File:7.62mm_light_machine_gun_RPK.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Also known as Kalishnikov Hand-held Machine Gun, Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova, RPK machine gun, 7.62 mm machine gun RPK
The RPK (), sometimes inaccurately termed the RPK-47, is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine gun that was developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the early 1960s, in parallel with the AKM assault rifle. It was created to standardize the small arms inventory of the Soviet Army, where it replaced the 7.62×39mm RPD machine gun. The RPK continues to be used by the military of the post-Soviet states and several African and Asian nations. The RPK is also manufactured in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia.
Key facts
- Weapon.name
- RPK
- Weapon.image
- 7.62mm light machine gun RPK.png
- Weapon.caption
- RPK with a bipod and 40-round extended magazine
- Weapon.type
- Light machine gun
- Weapon.service
- 1961–present
- Weapon.designer
- Mikhail Kalashnikov
- Weapon.length
- (stock extended)
- Weapon.action
- Gas-operated, rotating bolt; closed bolt
- Weapon.image_size
- 300
- Weapon.origin
- Soviet Union
- Weapon.is_ranged
- yes
- Weapon.used_by
- See Users
- Weapon.design_date
- 1959-61
- Weapon.manufacturer
- Vyatskiye Polyany Machine-Building Plant
- Weapon.production_date
- 1961–1978
- Weapon.variants
- See Variants
- Weapon.cartridge
- 7.62×39mm M43
- Weapon.rate
- 600 rounds/min
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Machine Gun RPK.jpg
Show 5 more facts
- Commons category
- RPK
- service entry
- 1959-01-01
- Commons gallery
- Ручной пулемёт Калашникова
- inception
- 1961-00-00
- native label
- Ручной пулемёт Калашникова
via Wikidata · CC0
~13 min read
Article
29 sectionsContents
- Design details
- Operating mechanism
- Features
- Sights
- Accessories
- Variants
- RPK
- RPKS
- RPK-74
- RPKS-74
- RPK-74M
- RPK-201
- RPK-203
- RPKN and RPK-74N
- RPK-16
- Foreign production
- Bulgaria
- East Germany
- Iraq
- North Korea
- Romania
- Serbia
- Users
- Non-state users
- Former users
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
The RPK (), sometimes inaccurately termed the RPK-47, is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine gun that was developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the early 1960s, in parallel with the AKM assault rifle. It was created to standardize the small arms inventory of the Soviet Army, where it replaced the 7.62×39mm RPD machine gun. The RPK continues to be used by the military of the post-Soviet states and several African and Asian nations. The RPK is also manufactured in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia.
==Design details== ===Operating mechanism=== The RPK functions identically to the AK-47. It also uses the same 7.62×39mm ammunition. It has a similar design layout to the Kalashnikov series of rifles, with modifications to increase the RPK's effective range and accuracy, enhance its sustained fire capability, and strengthen the receiver.