PK machine gun

PK machine gun
PK machine gun
	PKS (PK machine gun mounted on a Samozhenkov 6T2 tripod)
Type	General-purpose machine gun; Squad automatic weapon ; Medium machine gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1961–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	See Conflicts
Production history
Designer	Mikhail Kalashnikov
Designed	1961
Manufacturer	Degtyaryov plant
Produced	1961 – present
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	9 kg (19.84 lb) (gun + integral bipod)
Length	1,203 mm (47.4 in)
Barrel length	605 mm (23.8 in)
Cartridge	7.62×54mmR
Action	Gas-operated, long-stroke piston, open, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	Cyclic:; 600–800 rounds/min; 700–800 rounds/min (PKT/PKTM); Practical:; 250 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	825 m/s (2,707 ft/s)
Effective firing range	1,000 m (1,094 yd) (100–1,500 m sight adjustments)
Maximum firing range	3,800 m (4,156 yd)
Feed system	Non-disintegrating metal link 50-round belts in 100 and 200 or 250-round ammunition boxes
Sights	Tangent iron sights (default);; Optical, night-vision, thermal, and radar sights

The PK (Russian: Пулемёт Калашникова, transliterated as Pulemyot Kalashnikova, or "Kalashnikov's machine gun")^[4] is a belt-fed general-purpose machine gun, chambered for the 7.62×54mmR rimmed cartridge.

Designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia,^[1] the original PK machine gun was introduced in 1961 and the improved PKM variant was introduced in 1969. The PKM was designed to replace the SGM and RP-46 machine guns that were previously in Soviet service.

The weapon remains in use as a front-line infantry and vehicle-mounted weapon with Russia's armed forces and has also been exported extensively and produced in several other countries under license.

^ ^a ^b "7.62mm PKM Kalashnikov modernized machine gun". Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Sights". Russian Close Combat Weapon. Moscow: Association "Defense Enterprises Assistance League". 2010. ISBN 978-5-904540-04-3.
^ Lawrence, Erik (13 March 2015). Practical Guide to the Operational Use of the PK/PKM Machine Gun. Erik Lawrence Publications. ISBN 9781941998212. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2017 – via Google Books.

[:0-1] "7.62mm PKM Kalashnikov modernized machine gun". Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.

[:1-2] Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] "Sights". Russian Close Combat Weapon. Moscow: Association "Defense Enterprises Assistance League". 2010. ISBN 978-5-904540-04-3.

[4] Lawrence, Erik (13 March 2015). Practical Guide to the Operational Use of the PK/PKM Machine Gun. Erik Lawrence Publications. ISBN 9781941998212. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2017 – via Google Books.

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PK machine gun
PKS (PK machine gun mounted on a Samozhenkov 6T2 tripod)
Type	General-purpose machine gun Squad automatic weapon Medium machine gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1961–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	See Conflicts
Production history
Designer	Mikhail Kalashnikov
Designed	1961
Manufacturer	Degtyaryov plant
Produced	1961 – present
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	9 kg (19.84 lb) (gun + integral bipod)
Length	1,203 mm (47.4 in)
Barrel length	605 mm (23.8 in)

Cartridge	7.62×54mmR
Action	Gas-operated, long-stroke piston, open, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	Cyclic: 600–800 rounds/min^[1] 700–800 rounds/min (PKT/PKTM)^[2] Practical: 250 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	825 m/s (2,707 ft/s)
Effective firing range	1,000 m (1,094 yd) (100–1,500 m sight adjustments)
Maximum firing range	3,800 m (4,156 yd)
Feed system	Non-disintegrating metal link 50-round belts in 100 and 200 or 250-round ammunition boxes
Sights	Tangent iron sights (default); Optical, night-vision, thermal, and radar sights^[3]