Curved weapons are back

Weapon designers and crews of combat vehicles have not forgotten. The German K. Horn, an employee of a famous German armory, patented in 1981 a machine gun mounted above the hatch of a crew member and remotely controlled from below, from the fighting compartment of the vehicle, with the hatch closed. The sight is periscopic. This design has already achieved high accuracy of fire (since the weapon is firmly mounted on the body of the armored vehicle), convenience and safety of the shooter. This installation was used on the West German Marder infantry fighting vehicle to defend the rear sector of the infantry fighting vehicle, and was also installed on some models of infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers from other countries, in particular on the Swiss infantry fighting vehicle.

Continuation. See the beginning in No. 11 2022 “Sciences and Technologies”

Curved weapons are back

The idea of a weapon with a curved barrel is not new, because it allows you to hit the enemy without appearing from behind cover - a trench, a corner of a building, a tank hatch. True, the work to create such shooting systems was not particularly successful. However, today they are experiencing something of a renaissance, since, as it turns out, they can be very useful for special forces fighting terrorists.

A fighter armed with a curved weapon had to remain invulnerable. That is why the designers spent a lot of effort on its creation. That is why the designers spent a lot of effort on its creation.

Imagine this picture: a strange-looking gun barrel appears above the parapet of the trench. The shooter is not visible, but he conducts aimed fire without sticking out of the trench. In the same way, such a barrel can appear from around the corner of a building, from the hatch of a combat vehicle. In all these cases, the shooter is in a safe place, and, remaining invulnerable, hits the enemy, because he has a curved weapon in his hands.

Device for shooting from behind cover from self-loading rifles G.41(W)

A German soldier conducts aimed fire from a Mauser 98K carbine mounted in a device for shooting from behind cover. Eastern front. Kharkiv. 1943

This is not fiction at all, but documentary newsreels from the period of the Second World War. It was at this time that the development of shooting systems with a curved barrel was very active.

7.92 mm Mauser 98K carbine with a Vorsatz J curved barrel attachment (infantry version) at 30 degrees.

The very idea of creating such a weapon was far from new at that time. Back in 1868, Russian artillery general N.V. Maievsky, professor of ballistics at the Mikhailovsky Artillery Academy, proposed a project for a curved-barreled cannon loaded from the treasury. True, he did this in order to increase the firing range of a disk projectile. When fired from a gun with a barrel curved upward, a disc-shaped projectile mounted on an edge was pressed by centrifugal force to the bottom of the barrel and received the necessary rotation that the designers sought. One such gun was made. Experimental firing carried out in 1871–1873 confirmed the correctness of the calculations: a disk-shaped projectile weighing 3.5 kg with an initial speed of 480 m/s flew 2500 m, while an ordinary cannonball of the same mass under the same conditions - only 500 m. But, most importantly, this experiment proved the reality of firing from a curved-barreled weapon.

Device for shooting from behind cover from an MP44 machine gun (assault rifle) (Deckungszielgerat 45)

Using this idea, German experts created a device for firing rifles from behind cover. During defensive battles in 1942–1943. On the Eastern Front, the Wehrmacht was faced with the need to create weapons designed to destroy enemy personnel, and the shooters themselves had to be outside the zone of flat fire, i.e. in trenches or behind the walls of buildings.

Testing of an MP44 Vorsatz J assault rifle with a barrel-nozzle with a curvature of 30 degrees. With prismatic periscope sighting device designed by Zeiss

The very first primitive examples of such devices appeared on the Eastern Front already in 1943. They were intended not only for self-loading rifles G41 (W) and G41 (M), but also for Mauser 98K repeating carbines, although reloading the latter manually under enemy fire was quite a task dangerous and largely negated the very idea of shooting from behind cover. The very bulky and very inconvenient devices consisted of a stamped-welded metal body on which a buttstock with a trigger and a periscope was attached. The wooden stock was attached to the lower part of the body with two screws and wing nuts and could be folded back. A trigger was mounted in it, connected via a trigger rod and a chain to the trigger mechanism of the rifle. In the upper part of the body, between the side walls, there was a support bar for the rifle butt, secured with a support screw. At the front, it was superimposed on an eccentric bushing, mounted on an adjustable screw of the adjusting lever, which was screwed in completely with a wing nut. A mark with two clamps was attached to the hinge on top of the body. On its inner side there were stops, with the help of two screws they were pressed against the support bar of the rifle butt body.

Diagram of six options for using an MP.44 assault rifle with a curved barrel nozzle, proposed by Rheinmetall-Borsig in August 1944.

Aimed shooting from these devices due to their large mass (weight with a G41(W) self-loading rifle - 10.4 kg; with a Mauser 98K carbine - 9.5 kg) and a center of gravity strongly shifted forward, could only be carried out after they were rigidly fixed in emphasis. Devices for firing from behind cover were adopted by special teams whose task was to destroy enemy command personnel in populated areas.

Automatic (assault rifle) MP44 with a 90-degree bend. barrel-nozzle Vorsatz PZ (tank version). American Army Trophy

In addition to infantrymen, German tank crews also urgently needed curved weapons, who quickly felt the defenselessness of their vehicles in close combat. The armored vehicles had powerful weapons, but when the enemy was in close proximity to them, this entire arsenal was useless. Without infantry support, the tank could be destroyed quite easily with a Molotov cocktail, anti-tank grenades or magnetic mines. The impossibility of fighting enemy soldiers located in the dead zone forced German weapons designers to address this problem. And here the curved trunk turned out to be very interesting and almost the only acceptable solution.

At the end of 1943, Hans-Joachim Schaede, head of the production department of the Ministry of Armaments and War Industry, proposed installing a curved barrel on the MG34 tank machine gun for more effective defense of armored vehicles.

