Back رشاش بي كي Arabic PK (silah) Azerbaijani Кулямёт Калашнікава Byelorussian ПК (картечница) Bulgarian PK (mindrailherez) Breton PK BS Metralladora PK Catalan پی کەی ئێم CKB PK (kulomet) Czech PK (Maschinengewehr) German
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2021) |
| 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 belts in 100, 200 or 250-round ammunition boxes |
| Sights | Tangent iron sights (default); Optical, night-vision, thermal, and radar sights[3] |
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. The modernized and most commonly known variant, known as the PKM, features several enhancements over the original PK design.
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
:1was 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.