PK machine gun

7.62mm machinegun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia.

The original PK (ПУЛЕМЕТ КАЛАШНИКОВА, "Machinegun Kalashnikov" †) was a fully automatic machine gun development of the Kalashnikov automatic rifle design. Currently available as the PKM (ПУЛЕМЕТ КАЛАШНИКОВА МОДЕРНИЗИРОВАННЫЙ, "Machinegun Kalashnikov Modernized"), the machine gun fires 7.62x54 mm Eastern Bloc standard ammunition. It is equipped with a simple bipod and is designed as a squad-level support weapon also suitable for installation and vehicle mounting. Its ammunition is not common to the AK-47 and other Soviet weapons carried by infantry units. The AK-47 uses 7.62x39 ammunition. For heavier employment, the PKMS model (ПКМ СТЕПАНОВА, "PKM Stepanova", for the name of the tripod) features a more stable tripod mounting. A special PKMSN2 model fits modern NSPU night sights for low visibility operations.

PKT (ПК ТАНКОВЫЙ, "PK Tank") is a further development of PK to replace the SGMT Gorunov tank machine gun. Modifications include removal of stock, longer and heavier barrel, added gas regulator and electric solenoid trigger.

The PKM and variants are in production in Russia and currently are exported to many nations. Additionally, various models are manufactured locally around the globe. The PK and its descendants will continue to see service throughout the world for some time.

Specifications

Manufacturer specifications for PKM and PKMS machineguns:

• Calibre & Cartridge: 7.62 x 54 mm
• Weight (without tripod or ammunition): 7.5 kg
• Muzzle velocity: 825 m/s
• Cyclic rate of fire: 650 rpm
• Sustained rate of fire: 250 rpm
• Sighting range: 1500 m
• Ammunition capacity: 100 or 200 rounds (box)