AAI ACR

     Country of Origin: US

     Appears in: US ACR competition of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

     Notes: The AAI ACR (also called the AAI Low-Impulse ACR, as part of the design includes an internal anti-recoil device) was based on AAI’s previous work during the SPIW program of the 1970s.  The AAI ACR design presented for evaluation outwardly looked almost completely conventional, but was quite unconventional in many ways.  Like all the other ACR candidates of the time, the AAI ACR was rejected by the US Army and became a museum piece.

      The 18.5-inch barrel was tipped by a compact pepperpot-type muzzle brake; the bore used a very lazy twist rate (1:85), since the ammunition was essentially self-stabilizing.  Most of the was of steel or light alloy, but the stock, fore-end, and pistol grip were of polymer/plastic construction using materials that were advanced for the time.  (Early versions of the AAI ACR did not have a pistol grip, but instead a pistol grip wrist.)  The fire selector used a 3-round burst mechanism that fired at a cyclic rate of 1800 rpm – so fast that the third round would be well downrange before the shooter would feel the recoil from the first round.  The firing mechanism also fired from a closed bolt for semiautomatic fire and from an open bolt on burst; this optimized the AAI ACR for both aiming in semiautomatic fire and cooling in rapid burst fire.  Strangely, though AAI’s round for its ACR had naturally low recoil, AAI decided use primarily mechanical means in the firing mechanism to limit dispersion of the rounds.  Atop the receiver was a mount able to use most US and NATO optics and night vision equipment; in addition, AAI used an early version of Trijicon’s ACOG-type sights that are now so common on assault rifles and submachineguns today.  This ACOG, though roughly twice as large as modern ACOGs, set the stage for future developments.  The ACOG had 4x magnification and limited night vision, and even worked well at night.  Standard adjustable iron sights were also developed, with the rear sight assembly being removable and fitting onto the receiver’s sight base, and a low sighting rib was also found above the barrel for quick shooting.

     The ammunition that AAI used was based on flechette rounds developed well before the SPIW program.  The muzzle velocity of the flechettes was very high (over 1400 meters per second), and the flechette had excellent penetration.  The flechette (like most flechettes) twisted into a fishhook-shape upon striking a person, causing wounds out of proportion to the size of the flechette – so much so that it was briefly thought that AAI’s round might be a violation of the Geneva Accords.  However, the AAI flechette was not without its problems; the long, finned, needle-like shape (about 1.6x41mm) together with its very light weight (about 0.56 grams) made it extremely susceptible to wind.  The round, nestled in its casing and liquid-crystal boot, was almost identical in size to the 5.56mm NATO round, and the magazines themselves were based on M16-type magazines.  The AAI ACR could not fire 5.56mm NATO rounds, though – doing so would cause a chamber explosion, usually accompanied with the bolt assembly blowing backwards out of the weapon at high speed, possibly injuring or even killing its shooter.  The M16-based magazines were quickly modified before such an accident could happen so that one could not load 5.56mm NATO rounds into AAI ACR magazines and standard M16-type magazines would not fit into the AAI ACR.  (A 62-round drum was also developed for the AAI ACR, as the company planned to develop a whole family of small arms based on its ACR if the military decided to adopt it – including a SAW.) The problems with the ammunition were one of the main strikes against the AAI ACR; in addition, the cost per round was very high.

Baryshev/LCZ B-10

     Country of Origin: Czech Republic

     Appears In: Czech competition for both international markets and to replace the Vz-58.

     Notes: The genesis of this weapon is a design by Russian Anatoly Baryshev in the early 1960s.  However, it remained a private venture until Baryshev was able to work with LCZ in the mid-1990s. This weapon appears at first to be a reworked AK, but in fact employs a form of delayed blowback action similar to that of the Hungarian M39 and M43 submachineguns, instead of the gas operating system of the AK series.  It is part of a series of weapons, including the B-20 battle rifle, the B-30 sniper rifle, and the B-40 grenade launcher.  Versions of the B-10 were also designed in 5.56mm NATO caliber and 7.62mm NATO caliber (produced in very small numbers, and producing virtually no sales), 7.62mm Nagant (again, with little sales)  and 9mm Parabellum caliber (mostly as a technology demonstrator, with almost no sales).  Whether the 7.62mm Kalashnikov version is very much an open question at this time, but prospects do not look good; though the new operating system produces less felt recoil, it also proved vulnerable to harsh elements and difficult to field-strip. Barrel lengths for 7.62mm Kalashnikov, 5.56mm NATO, and 9mm Parabellum are 16.34 inches; for 7.62mm NATO and 7.62mm Nagant, the barrel is a bit longer at 17.9 inches.  These barrels are tipped by a compact muzzle brake/flash suppressor.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon was in very limited issue during the Twilight War, and for most of the war, its existence was regarded as only a rumor. 

     Merc 2000 Notes: Though not a big seller in the Czech or the Slovakian military, the B-10 was quite popular among several Southeast Asian and African nations who felt the need to replace their tired old AK-series weapons.  (The modular nature of the weapon also helped in this regard.) 

Boeing/HK-USA XM8

     Country of Origin: Germany/US

     Appears In: Abortive competition to replace the M16 series in the early 2000s.

     Notes: This weapon was designed to address the numerous flaws of the M16/M4 series, and to provide a sister weapon to the OICW.  The XM8 is derived from the rifle portion of the OICW (which is itself derived from the G-36), but does not have the grenade launcher or computerized sight attached.  It is a modular construction weapon allowing the weapon to be modified for a variety of different uses and with a large amount of accessories and optics.  The furniture is almost entirely made of high-strength polymer, and does not get hot to the touch like a metal rifle.  It can also be molded with a variety of camouflage finishes.  The XM8 boasts an operation that does not foul as easily as the M4/M16, and can be stripped and cleaned much faster.  Ambidextrous controls allow the weapon to be easily used by left or right handed shooters.  The 3-round burst setting has been dispensed with (to be replaced with better training in fire control), and the weapon is issued with a day/night 3.6x optical sight integrated with a laser aiming module.  There are mounts on all sides of the handguard and on top for virtually any sort of optic or accessory.  The XM8 was a Heckler & Koch invention, but in 2004, the rights to manufacture the XM8 were acquired by Boeing in the US.

    Five models of the XM8 assault rifle are contemplated at present: the standard XM8 Carbine, the XM8 Compact carbine, two other XM8s with 10-inch and 14.5-inch barrels, and a Designated Marksman (DMAR) version with a 20-inch barrel, bipod, and a higher-powered scope.  The Compact Carbine can be used with or without a buttstock; both have a telescoping stock (which in the case of the Compact Carbine can be removed completely, reducing the weight to 2.23 kg).  The two intermediate-length XM8’s are being experimented with, but probably will not make the cut, though they may be built and issued in small number for special applications.  The DMAR is not exactly a sniper rifle, but more a tactical sharpshooting weapon; while the standard “scope” of the XM8 has no magnification, and is used only to increase efficiency of aiming, the DMAR has an actual 3.5x scope.  The magazines are semitransparent polymer 30-round magazines.  It is anticipated that the XM8 will begin field tests in 2005.

     Twilight 2000/Merc 2000 Notes: This weapon does not exist in these timelines.

BSA Model 28-P

     Country of Origin: Britain

     Appears in: Competition to replace the standard British service rifle after World War 2.

     Notes: This rifle was developed to compete with the EM2 and other weapons during the British Army weapon trials of 1949-50.  As such, it fires what was supposed to be the new standard British military cartridge – the .280 British.  The Model 28-P had a squared receiver incorporating an optical sight, but a rather conventional pistol-gripped half-stock similar to that of the US M1 Carbine.  The trigger mechanism was made deliberately heavier than required to slow the rate of fire.  The flash suppressor could double as a grenade launcher (though it is not capable of launching modern-pattern rifle grenades).  Unfortunately, testing showed that it was not a particularly accurate weapon (by the standards of the time); the Model 28-P also suffered breech explosion during testing.  Though the breech design was revised and proved reliable, the Model 28-P was cut from the testing program.  No more than 15 of these rifles were ever built.

Bulkin AB-46

     Country of Origin: Soviet Union

     Appears In: TKB-415 competition to produce the Soviet Union’s first assault rifle.

