Gennadiy Nikolaevich Nikonov (russian: Геннадий Николаевич Никонов; August 11, 1950 – May 14, 2003) was a Russian gun engineer. His most famous accomplishments were probably as the designer of the

AN-94 The AN-94 (Russian: 5,45-мм автомат Никонова обр. 1987 г. / АН-94 «Абака́н», GRAU designation 6P33) is a Russian assault rifle. The initials stand for ''Avtomat Nikonova'' model of 1994, after its chief designer ...

assault rifle, and the "straight-back bolt." Nikonov held 44 Copyright Certificates, and was awarded the titles of "The Best Designer of the Company" and "The Best Designer of the Ministry." In memory of the outstanding designer, a memorial plaque on the building design and weapons center of "Izhmash" (2003), and at the place of his burial (2007).

Early life and education

Nikonov was born in

Izhevsk Izhevsk (russian: Иже́вск, p=ɪˈʐɛfsk; udm, Ижкар, ''Ižkar'', or , ''Iž'') is the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. It is situated along the Izh River, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is the 21st-largest city ...

. His father and mother were employed at

Izhmash JSC Kalashnikov Concern (), known until 2013 as the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant (), is a Russian defense manufacturing concern and joint-stock company headquartered in the city of Izhevsk in the Republic of Udmurtia as well as the capital ci ...

, a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

arms factory. His father was a mechanic. Nikonov graduated from technical school in 1968. At Izhmash, he took evening classes. In 1975 he graduated from the Izhevsk Mechanical Institute certified as a gun engineer.

Design career

He started work at Izhmash in the Department of the Chief Arms Designer. His first position was as a technician. In technical school, Nikonov became obsessed with underwater rifles. He won his first professional recognition by designing a trigger mechanism for an underwater rifle. He designed various rifles, including

air gun An air gun or airgun is a gun that fires projectiles pneumatically with compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized ''without'' involving any chemical reactions, in contrast to a firearm, which pressurizes gases ''chemical ...

s and sporting firearms. One of the most praised was the stylish, accurate "Izjubr" (Buck Deer) carbine – a limited edition luxury weapon. Nikonov was appointed as a senior project engineer to design single-shot bolt-action rifles and fully automatic weapons. In this assignment he patented a number of mechanisms and components. One of the most significant was the "straight-pull bolt," first used in a winter

biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not time ...

target

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

. Nikonov also worked on research projects. In the middle 1970s he entered a post-graduate Ph.D course. From 1980 to 1985 he worked on projects for the Soviet Ministry for Defense Industry. Examples of his innovation include his twin-barreled machine gun and the "blow back shifted pulse (BBSP)" used on the AN-94. It is said that his high quality and quantity of work helped him advance to higher positions at work.

Nikonov machine gun

The weapon was developed on Nikonov's own initiative, from work connected with competitions and technical tasks. The weapon has no bolt, but a stationary

breech Breech may refer to: * Breech (firearms), the opening at the rear of a gun barrel where the cartridge is inserted in a breech-loading weapon * breech, the lower part of a pulley block * breech, the penetration of a boiler where exhaust gases leave ...

and movable barrels, each with its own gas cylinders and pistons connected to the adjacent barrel. Upon firing one barrel, the next one is forced backwards, and thus causes the next barrel to move forward. Firing operates a feeding device that channels rounds into the barrels, with the spent cartridges being ejected from both sides. The barrels move back and forth the full length of the cartridge. The double-barreled design, in combination with the shortest possible stroke, allows for a high rate of fire at more than 3,000 rounds per minute. The prototype is now located the M.T. Kalashnikov museum in

Personal life

He was married and had two sons, Nikolay and Yuri. Tatiana, Nikonov's wife, works as an arms designer in the same bureau.

References

* "Эйнштейн, Чехов и Платон?!", ''Ружьё. Российский оружейный журнал.'' 1998/1, page 64 * "У Истоков «Абакана»", ''Ружьё. Оружие и амуниция'', 1998/1, pp. 6–8 * Nowa Technika Wojskowa 2002-03/04. * http://www.kalashnikov.ru/upload/medialibrary/b8c/15.pdf * http://www.kalashnikov.ru/upload/medialibrary/110/042_046.pdf *http://alibudm.narod.ru/pis/pisuch.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Nikonov, Gennadiy 1950 births 2003 deaths Russian inventors Firearm designers Soviet engineers 20th-century Russian engineers People from Izhevsk Soviet inventors