Automatic (assault rifle) MP44 with a 45 degree bend. Vorsatz J barrel attachment with prismatic periscope sighting device

Curved by 45 degrees. Vorsatz J barrel attachment with prismatic periscope sighting device

When they began testing carbine barrels, bent by 30 degrees with a radius of 250 mm, the first success was observed. Ultimately, the choice was made in favor of special curved barrels of 7.92 mm caliber with the above parameters, with an outer diameter of about 16 mm and a wall thickness of 4 mm. Experiments were carried out with trunks with curvatures of 15, 30, 40, 60, 75 and 90 degrees. The internal ballistics were so carefully calculated that at firing ranges of up to 400 - 500 m they were similar to the ballistics of a bullet moving in a normal barrel, with the exception of a certain reduction in initial velocity and an increase in bullet dispersion. Moreover, despite the instability of the weapon during automatic shooting, satisfactory accuracy results were obtained. Several similar devices were made for the MG34 machine gun, but they did not withstand the tests, collapsing within the first hundred shots. The German 7.92 mm rifle cartridge turned out to be too powerful for any curved barrel.

Vorsatz J barrel attachment, bent at 45 degrees. with prismatic periscope sighting device (left view and right view)

Then the German designers put forward a new idea: wouldn’t a curved barrel work better with the “intermediate” 7.92x33 cartridge, which had a shorter bullet and significantly less muzzle energy. Tests have revealed that the “short” cartridge is ideal for curved-barreled weapons and makes the machine gun the only model that allows the idea of shooting from cover to be put into practice. It worked by using the energy of powder gases flowing from the gas outlet into the gas chamber. Naturally, in the presence of a curved nozzle, the flow of gases from the barrel was hampered, since the amount of gases flowing from the barrel into the gas chamber of the machine gun increased, and their impact on the moving parts of the machine gun increased and could cause their breakdown. To avoid this, there were gas outlet holes in the back of the nozzle to allow gases to flow out. Thanks to this solution, it was possible to obtain normal speeds of the moving parts of the machine gun, equipped with a curved barrel nozzle. The use of a similar attachment in conjunction with MP43 machine guns (assault rifles) significantly expanded their potential capabilities, allowing them to conduct dense barrage fire instead of single shots from rifles.

Vorsatz J barrel attachment, curved 45 degrees with a prismatic periscope sighting device (bottom view)

In July 1944, the MP43 assault rifle with a 90-degree barrel was demonstrated to the top leadership of the Wehrmacht.

Vorsatz J barrel attachment (view from the shooter’s side)

In the first version, the rifled barrel had several gas outlets. When shooting a machine gun with a curved barrel-nozzle, the shooting accuracy was quite satisfactory. When firing single shots at a distance of 100 m, the dispersion was 35 cm. The survivability of such a barrel was estimated at 2000 shots.

The tests provided convincing proof of the capabilities of the new weapon. On August 8, 1944, the leadership of the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate (HwaA) issued an order to the Ministry of Armaments of the Third Reich for the production in a short time of 10,000 devices for firing from behind cover. However, this was somewhat premature, since tests of the MP.43 assault rifles revealed that a barrel with a 90-degree curvature could satisfy the armament needs of tankers only, but not infantrymen. On August 25, at a meeting of the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate with representatives of the development company Rheinmetall-Borsig, it was decided to design a second model of the barrel, with a curvature of 30 to 45 degrees, weighing no more than 2 kg and survivability of up to 5000 rounds.

This device, called Vorsatz J (Project Yot), was intended both for street fighting (shooting from around the corner) and for firing from field defensive structures (trenches). It had an attachment point similar to a rifle grenade launcher, i.e. A clamping device was mounted in the breech of the barrel, which consisted of two marks with a clamping screw. The adjustment device made it possible to turn the periscope sight and bring the rifle installed in the device to normal combat. Attaching a curved attachment to the barrel of a weapon could be done not only using a mark, but also using a bushing, as well as in other ways.

Automatic (assault rifle) MP44 Vorsatz J with a 30 degree bend. barrel-nozzle with a prismatic periscope sighting device designed by Zeiss

When developing weapons with a curved bore, the requirements for targeted shooting from trenches were initially taken into account. To ensure targeted shooting, two types of sights were created - mirror and prismatic. Shooting from curved-barreled assault rifles with such sights is practically no different from shooting from conventional assault rifles with optical sights. After the advent of a special periscope sight for the Krummerlauf barrel attachment, the capabilities of the MP43 / Stg44 assault rifles, equipped with curved barrel attachments with a barrel curvature of 30 degrees, increased sharply.

Vorsatz J barrel attachment, bent at 45 degrees. with prismatic periscope sighting device (rear view)

The sighting devices of the new device included a front sight and a periscope-mirror lens system, which allowed the shooter to conduct aimed fire from the hip. The aiming line, passing through the sector sight and front sight of the machine gun, was refracted in the lenses and deflected down. Periscope sights made it possible to conduct targeted shooting at a distance of up to 400 m. Thus, when firing from an MP44 assault rifle at a distance of 100 m in a series of 10 single shots, the dispersion ellipse was 30x30 cm, and at 400 m - 80x80 cm. With automatic fire, the dispersion area increased significantly and was already 90x170 cm at 100 m. The version of the MP44 assault rifle, equipped with a Vorsatz J attachment, received the designation Stg44(V).

For testing, it was decided to produce ten Vorsatz J devices. On October 27, 1944, representatives of the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate, the Ministry of Armaments, and manufacturing companies: Rheinmetall, Bush, Zeiss and Bergmann took part in comparative tests of various models of curved barrels at the Rheinmetall test site. Nozzle barrels with barrel curvatures of 30 degrees and 90 degrees and several models of periscope sighting devices were tested.

Vorsatz J barrel attachment with 30 degree curvature. with a prismatic periscope sighting device designed by Zeiss (side view)

A barrel with a 30-degree curvature, equipped with a periscope sight, turned out to be most suitable for use in infantry units, but military trials were required to finally resolve this issue. It was therefore decided to send six barrel attachments and two sets of three different types of sights to the infantry school in Doberitz for further evaluation.

An American sergeant demonstrates the ability to shoot from around a corner from a captured MP44 assault rifle with a curved barrel attachment

After some delay, all devices were delivered to their destination in mid-November. The infantry school received:

two barrel attachments with metal sights mounted on the left and periscope mirror devices on the barrel;
two barrel attachments with a metal sight on top of the barrel and periscope mirror devices mounted on the forend of the machine guns;
barrel attachment with a metal sight on the left;
barrel-nozzle with a sight on top of the barrel, the latter two in combination with a periscopic sighting device mounted on an M 42 steel helmet.