     Notes: Designed by Tula’s A Bulkin, the AB-46 was, for almost a year, the only real competitor for a new Soviet assault rifle.  Other competitors in TKB-415 had no real chance of being chosen, and Kalashnikov’s prototypes were late, almost too late for submission.  The AB-46 appears very similar to the AK-47, and Bulkin also borrowed heavily from captured examples of the Stgw-44.  His rifle had longer handguards, a ventilated cooling rib above the barrel, and an Stgw-44-type gas block and front sight, while the rear sight was of an original design that later showed up in the AK-47.The stock, pistol grip, and handguard was of weatherproofed beech.  The slab-like receiver was of milled steel, with a top cover for access to the internal parts or for field stripping.  The barrel was 18 inches long, tipped with a compact flash suppressor.  Magazines were steel, again similar to the AK-47.  The rifle was designed to fire the SKS’s 7.62x39mm round.  Internals are very similar to the AK-47’s.

     At this point, you may be asking yourself, “Why did the AB-46 resemble the Kalashnikov’s design’s so much, even though it came months before the first Kalashnikov prototype?”  There is a very ugly story out there, which is gaining more credence as time goes by.  It seems that Mikhail Kalashnikov saw Bulkin’s design, and noted that it was superior to any of the designs he had on the drawing board.  So Kalashnikov borrowed heavily from the AB-46.  Essentially, he took Bulkin’s prototype, made some tweaks, and improved upon it to produce the later-accepted AK-47 and its prototypes.  This apparently irritated Bulkin so much that he never tried to produce any sort of assault rifle.  (It also seems that the Soviet Army also had sort of a hard-on towards Kalashnikovs, partially because of his story and partly of his heavily-decorated chest. He was also one of them – Soviet Army.) Regardless of the reason, the AB-46 was rejected by the testers and Soviet Army, though it was reportedly a close competition.  Many at the time felt the AB-46 was the superior assault rifle.

Colt ACR 

     Country of Origin: US

     Appears in: US ACR competition of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

     Notes: Colt’s ACR was a result of the US military’s Advanced Combat Rifle (ACR) program.  The Colt entry was based on the M16A2; one can see the family resemblance, but the Colt ACR is still a greatly-modified version.  Like the rest of the ACR candidates, the Colt ACR was rejected and they were placed in museums (I saw one on display at the Infantry Museum at Ft Benning) or taken back to Colt for further study.

     The Colt ACR used an adjustable stock similar to the XM177/M4 carbine series, but with seven positions. The standard M16A2 handguards were replaced with handguards with heavy heat shielding as well as a long sighting rib, used for short-range reflex shooting in the same manner as the rib on a shotgun.  The 20.5-inch heavy barrel was tipped with new muzzle brake designed to be effective, compact and low-profile, yet allow for the use of rifle grenades and underbarrel grenade launchers.  Fire controls were ambidextrous.  The receiver was topped with a very early version of what became the MILSTD-1913 rail; on this rail, an integral Leitz Wildcat 3.5x sight was meant to be mounted for troops who needed it, or it could be replaced with other US/NATO optics or a simple carrying handle with iron sights.

     The ACR was specially designed to fire a new 5.56mm duplex round, which features two smaller-than-normal bullets point-to-tail.  This increases hit probability (and effectively doubles rate of fire), but also significantly reduces effective range, as the two rounds are each much lighter and less stable.  Standard 5.56mm NATO ammunition could still be fired from the Colt ACR. 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: As this project was shelved several years before the Twilight War, it was largely a non-participant in the Twilight 2000 timeline.  The Infantry Museum at Fort Benning had one that was taken along with most of the weapons, and it was put to use by US Army troops; in addition, at least 4 others were known to have been used during the war (all in the US).  Duplex ammunition was extremely limited in quantity and the Colt ACRs were almost always used with standard 5.56mm NATO ammunition.

*The duplex round consists of two smaller bullets within one cartridge case instead of one standard-sized one.  Upon achieving a hit upon a target, the firer will hit the target with at least one bullet.  The second bullet will automatically hit at short range, hit 75% of the time at medium range, 50% of the time at long range, and 25% of the time at extreme or longer range.  The damage listed is per individual bullet.

Colt Dream M16s

     Country of Origin (sort-of)

     Appears in: A strange dream I had.(I did slay the monster).

     Fictional Notes: I am one of those people who are capable of lucid dreaming.  In the dream, there was monster plaguing the people I found myself protecting.  I had an M16, but was not a normal M16 – it fired necked brass versions with the same measurements, but with a single bullet.  I might also note that I seemed to be immune to the recoil, or I was at least able to quickly regain my sight picture.

     Let’s assume a few things for this entry.  The magazines are based on 50-round magazines.  Whatever the internals are, they are modified and adequate for my use without jamming or fouling.  Engineering-wise, they were masterpieces.  And they had large muzzle brakes, a recoil pad, and a bipod. The round for these weapons are all standard 2.75-inch ammunition. (Even if nonesuch actually exists.) Ammunition was brass-based.

Colt M16A1 (Experimental)

     Country of Origin: US

     Appears in: A company experiment on the M16A1 in the mid-1970s.

     Notes: This oddball variant of the M16A1 was modified from a standard M16A1 in 1974 to fire an experimental cartridge (essentially a standard 5.56mm NATO round necked down to 4.32mm).  The idea was to further lighten the M16A1 as well as the ammunition.  This experimental M16A1 was never given an official designation.  The M16A1 was simply rebarreled to fire the 4.32mm ammunition, and the bolt and chamber were also modified for the same purpose (in the case of the bolt, most of the modifications were in the bolt face; the bolt and bolt carrier assembly were otherwise almost a standard M16A1 bolt carrier assembly).  This experimental M16A1 also had some other unusual features – the carrying handle was removed and replaced with a reflex collimator sight, barrel was tipped with a muzzle brake, and it used a 3-round burst setting in addition to a full-auto setting.  (The 3-round burst setting was the only feature kept, and reappeared on the M16A2 in a simplified form; however, a similar sight was used on the Colt ACR.)

     30 of these rifles were so modified, and extensive field trials were done with them.  Despite the fact that the objective of lighter weight was achieved, and the collimator sight made the modified M16A1 quite accurate, the bullet was simply too light in weight, and was highly subject to long-range dispersion from wind due to that light weight; it also did not have the damaging potential of even the lightweight 5.56mm NATO round  The cartridge and the rifle were therefore dropped from testing.

Colt M16EZ

     Country of Origin: United States

     Appears in: Twilight 2000 First Edition Small Arms Guide, though I have embellished the story a little.

     Fictional (Twilight 2000-Only) Notes: The M16EZ is a crude copy of the M16A1 issued to US militia units starting in 1999. They were built by both Milgov and Civgov so that their militia forces could have something that is better (and gives them more credibility) than deer rifles and shotguns. They are made from reconditioned parts that were originally tagged by the US military as too worn out for military use, and what newer parts were still available. They vary in quality and appearance, often having wooden stocks and handguards, telescopic sights, and other modifications limited only by imagination. Unfortunately, due to the generally poor condition of the parts involved, they also vary widely in reliability and performance. The figures given below are for an average M16EZ.

     (The M16EZ could also be used in other Twilight 2000 campaign areas, or even in some Merc 2000 or Dark Conspiracy games, representing the sort of weapon that sometimes appears in various parts of the world -- a crude copy of an existing weapon built in local machine shops, or even someone's garage.)

Colt M4 Mods

     Country of Origin: US

     Appears in: Late-2000s tests of “new” technology for the M4 Carbine (ie, they were meant to be technology demonstrators and not issue weapons).

     Notes: Inundated by a number of gas-piston M4/M16-type designs that are vying for military attention (particularly the US military), Colt has recently (as of the time I write this, December 2009) been experimenting with several gas piston and hybrid designs to keep up with the Jonses.  Gas piston designs are, by and large, more reliable and less subject to fouling than the Stoner direct gas impingement system, and allow for reliable functioning with shorter barrel lengths.

     The Colt APC (Advanced Piston Carbine) in an M4 that uses a gas piston operation, but that’s not all there is to it.  The APC also has a monolithic upper receiver with a MILSTD-1913 rail and the upper receiver being one piece.  The front sight post remained and a flip-up rear sight may be attached to the rear end of the MILSTD-1913 rail.  The barrel, while still 14.5 inches, is free-floating to increase accuracy. The combination of a floating barrel and a gas piston system required that the APC have a specially-designed piston system, as standard piston systems would warp or break under the stresses imposed by a floating barrel. The barrel used is also a heavier than standard barrel.  The APC comes in two variants: one with an integral suppressor (with the standard flash suppressor extending from the end of the suppressor, and a standard one with no suppressor.  The suppressor can use standard 5.56mm NATO ammunition; though the suppressor is designed for long life, the use of standard ammunition cuts life considerably, so subsonic ammunition is recommended.

