-551 or anything else I have fired. The more I shoot it, the more impressed I become. After firing 200 rounds, mostly full-auto, the weapon's forend is still cool enough to place your face against. We slap our host on the back and nod approvingly, but he already knows that the AN-94 is in a class by itself.
The AN-94 is a great leap forward in the world of small arms. While not flawless, it's as close as anyone has yet come to building the perfect assault rifle. With it, Russian SPETsNAZ troops will have a significant advantage over Kalashnikov armed foes. The 5.45x39 cartridge has proven itself to be an effective fight stopper in actual combat, and it complements the AN-94 nicely. The Russians claim an effective range of 600 meters for the combination, a significant increase over the AK-74M. The sights and safety show a change in Russian thinking away from the agriculturally simple AK style. When considering that combat effectiveness is 1.5 times better than anything currently fielded and that reliability is superior to the legendary Kalashnikov, you can see what a step forward the AN-94 is.
Cont...
Russia Tour 2001 Testing the AN-94 Nikonov: Corrspondent David Fortier gives us a look at the cutting edge of Russian Small Arms Development
Guns Magazine, March, 2002 by David M. Fortier
In September of 2001, a three-man team journeyed to Russia and had an inside look at some of the latest and most advanced Russian small arms. The team consisted of Marc Krebs, a nationally known gunsmith, Mark Vorobiev, a Russian native who served his country in Afghanistan as part of a SPETsNAZ unit, and myself. After the September 11th attack on New York and Washington D.C., the United States began waging war in Afghanistan. One country that stands in support of the United States is Russia. It, too has suffered attacks by terrorists. Additionally, it has had more experience fighting in Afghanistan than any other country.
From 1979 until 1989 Russia was embroiled in a bitter Afghan war. The combat experience garnered while fighting there not only changed the Russian army's tactics and techniques for waging a modern war, but also helped refine weaponry. While the venerable AK-74M is still in service, its replacement has been adopted and is already issued to SPETsNAZ units Hard as it may seem to believe, the days of the Kalashnikov in Russian service may well be coming to an end.
The Challenge
Type-classified by the Russians as the Avtomat Nikonova-94, the AN-94 is a radical departure from what came before it. While rumors of the Nikonov reached the west as far back as 1993, few outside of Russia had seen it. Knowing this, Marc Krebs, Mark Vorobiev and I decided to seek out and testfire this largely unknown Russian rifle. We began our quest by flying into Moscow where our friend Eric Mustafin met us. Mustafin, a nationally ranked Sambo (Russian martial arts) champion, had, made all our hotel and travel arrangements, including a flight the next day to Izhevsk.
Located in the Udmurt Republic, Izhevsk is approximately 1,200 kilometers east of Moscow on the European side of the Western Urals, Formerly a closed city, it's the home of Izhmash OJSC Russia's premiere arms manufacturer. Founded in 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars, this arms plant has played a significant role in the country's defenses. While Izhmash is currently most famous for being the home of Dr. Kalashnikov and his Avtomat, it's also the home of Gennadiy Nikonov and his AN-94.
We flew there on rickety old ex-Areoflot passenger plane. Touching down, were greeted by Andrei Vishnyakov, the head of public, relations for Izhmash International Trading Center Ltd., and Ahat Khisamutdinov, the personal photographer of Mikhail Kalashnikov.
A Need For Change
The seed for the AN-94 was planted in the 1960s because of the Soviet's dissatisfaction with the basic AKM. While Russia was impressed with the AKM's ruggedness and reliability, it was difficult for conscripts to control on full-auto. Due to this problem, the Soviets desired a lighter, more controllable we weapon that fired a small caliber, high-velocity low impulse cartridge.
Russia's intention w is to field an assault rifle that eliminated recoil through a balanced counter-recoil system. This in conjunction with the new cartridge would yield an assault rifle with dramatically less dispersion, a flatter trajectory, lighter ammunition, and increased effectiveness over anything currently fielded. This bore fruit in the 5.45x39 AL-4, but due to the failing Soviet economy, it was never put into production Instead the AK-74 was adopted in its place. While a superb rifle, the AK -74's increased controllability comes simply through the change from 7.62x39 to 5.45x39 and its effective muzzlebrake not its mechanical design.
The Soviet's desire for a technological leap forward in assault rifles didn't however, fade away. Realizing that the AK-74 represented the zenith of the Kalashnikov design, the Soviets opened a competition for its replacement. This was code named Abakan and began some time in the late 1970s.