During the tests, it was supposed to choose the best option that most satisfies all the requirements of the Wehrmacht. In addition, it was planned to study the survivability, shooting accuracy and the possibility of installing these devices in field defensive structures. Just two weeks later, the infantry school sent a test report to the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate, which stated that none of the presented models of new weapons had proven themselves to be positive. The sights were not rigidly attached to the weapon, which had an extremely negative effect on shooting accuracy. In addition, they were located in such a way that the shooter had to hold the machine gun at his hip, and this, in turn, did not give the weapon stability when firing. Such problems could only be solved with the help of a special device for stabilizing the weapon. Nevertheless, the infantry school still recognized the suitability of such weapons for arming the army.

Severely deformed 7.92 mm bullets, after firing from an MP44 machine gun (assault rifle) with a curved barrel nozzle

On December 8, representatives of the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate, Rheinmetall-Borsig and Zeiss met again to discuss an improved version of the Vorsatz J curved barrel attachment. At this meeting, a decision was made on new tests of three models of this weapon:

barrel-nozzle with a curvature of 30 degrees with a prismatic periscope sighting device designed by Zeiss,
barrel-nozzle with a curvature of 45 degrees, with the same prismatic periscopic sighting device and a set of prismatic lenses.

Deformation of the bore in the area of the muzzle of an MP44 machine gun (assault rifle) with a curved barrel-nozzle (after 150 shots)
Two barrels with a 45-degree curvature were intended only for testing sighting devices, since tests carried out by Rheinmetall convincingly proved that a stronger radius bending gave excessive recoil. The required number of machine guns equipped with these three devices was to be transferred to the infantry school by December 21. Thus, if the tests were successfully completed, a decision could be made to begin production of one of these models in a zero series of 3000 units.

In anticipation of this decision, Rheinmetall included 1,000 30-degree barrels in its production plan in January 1945, although such proactive planning was overly optimistic. The improved version of the curved barrel nozzle did not perform the best in recent tests. The barrel attachment with a 30-degree curvature failed after only 300 shots, and barrels with a 45-degree curvature performed even worse. Breakdowns of the periscope sighting devices began immediately, after 7 and 10 shots, respectively, and the barrel of one of the attachments broke after 170 shots. The attachment of the barrel-nozzle on the machine gun was bent, and in general this design revealed excessive recoil. On December 24, 1944, it was decided to continue testing only with barrel attachments with a curvature of 30 degrees. Rheinmetall was ordered to produce 200 of these devices, half of which were to be capable of firing rifle grenades.

Automatic (assault rifle) MP44 with a 90-degree bend. barrel-nozzle Vorsatz PZ

At the same time, German gunsmiths did not forget about their tank crews. This was due to the increase in the caliber of tank guns and the dimensions of the armored vehicles themselves, which led, in turn, to an increase in the “dead” (non-shootable) space to several tens of meters. In addition, the abandonment of turret machine guns had already become the norm by this time, since their ball mounts weakened the frontal armor of the tank. Consequently, the possibility of hitting the enemy in “dead” space was also lost. Along with this, the Germans took into account one more factor - in 1944, the effective firing range of hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers (“faustpatrons”) increased significantly (up to 150 m). By this time it had reached the limits of the “dead” zone, and therefore well-trained grenade launchers could hit tanks while remaining relatively invulnerable to its machine guns.

Then they decided to install curved-barreled machine guns in an open turret on the tank turrets. The attachment had a curved barrel 355 mm long with a curvature of 30 degrees, as well as simplified sighting devices that precluded accurate shooting. But soon, concern for the safety of tankers during battle forced the designers to abandon the open placement of weapons on tank turrets and use its version with a barrel bore curved by 90 degrees.

Testing an MP44 assault rifle with a 90-degree bend. barrel-nozzle Vorsatz PZ. 1944

The MP44 assault rifle with a Vorsatz Pz (Panzer) barrel attachment had a barrel curvature of 90 degrees. The nozzle barrel with an outer diameter of 25 mm and a total length of 476 mm was mounted in a ball mount on the roof of the turret, which provided the possibility of all-round firing. This design made it possible to reduce the “dead” space to 15 m. The dispersion when firing from this weapon ranged from 1 b to 50 cm. In addition to the attachment, a special shortened sector magazine with a capacity of 10 rounds was developed for the use of machine guns in cramped fighting compartments of tanks.

Curved by 90 degrees. barrel-nozzle Vorsatz PZ (top view)

Ultimately, Rheinmetall managed to produce 100 nozzle barrels, the exact configuration of which is unknown. The Grafenwoehr Infantry School, the Tank School, the Mountain Ranger School and the SS Tank School were informed that they could receive 25 barrel attachments from Rheinmetall after March 31, and test reports should be submitted to the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate by May 1945 However, by this time the war had already ended.

The negative test results of such a seemingly very promising weapon, as the Stg44 (V) and Stg44 (P) assault rifles were presented at that time, were influenced by several reasons. First of all, the nozzle with a curved barrel deformed the bullet, which led to a significant increase in dispersion. An additional negative factor was the increased wear of the barrel bore in the muzzle area, which also contributed to a decrease in accuracy. The survivability of the attachments was no more than 250 shots, and it decreased in proportion to the increase in barrel curvature. Therefore, such weapons, rejected by the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate, remained only in prototypes. The collapse of the German economy in the last months of the war did not make it possible to bring them into serial production, but after the war these samples served as the basis for both experimental and serial samples of small arms with a curved bore developed in the USSR and the USA.

Back in 1944, solving the problem of eliminating “dead” space, American designers created an 11.43 mm M3 submachine gun with a curved barrel. He could shoot through the “dead” zone in front and on the sides of the car. In the same year, the Americans tried to adapt the “tank” version of the M3 submachine gun with a curved barrel for infantry. However, like the Germans, this curved-barreled weapon remained only in prototypes.