     The AHC (Alternative Hybrid Carbine) is sort of a middle-of-the-road solution, designed to be retrofitted to existing M4s.  The new operating system is basically a gas piston operated by direct gas impingement, allowing for retrofitting while cutting down on some of the fouling and increasing reliability.  The gas tube essentially has a piston system halfway down the gas tube.  Most combustion gasses and their deposits are released under the handguard rather than being directed back towards the chamber and into the barrel.  Other than the different operation, the AHC is identical to the APC for game purposes, including having a suppressed and non-suppressed option.

     The SCW (Subcompact Weapon) is essentially a short, PDW variant of the M4, though you wouldn’t know it by looking at it.  The basic M4 body upper and lower receiver is there, and the operation is the same as the M4 as well.  However, the handguards have four MILSTD-1913 rails, and the upper receiver also has a monolithic MILSTD-1913 rail.  The stock is designed to fold even shorter than that of the M4; it not only slides back and forth, it folds to the right just behind the buffer tube.  The barrel is a mere 10.3 inches, and tipped with a compact muzzle brake.  (An 11.5-inch barrel has also been tested.) The SCW is designed to be used with a foregrip; the one Colt uses is a Lasermax foregrip that incorporates a laser sight.  The charging handle is also relocated; instead of being at the rear of the receiver, the SCW uses an ambidextrous handle that extends from the forward quarter of the handguard and uses a short charging stroke.  The SCW-P is identical, but uses gas piston operation. In addition to being useful as a PDW, the SCW is also a good CQB weapon and for use from firing ports.

     Going the opposite direction, we have the ERC (Extended-Range Carbine).  This is designed for use by designated marksmen, and are not meant to be dedicated sniper rifles.  There are two versions, the ERC-16 and ERC-20, with a 16 and 20-inch floating match-quality barrel, respectively.  These retain the sliding stock of the M4, but have a monolithic MILSTD-1913 rail and four more rails on the handguards.  They are designed with bipods in mind, though they could still mount underbarrel grenade launchers instead.  Iron sights are flip-up; primary sights are meant to be anything from simple Trijicon ACOG sights to low-power telescopic sights.  The muscle memory of the M4 is retained, but the ERC is a much more accurate weapon. (The price below includes an ACOG and a light bipod.)

*The Bulk rating is 3 if the stock is side-folded.

Foote R-68

     Country of Origin: United States

     Appears in: Pamphlets and several firearms magazines in the 1970s

     Notes: Firearms designer JP Foote, towards the end of the Vietnam War, looked at the major trends in US military firearms – the perceived failure and unpopularity of the M16, the high (RL) cost of the AR-15 to civilians, the unreliability of Stoner’s direct gas impingement system, and the fact than perhaps billions of 5.56mm NATO rounds were available everywhere and a weapon that fired a new round would go nowhere fast.  Foote designed the operation of the R-68 around a gas tappet system, which, while it did increase the weight of the R-68, also dramatically increased reliability. It also means that by adjustment of the gas block, a wide range of ammunition types could be used.  Cost was further kept low with simple steel stampings for much of R-68’s parts, and “off-the-rack” tubings and parts were used when possible.  A rotating bolt along with an interrupted buttress thread makes this whole assembly stronger, lighter, and more reliable.  The charging handle is above the barrel, but kept low enough to not interfere with the operation of the sights. The safety is a simple which is inside the bottom of the trigger guard. The only tool required to disassemble most parts of the R-68 is a bullet. Any magazine which would fit into an AR-15/M16 will fit into an R-68.

     The first set of figures below are the stats of the actual prototype produced.  The second are what Foote felt he could achieve with more development, using higher-quality steel, more polymers, etc.  I have put in automatic fire stats as Foot’s intended customer was the US military.

Enfield EM2

     Country of Origin: Britain

     Appears in: Competition to replace the standard British service rifle after World War 2.

     Notes: This bullpup rifle, years ahead of its time, really looked for a short time like it was going to become the new infantry rifle of the British Commonwealth.  It was a very unconventional rifle for its time; not only was it a bullpup weapon reminiscent of the much-later L85 series, it fired a small, short cartridge – the .280 British round, developed specifically for the purpose.  The weapon incorporated a carrying handle and an optical sight to increase aiming accuracy.  Experience with bullpup-type rifles at the time was small, and there were initially some difficulties with an overly-complicated operating mechanism in its predecessor, the EM1.  (The EM1 borrowed heavily from another rather complicated design, the Nazi Gerät 06, a gas-operated roller-locking experimental rifle designed by Mauser.)

     Enfield then turned to a less complicated (but still rather modern) gas-operated system with flap locking, and instead of the stamped steel of the EM1, returned to largely machined parts, which were more suited to British manufacturing methods of the time.  Another modern feature was that the primary sight was a 1x reflex-type sight which could be replaced with a compact 3.5x sight, with backup iron sights.  The EM2 was ergonomically sound, well balanced with easy-to-reach controls and quite controllable in automatic fire.  The EM2 design worked quite well and was very reliable, and about the only thing that stopped its adoption by British armed forces was politics – in this case, the beginning of NATO, the demand for a common NATO round for its members’ rifles, and an absolutely intractable United States, who insisted on what would become the 7.62mm NATO round.  The British briefly considered going its own way rifle-wise – The EM2 even received the British Army designation of “Rifle, Automatic, No. 9 Mk 1” – and Belgium and Canada also produced experimental designs firing the .280 British cartridge.  The US essentially bullied the rest of NATO into adopting the 7.62mm NATO cartridge.

     Enfield tried converting the EM2 to fire 7.62mm NATO, but the result was a rifle that (like most of the 7.62mm NATO rifles designed at the time) was uncontrollable in automatic fire.  They then converted the EM2 to fire only on semiautomatic, but the British Government, citing the costs and the length of the development program, decided to license a variant of the FN FAL (which became the L1A1).  Only 25 examples of the EM2 were built in .280 British, plus the very few experimental 7.62mm NATO versions.  I feel this is a shame, as the British would have had an exceptional assault rifle at least a decade before anyone else in NATO; in addition, the .280 British is a much better intermediate round than the 5.56mm NATO that we eventually ended up with.  (In addition, this would not be the last time that the US would use political bullying to stop the British from fielding a superior assault rifle…)

     Just for the heck of it, I included a 7.62mm version below, though I don’t even know if any examples of those experimental versions of the EM2 even exist anymore.

Enfield XL64

     Country of Origin: Britain

     Appears in: Experiment into a possible new assault rifle for British Forces in Mid to late 1970s.

     Notes: In 1960s, the British were (as many countries) looking for smaller, lighter assault rifles to replace their larger, bulkier battle rifles firing high-powered ammunition.  The British MoD liked the compactness and light weight of the US M16 series and its 5.56mm NATO round, but had also paid close attention to the numerous deficiencies of the M16 series and its ammunition that were being revealed in Vietnam.  The idea of a lightweight rifle firing small-caliber, high-powered ammunition was a good idea, but they felt they could do better.  This led to the predecessor of the L85, called the XL64.

     Enfield and the British MoD had always liked their EM2 design (and rightly so).  The bullpup design made for a compact, handy weapon, suitable for a variety of roles, from a cook who has it slung over his shoulder for emergencies to infantrymen on the attack.  Enfield felt that improvements in ammunition propellant and bullet construction meant that they could use a far smaller round than that of the EM2 – it wouldn’t be as powerful as the .280 British round, but could outclass the 5.56mm NATO.  Radway Green, the company contracted to produce the ammunition, started with a necked-down and trimmed 5.56mm NATO case, eventually ending up with a 4.85x49mm round.  (This round was very close in dimensions to the 5.56mm NATO round, and many 5.56mm-firing weapons could be easily converted to fire it using a kit that Enfield also intended to produce.)

     The XL64 could easily be mistaken for an early L85 at first glance – because they are essentially the same weapons.  (More on this later.)  The XL64 had been long in the design and finalization of its configuration, and it was the mid-1970s before it was revealed; trials didn’t even start until 1978.  Once trials started, problems began immediately – and they were almost entirely political (and monetary) problems.  Once again, the United States had already decided that the new version of the 5.56mm NATO round, the FN-designed SS-109, was going to be the new NATO standard assault rifle round, and weren’t interested in anyone else’s cartridge designs.  (Of course, tons of money were also on the line.) 

