The TKB-517 (Cyrillic: ТКБ-517) was a prototype assault rifle designed by German Korobov in 1957 and produced by TsKIB SOO in prototype form only.
History[]
In 1957, the Soviet Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) issued a set of requirements for a new unified rifle complex for the Soviet Army, consisting of a rifle and a light machine gun; said requirements dictated that the rifle be more accurate than the AK-47 in use at the time, but also being cheaper to manufacture. Various Russian designers came up with designs, including a Tula-based designer named German Korobov, who based his design on an older rifle he designed called the TKB-454. This rifle would become the TKB-517 and the related TKB-523.[1]
The rifle was submitted to GRAU and a series of competitive tests conducted from January to February 1957; the rifle's main competitor was a modernized AK-47. In the early stages of the trials, it became clear that the TKB-517 was the superior weapon, being far more accurate and generally more well liked than the competing Kalashnikov design; apparently, in order to improve the accuracy of the design, a hammer release delay device of Korobov's design was added to Kalasnikov's.[1]
By the end of the tests in 1958, only the TKB-517 and Kalashnikov's design were deemed as suitable candidates for adoption, and GRAU requested that both weapons be revised. The Kalashnikov design was swiftly refined by engineers at IZhMASh, while any modifications that were to be made to the TKB-517 were delayed. Ultimately, the TKB-517 was rejected over the Kalashnikov design, for it was deemed that the weapon's delayed blowback system posted no real advantages over the standard gas operated action of the AK, and that the weapon's continued testing with the Army and its overall platform made it more favorable with the Army. This refined version of the AK would be adopted in 1959 as the AKM.[1] One sample of the weapon is currently located at the Tula State Weapon Museum.
Design Details[]
The TKB-517 is an assault rifle using a lever-delayed blowback operation; this is stated to be quite similar to an action designed by Pál Király. The weapon feeds from a 30-round AK box magazine. The weapon's forend was made of stamped steel with ventilation holes to improve heat transfer. A hammer release delay device was also present.[1]
Variants[]
- TKB-523
Light machine gun variant.