AS Val

The AS Val (Russian: АС «Вал»; Автома́т Специа́льный, tr. Avtomát Spetsiálny, lit. 'Special Automatic'; code name "Shaft" (Вал), GRAU designation 6P30) is a Soviet-designed rifle featuring an integrated suppressor. The Val (alongside the VSS Vintorez) was developed to replace modified general-purpose firearms, such as the AKS-74UB, BS-1, APB, and PB, for clandestine operations. Development of the Val began shortly after that of the VSS Vintorez in 1983 based on the prototype RG-036 completed in 1981 by TsNIITochMash and manufacturing began at the Tula Arms Plant after its adoption by the Red Army and KGB in 1987.

AS Val
AS Val with a 20-round magazine
TypeRifle, Carbine
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
In service1987–present
Used by Soviet Union
 Russian Federation
 Belarus
 Georgia
 Kazakhstan
 Armenia
WarsFirst Chechen War
Second Chechen War
2008 South Ossetia war
War in Donbass
Insurgency in the North Caucasus
Syrian Civil war
Production history
DesignerTsNIITochMash
Pyotr Serdyukov
Designed1980s
ManufacturerTula Arms Plant
Specifications
Mass2.5 kg (5.51 lb) empty
3.54 kg (7.80 lb) loaded w/ PSO-1
4.95 kg (10.91 lb) loaded w/ 1PN51
Length875 mm (34.4 in) stock extended / 615 mm (24.2 in) stock folded
Barrel length200 mm (7.9 in)
Cartridge9×39mm
ActionGas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire800–900 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity295 m/s (968 ft/s)
Feed systemDetachable box magazine (shared with the VSS Vintorez and SR-3M)
SightsOpen sights: Rear notch on tangent (graduated from 100 to 400 m) and front post mounted to suppressor housing,
"Warsaw Pact Rail" for optics

The Val has likely seen continued use through the turn of the century by spetsnaz and special police forces following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Design
The VSS Vintorez with a PSO-1 optic (top) and the AS Val (bottom)

The Val is integrally suppressed and chambered in 9×39mm, a subsonic cartridge, in order to reduce its report and was designed alongside the VSS Vintorez, a similar rifle designed for precision shooting. Four rows of nine holes are drilled in the barrel near which follow the rifling and allow gas to escape the barrel behind the projectile into the suppressor. The suppressor effectively hides muzzle flash and reduces the muzzle report of the firearm to 130 dB.[1] There are no design features which reduce the noise of the action.

Manipulation of the Val is similar to many other AK-type rifles: charging handle on the right side, tangent rear sight, magazine release button behind the magazine well, and safety lever above the trigger guard. The fire selector is, however, located behind the trigger within the trigger guard. The rifle also has an "AK-type" side mount for various optical sights, namely the PSO-1-1, PSO-1M2-1, and 1-PN-51[2] calibrated for use with the 9×39mm cartridge. The standard open sights are graduated from 100 to 400 m in 25 m increments.

The action is also similar to that of AK-type rifles with a similar long-stroke gas system with the piston located above the barrel. The Val design characteristically uses a rotating bolt with six locking lugs and a milled steel receiver. It accepts the same standard 10 or 20-round double-stack detachable box magazines as the Vintorez, as well as the 30-round magazine of the SR-3M. Many of its components are shared with the Vintorez with the main discrepancy being the tubular metal buttstock which folds to the left. The firearm is functional with the stock folded, although the mounting of an optic will not allow the buttstock to close completely. The handguard, pistol grip, and magazines are made of a synthetic polymer.

For transportation, the Val can be quickly disassembled to fit into a special case, much like the Vintorez.

Variants and Derivatives
The ASM Val

ASM Val: A modernized variant of the Val (GRAU designation 6P30M). It features a 30-round magazine and a picatinny rail on the dust cover and forward of the handguard. Deliveries began in 2018.[3]

VSS Vintorez: A variant of the Val fitted with a fixed wooden stock and pistol grip to improve marksmanship.

SR-3 Vikhr: A variant of the Val developed in 1996 for greater concealability by replacing the stock and omitting the integral suppressor and charging handle. The 3M variant allows for the attachment of a suppressor, similar to the Val.

SR-3M Vikhr: A modernization of the SR-3 with a 30-round backwards compatible magazine. This variant replaces the original SR-3 stock with that of the Val and allows for the attachment of a suppressor, similar in appearance to that of the Val and Vintorez. The handguard was also redesigned to include the rear sight and a folding foregrip.

SR-3MP Vikhr: A further modernization which allows for the folding stock to be mounted at the base of the pistol grip for users wearing helmets with face shields or head-mounted night vision devices. The handguard was also redesigned to include two picatinny rails on the sides.

Users (incomplete list)

Battlefield Series: The AS Val appears in Battlefield Play4Free, Battlefield 3, and Battlefield 4. Notably, it is the only weapon classified as a "PDW" which allows for the attachment of magnified optics in Battlefield 3. In all three games, the weapon is given a significantly greater rate of fire of 1200 rounds per minute. Battlefield 4 allows for the mounting of underslung grenade launchers.

Escape from Tarkov: The AS Val appears alongside the VSS Vintorez. Commercial modifications are also available in the game.

Images
An instruction sheet of the AS Val that includes a field strip model of the rifle




See also

References
  1. "Описание АС «Вал»". world.guns.ru. Archived from the original on 2009-02-28.
  2. ИЗДЕЛИЕ 1ПН51 ТЕХНИЧЕСКОЕ ОПИСАНИЕ И ИНСТРУКЦИЯ ПО ЭКСПЛУАТАЦИИ [Product 1PN51 technical description and operating instructions] (zip) (in Russian). January 1992. p. 11. АЛ3.812.076 ТО-ЛУ.
  3. "ЦАМТО / Новости / Олег Салюков в интервью "МК": в этом году соединения и воинские части СВ получат более 2500 новых основных образцов ВВСТ". armstrade.org.
  4. "Armament of the Georgian Army". geo-army.ge. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09.
  5. "AS Val (Avtomat Special'nyj) Silenced Assault Rifle". www.militaryfactory.com.
  6. "საქართველოს თავდაცვის სამინისტრო / Ministry of Defence of Georgia". www.facebook.com.
  7. https://armstrade.org/includes/periodics/news/2020/1216/101560904/detail.shtml
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.