     Enfield had realized almost from the beginning that the same thing that happened to their .280 British cartridge would almost certainly happen to their new 4.85mm round.  Therefore, they designed into the XL64 almost from its inception the capability to be easily converted to fire the 5.56mm NATO round and use M16-type magazines.  Though the SS-109 round was in its infancy when Enfield began working on the XL64, only a few modifications were needed to accommodate the SS-109.  That, and some more cost-cutting measures, morphed the XL64 into the L85.

     One good thing did survive the XL64 program – the SUSAT 3.5x light weapons sight.  This compact scope would go to equip many L85s, and draw the attention of the entire world.

Heckler & Koch G-11

     Country of Origin: Germany

     Appears in: German weapon competition of the 1970s and 1980s, and later the US ACR competition.

     Notes: The initial design work for the G-11 began in 1969, in response to a German Army request for a new rifle with a high first-round hit-probability, even when fired on automatic, yet would be light, compact, and extremely resistant to harsh climates. Many designs came and went, but by the late 1980s, Heckler and Koch presented the G-11 in final form. The G-11, though reportedly a very effective weapon, suffered from rumors that the ammunition could cook off, that it’s construction made maintenance difficult for both armorers and users, and that it’s looks and design were so exotic as to assault the sensibilities of traditional weapons. In addition, it did not fire 5.56mm NATO ammunition, which was a cardinal sin in NATO at the time. On top of this came the reunification of Germany, and the massive amounts of AKM and AK-74-type weapons the former East German Army already had available. Finally, the G-11 was going to be an expensive weapon to produce, and retooling for series production would take even more expense. By 2006, despite reports of very limited use by special operations forces in various countries, the G-11 is largely a curiosity piece, found mainly in museums or gun collections.

     The G-11 was a revolutionary design, almost completely encased in plastic composites, with 50-round composite magazines that were sealed in plastic until they were loaded. Operation is by gas with a hint of blowback, with a cocking "dial" on the side of the stock and a fire selector above the pistol grip. Original G-11’s had selector settings for safe, semiautomatic, 4-round burst, and fully automatic. Once a magazine is loaded into the G-11 (slid into a track atop the handguard), the rounds face downward, and rounds are pushed downwards into the breech/chamber. The breech/chamber then rotates 90 degrees to line up with the 21.26-inch barrel. The cocking "dial" does not move when the G-11 fires, and can also be used as a decocker. The magazine moves back and forth in its track as the rifle fires; this actually helps dampen recoil, along with some other recoil-dampening mechanisms inside the G-11. When firing on full automatic, the cyclic rate is rather slow, at about 600 rpm; but when on burst, the cyclic rate rises to over 2000 rpm – so fast that the fourth round is well downrange before the recoil from any of the rounds is felt. (This kind of burst feature served as a model for future burst-firing weapons, and is now quite common on such weapons.) This makes bursts extremely accurate and virtually immune to barrel climb. There is, of course, no spent case ejection, but dud rounds are automatically ejected from a port with a hinged cover under the "receiver." This port closes again after the round is ejected. The "receiver" is topped with a carrying handle that contains a simple 1x aiming tube with a Mil-Dot reticule, with provisions for the removal of this aiming tube and replacement with a special 3.5x scope or certain other optics. The G-11 is also a very compact assault rifle, only a little over 29.5 inches long, despite the length of its barrel. The barrel is tipped by a cylindrical flash suppressor. The original version of the G-11 had no provision for the mounting of a bayonet, but this was quickly rectified.

     Heckler & Koch went through a number of prototypes over the intervening years, but the initial production model was supposed to be the G-11K2; this model used 45-round magazines, but there were three mounted above the handguard (which was also larger, rounded on the bottom, and otherwise rather squarish). (The G-11K2 is still capable of being loaded with the original 50-round magazines, but they will not fit into the spare magazine tracks on the sides of the loaded magazine.) One of these magazines was to be carried inserted into the rifle, with the other two on separate tracks on either side of the inserted magazine to allow for quick magazine changes. The three magazines were carried lower on the top of the handguard than on the original G-11. A locking slot for a special bayonet was added, and the cylindrical flash suppressor was replaced by semi-flash suppressor combined with a muzzle set well back from the front of the weapon, effectively doing the same job. The carrying handle was replaced with one which could be completely removed, with a mount for various NATO-compatible optics. (A future modification was to include a length of MILSTD-1913 rail.) The burst setting was changed from four to three rounds, to simplify the fire mechanism. A number of other mechanical and ergonomic modifications were also carried out, and the shape of the G-11K2 is very different from that of the original G-11.

     Of course, the most revolutionary aspect of the G-11 is its ammunition, which is caseless. The bullet and combustible primer is embedded in a block or propellant, and nothing needs to be ejected after firing; there is no spent brass. The ammunition is therefore extremely light in weight and compact in size, allowing for a large magazine capacity without undue weight or magazine size. (I personally think this sort of ammunition for small arms may be the wave of the near future, but that’s just my opinion.)

When the US military announced its competition for the ACR (Advanced Combat Rifle), Heckler and Koch sent some G-11K2s for that competition, where it picked up monikers like "space rifle" and "plastic plank," despite the fact that the troops testing the G-11 liked its performance and compact size. However, the US military had such a large investment in M16-type weapons, and especially in the 5.56mm NATO cartridge, at the time of testing, which was probably the biggest reason for its ultimate rejection.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Production of the G-11 began very rapidly in 1990, and just as quickly slowed in 1991; by 1994, Heckler & Koch were concentrating on the G-41 and then-upcoming G-36. Despite some 20,000 examples of the G-11 being made, by 2000, most of them had been discarded as pre-war stocks of ammunition were largely expended and new stocks were almost impossible to make using the production methods available by 2000.

     Merc 2000 Notes: This is a popular weapon for special ops forces operating in harsh climates. If you encounter a force armed with the G-11, they are probably clandestine forces of a large national government or of someone who has a lot of money to spend on exotic weapons and ammunition.

Interdynamic MKS/MKR

     Country of Origin: Sweden

     Appears in: Company experiment into an alternative type of assault rifle.

     Notes:  These were very unusual-format assault rifles designed by Interdynamic in the late 1970s.  The idea was to provide a compact weapon for vehicle crews, paratroopers, and special operations troops.  They are “semi-bullpup” designs; the layout is fairly standard, but the magazine is used as the pistol grip of the weapon, and this contributes to a shorter length.  The bodies of the rifles are largely of high-impact plastic.  The MKS fires 5.56mm NATO ammunition, but the MKR fires an experimental 4.7x26mm rimfire cartridge in addition to a version firing 5.56mm NATO.  The MKR has a longer barrel and uses a standard stock, while the MKS uses a folding stock.  Both of these weapons were rejected by Sweden and everyone else, and there were only tiny amounts of civilian sales; the Swedish Army’s primary strike against the 4.7mm version was the lack of stopping power from the unusual ammunition.  The biggest strike against the MKS was, though it had a semi-standard layout, used the magazine as a pistol grip, which was very awkward except for those with very big hands. Barrel length for the MKR was a nice 23.6 inches, due to the bullpup layout; the MKS Rifle had a barrel of 18.4 inches, and the Carbine 13.75 inches. They are presented as a “what-if.”

Kalashnikov AKMR

     Country of Origin: Russia (Soviet Union)

     Appears In: Twilight 2000 game since its inception.

     Notes: This weapon was never produced in the real world, at least not officially, though it is possible that some early AK-74s were in fact modified AKMs.  Any such weapons, however would still be of better quality than a hypothetical AKMR.

     Twilight 2000 Notes:  Early in the Twilight War, the Russians and some of its Eastern European allies had a problem: they had invested heavily in the new 5.45mm Kalashnikov round, but production of the AK-74s to fire them was seriously lagging.  At the same time, there were large amounts of AK47s and even AKMs that were no longer mechanically reliable due to wear.  The decision was made to “fix” those old rifles; they were rebarrelled and rechambered to accept 5.45mm Kalashnikov ammunition and the new magazines designed for it, other worn out parts were sometimes replaced, and rotting wooden stock were replaced with new ones (or sometimes even ones made of plastic or fiberglass).  These weapons were then issued back out to the hordes of Category III, Mobilization only, and militia units being raised.  The “AKMR,” as the weapon was dubbed, was regarded as being unreliable compared to the average AK series weapon, and modification standards were generally poor and got poorer as the war went on.  Depending on the base weapon, a soldier might either be issued a standard AKMR or a folding stock AKMRS.

Kalashnikov AK-47 – the Prototypes

     Country of Origin: Russia (Soviet Union)

     Appears In: Russian research leading up to the AK-47.