The primary requirement of the new rifle was for it to have a hit ratio 1.5 to 2 times greater than the AK-74. In addition it needed to have reduced recoil and increased reliability. Anyone who has ever fired an AK-74 knows what a tall order this was. The AK-74 is extremely controllable, has very light recoil, and is eminently reliable. At least eight different design teams, including one led by Mikhail's son, Victor Kalashnikov, submitted rifles to the competition. In the end, Gennadiy Nikonov's entry was selected and adopted as the AN-94. While placed in limited production in 1998, it has only been built in limited quantities due to manufacturing costs. This has kept the rifle a mystery here in the West.
On September 12, our team met with Alexander G. Likhachev, the general director of Izhmash. He graciously gave us permission to testfire the AN-94 and other new Russian weapons. A few hours later, we pulled into a small 100-meter range where a group of men were gathered. There was not only a small security detail and members of Izhmash's Public Relations Department, but also a member of the Nikonov design team. With him was an AN-94 built in 2000, serial numbered 1990893, plus a bunch of 30round mags!
At Last-A Close Look
All it takes is hefting the AN-94 to see that it's a completely different animal than anything that came before it. The first thing you notice is that the upper and lower receiver are produced from a modern fiberglass-reinforced polyamide. This is a rifle that would make Gaston Glock smile. When I first saw pictures of the AN-94, I can remember thinking that it looked somewhat awkward: It feels good in your hands, but different.
With the sidefolding stock extended, the overall length is 37.1 inches, and with the stock folded, it drops to 28.6 inches. It features a cold hammer forged 15.9-inch barrel that's chrome-lined for durability. Unloaded, the Nikonov tips the scale at 8.8 pounds, so it's no lightweight. Locking in a loaded 30-round mag brings the weight up to almost 9.5 pounds. In comparison, a loaded AK-74M weighs only 7.9 pounds.
The next feature that grabs your attention as you're pawing it over is the rifle's muzzle attachment. Referred to as a flash eliminator, it's a significant departure from the brake utilized on the AK-74M, or anything else in the world for that matter. An asymmetrical design, it features two chambers with a port on either side at the muzzle. In addition, there is one strategically placed vent hole on the upper right of the first chamber. This is referred to as a "whistle," which Krebs took to indicate a sonic whistle.
A sonic whistle is very old technology, to the point of almost being forgotten. Similar in concept to a dog whistle, it alters the report to an ultrasonic pitch the human ear cannot detect. In the past, the Russians had problems with hearing loss from troops using the AK-74, so anything that can drop the weapons sound signature is appreciated. The unit removes easily by simply depressing a lever and turning it 90 degrees. Looking through it revealed no obvious voodoo. It doesn't surprise me that the Russians have moved away from the AK-74M style muzzlebrake. While effective as a brake, it does have the undesirable side effect of producing a huge muzzle flash in lowlight.
The next thing you notice is the radical departure in rear-sight design. Gone is the traditional Mosin-Nagant style tangent rear sight. In its place is a simple, unique and effective asterisk-shaped diopter sight. Protected from blows, it is calibrated for 200 and 400-700 meters. In addition, the 200-meter sight has two holes at its top for Tritium inserts for low-light use. The front sight is a protected post adjustable for windage and elevation that also accepts a Tritium insert.
While some of the controls of the AN-94 are quite familiar, others are not. For instance, the reciprocating bolt handle is on the right, just like an AK's. Also, the magazine release is located and functions the same as that of an AK. The safety and selector lever, however, are a different story. The safety is a crossbolt located above the magazine release and can be easily manipulated via the trigger finger. This finally gives the Russians a rifle whose safety is easily disengaged from a firing grip. However, the selector is a separate lever located at the rear-left of the receiver. Its forward-most position is semi-auto; its middle position is 2-round burst; and its rear most position is full-auto. While the safety is easy enough to disengage, the selector is somewhat awkward to operate, especially if moving to full-auto.
The weapon features the familiar scope rail on the left side of the receiver. This allows rapid mounting of day and night optics. Whereas the AKS-74 and AK-74M stocks folded to the left, the AN-94's stock folds to the right. This allows an operator to fold the stock with optics mounted, something previously not possible. For maintenance, a sectioned cleaning rod is stored in the stock. Sling-swivels are located on the left side of the weapon. Our test weapon had two rear swivels mounted to facilitate either a normal or tactical carry.
