The Kalashnikov Concern AM-17 (,

GRAU The Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (), commonly referred to by its transliterated acronym GRAU (), is a department of the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is subordinate to the Chief of ...

index 6P74) is a compact

assault rifle An assault rifle is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge, intermediate-rifle cartridge and a Magazine (firearms), detachable magazine.C. Taylor, ''The Fighting Rifle: A Complete Study of the Rifle in Combat'', F.A. Moyer '' ...

that is chambered in 5.45×39mm

intermediate cartridge An intermediate cartridge is a rifle/ carbine cartridge that has significantly greater power than a pistol cartridge but still has a reduced muzzle energy compared to fully powered cartridges (such as the .303 British, 7.62×54mmR, 7.65×53 ...

History

The AM-17 was first unveiled in the Russian Army Expo 2017 alongside the integrally suppressed

AMB-17 The Kalashnikov Concern AMB-17 (, awaiting GRAU designation), is an integrally suppressed compact assault rifle, chambered in subsonic 9×39mm SP5 cartridge and armour-piercing SP6 cartridge. It was developed and manufactured alongside the Kal ...

, it was developed and manufactured by

Kalashnikov Concern JSC Kalashnikov Concern (; ), known until 2013 as the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant (; ), is a Russian Arms industry, defense manufacturing Concern (business), concern and joint-stock company headquartered in the city of Izhevsk in the Republic ...

. Its development began in the late 2010s, and was based on the Yevgeny Dragunov MA compact assault rifle. The AM-17 has completed the acceptance trials. Serial production of the carbine will start in 2025.

Design details

The AM-17 is designed for close quarters operations, primarily for

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

and

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

units of the

Russian Interior Ministry The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD; , ''Ministerstvo vnutrennikh del'') is the interior ministry of Russia. The MVD is responsible for law enforcement in Russia through its agencies the Police of Russia, Migrati ...

Russian National Guard The Federal Service of Troops of National Guard of the Russian Federation (), officially known as the (),Official website is a federal executive body which is responsible for law enforcement, internal security, counter-terrorism and riot contr ...

, and

Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

to replace the

AKS-74U The AK-74 (Russian: , tr. ''Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1974 goda'', lit. 'Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1974') is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974 as a successor to the AKM. While primarily a ...

. The AM-17 features an integrated upper full-length MIL-STD/1913 Picatinny rail system, polymer side-folding and adjustable (telescoping) shoulder stock, and longitudinal slots in the walls of the upper receiver allowing for ambidextrous controls in both the fire selector and charging handle.

Operating mechanism

The AM-17, unlike previous firearms in current use by the Russian military, differentiates itself by employing two receivers that connect on a hinge instead of a single stamped receiver with a lid. To do this the upper receiver itself is made from polymer and steel reinforcements, while the lower receiver along with its magazine housing is made entirely from polymer and connected to the upper receiver by two captive take down cross-pins reducing the weight of the firearm significantly and allowing for easier access into the internal operation. The gas-operated action within is a short-stroke gas piston and rotary bolt which locks with three radial lugs on the bolt head similar to historic 9×39mm compact assault rifles, such as the

VSK-94 The VSK-94 (, GRAU index 6В8) is a 9×39mm sniper rifle variant of the 9A-91 assault rifle, designed in 1995 in the KBP Instrument Design Bureau by Vasily Gryazev and manufactured by Tula Arms Plant. The VSK-94 was meant to be a cheaper alternat ...

. The bolt carrier within the upper receiver is almost streamline by design raising it towards the bolt group reducing both bolt friction and felt user recoil.

Variants

AM-17M

The AM-17M is a full-length assault rifle variant in prototype development.

AMB-17

The AMB-17 is an integrally suppressed variant, chambered in

9×39mm The 9×39mm is a Soviet rifle cartridge. The cartridge yields increased performance in shorter barrels and effective subsonic performance. History and design The 9×39 is based on the Soviet 7.62×39mm case but with the neck expanded to fit a ...

Gallery

File:Dragunov MA.jpg, Late 1970s MA compact assault rifle prototype designed by Yevgeny Dragunov

Users

* : The AM-17 is in limited use with FSB, FSO,

, and VVS specifically for firearms testing.

References

External links

Larry Vickers shooting AM-17 assault rifle
{{AK47 derivatives 5.45×39mm assault rifles Assault rifles of Russia Carbines Personal defense weapons Kalashnikov Concern products