Experimental Delayed Blowback Kalashnikov

In the 1970s, amid a wave of Soviet small-arms experimentation triggered by the adoption of the new 5.45x39mm cartridge and AK-74, Mikhail Kalashnikov turned his attention to a different concept: a lightweight assault rifle that married Kalashnikov’s rugged design instincts with an unconventional operating system. This may have been spurred on by the M16A1 coming in from Vietnam; previously, the 5.56 M193 cartridge had initiated development of the 5.45x39 cartridge. The result was an obscure, experimental rifle chambered for the new 5.45 cartridge that abandoned the AK’s familiar gas-operated, rotating-bolt action in favor of a delayed-blowback mechanism. In doing so, the prototype weighed just 6.1 lbs. (2.8 kg), roughly matching the M16A1 and representing about a 25% reduction in mass compared with the newly adopted AK-74 of the same era.

The Soviet move to the smaller, faster 5.45 cartridge in the early 1970s improved terminal performance but didn’t reduce the rifle's weight much, since it retained the same barrel profile as the 7.62x39 rifle but with a smaller bore, resulting in a heavy weapon. Kalashnikov’s experimental effort explored whether a delayed-blowback system, simpler and in some respects lighter than the tried-and-true gas piston and rotating bolt of the AK, could deliver a serviceable combat rifle that retained the hallmarks of the Kalashnikov, its reliability under harsh conditions, simplicity of manufacture, ease of maintenance, or lack thereof, and reliable feeding and extraction.

Delayed-blowback is a unique mechanical system for the USSR. It is another method to slow the opening of the breech just long enough for chamber pressures to drop to safe levels before extraction. Compared with gas-operated locking rotating bolts on the AK, delayed-blowback designs can eliminate the need for a gas system, moving parts such as pistons, and the associated mass. In theory, this reduces weight and can simplify production.

The Kalashnikov experimental rifle appears to have been an early attempt to exploit these advantages while retaining some of the AK traits. Though info is sparse, the design remained experimental and saw limited official enthusiasm. Soviet authorities had previously reviewed delayed-blowback concepts from other designers and often rejected them as “untested” for general-issue service, whereas the AK had proven robust and was already widely accepted.

The prototype’s most immediately notable achievement was its weight. At approximately 6.1 lbs. (2.8 kg) unloaded, the experimental Kalashnikov came close to matching the M16A1’s then-typical mass while shedding roughly a quarter of the AK-74’s. During this time period, the U.S. was in Vietnam, and U.S. weapons were being sent back to the USSR for evaluation. For infantrymen carrying full combat loads over long movements, the benefits of lower weight are obvious. A lighter weapon is also quicker to shoulder and aim, and it can allow for longer endurance in the field. The cost of that lighter package, however, may have been tradeoffs in felt recoil, controllability in automatic fire, or extraction reliability in adverse conditions, tradeoffs that are difficult to quantify because, as far as the public record shows, comprehensive test reports are unavailable. Typically, delayed blowback systems have harsher recoil, which is exacerbated by their light weight, resulting in poor controllability.

Possible Dragunov Influence

The dust cover and charging handle hint that Yevgeny Fyodorovich Dragunov (with), who is best known for the SVD rifle, had some role, inspiration, or collaboration on the project. Dragunov’s experience with precision and semi-automatic systems may have contributed to the design thinking or to specific influence. If Dragunov were involved directly or indirectly, it would not be surprising: Soviet small-arms development was seldom a solo endeavor, and engineers often cross-pollinated ideas on government programs and internal trials.

Technical specifics of the delay system in Kalashnikov’s prototype are not documented in open sources. Delayed-blowback variants can use lever delay, roller delay, or other mechanical retardation methods. However, no publicly available photos of this rifle's bolt are available, and the lack of public test data on accuracy, controllability under automatic fire, and reliability leaves the rifle’s operational strengths and weaknesses largely to informed speculation.

Why did the concept remain experimental and ultimately fail to replace the gas-operated AK-74? The reasons are likely a mix of institutional caution and engineering simplicity. The Soviet defense establishment preferred solutions with proven robustness and familiarity. The AK pattern, improved into the AK-74 for the smaller 5.45 cartridge, offered a known quantity: fielded in large numbers, already in production, and demonstrating acceptable performance. A wholesale switch to a fundamentally different operating principle would have required convincing proof that the advantages, mainly weight and production simplicity, outweighed the risks in reliability and maintainability.

Conclusion

The rifle remains a little-known curiosity, a unique outlier in the Kalashnikov series. Because public documentation and test results are non-existent, many of its finer points remain unanswered: how well it handled in sustained full-auto, how accurate it was at combat ranges, and whether its simplified mechanics truly offered reliable service under the punishing conditions for which Soviet infantry weapons were judged. Kalashnikov’s delayed-blowback prototype may have been an evolutionary dead end, but it was an interesting side quest.

Source: Kalashnikov.Ru