The evolution of the Soviet AKM rifle bayonet
1. The Soviet AKM rifle was improved by Kalashnikov on the basis of the AK-47 rifle and began to be equipped in the Soviet army in 1958 , and if our country had waited a little later until 1958 when the Soviet Army was equipped with AKM and then introduced imitation Type 56 submachine guns, domestic firearms might have been able to reach a higher level. Unfortunately, history cannot be assumed.
In order to reduce production costs and further improve reliability based on the AK47, the Soviet Union first used a large number of stamped parts to replace the original machine tool-milled receivers and receiver covers, handguards, butts, and grips. Fiberglass plastic was used instead of wooden materials. Finger grooves were added to the handguard to facilitate soldiers to hold during continuous shooting. A muzzle cap with a bevel cut was installed on the muzzle to reduce muzzle jump during continuous shooting. . These improvements not only enhance the comfort of using AK rifles, but also greatly reduce production costs, laying a good foundation for the mass production of AKs.
2. What we are talking about today is not actually the AKM automatic rifle itself, but the multifunctional bayonet issued to the soldiers together with it. The picture shows an AKM gun with a folding stock and a multifunctional bayonet hanging from the muzzle.
The bayonet is also called a spear bayonet. According to its appearance, it can be divided into dagger type, sword type and stabbing type. During the First World War, most sword-shaped bayonets were longer in length, and were used with old-fashioned rifles that were also relatively long to carry out close-range hand-to-hand combat. During World War II, the sword type was still the main form, but most countries shortened the bayonet length. Only Japan still used the very long 38-type bayonet. After World War II, due to the large number of automatic rifles, the bayonet evolved into a dagger type. However, the Type 56 automatic rifles and Type 56 semi-automatic rifles equipped by the Chinese Army used fixedly installed folding triangular bayonet. Although there are certain advantages in hand-to-hand combat, It is obviously inconsistent with the trend of historical progress.
3. The Soviet Union began to issue the first-generation dagger-type bayonet after the AKM officially entered service, called the I-type bayonet. The most obvious feature is the spherical handle tail. There is a rubber insulator on the scabbard. Soldiers can hold it directly and press the oval positioning hole on the scabbard with the metal positioning pin on the back of the scabbard to directly cut wires and barbed wire. The Type I bayonet was produced between 1959 and 1968. Soviet AKM bayonets are mainly produced by the Tula Arsenal and the Izhevsk Arsenal. The bayonet scabbards produced by the Tula Factory have a five-pointed star mark on the scabbard, which is more exquisite in workmanship, while the Izhevsk Factory's mark is a triangle with a stick in the middle. The arrows are slightly rough in workmanship.
4. Around 1969, the Soviet army began to equip a new type of bayonet, called the Type II bayonet. This was the second generation bayonet of the Soviet Union. Its biggest feature was that the Type I bayonet was The spherical end at the end of the handle was changed to a square metal end, which made the bayonet more firmly fixed on the AKM bayonet holder. At the same time, the serrations on the back of the knife and the shape of the blade also changed slightly. In addition, the metal sheath with insulator of the I-type bayonet was replaced with a bakelite resin sheath, so there is no need to wrap the insulator. In the picture, the products with the triangle mark on the top are produced by the Izhevsk factory, and the products with the five-pointed star mark on the bottom are products produced by the Tula factory. It can be seen that the color of the Izhevsk scabbard is indeed darker than that of Tula.
5. Around 1984, the Soviet Union launched the last type of bayonet, the Type III bayonet, which was distributed to users of AK-74 and SVD as a firearm accessory. This bayonet uses a convex handle made of a mixture of nylon and engineering plastics. The handle and blade are heat-pressed in one piece, which is very strong and reliable. The scabbard is made entirely of black engineering plastic. In particular, the blade adopts a streamlined false edge blood groove that stretches from the tip of the blade to the handle, which maximizes the bayonet's piercing performance and enhances its lethality.
6. The AKM bayonet family is the first series of products in the world that began to develop the bayonet in the direction of multi-function. Its biggest feature is that after being hung on the AK rifle, the blades are all upward, so when the bayonet stabs After entering the human body, Soviet soldiers usually make an upward stabbing motion to instantly maximize the enemy's wounds. The deterrence and lethality are unparalleled. These gleaming spears were spread to various battlefields around the world along with a large number of AK rifles, and influenced the subsequent American M9 multifunctional bayonet.