TKB-022
Country of origin
Soviet Union
ManufacturerTsKIB SOO
The TKB-022PM (Russian: ТКБ-022ПМ) and its variants were prototype Soviet bullpup assault rifles, capable of fully automatic fire, chambered for the 7.62×39mm round (TKB-022PM No. 1 and TKB-022PM No. 2) and the 5.6×39mm round (TKB-022PM5 No. 1), developed at TsKIB SOO by the small arms designer German A. Korobov in the 1960s. Preceding these rifles was the TKB-022P, a rifle rejected for poor ergonomics.
The weapons were gas-operated with an annular gas piston located around the barrel and a vertically moving bolt, which made it possible to minimize the length of the receiver group. A U-shaped feeder/extractor was used to chamber and extract the cartridge by pushing it into the chamber, then, after discharge, was pulled back from the chamber. Upon feeding the new cartridge, it would then be pushed forward and slightly up into an ejection tube running above the barrel, from which it would finally exit above the muzzle. This ejection mechanism made it possible to fire the weapon both right- and left-handed.
As part of a Soviet-backed research and development program for replacing the AKM, the weapons were designed to be lightweight and compact; these goals were achieved by using fiber...
The weapons were gas-operated with an annular gas piston located around the barrel and a vertically moving bolt, which made it possible to minimize the length of the receiver group. A U-shaped feeder/extractor was used to chamber and extract the cartridge by pushing it into the chamber, then, after discharge, was pulled back from the chamber. Upon feeding the new cartridge, it would then be pushed forward and slightly up into an ejection tube running above the barrel, from which it would finally exit above the muzzle. This ejection mechanism made it possible to fire the weapon both right- and left-handed.
As part of a Soviet-backed research and development program for replacing the AKM, the weapons were designed to be lightweight and compact; these goals were achieved by using fiber...
