World War II Database

Country of Origin	Russia
Type	Rifle
Caliber	7.620 mm
Capacity	15 rounds
Length	1.230 m
Barrel Length	612.000 mm
Weight	4.300 kg
Rate of Fire	800 rounds/min
Range	600.000 m
Muzzle Velocity	840 m/s

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Avtomaticheskaya Vintovka Simonova 1936 model (AVS-36) selective fire infantry rifles were designed by Sergei Simonov. The design won a 1935 competition and was formally accepted by the Soviet military in 1936. They were first seen in public during the May Day parade in Moscow, Russia in 1938. They were capable of either automatic or semi-automatic fire. Large muzzle brakes were used to reduce recoil. Most of them were produced with bayonet attachments, although a small number of them were equipped with PE scopes for sniper use. They were produced between 1936 and 1940, during which time about 65,800 examples were built. They first saw combat in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol against Japan, then saw action during the Winter War against Finland. They received poor reviews during both conflicts. Their operation mechanism was over-complicated, it was easy for dirt to enter the weapon, and their muzzle brakes performed poorly which significantly decreased accuracy. About 300 of them were captured by Finland, and a few of them briefly entered service by their captors. AVS-36 rifles were officially withdrawn from Soviet service in 1941, although working examples would remain in service through the duration of WW2.

Source: Wikipedia ww2dbase

Last Major Revision: Jul 2018

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