Rk 95 Tp

Sako RK 95 TP

The RK 95 TP
Type Assault rifle
Place of origin  Finland
Service history
In service 1995–present
Used by Finnish Defence Forces
Wars War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Production history
Designed 1988–1990
Manufacturer SAKO
Produced 1995–1998
Number built 20,000
Variants M92S
Specifications
Weight 3.7 kg (8.16 lb)
Length 935 mm (36.8 in) stock extended / 675 mm (26.6 in) stock folded
Barrel length 420 mm (16.5 in)
Cartridge 7.62×39mm
Action Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire 600–750 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity 715 m/s (2,346 ft/s)
Effective firing range 150, 300 m sight gradations[1]
Feed system 30-round detachable box magazine
Sights Flip-up dual rear aperture and front post with tritium inserts
465 mm (18.3 in) sight radius

The RK 95 TP (known commercially as the M95) is a 7.62x39mm Finnish assault rifle adopted in relatively small numbers by the Finnish Defence Forces in the 1990s. The RK95 TP originally featured many improvements including a fire control selector and a muzzle device that enabled the firing of rifle grenades, the attachment of a silencer, or bayonet . The rifle uses a hammer firing mechanism that allows for semi and full automatic fire. A civilian 7.62mm-caliber semi-automatic variant was manufactured and marketed as the M92S.

History

The rifle was developed in the late 1980s in response to a requirement to replace the 7.62mm Rk 62 service rifle. Between 1988 and 1990 the SAKO company developed the M90 prototype, which was a substantially upgraded variant of the Rk 62. Changes to the original design included the fire control and safety selector, whose lever was transferred to the left side of the receiver housing, the cocking handle cut-out in the bolt carrier assembly was covered with a strip of metal, the cocking handle itself was placed at an upward angle (enhancing left-handed reloading), the rear sight assembly was installed on a sliding tangent with 150, 300 and 400 m range adjustments and the rifle was equipped with a folding tubular stock with a latch modeled on the locking solution employed in the SIG SG 540 rifle. The M90 was also equipped with a multifunction muzzle device and manual gas valve, enabling the use of rifle grenades. After undergoing further testing and implementing several changes (among them, the selector mechanism was reverted to the familiar Rk 62 configuration) the rifle was introduced into service with the Finnish Army as the 7.62 RK 95 TP (Finnish: Rynnäkkökivääri 95 Taittoperä or "assault rifle 95 folding stock").

Design details

FDF mortar squad armed with RK 95 TP assault rifles.

Operating mechanism

The RK 95 TP is a select-fire, gas-operated firearm using the Kalashnikov-pattern operating system with a long stroke gas piston rod coupled to the bolt carrier as in the AK rifle. The rotating bolt locks into battery via two locking lugs.

Features

The weapon's spring extractor is installed inside the bolt head and enclosed in one of the locking lugs while the ejector is a fixed protrusion of the internal bolt carrier guide rail. The firearm uses a hammer-type firing mechanism and a trigger group that enables semi-automatic and fully automatic firing modes. The fire selector switch, which is also the manual safety toggle, can occupy one of three positions: the top "safe" setting (the trigger and bolt carrier are both disabled mechanically), the middle setting (marked with three dot symbols) produces continuous fire and the bottom setting (single dot) activates a disconnector for single fire mode.

The weapon's barrel has a multipurpose muzzle attachment, which performs the role of a muzzle brake, flash suppressor and a mounting base for launching rifle grenades. The gas block incorporates a manually adjustable gas regulator that isolates and disconnects the gas system in the closed position and a lug at its base—used to attach a blade bayonet (i.e. KCB-type bayonet). The barrel can also mount a sound suppressor or blank-firing adaptor.

The RK 95 TP has a plastic-coated tubular metal shoulder stock that folds to the right side and features an internal compartment used to store a cleaning rod. Both the forward handguard and pistol grip are made of a lightweight synthetic.

For maintenance the weapon is field stripped into the following components: the receiver and barrel, bolt carrier, bolt, return mechanism, gas tube, receiver cover and magazine.

Feeding

The RK 95 TP is chambered for the intermediate 7.62x39mm M43 cartridge. The rifle feeds from curved box magazines made of an impact-resistant polymer (empty weight: 0.16 kg), with a 30-round capacity of double-stacked cartridges. These magazines are also interchangeable with standard AK-47/AKM magazines.

Sights

The rifle comes with adjustable iron sights, consisting of a forward post and an L-shaped dual-aperture rear flip sight with settings for firing at ranges of 150 and 300 m.[1] The front sight, corrected for windage and elevation, is mounted in a semi-shrouded post on top of the gas block, and the rear sight—on the receiver top cover. For operation in low-level lighting conditions the rifle uses subdued self-luminous tritium gas vials, installed in a separate folding post attached to the base of the front sight and deployed manually, and in the rear sight assembly in a fixed notch sight, exposed by rotating the rear sight arm 180° forward around its pivot axis. Additionally the rifle can be adapted to use various optical sights (i.e. the Trijicon ACOG or night vision equipment such as the Patria VV 2000 passive night sight), through the use of a receiver-mounted side-rail. A detachable cheek riser is employed when using optics.

Accessories

The rifle can be used with a barrel-mounted bipod or a 40 mm under-slung grenade launcher attachment. A railed gas block attachment was also developed for the weapon and is used to mount tactical accessories.

Variants

A civilian 7.62mm-caliber semi-automatic version with a fixed buttstock was manufactured shortly as the M92S. An export variant of the rifle was also produced, modified to use the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge with the SS109 bullet, fed from plastic 30-round curved magazines. The barrel has four right-hand grooves with a rifling twist rate of 185 mm (1:7 in), and has a muzzle velocity of 920 m/s (3,018 ft/s) using standard ammunition. The rifle's rear sight is adjusted for firing at 150 and 300 m.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kevytasekäsikirja [Small arms manual] (PDF) (in Finnish). Puolustusvoimien Koulutuksen Kehittämiskeskus. 2004. p. 31. ISBN 951-25-1526-1. Retrieved 2013-10-12.

External links

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