     Notes: There have been a lot of prototypes, experimental versions, and variants of the AK series from Soviet and Russian designers over the years.  Many of them failed or were never adopted, for a variety of reasons – they didn’t work, they were too complicated, they were technologically infeasible at the time of their inception, the improvements weren’t necessary, too complex, or too expensive, their designers were not in political favor at the time, etc.  Some of them were good, solid weapons, some sucked, and some were quite interesting.  This entry will describe some of these variants and put them into game terms.

     There is much evidence that work on the rifle that became the AK-47 may have started as early as late 1943 (most experts believe Kalashnikov started with captured Nazi StG-44s, though Mikhail Kalashnikov himself insisted until his death that his was an original, independent design, with no influence from any other weapon).  However, the first prototype of the AK-47 that is generally known was actually the AK-46 No. 1 of 1946.  The AK-46 No. 1 fired the predecessor of the current 7.62mm Kalashnikov round, which is generally called the 7.62x41mm Kalashnikov or 7.62x41mm M1943 (both cartridges were designated by the Russians the M1943).  The AK-46’s design was quite similar to that of the AK-47, though the receiver has features reminiscent of the StG-44 – it actually looks like a sort of blend of the StG-44 and AK-47.  Unlike the AK-47, the AK-46 used a gas piston and rod assembly that are separate from the bolt carrier.  The pistol grip is actually made of a steel frame with thick wooden grip plates.  The 15.63-inch barrel was ported with 3 holes on either side of the barrel, just behind the front sight assembly – a feature later dropped, reportedly as a cost-cutting and manufacturing time-saving measure.  (The front sight assembly actually sits directly above the muzzle.)  The safety and selector switch were separate, and located on the left side of receiver above the trigger.  Ironically, the receiver was made of stamped steel instead of milled and machined steel, in order to make the AK-46 lighter and cheaper to produce – a feature that would not be found on production AK rifles until the introduction of the AKM.

     Prototypes rapidly moved along to the AK-46 No. 2 version.  Though for the most part similar to the No. 1, the No. 2 changed to a sectional receiver built out of a combination of stampings that are welded and/or riveted as necessary.  (This made production easier and cheaper, but led to a somewhat weaker receiver assembly.)  The charging handle could be detached from the bolt carrier in order to prevent it from being caught on equipment, clothing, or other possible snags; the AK-46 No. 2 could still be operated with the charging handle removed by a finger hole in the bolt carrier face (similar to that of the M3A1 Grease Gun submachinegun).  The barrel porting was deleted, and the handguards and gas tube made shorter.  The barrel length was increased to 17.72 inches, though it included a substantial length of unprotected barrel from the end of the gas block to the muzzle – and the barrel itself is of a rather narrow cross-section, leading one to believe that bending could be a problem.  The AK-46 No. 3 is based on the No. 2, but has a forward-folding stock of the type found on the later AKS-47 and AKMS; in addition, the barrel length is reduced to 15.75 inches.

     The first AK-47 prototype, the AK-47 No. 1, was still chambered for the 7.62x41mm cartridge.  In external appearance, it looked more like the AK-47 we all know and love, though the stock had more of a drop and the handguards looked a bit lumpish.  The barrel length remained at 15.75 inches, but the barrel porting reappeared. The gas piston and rod assembly assumed their current form, integral with the bolt carrier, joined by a threaded portion and secured by a pin.  The receiver of the AK-47 No. 1 was once again made of stamped steel, with a chamber extension to ensure a proper fit with the barrel.  Changes were made to the operation to make locking more reliable and case extraction simpler and more reliable.  The safety and fire selector were relocated to the now-familiar position on the right side, with a paddle switch almost identical in shape to production AK-series weapons.  The gas system did not have the regulator of production AKs. 

     The AK-47 No. 2 prototype lengthened the barrel somewhat to 15.94 inches, and the barrel porting was replaced by a two-chamber muzzle brake; the front sight assembly was moved behind this brake.  (The barrel length does include this brake; the nominal length of the barrel was still 15.75 inches.) The assembly was also of stronger construction.  The handguards were a bit shorter.  The structure of the front end of the gas tube and the gas block are rather striking – they look almost identical to those of the StG-44.  There were two brass strips on the right side of the receiver near the front; these were used to mount various vision devices for testing purposes.  The stock had a slightly-raised cheekpiece and much less of a drop than the AK-47 No. 1; the wood of the pistol grip was checkered.  The AK-47 No. 3 was virtually identical to the No. 2, but the end of the gas tube and gas block assumed their now-familiar shape, and the two-chamber muzzle brake was replaced by two simple, oval shaped barrel ports. The AK-47 No. 4 was basically the same weapon as the AK-47 No. 3, but used the same folding stock as the AK-46 No. 2.  The AK-47 No. 5 is the AK-47 No. 4, but without the barrel porting, and a few other measures to lighten the weapon.

     The AK-48 No. 1 and No. 2 were the last prototypes of the AK-47 before the rifle that is known today as the AK-47 began mass production (which began in late 1948, with first issues to units starting in mid-1949).  These prototypes were generally in the same form as the production AK-47 and AKS-47; the No. 1 corresponded to the production AK-47 and the No. 2 the production AKS-47.  The ammunition had been revised, and both examples of the AK-48 fired what is now called the 7.62mm Kalashnikov round.  The barrel assumed the length of production AK-47s – 16.34 inches.  However, while the barrel porting was deleted, the muzzle was threaded to allow the attachment of various muzzle devices, including silencers and suppressor, muzzle brakes, or even an adapter for use with a possible (at the time) vehicular firing port that might be later developed.  The No. 2 used a folding wire stock, though it was simplified in construction over the folding stock used on the other AK-47 prototypes.

Korobov Assault Rifle Prototypes

     Country of Origin: Soviet Union   

Appears in: Various literature and espionage reports, as web pages, about experimental assault rifle in the mid-1940s to late 1960s.

     Notes: Like the US and many other countries, the Soviets and Russians have produced a number of prototype assault rifles that for one reason the other didn’t make the grade.  We’ll look at some of these here.

     In 1957, the Soviets began trials for a version of the AK-47 that was cheaper to produce, easier to maintain, lighter, and above all, maintained muscle memory for the troops that were used to the AK-47.  Several candidates emerged, with the AKM, a simple modification of the AK-47, emerging the winner.  The Korobov TKB-517 appears to be another AK-47 clone, but has several important differences.  The receiver is made from stamped steel like the AKM, and used a laminated wood stock, grip, and handguards., It resembles the AK-47 externally and field-strips in nearly the same manner, but used the superior Kiraly operating system, based on a lever-delayed blowback design by John Pederson.  The TKB-517 turned out to be more reliable and accurate, 30% cheaper to produce, and easier to produce and maintain, as well as being much lighter in weight.  However, at that time, Kalashnikov had a lock on Russian assault rifles, and the greater base of soldiers who knew the AK-47.  The TKB-517 retained the 14.5-inch barrel of the AK-47, but the barrel was of overall better quality.

     Korobov’s TKB-059, on the other hand, was a wide departure from the AK series.  Design work began in 1962, and the first prototypes were ready in 1966. To begin with, the TKB-059 was a bullpup design, though the control set was the same as that of the AKM.  Second, instead of having three-round burst and automatic fire going through one barrel, the TK-059 took a page from the earlier Pribor 3B of Tula Arms, and made the fire from the rifle come from a group of three barrels, with burst and automatic fire independently-fed from the three columns of the magazine. (Semiautomatic fire comes from an alternation of the three barrels, one shot at a time.)  The barrels are in a line, the three side-by-side. Feed is from a single 90-round magazine, with each barrel independently fed from the magazine (again, alternating the barrels), as the magazine was designed to have three independent 30-round columns. Case ejection is downwards from forward of the magazine.  Sights are mounted high on struts above the barrels of the weapon. The 14.5-inch barrel length was used for the TKB-059.Korobov felt that the soldiers might benefit from the increase in firepower and technology, but the TKB-059 was literally the opposite of what the modernization program was looking for – it was more expensive, (IRL and in Twilight terms), technologically complex, and more difficult for soldiers to maintain in the field.  (It was not soldier-proof.) Actual manufacturing of the prototypes was done by Tula.

