So, may I introduce a @_DELAVR research based on some photos found by me?
Perhaps it would make sense to combine all Decard’s topics about high-capacity magazines for AVS autorifle, add new information and your comments. So, as you can imagine, some of the material was taken from Decard, which greatly simplified the search for information.
The first steps
In 1930, small arms developer Simonov created a rifle with the discharge of powder gases through the muzzle, using a bipod bayonet, without an interpreter for continuous firing[1].
I don’t see any point in dwelling on the rifle itself, since the prototype doesn’t even have sighting devices. Nevertheless, the 25-round magazine for the rifle is of interest.
In the same year, 1931, Simonov improved the prototype to a “competitive sample.” The bayonet of the rifle is bladed, adapted as bipods when shooting. The rifle has an automatic firing translator and a trigger guard. The rifle is already powered from side magazines for 5, 10 or 25 rounds [2].
Characteristics of the AVS 31 competitive sample [3]:
The length of a rifle with a bayonet is 1552 mm.
The weight of the wintwock is 4.65 kg
The weight of the bayonet is 415 g
Rate of fire - 500-530 rounds per minute
The weight of an empty 5-round magazine is 200 g
The weight of an empty 10-round magazine is 285 g.
The weight of an empty magazine for 25 rounds is 487 g.
The weight of the loaded magazine for 5 rounds is 323 g.
The weight of the loaded magazine for 10 rounds is 532 g.
The weight of the loaded magazine for 25 rounds is 1,199 kg.
In fact, even here, the rifle does not arouse any interest due to the low rate of fire of 500-530 rounds per minute, although it might make sense to introduce it as a light machine gun. But what’s interesting is the shops. Unfortunately, it is not clear whether magazines for 5, 10 and 25 rounds could be suitable for later rifles, it is worth noting that Simonov will soon abandon these magazines (except for the 10 charger), nevertheless, in the photo of the 1931 Simonov competition rifle, you can also see a 20 charger magazine.
Moreover, the 20 charging magazine differs from the 5, 10 and 25 charging magazines: there is no front protrusion, there is an edge on the side of the magazine and the feeder protrudes less. The presence of a side rib allows us to say that the 20 charging magazine had a more advanced design, therefore it was made later. Perhaps at the very last moment, for this reason, the Encyclopedia of Kovrov Weapons contains information about only 5, 10 and 25 spare magazines for the 1931 competitive rifle.
Simonov refined his rifle in the same year, it is much more similar to the well-known 1936 AVS model. Only 10 and 20 charging magazines are already indicated as rifle magazines [4]. It is quite obvious that the 20-charge magazine was the same as that of the competitive rifle, but I assume the 10-charge magazine was changed by analogy with the 20-charge magazine, this is also proved by the slight difference in the weights of the loaded 10-charge magazines of the competitive rifle and the modified 27-gram prototype, although of course the difference it is very insignificant and could be caused, for example, by another attachment of gunpowder cartridges. Also, due to the fact that the 20 charge magazine was suitable for a competitive rifle, both the 5 and 25 charge magazines were apparently suitable for further prototypes, but it is not possible to prove this in any way, since, as mentioned earlier, they were quickly retired.
Then Simonov presents a couple more rifles with some design changes in the same and next year. The rifles also relied on 10 and 20 loading magazines[6].
Pre-production model
Unfortunately, after 1932, Simonov’s trace at the Kovrov Factory was lost. It is known that in August 1933, the AVS automatic rifle was put into production, in parallel with Simonov, extensive refinement of its design was carried out[7]. According to the results of a series of tests in 1934-1936, Simonov modified the AVS rifle, and in 1936 it was adopted by the Red Army under the designation “7.62 mm automatic rifle of the 1936 model.”
And here, for which the theme was created in principle, it is worth paying attention to the Simonov automatic rifle of the 1934-1935 model. Before the approval of the standard model in 1933-1935, an experimental batch of just over 400 weapons was produced, which was structurally different from later models. The most obvious differences concerned the location of the fire translator, the shape of the locking pin, the aiming devices, the magazine and the bayonet fasteners.
The difference between the “store" is especially important here. The pre-production models, as well as the early prototypes of 1931, had 10 and 20 charging magazines [10]. Perhaps by 1934, the stores could have been modified, but I don’t think that dramatically, and in the realities of the game, no one will pay attention, for example, to another latch.
Moreover, AVS 34/35 managed to participate in at least one military conflict - the Soviet-Finnish War[11]. It is possible that some of the rifles could even have participated in the Great Patriotic War.
Interestingly, all the provided experimental magazines above do not have a protrusion in the front, for this reason, I assume that the 10 and 20 charging magazines do not fit the serial AVS 36, but the serial 15 charging magazines, as can be seen in museums, fit the early Simonov rifles, including the prototypes of 1931.
I can suggest that only the 15 charge magazine was interchangeable, as was done, for example, on the experimental T22E1 automatic rifle, the magazine of which matched both the rifle itself and the BAR M1918, but the BAR M1918 magazine did not match the T22E1.
[1][2][3][4][5][6] - the book “Encyclopedia of Kovrov weapons (1918-1966). Based on the materials of the Armature Design Bureau archive”.
[7][8] - the book “Tokarev self-loading and automatic rifles".
[9][11] - the book “Sotilaskäsiaseet Suomessa 1918-1988" volume III.
[10] - Manual on the 1936 automatic rifle, 1937 edition.
P.S.
In the middle of July, 1935, as a result of a report to the head of the State Military District and the People’s Commissar of the Army. prom. The AVS plant approved the schedule for the production of ABC in the second half of the year in the amount of 5,000 units with monthly release:
Thx again for @_DELAVR for this brilliant work
And thx U45N guys who enspire me to finish a translate