11.43 mm “tank” M3 submachine gun with a curved bore A variant of the Vorsatz PZ curved barrel attachment mounted in a ball mount with a periscope sight

Nevertheless, Soviet designers also decided to get involved in its creation. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army captured a number of German curved-barreled weapons as trophies. At their base in the USSR, work began on barrels of various curvatures for the 7.62 mm TT pistol cartridge, 7.62 mm rifle cartridge, 12.7 mm large-caliber DShK cartridge and 20 mm ShVAK aircraft gun cartridge. Thus, Kovrov gunsmiths created a model based on the PPSh submachine gun with a barrel bent by 30 degrees. However, during the research, its completely unsatisfactory accuracy was revealed even at distances up to 100 m. This was due to the fact that the direction of flight of the bullet did not coincide with the longitudinal axis of the barrel, therefore the recoil when fired was directed at an angle to the weapon itself. Because of what it deviated to the side.

Curved by 90 degrees. barrel attachment for the Goryunov SGM heavy machine gun. Prototype

Mounting unit for the barrel-nozzle of the Goryunov SGM heavy machine gun

In the mid-1950s. Soviet gunsmiths began work on automatic weapons for this ammunition. Thus, in 1956, the designers of the Kovrov OKB-575 developed a project for a 7.62-mm Degtyarev RPD light machine gun, equipped with a curved barrel nozzle. Along with this, it was decided to develop a project for a tank machine gun with a barrel bore curved by 90 degrees. This work was entrusted to N.F. Makarov, who worked out all the details of the curved-barrel assembly based on the Kalashnikov AK assault rifle, and K.T. Kurenkov, who designed the ball installation. The weapon was intended to protect tanks at the closest range, in the “dead” zone, not covered by a standard machine gun. Field tests have shown that the system created by the designers can solve the problem of defending a damaged or damaged tank in battle, and that the scheme they proposed for placing the installation on the turret hatch is the only possible option. However, the difficulties associated with opening or closing the turret hatch, even after first removing the machine gun from the installation, and other smaller problems, caused the tankers themselves to have a negative attitude towards it. In this regard, the idea of protecting an armored vehicle using a curved weapon was considered unpromising, and all work in this direction was stopped. Similar conclusions were reached abroad.

7.62-mm Shpagin PPSh submachine gun with a 30-degree bend. barrel channel. Prototype (left view)

Mounting unit for a curved barrel and casing of an experimental submachine gun

The muzzle of an experimental Shpagin submachine gun

In addition, the possibility and feasibility of creating curved-barreled weapons using groove attachments and barrel attachments was tested. At the same time, the angle of curvature during the research varied over a wide range, up to 90 degrees. The possibility of using groove attachments was obvious, since, passing through it, under the influence of centrifugal force the bullet was pressed against the inner surface of the groove. Research has found that the optimal bend angle is about 30 degrees. With greater curvature, special bullets (tracer, incendiary) are damaged, and such weapons can only be fired with cartridges with ordinary bullets. The difference in the accuracy of combat when firing from a curved weapon compared to a conventional straight-barreled weapon at direct shot ranges (up to 350 m) is insignificant.

Curved by 45 degrees. barrel attachment for the Degtyarev RPD light machine gun. Prototype

Curved barrel-nozzle coupling for Degtyarev RPD light machine gun

Curved barrel attachment for the Degtyarev RPD light machine gun with an installed periscope sighting device

Heavy small arms - heavy machine guns - were the most fortunate. In the late 1940s - early 1950s. OKB-43 launched large-scale work on the design of machine guns with a curved bore to equip long-term fortifications. And already in 1955, the Soviet Army adopted the BUK-3 collapsible installation, equipped with two 7.62-mm Goryunov KSGM curved-barreled machine guns. These weapons were used for a long time in stationary fortifications on the Soviet-Chinese border.

7.62-mm experimental machine gun with a curved barrel Degtyarev RD No. 4G-120 mod. 1945 Technical

Despite this successful experience, all work on curved-barrel weapons was practically stopped for several decades. And only in recent years has interest in it reappeared, generated primarily by the increasing frequency of terrorist attacks. The militants who commit them, as a rule, take hostages and hide with them in vehicles or in premises. Often, it is possible to destroy terrorists without risking the people they captured with the help of curved-barreled weapons operating “from around the corner.” Therefore, in 1997, the Research Institute “Special Equipment” of the Ministry of Internal Affairs created a “Drive for firing from cover” and demonstrated it at one of the weapons exhibitions. In this version, the standard 5.45-mm Kalashnikov AK-74 assault rifle, mounted on a tripod, received the ability to be remotely targeted using a lever. Aiming is carried out using a flexible light guide cable, with its input hole located on the aiming line (exactly where the shooter’s eye is located), and the eyepiece is brought out to a place that is safe for the operator.

The combat experience gained by the Russian armed forces and law enforcement agencies in numerous local armed conflicts of recent times has revealed the need to create a wide variety of types of such weapons. The greatest need for curved weapons is expressed by peacekeeping forces and anti-terrorist security forces. So, to this day, curved-barrel shooting systems have not lost their relevance and, perhaps, in the near future new, most unexpected examples of such weapons will appear in the arsenal of the Russian army.

Experimental models of tank machine guns based on the Kalashnikov assault rifle with a curved barrel designed by N.F. Makarov and K.G. Kurenkova

7.62-mm curved-barreled machine gun Goryunov KSGM

Sergey Monetchikov “Weapon” No. 10 – 2007

(Beginning. Ending in the article “Secret weapons for special operations

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“REMOVED” WEAPON WITH “CURVE” SIGHT

But an absolutely amazing design was proposed in 1917 by the American inventor Albert Pratt. He patented a pistol helmet. The barrel of the pistol was located on top of the fighter’s head, and the sighting shield in front of the face helped to aim accurately. To fire, the shooter had to blow into a special tube connected to an inflatable bulb behind the trigger. The “pear” expanded and pulled the trigger. When turned upside down, the helmet, according to the patent, could be used for cooking (!). However, the idea was conveniently forgotten.

