После окончания Второй мировой войны вооружение armies of most countries were formed on the basis of models developed in the war years. The creation of such weapons took place in a difficult situation, in conditions of shortage of material resources and in extremely short terms. Naturally, the priority task of the designers of that time was to ensure high manufacturability of production and cheap production costs. In peacetime, the requirements for the combat characteristics of design samples increased. The arms race further contributed to the progress of military thought. Against this background, a Kalashnikov (PKM) machine gun was created.
Work on the design was held in the period from 1958to 1961. The purpose was to participate in the contest of samples of machine guns for the Soviet Army. At that time, there was a need to replace the RP-46 and DPM Degtyarev's design, as well as SGM Goryunov, with a single option. At the final stage samples of Nikitin / Sokolov and Kalashnikov were presented. All models were designed for the cartridge 7.62 x 54. The second version was adopted as a single machine gun in 1961. After carrying out a number of improvements in 1969, it began to be designated as PCM. The machine gun received a more versatile and light machine of Stepanov instead of the former construction of the SAM.
Quick-detachable trunk fixed in the trunkbox with a contactor. On it for better cooling are longitudinal ribs. The end of the barrel is equipped with a conical flame arrestor. Under the trunk is a gas chamber. The withdrawal of the powder gases passes through the hole in the side of the channel wall of the PCM trunk. The machine gun has a shutter frame connected in a hinged manner to the piston rod. Inside the frame there is a return spring. The extractor is installed in the rear part of the frame. On the right side is the recharge handle. The chamber is locked by turning the bolt.
Trigger is located in the receiverand is configured to conduct non-stop fire from the PCM. The machine gun is equipped with a flasher safety device, which locks the trigger lever that holds the bolt frame. The shutter frame hits the drummer placed in the barrel bore. Guidance is carried out using a sectoral sight, which is equipped with an adjustment mechanism. It is also possible to mount a night sight on the PKM machine gun. The photo shows a similar modification of the device.
For PCM, there are special boxes for 250 or100 cartridges. When placing a machine gun on a bipod, they are attached to it from below. The feeder of the belt is operated by a feeder, which covers the shutter frame on both sides. It is activated when the gate frame moves. In this case, the tape moves to one link. The cartridge is hooked and directed to the line of dispatch. After the shot with the help of the shutter mechanism, the shot cartridge is removed from the barrel and thrown out.
PKM is a machine gun known all over the world.At the moment, the Kovrov Mechanical Plant is focused on its production. Rights to manufacture in due time were acquired by a number of foreign enterprises. These are factories of countries such as China, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Poland and Romania. Such international popularity of PKM, we must assume, is due to its successful design, as well as impeccable technical characteristics.