     The TKB-408, also designed by Korobov, was a competitor to what became the AK-47, and was a bullpup-layout gas-operated locked-breech weapon.  It looks like a bullpup version of the AK-47, though the designs are not related and the TKB-408’s design precedes that of the AK-47’s prototypes by several months, with testing started in early 1946.  Korobov skipped the experimental 7.62x41mm Kalashnikov round and opted for the more compact 7.62mmx39mm Kalashnikov round.  The fire controls were ergonomically-positioned above the pistol grip, though the charging handle is positioned just above the left side of the handguard.  On the right side of the weapon above the magazine is the ejection port, with dust cover. The magazine release is a button inside the trigger guard; it falls out of the magazine well, to be caught by the pistol clip, from which it must be unhooked (takes less than a second). Due to the bullpup design, a long 20.7-inch barrel was able to be fitted to the TKB-408, though the TKB-408 had no sort of flash suppressor or muzzle device.  The gas tube ended in a gas block and looks much like that of the AK-47, though the front sight is on a strut that connects to the gas block at the top and is a post with protective ears.  The rear sight is an adjustable aperture sight on a mounting block just behind the upper portion of the handguard. The pistol grip is sharply raked, and the magazines connect to the heel of the pistol grip for additional stability by the use of triangular clip.  Construction, even of internal parts, is largely of stamped steel and wood, though some internal parts of course require more attention in manufacturing. Some evaluators judged it as a better rifle than the AK-46 No. 1 (arguments may be made either way), some pointed out shortcomings like the pistol grip angle and the slightly increased times to replace a magazine due to the necessity to connect it to a strut while inserting it in the magazine well, and many thought it was just too weird (this was the era when bullpup designs were just appearing).

     The design of the TKB-022 was finalized in 1962, and it was already several decades out of the box.  Though the TKB-022 appears to be rather lumpish, it incorporated many features that would not appear until several decades later – a bullpup configuration to provide a full-length barrel in a smaller package (the magazine feed is at the end of the buttstock), folding iron sights, sight bases that allowed the mounting of several (Soviet) optics of the time, several passive and manual safeties, and the use of large amounts of polymer.  The base operation is that of the AK-47/AKM, but modified to reduce recoil through an innovative add-on to the operation.  The TKB-022 appears to have fallen to the “just too weird” method of thinking – it was and still is a very strange-looking weapon – and not really that ergonomic.  Barrel length is a full 16.3 inches, with no flash suppressor or muzzle brake. Primary chambering is in 7.62mm Kalashnikov, but a few were made for 5.6mm Kalashnikov, at that time an experimental cartridge.

Knight’s Armament SR-47

     Country of Origin: US

     Appears In: US experiments by US Navy SEALs.

     Notes:  Early in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the US found itself with a shortage of 5.56mm NATO ammunition and mountains 7.62mm Kalashnikov ammunition as well as magazines for it.  A temporary fix was to issue AKs to rear area troops and some scouts, but many at the Pentagon thought a better solution would be an M4 that could use AK magazines and fire AK ammunition, and such a weapon could also be used by special operations troops behind enemy lines.  This was the reason the SR-47 was designed.  Six were selected for field and combat evaluation under the temporary designation SPR-V (Special Purpose Rifle – Variant).  The SR-47 was not successful, and after evaluation was drawn into the SCAR program, where the idea died.

     The problem was that modifying the M4 (or M16, for that matter) in such a way that it could take an M4 lower presents a number of problems, ranging from the larger magazines of the AK, to the fact that the small diameter gas tube of the M4 did not lend itself to smooth operation with 7.62mm Kalashnikov ammunition.  The result was a weapon that was the bane of any soldier – a weapon that consistently failed at the wrong moment.  Continual modifications and fixes were tried, but no satisfactory solution was achieved.

     The SR-47 did have a number of features that set it above the AK.  It had MILSTD-1913 rails atop the receiver and lower handguard and the ergonomic advantages of the M4. The SR-47 was designed to work with a silencer, which required a great deal if modification on an AK platform.

KRASA

     Country of Origin: Czechoslovakia

     Appears in: Czech research into a new short assault rifle for special Ops and police forces.

     Notes: The KRASA (for Kratky Samapol – short automatic weapon) was an extremely small and compact short assault rifle, more a submachinegun in appearance but firing assault rifle ammunition, developed in the late 1970s for Czechoslovakia’s special operations troops and for police.  The KRASA was a gas-operated weapon with a tilting block mechanism, and the magazine under the barrel forward of the chamber and bolt in order to make the KRASA more compact.  A two-stage feeding system moved rounds out of the magazine and back to the chamber for firing.  The barrel, only 6.7 inches long, was tipped with a compact but useful muzzle brake.  Feed is from 10 or 20-round magazines built for the KRASA or from AK-type magazines.  Much of the KRASA was built using light alloys and high-strength polymers, and the folding stock was of tubular light alloy struts with a plastic/rubber buttplate.  Prototypes of the KRASA were built in both calibers, but apparently that is all that was built of this interesting little design, despite the fact that it apparently (at least in a mechanical sense) worked quite well.

LAPA FA M03

     Country of Origin: Brazil

     Appears in: Competition to replace the LAR in the mid-to-late 1980s.

     Notes: This weapon was seriously considered to replace the LAR in the mid-to-late 1980s.  However, using the LAPA would have meant extensive retooling and updating of weapon factories, as well as possible importation of the plastics used to make the body of the weapon.  In addition, retraining of the troops for a new type of weapon would have been required.  Finally, the Brazilian troops themselves did not trust this very non-traditional rifle, particularly those who had grown up with firearms.  As a result, the LAPA was quickly withdrawn from consideration by the Brazilian armed forces, and had no luck on the international market either.  It was, perhaps, a weapon that was just too far ahead of its time.  The M03 is a bullpup design, molded almost entirely out of two pieces of plastic. The M03 has a single-action setting instead of a safety (but can still be fired at the BA rate at this setting).  It can use standard US/NATO-pattern magazines, or a 40-round magazine designed for it.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Factories could not be geared up quickly enough to produce this weapon in large quantities, and after the November Nuclear Strikes, the materials to produce it were almost unobtainable.  However, the troops who did use the LAPA loved it, since it was virtually indestructible and idiot-proof.

     Merc 2000 Notes: This is a Brazilian assault rifle that was adopted for a short time by Brazilian armed forces, and also had some success with foreign sales.

Nikonov Project Abakan Prototypes

     Country of Origin: Soviet Union

     Appears in: Prototypes for Project Abakan, then meant to find a rifle to replace the AK-74.

     Notes: Shortly before Gennadiy Nikonov designed the AN-94 for Project Abakan, he also designed the NA-2, which was essentially a bullpup version of the AN-94.  He also designed this rifle for Project Abakan.  (Nikonov admits that the NA-2 design was in part due to the “vanguardism of youth,” as well as a desire to show off.) It has the same operation as the AN-94, modified by the needs of a bullpup system; this includes the BBSP (BlowBack Shifted Pulse) recoil-reducing system. Nikonov was not satisfied with the NA-2 and developed the AS and ASM, which were later combined and became the AN-94.

     The pistol grip of the NA-2 is unusual, being raked slightly forward instead of back.  This made firing a bullpup design easier, though it conflicted with the muscle memory of Nikonov engineers and testers.  It also cured the problem of the pistol grip being very close to the magazine. It forced the shooter to lean significantly into the NA-2 when firing, which is a good firing posture for automatic longarms and submachineguns, but the NA-2 required too much of this posture.  The NA-2 was designed to fire 3-round bursts and on automatic, instead of the 2-round bursts of the AN-94.  Due to the compact dimensions of the NA-2, use of the 75-round drum of the RPK-74 is not possible from the NA-2.  It uses a 16.34-inch barrel, the same as the AN-94, with the same flash suppressor as the AN-94.  The sights were modified forms of those of the AK-74.

     The NA-4 followed closely in the form of the NA-2, but has several differences.  The barrel is also 16.34 inches, but made of stainless steel and tipped with the same flash suppressor as the NA-2.  The barrel is also ported near the end, with four small holes on the upper sides of each side of the barrel.  The front sights are again borrowed from the AK series, but from the AKM instead of the AK-74. The rear sight is a diopter sight. Inside the light alloy receiver are steel rails for the sliding of part of the operating system. Under the barrel are two bayonet lugs (absent from the NA-2) instead of one end slipping over the barrel. The pistol grip and handguard are of laminated plywood, and the magazine is moved further back so the pistol grip is more or less straight instead of being raked forward. The selector lever moves anticlockwise.

     After the NA-4 and its rejection by Project Abakan, Nikonov designed a more conventional rifle, the AS-1.  The NA-2 NA-4 could not be fired by left-handed shooters, as it ejected spent cases directly into their faces.  The exhaust gasses of the NA-4 vented into the shooter’s face, creating discomfort, with the shooter sometimes having to put the NA-4 down to gulp some fresh air.  The NA-2 continued testing for special operations forces, but the NA-4 was completely dropped.