But ideas never die! Another American, A.B. De Salardi, later, in 1953, invented a helmet-mounted submachine gun. The continuity with the previous design is obvious. The weapon is mounted directly on the fighter’s head, or more precisely, on his helmet. The sight is the same periscope, but shooting is carried out without the help of hands - a remote trigger device, again of a pneumatic type, works from a mouthpiece that the soldier holds in his mouth, connected to the trigger mechanism of the weapon with a long flexible tube. The advantages are obvious: the fighter has free hands that are not occupied with weapons, and the helmet-mounted installation guarantees complete synchronization of weapon movements in accordance with the turns and tilts of the head: where I look, I shoot! The inventor does not indicate what happens to the fighter’s cervical vertebrae...

But this is all exotic and free flight of imagination of designers. Submachine guns, and after them machine guns, gave rise to the shooting technique when only the weapon itself is poked out from behind cover and randomly fired in a fan-shaped burst. This technique is especially popular in various irregular formations. But even such shooting, in principle, can be given a certain precision by using a sight with fiber optics. “Definite” because a weapon fired hand-held, without a butt stop, and even turned relative to the shooter’s body, will never show the same accuracy as with the correct butt.

And here a new trend has emerged in the development of weapons for shooting “from around the corner.” Until recently, shooting required mandatory preliminary co-orientation of the direction of the gaze and the axis of the barrel bore. To free the shooter from this strict limitation, the lens and eyepiece were connected with a flexible light guide. An option is a computerized helmet-mounted sight coupled with a wall-mounted television camera. This allows the shooter to see around a corner by simply sticking his weapon hand out there.

Thus, the Russian inventor Alexander Golodyaev in 1995 presented the system he assembled “lens (mounted on the weapon) - cable-light guide - eyepiece (attached to the shooter’s helmet).” In this case, weapons can be deployed from both the right and left corners, and from the trench. Tests carried out at the test site in 1996 yielded successful results. Thus, when shooting from a long-barreled weapon at a distance of 100 m, out of 15 fired bullets, up to seven hit the bull’s eye. The tests also made it possible to optimize the layout of the light guide system. It turned out that it is preferable to place the lens under the barrel - then the aiming line better coincides with the axis of the barrel bore.

In 1997, the Research Institute of Special Equipment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation demonstrated at the Moscow arms salon “A drive for shooting from behind cover.” In this design, a standard Kalashnikov was mounted on a tripod, able to be aimed remotely using a lever. Aiming is carried out using a flexible light guide, the entrance hole of which is located on the sight line - in the place where the shooter's eye is usually located - and the eyepiece is brought to a safe place in the shelter.

As a futuristic option, a computerized helmet-mounted sight (like a fighter pilot’s) is possible, coupled via a radio channel with an on-/under-barrel television camera. While in Russia the matter is limited to experimental assembled systems, abroad it has moved on to official testing. In particular, in the United States, such devices have been tested for several years within the framework of the Land Warrior IMD program (a comprehensive program for the development of weapons, equipment and equipment for ground forces) as an addition to a two-channel “sighting unit” for small arms. When using electro-optical sights, the place of the light guide is taken by a regular signal cable, which transmits the signal to a micromonitor mounted on the helmet in front of the shooter’s eye. Only experience will tell how useful such devices are in close combat.

A similar scheme was tested in France as part of the development program for a new FELIN equipment complex. This system allows a soldier to look around a corner by simply sticking his hand out there with a weapon. Of course, this is no longer a curved-barreled weapon, but rather a curved-aimed one. This system is currently being intensively developed by the United States under the “soldier of the future” program. But the cost of equipment for such a soldier is almost equal to the price of a fighter...

The video camera was also included in a set of special accessories for the PM pistol, developed by designer Boyarkin for conducting “low-noise targeted fire “from around the corner” and presented in 2005 by NPF Medium LLC. The set includes a bracket attached to the pistol frame, a PBS (silencer) and a video sight. The expansion type PBS is fixed on the bracket. The video sight is a combination of a miniature video camera mounted on top of the PBS, a belt-cable and a miniature monitor located in front of the shooter’s eye (it can be mounted on the head or helmet, for example, using an elastic strap). In addition to aiming from around the corner, the video sight must also provide digital recording of the progress of the battle.

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An automatic barrel appears above the parapet of the trench, and although the shooter is not visible, the fire is aimed and the targets are hit. Also, bullets from the barrel fly precisely at the target when it appears around the corner, from the hatch of a combat vehicle and other shelters. In all cases, the shooter is hidden, outside the line of fire, in a safe place, but it is he who catches the figure of the “enemy” in the trailer, his fingers smoothly pressing the trigger at the right moment. A weapon with a curved barrel can conduct such fire. This is not science fiction, but documentary newsreel footage of the end of World War II.

The idea of a curved weapon arose with the advent of firearms. Devices for firing from cover were conceived by military engineers back in the 19th century. In 1868, artillery general Maievsky proposed making the cannon barrel curved.

However, the idea began to be realized in the 20th century. The priority in the implementation of this project belongs to Germany, which waged constant wars and was interested in preserving its soldiers and defeating more enemy soldiers. During the First World War, the Finns came up with a device with a periscope for the Mosin rifle.

After World War II, Western countries followed the path of creating special attachments for the barrel of standard weapons, while in the USSR they literally implemented the idea of a curved-barreled weapon.

Although the idea of a curved-barreled weapon has not become widespread, nevertheless, the ability to hit targets covertly and without danger to the shooter is very important when conducting counter-terrorism operations.

The history of curved weapons also knows anecdotal inventions. Back in 1917, American inventor Albert Pratt patented a pistol helmet. The barrel of the pistol was located on top of the fighter’s head, and the sighting shield in front of the face helped to aim accurately. To fire, the shooter had to blow into a special tube connected to an inflatable bulb behind the trigger. The “pear” expanded and pulled the trigger. In practice, the recoil of the pistol when fired would break the shooter's neck. Another American, A. B. De Salardi, in 1953, brought the previous invention to a submachine gun. The weapon is also mounted directly on the fighter’s helmet. The same periscope and flexible tube. Just blow hard into the mouthpiece and the weapon immediately opens fire. The new machine gun did not go further than invention.

