Story. Application
This weapon is a licensed copy of the Israeli TAR-21 (Tavor Assault Rifle-21) or “Tavor” assault rifle, 5.56x45 mm caliber, which was developed by Israel Military Industries in 1995-2003.
Fort-221 assault rifle
In Ukraine, these weapons in various modifications are produced by the NPO Fort enterprise in the city of Vinnitsa.
According to the words of the then Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko, NPO Fort is starting a joint production with Israel of rifles under the symbol Fort-221, as well as its shortened version, Fort-224. The weapon was planned to be assembled both from parts of its own production and from Israeli components.
The rifle was adopted by the SBU forces, the state security department, the foreign intelligence service and the border service on December 23, 2009.
Fort-224 assault rifle
In 2014, the machine gun was adopted and purchased by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the same year, 493 Fort-221/Fort-224 rifles were purchased.
Performance characteristics
As mentioned earlier, the Fort-221 assault rifle, the price of which remains unknown today (unlike the same Fort-17 or Fort-12 pistol), was developed for a 5.56 mm caliber cartridge .
The design is based on the principle of using powder gases to pressurize the piston. The rifle's barrel length is 375 millimeters, while the overall length is almost twice as long (645 millimeters). The width and height of the weapon (in millimeters) are 92 and 300, respectively.
The weight of the weapon when unloaded is 3.9 kilograms, when loaded it is 4.3 kilograms. The magazine is designed for 30 rounds of ammunition. The bullet leaves the barrel with an initial speed of 890 meters per second. The rate of fire in different modes can range from 500 to 1000 rounds per minute. To pull the trigger, you need to apply a force equivalent to three kilograms.
Design
The Fort-221 rifle is made according to the bullpup design.
Weapon automation works on the principle of removing powder gases from the barrel using a special gas outlet unit located above the barrel and hidden in the body. The gas piston is rigidly fixed to the bolt frame and has a long stroke. The barrel is locked by turning the bolt by 7 lugs. The bolt carrier is located on a guide rod inside the weapon body. Above the above-described rod there is a rotary spring, partially hidden inside the gas piston rod. The charging handle, which is stationary during firing, can be placed either on the left above the fore-end or on the right (by default it is installed on the left).
Fort-221 assault rifle. Design
The bolt in this weapon has two types - for discarding spent cartridges both on the left side and on the right. Both of them are interchangeable. The reflector and cartridge ejector are located directly on the bolt.
The trigger type trigger here is located in the butt. Fire can be fired in single shots or in bursts. The fire safety switch is located both on the left and on the right above the pistol grip.
The automatic rifle is relatively lightweight due to the use of high-strength polymers and light alloys in the body construction. Some places are reinforced with steel inserts. The trigger guard and pistol grip are one solid piece.
Fort-221 assault rifle. Design of a collimator sight
The weapon uses 2 types of cartridges - 5.56x45 mm and 5.45x39 mm. Ammunition is supplied from a box magazine with 30 rounds of ammunition.
The rifle's sights are the main Fort M5 collimator sight and auxiliary sights (front and rear sights).
The weapon can also be equipped with a laser sight, tactical sight, night vision devices and optical sights with 3 and 4x zoom.
This is interesting: The weapon provides for the possibility of “field replacement” of a rifle from a Soviet caliber to a NATO caliber.
Fort-224 assault rifle
Rifle modifications
The rifle has several modifications:
- Fort-222 is a variant of the rifle with a long barrel and is equipped with a bipod.
- Fort-223 is a shortened version of the weapon.
- Fort-224 is a compact version of the weapon.
- PP Fort-224 is a submachine gun chambered for 9 mm Luger cartridge based on a rifle.
Fort-222 assault rifle
Using "Tavor"
This assault rifle was used during the Second Lebanon War, as well as in armed conflicts that took place in Colombia. The Tavor was also used during the conflict in South Ossetia. Partly thanks to such a rich operational base and a large number of positive reviews, the choice of Ukrainian manufacturers fell on the TAR-21.
Gamers will probably remember that this assault rifle is present in various shooters as an in-game weapon. For example, it is in the game Counter-Strike, Call of Duty and its brother Battlefield, as well as in the online game Warface. Moreover, we are talking not just about the Tavor, but also about its modifications.
Disassembly and assembly of the machine
Incomplete disassembly of the rifle
Press the stock lock pin and pull it all the way.
Open the butt. While holding the buffer, pull out the moving parts of the weapon.
Complete disassembly of the rifle
Perform partial disassembly of the rifle as described above.
Separate the return mainspring from the buffer by compressing the spring and removing its end. Disconnect the bolt carrier guide rod. Pull out the bolt leading lug. Separate the firing pin and bolt from the bolt carrier.
Fort-223 assault rifle
Shop disassembly
Before disassembling the magazine, remove all cartridges, press the magazine cover latch with a wipe and carefully lift it while holding the bottom of the magazine. Pull out the bottom and spring of the magazine with the feeder.
Weapon Assembly
Install the bolt and firing pin in the locations provided on the bolt carrier, with the flat surface of the rear side of the firing pin facing in the opposite direction and against the screw surface of the bolt.
Rotate the firing pin until its flat surface rests above the back of the bolt.
Fort-221 assault rifle carried by NSU soldiers
Secure the bolt and firing pin with the bolt leading lug. Insert the guide rod into the bolt carrier hole, compress the recoil spring, and at the same time insert the end of the recoil spring into the buffer.
Make sure the guide rod is in the forward position. Insert the release mechanism into the receiver through the rear of the rifle, pushing it forward. Close the stock and press the locking pin.
Weapon Advantages
The weapon really has good characteristics, many features and is superior to other models of automatic weapons. Let's list the main advantages of weapons:
- relatively light weight, good ergonomics;
- anti-corrosion coating of the barrel, increased impact resistance;
- good and accurate aiming system;
- ease of aiming while moving due to the shifted center of gravity closer to the shooter;
- there is no need to pre-set the weapon before shooting.
In general terms about “Fort-221”
The Fort-221 assault rifle, which we will review a little later, was designed to use 5.56 mm ammunition. In general, we can say that the weapon is designed and manufactured quite well; although it is not the best, it is still highly effective. Due to the special design, high reliability was also achieved. The weapon is intended to defeat the enemy at medium distances. The effective range is 500 meters.