     The AS-1 has a short Lshaped folding stock made from laminated plywood, and has a recoil pad on the butt.  The hinge is proprietary, designed by Nikonov himself.  The laminated plywood handguard is very long – it almost covers the entire barrel.  Only a short portion of the barrel is exposed, along with the flash suppressor, to allow the attachment of a bayonet, with locking lugs found under the barrel and handguard.  The rear sight is a simple peep sight, non-adjustable.  The front sight is borrowed from the AK-74.  The rear sight was made non-adjustable, as the rear stock, even when extended, was thought to be too short for aiming by a shooter. The barrel is the standard 16.34 inches, tipped with a flash suppressor of the type that would be later fitted to the AN-94.  The BBSP operation was retained in the AS-1, as it would be in all of Nikonov’s Abakan prototypes and on the AN-94.

     There were three flavors of the rifle designated the AS; the OA-222 began the shift towards the eventual AN-94.  It is rather short, with a stainless steel barrel of only 14.5 inches, tipped with a muzzle brake.  It borrows the folding stock from the AKS -74.  The operating parts are made from stamped steel, machined to their final measurements.  The sights are similar to the AS-1.  It has no bayonet lugs; Nikonov felt that the bayonet was a relic of old tactics.  Like the AN-94, the OA-222’s magazine and magazine well is at an angle to the receiver.  It was well received, being said to be controllable and comfortable to fire, despite the short range; the testers also liked its light weight.  That short range led to its rejection.

     After the OA-222’s rejection, Nikonov modified the OA -222 to make is more palatable to the testing officers, producing the VS-229.  The barrel was restored to 16.34 inches, though still stainless steel and tipped with a muzzle brake. The receiver, handguards, and stock are largely of aluminum alloy, lightening the what is otherwise a heavy rifle design.  The VS-229 has a magazine that slides back and forth while firing (about the width of one round), leading to it being more difficult to keep on target, especially on automatic fire.  An underbarrel rod was added, to allow a clamp-type bayonet to be mounted, another strike against the OA-222.

     The third iteration of the AS was the PU-192.  This prototype marked the last use by Nikonov of a moving magazine; it simply threw off aim and follow-up shots and automatic shots too much.  It uses the standard 16.34-inch barrel, but the barrel is reciprocating.  An underbarrel extension rod hooks joins the flash suppressor and operating rod and obviates the need for a gas piston.  The PU-192 had new handguards of Polyamide, which incidentally shields for extended operating rod. Under the lower handguard is a folding, integral bipod.  It also functions has a magazine protector when folded backward – something important when fired from the firing ports of an APC.  It also protects the hand, as when used in an APS, the reciprocating barrel means that the weapon itself will move back and forth in a firing port. The stock is still laminated plywood.  The operating controls have been moved to the right side of the receiver, behind the magazine.  It uses the same sights as the OA-222 and VS-229.

     Just the AS had several iterations, the ASM also had several versions.  The OK-158 was getting close to the final form of what became the AN-94.  Polymer content increased, with both the pistol grip and handguards being polymer.  The receiver and its cover are of aluminum alloy.  The barrel is 16.34 inches, and is tipped with an impressive muzzle brake/flash suppressor, consisting of an integrated front sight, an adjustable two-chambered flash suppressor, and three angled cuts on each side of the flash suppressor.  The result is very effective, but complex and not easy or cheap to produce.  The sliding firing group is retained with a reciprocating barrel.  At the front of the handguard is a plastic cap; this is a recognition feature which means that the rifle incorporates an internal spring buffer; it’s presence led to the deletion of the recoil pad.  It uses a 2-round-burst setting instead of a 3-round burst.

     The MA-49 was very similar to the OK-158, but had an optic CQB sight on the rear of the receiver cover.  This sight is not detachable, but has small posts to aim at longer-range targets.  (At the time, the Soviet Army dictated that all future assault rifles and submachineguns would have to have some kind of CQB sight instead of standard iron sights. These scopes were later dropped as unnecessary, fragile, and possibly an impediment.)  The stock is of laminated plywood, but is fixed. The bayonet lugs are on the right side of the barrel, in a horizontal position.  The MA-50 is almost identical for game purposes to the MA-49; the primary differences is that the CQB optic is detachable, the front sight is moved to the end of the handguard, the underbarrel guide rod is altered so that a grenade launcher can be mounted under the barrel, and a base plate for more traditional scopes is mounted on the left side of the receiver.  There is also a minor weight difference.  The firing table used is that of the MA-49.

     The PA-33 takes a further step on the road to the AN-94.  The rear sight is asterisk-shape, and is a peep sight that is rotated for range adjustments.  The front sight, derived from the AK-74, is moved back to the barrel.  The flash suppressor is simpler and cheaper to produce; it is similar to that of the AK-74 but there are also two ports ion each upper side that allows the flash suppressor to also work as a muzzle brake. For game purposes has the same effectiveness as those of the previous members of the ASM series. The bayonet lugs are placed to that they are at an angle from the barrel on the left side.  It is designed so that it never interferes with aiming.  The barrel slides along the guide rail of the handguard extension rod, which would make it through to the AN-94’s design.  The trigger pack is user removable and adjustable, and tightens into place with a knob above the pistol grip.  There was a change to a synthetic stock, which greatly lightens the PA-33.

     The 6P33 was the last prototype, and was essentially the AN-94 with minor differences from the AN-94.  The 6P33 passed all technical test and field trials set to it, and with some tweaking, brought down the IRL cost of producing it. The Army, on the other hand, was still hesitant about the rifle, especially the complex field stripping and soldier care of the weapon. They wanted the 6P33 produced only for special operations forces, who had better training and made a virtual religion of keeping their weapons maintained. Boris Yeltsin, however, was quite impressed with the 6P33, and this led to GRAU giving its blessing to the prototype.    The Army, however, wanted a plethora of small changes (since they were prohibited from asking for any big changes).  Nikonov and his team tinkered with the 6P33 for three years, eventually producing what we know as the AN-94 today. The three years of work were primarily to adapt the 6P33 to full-scale mass production; the design was generally finished.

       One of the biggest changes from earlier models was the barrel, which was shortened to 15.95 inches. Another big change was the reciprocating barrel and guide rod; this action, which was straight back, tended to throw off aim and lead to barrel climb.  Therefore, the barrel and guide rod were matched to a slideway that angles up. Which pushes the barrel downward.  The stock, though still synthetic, was changed in composition to thermosetting polyamide.  The pistol grip and handguards were also made of the same material. The moving magazine reappeared, and the issue magazines chosen were plastic instead of the steel of the AK-74 (though it can still use AK-74 magazines).  Late in the tweaking process, the moving magazine was deleted, as it gave little benefit while increasing complexity and making mass production more difficult.  The detachable CQB sight was replaced with one that can be used in CQB as well as increasing the accuracy of longer shots, much like US Trijicon sights. The complete construction is a wide departure from the AK-74M that was the issue weapon at the time and the AK-100 series.

Objective Individual Combat Weapon (XM29 OICW) 

     Country of Origin: US

     Appears in: Advanced weapon experiment in the early 2000s.

     Notes: This weapon was designed in the aftermath of the failure of the US Army and Marines to choose a new assault rifle in the late 1980s.  The OICW bears no resemblance to any assault rifle, having a 20mm grenade launcher and a 5.56mm NATO carbine, as well as newly-designed optics which greatly-increase hit probability, and a computer-controlled 20mm round which is designed to shower enemy soldiers hiding behind cover with shrapnel.

     Development of the weapon began in 1994, but development has been a very slow process.  The OICW’s 20mm round explodes over the target, showering the target(s) with 1d6+2 pieces of shrapnel.  Point-detonations are also possible, with 1d6 pieces of shrapnel being produced, or attacking fortifications with a DPW of 6.  The OICW’s sight is equivalent to both an image intensifier and a starlight scope, as well as being an electronic sight.  A sticking point of the OICW is the weapon’s high cost and high weight.  The OICW, as presented here, is probably not in the final form.  It was cancelled in 2010, but the grenade launcher component was put into service in Afghanistan in the early 2010s as the M25 (known to the troops as “The Punisher”). 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The OICW does not exist in the Twilight 2000 World.

     Merc 2000 Notes: As the Notes, except that the service date is delayed until 2008 due to budgetary concerns. 

POF-USA/Vltor P-415/P-416

     Country of Origin: US

     Appears in: Special Weapons for Military & Police April 2009 issue; the weapon is a special modification done by Charlie Cutshaw.  The P-416 version was something I added in as a “what-if.”