It was during this Second World War that the development of curved-barreled weapons was actively carried out. And, characteristically, this was done in the interests not of the infantry, but of the tank crews. This was caused, firstly, by an increase in the caliber of tank guns and the dimensions of tanks, which led to an increase in the “dead” (not covered by fire) space to several tens of meters. Secondly, the rejection of turret machine guns had already become the norm by this time, since the ball mounts of the machine guns weakened the frontal armor of the tank. Consequently, the possibility of shooting through the “dead” space was also lost. And thirdly, an increase in the effective firing range of anti-tank grenade launchers (“faust cartridges”). By this time it had reached the limits of “dead” space, and therefore well-trained riflemen could hit tanks while remaining relatively invulnerable to its machine guns. Solving the problem of eliminating “dead” space, American designers created Reising submachine guns, 11.43 mm caliber, with a curved attachment attached to the barrel. They could shoot through the “dead” space in front and on the sides of the car. In 1944, “tank” curved weapons began to be adapted for infantry.

The very idea of creating a curved weapon was not new. Back in 1868, artillery general N.V. Maievsky, professor of ballistics at the Mikhailovsky Artillery Academy, proposed a project for a curved gun, loaded from the ground. True, he did this in order to increase the firing of a disk projectile. When fired from an artillery system with the barrel bore curved upward, the “disc” mounted on the edge was pressed by centrifugal force to the top of the barrel and received the necessary rotation that the designers sought. One of the guns with a similar bore was made in Russia under the leadership of Professor Maievsky. Experimental shooting in 1871-1873 confirmed the correctness of the calculations: a disk projectile weighing 3.5 kg, with an initial speed of 480 m/s, flew 2500 m, while an ordinary cannonball of the same weight under the same conditions - only 500 m. But Most importantly, this experiment revealed the possibility of firing from a curved-barreled weapon.

Krummlauf (curved barrel) weapon system that allows you to shoot from behind cover. Consists of a Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle, a curved barrel attachment and a sighting device.

Using this idea, German specialists created a device for firing rifles from behind cover, which was adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1943. The device was used for firing from a 7.92-mm Mauser rifle of the 1898 model and from a Walter self-loading rifle of the 1941 model, which made it possible to fire from behind cover, as a result of which such weapons received the name of a weapon for shooting around a corner. It entered service with special teams whose task was to destroy enemy command personnel in cities. The device consists of three main parts - the stock, the body and the periscope sight. The butt is wooden, attached to the lower part of the body with two screws with wing nuts and can be folded down. It houses a trigger, connected by means of a trigger rod and a chain to the trigger mechanism of the rifle. The body is made of sheet iron, stamped and welded. In its upper part, between the side walls, there is a support bar for the rifle butt, secured with a support screw. At the front, it is placed on an eccentric bushing mounted on the adjustable screw of the adjusting lever, which is screwed in completely with a wing nut. A basting with two clamps is hinged on top of the body. On its inner side there are stops that, using two screws, press the body of the rifle butt to the support bar.

The periscope rifle (1915) has a similar principle, but to reload it it must be lowered down. The periscope is attached to the body using a mark; the adjustment device makes it possible to align the periscope sight and bring the rifle installed in the device to normal combat. Also, the German army created curved attachments for the 7.92 mm MP-44 assault rifle. The machine operates by using the energy of powder gases coming from the gas outlet into the gas chamber. Naturally, in the presence of a curved nozzle, the flow of gases from the barrel is hampered and, therefore, the amount of gases flowing from the barrel into the gas chamber of the machine increases, and their effect on the moving parts of the machine increases and can cause their breakdown. To avoid this, a special window is made in the rear part of the nozzle to allow gases to flow out. Thanks to this solution, it was possible to obtain normal speeds of the moving parts of the machine gun when it was equipped with a curved barrel attachment.

Attaching a curved attachment to a weapon barrel can be done not only using a mark, but also using a bushing and other methods. When developing curved-barreled weapons, the requirements for targeted shooting from trenches were initially taken into account. To ensure accurate shooting, two types of sights were developed - mirror and prismatic. Shooting from curved-barreled assault rifles with such sights is practically no different from shooting from conventional assault rifles with optical sights.

At the end of 1943, Hans-Joachim Schaede, head of the production department of the Ministry of Armaments and War Industry, proposed installing a curved barrel on the MG.34 tank machine gun for more effective defense of armored vehicles.

At the end of 1943, Rheinmetall received an order to create special devices - curved barrels for the purpose of using them on all types of standard weapons designed for the 7.92x57 rifle-machine-gun cartridge. These devices were intended to reduce “dead zones” from distances of 150-200 m to 15-20 m. The first prototype of a special attachment (Krummerlauf, German - curved barrel) was put on a standard Mauser K98k carbine. The experimental barrel, bent by 15 degrees, had a smooth internal channel with a diameter of 10 mm, and its outer diameter was 36 mm. But the test firing results were unsatisfactory. When they began testing carbine barrels, bent by 30 degrees with a radius of 250 mm, the first success was observed. Ultimately, the choice was made in favor of special curved barrels of 7.92 mm caliber with the above parameters, with an outer diameter of about 16 mm and a wall thickness of 4 mm. Experiments were carried out with trunks with curvatures of 15, 30, 40, 60, 75 and 90 degrees. The internal ballistics were so carefully calculated that at firing ranges of up to 400 - 500 m they were similar to the ballistics of a bullet moving in a normal barrel, with the exception of a certain reduction in initial velocity and an increase in bullet dispersion. Moreover, despite the instability of the weapon during automatic shooting, satisfactory accuracy results were obtained. Several similar devices were made for the MG.34 machine gun, but they did not withstand the tests, collapsing within the first hundred shots. The German 7.92 mm rifle cartridge turned out to be too powerful for any curved barrel.