How It Works
In operation, the AN-94 is totally unique. Whereas Western designers have for the most part done the bullpup shuffle and beat 1950's designs to death, the Russians have indeed been hard at work. Nikonov designed a system that is both recoil AND gas operated, what the Russians refer to as Blow Back Shifted Pulse. This ground-breaking rifle fires at a high cyclic rate of approximately 1,800 rpm when set on two-shot burst. When fired on full-auto, the first two rounds are at 1,800 rpm then the rifle kicks down to a low rate of 600 rpm.
A very simplified explanation of how the AN-94 functions follows: When the first round is fired, the entire barreled receiver assembly begins to recoil rearward. As the bullet passes the barrel's gas port, a small amount of gas is tapped off. This forces the bolt carrier to the rear within the already rearward moving barreled receiver. The bolt is unlocked, the empty ejected while at the same time a round is stripped from the magazine and placed in a feed tray by a cable and pulley system. When the bolt reaches the end of its rearward travel, it returns forward, chambers, and fires the second round. Meanwhile, the barreled receiver assembly is still moving to the rear. These two rounds are gone before the recoil impulse ever reaches the shooter. On full-auto, the mechanism then kicks down to cycle at 600 rpm. Releasing the trigger resets the mechanism to fire the first two rounds at 1,800 rpm.
Virtual Testfire
In actual use, the AN-94 is most impressive. Push a button and you can unfold the rifle's stock, which locks solidly in place. A standard 30-round 5.45x39 AK-74 magazine rocks in, although it sits angled slightly to the right. With a twist, the rear sight rotates to the desired aperture. The bolt is easily retracted and, when released, runs home smartly. Thumb the selector to the desired firing mode, such as two-shot burst; lean into the weapon slightly as you place the front post on your target; push the crossbolt safety off with the trigger finger, and squeeze. Two empties explode into the air, and dual 52-grain slugs smack the target, yet the rifle remains flat. There is no muzzle rise and no rearward push. The member of Nikonov's design team that demonstrates the rifle to us keeps both rounds from a two-shot burst on a brick at 100 meters. Firing offhand in two-shot burst mode, he rapidly works his way down a line, vaporizing them into a cloud of dust.
As I take pictures, Mark Vorobiev eagerly accepts the opportunity to shoot the AN-94. Both he and, later, Marc Krebs are extremely impressed by the rifle. Krebs hammers some hanging steel gongs at 50 meters on full-auto, sending one flying. The Russians laugh and call him a hooligan. When I take my turn behind the AN-94, I find out what all the fuss is about.
On semiauto, the rifle feels like a traditional self-loader, but with almost no recoil. Sight picture is very similar to that of an M-16's. Thumb the selector back, with some difficulty, to two-shot burst mode, and the rifle comes into a league of its own. Touching the trigger puts two empties in the air, yet the muzzle stays perfectly flat! The rifle feels completely different than anything else I have ever shot. I work part way through a magazine and then kick the selector to full-auto and hammer out a long burst. The rifle just hangs there, the barrel reciprocating back and forth at 600 rpm as empties spill out. Kicking the empty magazine out, I stuff another one in and dump it in one long 30-round burst. Not only does the muzzle stay flat, but the steady rearward push associated with full-auto fire is nowhere to be found.
Full-auto fire with this rifle is addictive, and we hammer out magazine after magazine swapping the rifle between the three of us. Controllability is easily superior to an AK-74M, M-16A1, SIG-551 or anything else I have fired. The more I shoot it, the more impressed I become. After firing 200 rounds, mostly full-auto, the weapon's forend is still cool enough to place your face against. We slap our host on the back and nod approvingly, but he already knows that the AN-94 is in a class by itself.
The AN-94 is a great leap forward in the world of small arms. While not flawless, it's as close as anyone has yet come to building the perfect assault rifle. With it, Russian SPETsNAZ troops will have a significant advantage over Kalashnikov armed foes. The 5.45x39 cartridge has proven itself to be an effective fight stopper in actual combat, and it complements the AN-94 nicely. The Russians claim an effective range of 600 meters for the combination, a significant increase over the AK-74M. The sights and safety show a change in Russian thinking away from the agriculturally simple AK style. When considering that combat effectiveness is 1.5 times better than anything currently fielded and that reliability is superior to the legendary Kalashnikov, you can see what a step forward the AN-94 is.
Cont...