     Notes: Noted firearms expert and gunsmith Charlie Cutshaw took a POF-USA P-415 chambered for 6.5mm Grendel and modified it using a Vltor VIS (Versatile Interface Structure) kit for the upper receiver, along with a Vltor Rifle Modstock.  Then Cutshaw added some other extras, such as a Vltor top-mounted bipod, attached to the top of the handguard.  The trigger group is match-quality.  The rifle uses an 18.5-inch match-quality tipped with a Vltor VC-65 flash suppressor/brake.  The handguards have four-point MILSTD-1913 rails, and the upper receiver has its own MILSTD-1913 rail.  The receiver rail is topped with a Leupold Mk 4 1.5-5x20mmMR/T telescopic sight, and the upper handguard rail uses an AN/PVS-22 UNS (Universal Night Sight), a 3^rd-Generation night vision scope.  The two can be used together day or night since the AN/PVS-22 has a day and a night channel.  On the lower rail is a SureFire M900 Foregrip WeaponLight with an IR filter attached to allow night use without showing a bright visible light source. It also includes a vertical foregrip behind the light.  (The SureFire M900 is required since the AN/PVS-22 needs a light source to function.)

     Charlie Cutshaw’s conversion job is based on the semiautomatic P-415; simply use only the semiautomatic figures for this version.

Red Dawn Steyr-Maadi AKM

     Notes: The 1984 movie Red Dawn, about a hypothetical invasion of the US by Soviet, Cuban, Central American, and some Eastern European countries, was a fan and cult favorite; I literally know no soldiers or gamers who hasn’t seen it.  (And I’m not talking about the 2000’s abortion, either.) The working “AKMs” were actually built by Steyr of Austria, to plans supplied by Maadi of Egypt.  About 50 of these were built, and they did most of the heavy lifting in the movie; most of the rest were Valmet M76 VISMODs, Chinese AKMs, non-firing examples, and “rubber duckies.” 32 were converted to selective fire configuration, and the rest left in their semiautomatic configuration.  (Just a note: In an actual invasion, the Russian troops, especially airborne troops, would be using AK-74s…)  The Steyr-Maadi AKMs were acquired for the Wolverine characters and some of the Russian and Cuban troops, as they had Steyr-quality construction and reliability, while being faithful to the original design.  Barrels were just a bit shorter than the actual AKM at 16.25 inches, to fit Steyr’s manufacturing processes at the time.  Then the fX department of Red Dawn got them, and roughed them up, with scratches, flaked off finish, nicked and scarred and took chunks out of the stock, and other treatments to make them look like they had seen considerable wear.  The Steyr-Maadis were actually more accurate and lighter than the real AKMs of the time.

     In 1988, Stembridge, who was the fX contractor for Red Dawn and had ownership of the Steyr-Maadis, offered them for sale at the price of $1250 apiece (which was an absolute fortune in those days).  They were mostly converted back to semiautomatic-only fire (some were allowed to stay in automatic fire configuration for Class III dealers and owners), and otherwise left in their movie state, complete with “years” of use and abuse.  They were all sold within about 2 years. 

     Internally, the Steyr-Maadis are immaculate, with the actors being drilled repeatedly on preventative maintenance and field stripping, to the extent that they were taught to disassemble and reassemble them blindfolded.  The actors were also put on ranges and worked with ex-military advisors to make sure their use of the rifles were accurate, and so that they could actually hit something with them.  The rifles were fitted with a removable blank adapter kit that fit inside the barrel and gas block; they could be quickly returned to their firing state.  An error, from a realism point of view, is that they were marked “Made Egypt” and had Factory 54 markings on them; Steyr faithfully followed the Egyptian plans and marked them as such.  The rifles were left as they were, since the director felt that such small markings would not be visible on film.  (I never noticed it.)

Saurian Game Gun

     Appears in: Dinosaur World, a book by Stephen Leigh.

     Fictional Notes: This personal Gatling gun was featured in Stephen Leigh's book Dinosaur World (a concept he developed from an idea by Ray Bradbury).  In this book, the hero uses a time machine to explore the Age of Dinosaurs, and has for dinosaur hunting a six-barreled rotary weapon that fires .357 Magnum ammunition.  Just imagine it as an antipersonnel weapon!  This weapon includes telescopic sights for long-range use and an Aimpoint-type laser sight for short-range work.  The ammunition is carried in a backpack in belted form. 

Simonov Prototype Assault Rifles

     Country of Origin: Soviet Union

     Appears In: Development of a short assault rifle for special purposes and rear-area troops.

     Notes: In the mid-1970s (shortly after the adoption of the AK-74), the Soviets were looking for a short, light assault rifle for use by special operations and as a PDW.  It was a part of Project Modern, which was also the father of Abakan. Sergei Simonov, already the father of several experimental and successful designs, went into this competition in 1975, using an updated form of an earlier short assault rifle design, the AO-31.  This was the AO-043.  The conceptual inspiration of the AO-043 was the XM177E2.  The eventual winner of this competition was the AKS-74U.

     The AO-043 looked an AK-74 that had been compacted from nose to stock – with a shorter barrel, smaller muzzle brake, smaller receiver, and shorter stock.  It operated by direct gas impingement and fed from AK-74-compatible magazines.  The barrel was shorter too, at 8.46 inches.  The wooden stock was replaced by a sliding wire stock, though a fixed stock version, the AO-042, was also designed.  Even with the stock retracted, the length was a mere 68 centimeters.  The control set was above and slightly ahead of the pistol grip, in an ergonomic position, and the magazine release was ahead of the front of the trigger guard.

     Roll back about a decade, and the source of the AO-043, the AO-31, was in competition with the AKM, as the Army was looking for a replacement (like it did several times in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s).  The AO-31 generated a number of prototypes, such as the AO-30-1, which chambered for 5.45 Kalashnikov, the AO-30-2, which was chambered for the 7.62mm Kalashnikov round, and the most unusual AO-31-7, which used a caseless variant of the 5.45mm Kalashnikov round.  Simonov based the AO-31 on the AKM, as the basic rifle was quite reliable.

Smith & Wesson M1945 Carbine

     Appears in: Smith & Wesson weapon experiment post-World War 2.

     Notes: This carbine was intended primarily for European military and police units, to fill the same role as the M1 Carbine filled in the US military – to be a light rifle for use by rear-area troops and drivers and for police to use as a heavier firearm than pistols.  Smith & Wesson did not seriously consider it something the US military would pick up, since the standard US military pistol round was the .45 ACP cartridge.  Nonetheless, they still submitted it to the US military at Aberdeen Proving Ground for testing, as well as to several European countries.  Surprisingly, the testers at Aberdeen gave it high marks, though the 9mm cartridge it fired meant it would never see US use. European countries also did not bite, stating that such a weapon was unnecessary in the wake of World War 2.

     Smith & Wesson put wartime manufacture of the M1 Carbine and M1 Garand; the M1945 strips in a similar manner to the M1 Carbine, and the safety mechanism and some parts of the trigger mechanism are similar to those of the M1 Garand.  Operation is by locked Breech Inertia, a type of blowback operation.  The 12-inch barrel is free-floating and of good quality, better than the typical military weapon of the time.  The stock and fore-end are in one piece and are again similar to the M1 carbine’s stock.  The rear sight is adjustable for windage and the front sight a fixed blade.  The M1945 is designed to use with Sten magazines, but can also accept the magazines of the M3 Grease Gun conversion to 9mm Parabellum (which are also essentially slightly-modified Sten magazines). The M1945, at the time of its inception and prototype status, was a semiautomatic only weapon, an automatic version was projected, which would make it into a submachinegun of sorts. 

Socimi AR-832/FS

     Country of Origin: Italy

     Appears in: Attempted weapon sale by Socimi in the late 1980s.

     Notes: This weapon was designed in the late 1980s to provide a rugged weapon for Italian special forces and the San Marcos Marines that also has a good punch.  The Italian government decided to concentrate on the AR-70/90 series instead. The AR-832/FS is considered heavy for an assault rifle, but this also has the effect of fighting recoil and barrel climb.  It has the novel feature of a special gas regulator that allows the firing of rifle grenades with normal ammunition that can normally only be fired using ballistite cartridges.  It is also a simple weapon to strip and maintain, and is very tolerant to dirt and abuse.  Socimi withdrew the weapon from the market after a few years, and it was never heard from again.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: A number of these weapons were obtained by their intended users and could be encountered in their hands during the Twilight War; the San Marcos Marines were said to be especially fond of the AR-832/FS.