Then the German designers put forward a new idea: wouldn’t a curved barrel work better with the “intermediate” 7.92x33 cartridge, which had a shorter bullet and significantly less muzzle energy. Tests have revealed that the “short” cartridge is ideal for curved-barreled weapons and makes the machine gun the only model that allows the idea of shooting from cover to be put into practice. It worked by using the energy of powder gases flowing from the gas outlet into the gas chamber. Naturally, in the presence of a curved nozzle, the flow of gases from the barrel was hampered, since the amount of gases flowing from the barrel into the gas chamber of the machine gun increased, and their impact on the moving parts of the machine gun increased and could cause their breakdown. To avoid this, there were gas outlet holes in the back of the nozzle to allow gases to flow out. Thanks to this solution, it was possible to obtain normal speeds for the moving parts of the machine gun, equipped with a curved barrel nozzle. The use of a similar attachment in conjunction with MP.43 machine guns (assault rifles) significantly expanded their potential capabilities, allowing them to conduct dense barrage fire instead of single shots from rifles.

The tests provided convincing proof of the capabilities of the new weapon. On August 8, 1944, the leadership of the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate (HwaA) issued an order to the Ministry of Armaments of the Third Reich for the production in a short time of 10,000 devices for firing from behind cover. However, this was somewhat premature, since tests of the MP.43 assault rifles revealed that a barrel with a 90-degree curvature could only satisfy the weapon needs of tankers, but not infantrymen. On August 25, at a meeting of the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate with representatives of the development company Rheinmetall-Borsig, it was decided to design a second model of the barrel, with a curvature of 30 to 45 degrees, weighing no more than 2 kg and survivability of up to 5000 rounds.

Also, Wehrmacht Colonel Schede tried in the last months of the war to establish the production of guns with a curved barrel, capable of firing from shelters at an angle of 30 or 90 degrees. But the collapse of Nazi Germany did not give German engineers time to fine-tune new models.

Nevertheless, Soviet designers also decided to get involved in its creation. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army captured a number of German curved-barreled weapons as trophies. At their base in the USSR, work began on barrels of various curvatures for the 7.62 mm TT pistol cartridge, 7.62 mm rifle cartridge, 12.7 mm large-caliber DShK cartridge and 20 mm ShVAK aircraft gun cartridge. Thus, Kovrov gunsmiths created a sample based on the PPSh submachine gun with a barrel bent by 30 degrees. However, during the research, its completely unsatisfactory accuracy was revealed even at a distance of up to 100 m. This was due to the fact that the direction of flight of the bullet did not coincide with the longitudinal axis of the barrel, therefore the recoil when fired was directed at an angle to the weapon itself. Because of what it deviated to the side.

And only a few years later, domestic gunsmiths returned to the topic of “crooked barrel”, however, at a new stage in the development of weapons. Our designers, following the Germans, came to the conclusion that such weapons can only work effectively with an “intermediate” cartridge, since the best results on ballistic barrels were achieved with the 7.62x39 cartridge of the 1943 model. In the mid-1950s gg. Soviet gunsmiths began work on automatic weapons for this ammunition. So, in 1956, the designers of the Kovrov OKB-575 developed a project for a 7.62-mm Degtyarev RPD light machine gun, equipped with a curved barrel nozzle. Along with this, it was decided to develop a project for a tank machine gun with a barrel bore curved by 90 degrees. This work was entrusted to N.F. Makarov, who worked out all the details of the curved-barrel assembly based on the Kalashnikov AK assault rifle, and K.T. Kurenkov, who designed the ball installation. The weapon was intended to protect tanks at the closest range, in the “dead” zone, not covered by a standard machine gun. Field tests have shown that the system created by the designers can solve the problem of defending a damaged or damaged tank in battle, and that the scheme they proposed for placing the installation on the turret hatch is the only possible option. However, the difficulties associated with opening or closing the turret hatch, even after first removing the machine gun from the installation, and other smaller problems, caused the tankers themselves to have a negative attitude towards it. In this regard, the idea of protecting an armored vehicle using a curved weapon was considered unpromising, and all work in this direction was stopped. Similar conclusions were reached abroad.

Curved-barreled machine gun M.T. Kalashnikov

7.62-mm curved-barreled (curvilinear) machine gun based on the RPK light machine gun. Prototype. The work on creating a prototype of a curved machine gun with a barrel curvature of 90 degrees was carried out by designers N.F. Makarov, who completed all the projects of the curved unit, and K.T. Kurenkov, who worked out the ball installation. The machine gun was intended to arm tanks, or more precisely, to protect them at the closest range, in the so-called. “dead zone”, not covered by a conventional straight-barreled (straight-line) machine gun. To solve the problem of close-in defense of a damaged or damaged tank, it was proposed to place this system on the hatch of the tank turret. The tank crews had a negative attitude towards this weapon. In this regard, the idea of protecting tanks with a curved machine gun was considered irrelevant, and all work in this direction was stopped.

The luckiest thing was for heavy small arms - heavy machine guns. In the late 1940s - early 1950s. OKB-43 launched large-scale work on the design of machine guns with a curved bore to equip long-term fortifications. And already in 1955, the Soviet Army adopted the BUK-3 collapsible installation, equipped with two 7.62-mm Goryunov KSGM curved-barreled machine guns. These weapons were used for a long time in stationary fortifications on the Soviet-Chinese border.

Despite this successful experience, all work on curved-barrel weapons was practically stopped for several decades. And only in recent years has interest in it reappeared, generated primarily by the increasing frequency of terrorist attacks. The militants who commit them, as a rule, take hostages and hide with them in vehicles or in premises. Often, it is possible to destroy terrorists without risking the people they captured with the help of curved-barreled weapons operating “from around the corner.” Therefore, in 1997, the Research Institute “Special Equipment” of the Ministry of Internal Affairs created a “Drive for firing from cover” and demonstrated it at one of the weapons exhibitions. In this version, the standard 5.45-mm Kalashnikov AK-74 assault rifle, mounted on a tripod, received the ability to be remotely targeted using a lever. Aiming is carried out using a flexible light guide cable, and its input hole is located on the aiming line (exactly where the shooter’s eye is located), and the eyepiece is brought out to a place that is safe for the operator.

The combat experience gained by the Russian armed forces and law enforcement agencies in numerous recent local armed conflicts has revealed the need to create a wide variety of types of such weapons. The greatest need for curved weapons is expressed by peacekeeping forces and anti-terrorist security forces. So, to this day, curved-barrel shooting systems have not lost their relevance and, perhaps, in the near future new, most unexpected examples of such weapons will appear in the arsenal of the Russian army.

7.62 curved-barreled machine gun based on the RPK light machine gun. Prototype from the 1960s. Cartridge 7.62x39 mod. 1943, barrel curvature 90 degrees,

It should be noted that the possibility and feasibility of creating a curved-barreled weapon was previously tested using groove attachments and barrel attachments attached to the muzzle of rifle barrels. At the same time, the angle of curvature during the research varied over a wide range, up to 90 degrees. The possibility of conducting research on nozzles-gutters is obvious, since, passing through a curved nozzle, under the influence of centrifugal force the bullet is pressed against the inner surface of the groove. It was found that the optimal angle of curvature of the nozzle is around 30 degrees. At large angles of curvature, special bullets (tracer, incendiary) are dismantled; in this case, you can only shoot cartridges with ordinary bullets. The difference in the accuracy of combat when firing from a curved weapon compared to a conventional, straight-barreled weapon at direct shot ranges is insignificant.

Field tests have shown that the system created by the designers can solve the problem of close-in defense of a damaged or damaged tank in battle, and that the installation scheme they proposed for placing the installation on the turret hatch is the only possible option. However, difficulties in opening and closing the hatch, even after first removing the machine gun from the installation, and some minor defects caused a negative attitude towards it from tank crews. In this regard, the idea of protecting a tank with a curved weapon was considered inappropriate, and all work in this direction was stopped. Similar conclusions were reached abroad. For several decades they forgot about curved-barreled weapons. Only in recent years has there been an increase in interest in it due to the need to combat widespread cases of hostage-taking and other terrorist activities in which criminals hide out in vehicles or premises. Often, the problem of their destruction without risk to the hostages could be solved with the help of a curved weapon operating “from around the corner.”

In three years, Israeli designers have developed the Corner Shot system, which is now being tested by special forces in 15 countries, including Russia. Florida-based Corner Shot Holdings LLC is best known for its inventor, Special Forces veteran Amos Golan. Its CornerShot system does not have a curved barrel, but “breaks” into two main parts and is a hinged firing mechanism (Colt, Glock, Sig Sauer, CZ, Beretta pistols, M16 rifle or devices for firing tear gas canisters or rubber bullets) and a control panel with video camera, color LCD display, flashlight, infrared or visible laser pointer, silencer and flash suppressor. The rotation angle of the firing mechanism is up to 63°.

Today in the United States, “curve-sighting” systems are being intensively developed under the “soldier of the future” program, such as the remote-controlled sniper rifle TRAP T2 (Telepresent Rapid Aiming Platform), which is controlled from a remote control and provides an overview of the terrain, aiming weapons at identified targets and transmitting video information to unit command posts.

For several years now, curved-barreled weapons have been tested as part of the Land Warrior EMD program (a comprehensive program for the development of weapons, equipment and equipping of ground forces) as an addition to the two-channel “sighting unit” for small arms.

sources

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D1%80%D0%B8%D...%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B5

https://www.arms.ru/Guns/minigun/sn01kri84.htm

https://old.popmech.ru/blogs/post/1008-evolyutsiya-oruzhiya-krivostvol/

https://yvision.kz/post/81536

https://gunsite.narod.ru/statya_1.htm

Taken here

Shooting from around the corner - the development of sneaky weapons

The inquisitive minds of military engineers and designers have always looked for opportunities to fight without having to pay anything for it. This may include various means of stationary and mobile protection, weapons with superior characteristics, or weapons that allow you to shoot from cover without fear of getting a response. This topic has been around for many years and is revisited periodically. So how can you safely shoot from around a corner, or, at worst, a trench?

And the first obvious answer is a weapon with a crooked barrel. The Germans were the first to develop such a wunderwaffle, although its idea belonged to our artilleryman Maievsky. In the second half of the 19th century, he proposed making gun barrels curved to increase the firing range of disc-shaped projectiles. During the Second World War, the Germans began producing special attachments for the M98 rifles and the Sturmgever44 assault rifle. Sometimes a special periscope sight was included with such a body kit. Despite some successes (acceptable accuracy at short distances), certain problems also emerged - increased wear of the weapon, rapid failure of the attachments themselves. Work has been carried out in this direction in our country as well. In particular, PPSh were produced with a crooked barrel. Curved-barreled machine guns were even developed.

Mauser 98K carbine with a Vorsatz J curved barrel attachment (top) and shooting from a Mauser 98K with a curved barrel from a trench

But even in WWII, modified rifles were used for shooting from trenches - Lebel for the French, Lee-Enfield for the British, M98 for the Germans, Springfield for the Americans. They had the most ordinary, straight barrel; all changes concerned the butts and sights. At the same time, the operation scheme of such rifles was almost identical for all warring parties. Such a rifle was placed on the parapet, and the butt rested against the shoulder with the help of a broken extension. The soldier took aim at the periscope and pulled the trigger with a long rod.

Lebel rifle on special frames by Alfred Bellaras for shooting from behind the parapet

Lee Enfield SMLE for trench shooting

Mannlicher M95 rifle with a device for shooting from a trench

"Springfield" 1903 for shooting from behind cover

Among the weapon curiosities is the helmet-pistol of the American Pratt, developed by him in 1916. The weapon itself, in the form of a barrel and magazine, was mounted in the helmet. An aiming shield descended down to the shooter's face. The shot occurred after the shooter blew into a special tube and the inflated bulb pulled the trigger. His follower and compatriot Salardi in 1953 developed a submachine gun using the same scheme. For obvious reasons, such inventions did not go into series.

Pistol helmet and submachine gun helmet

The idea of shooting from around the corner is still alive today. In particular, in 2003, an Israeli development was presented - a modular “breakable” Corner Shot design with backlighting, displays, laser laser pointers and other delights of modern life. It is now being actively tested in a number of countries.