RPK: Difference between revisions

Jump to navigation Jump to search
← Older edit
No edit summary
No edit summary
 
(5 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
[[Category:Weapons]]
[[Category:Weapons of Vietnam]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;text-align: center;width:90%"
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;text-align: center;width:90%"
|-
|-
Line 7: Line 9:
! rowspan=2 | [[Ammo]]  
! rowspan=2 | [[Ammo]]  
|-
|-
|[[File:Flag_vc_new.png|50px]]<br><strong>[[VC]]</strong>|| [[File:Rpk.png|512px]]<br><b>[[RPK]]</b> || [[File:Weapon rpk.svg|512px]] || [[File:Class_Gunner.png|50px]] <b>[[Gunner]]</b><br> || 75 / 150
|[[File:Flag_vc_new.png|50px]]<br><strong>[[VC]]</strong>|| [[File:Rpk.png|512px]]<br><b>[[RPK]]</b> || [[File:Weapon rpk.svg|512px]] || [[File:Class_Gunner.png|50px]] <b>[[Gunner]]</b><br> || 75[[+1]] / 150
|-
|-
|}
|}
Line 20: Line 22:
! rowspan=2 | [[Bayonet]]   
! rowspan=2 | [[Bayonet]]   
! rowspan=2 | [[Rifle Grenades]]   
! rowspan=2 | [[Rifle Grenades]]   
! colspan=2 | Reload Speed
|-
|-
|41||×2.52 = 103.32||×1.2 = 49.2||×1.15 = 47.15||×0.8 = 32.8||×0.75 = 30.75||NO||NO  
! Partial!! Empty
|-
|41||×2.52 = 103.32||×1.2 = 49.2||×1.15 = 47.15||×0.8 = 32.8||×0.75 = 30.75||NO||NO||2.433 Seconds||3.2 Seconds
|-
|-
|}
|}
Line 51: Line 56:
! rowspan=2 | [[Weapon Script Name]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Weapon Script Name]]
|-
|-
|Ручной пулемёт Калашникова/РПК||7.62x39mm||[[Soviet Union]]||1961||Vyatskiye Polyany Machine-Building Plant||23.2 in (590 mm)||40.9 in (1,040 mm)||weapon_rpk
|Ручной пулемёт Калашникова/РПК||[[7.62x39mm]]||[[Soviet Union]]||1961||Vyatskiye Polyany Machine-Building Plant||23.2 in (590 mm)||40.9 in (1,040 mm)||weapon_rpk
|-
|-
|}
|}




<hr>
<hr>
The RPK light machine gun chambered in 7.62×39mm cartridge, is essentially a Russian equivalent to a squad automatic weapon. It was adopted by the former Soviet Union, and was issued mainly to motorized units. It was later adopted by several military agencies around the world.
The RPK is a Soviet light machine gun chambered in [[7.62×39mm]] (M43) and built around the Kalashnikov family of weapons. It was designed as a squad automatic weapon, combining AK-pattern handling and parts commonality with a longer, heavier barrel, a bipod, and improved sights for sustained automatic fire. The RPK is best known for using standard AK magazines as well as dedicated 40-round box and 75-round drum magazines.
=HISTORY=
==HISTORY==
The RPK sometimes retroactively termed the RPK-47, is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine gun that was developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the early 1960s, in parallel with the [[AKM]] assault rifle. It was created to standardize the small arms inventory of the Soviet Army, where it replaced the 7.62×39mm RPD machine gun. The RPK continues to be used by the military of the post-Soviet states and certain African and Asian nations. The RPK is also manufactured in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia.
The RPK (''Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova'') was developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s alongside the [[AKM]] to give Soviet motor rifle squads a dedicated automatic weapon that shared the Kalashnikov operating system and much of its logistics. Adopted in the early 1960s, it strengthened the AKM concept for automatic fire with a heavier barrel, a reinforced receiver, and a bipod, while retaining magazine feeding rather than adopting a belt system.


The RPK, featuring a thicker and longer barrel than the AKM, can maintain accuracy longer due to less overheating. Its chrome-lined barrel, fixed to the receiver and non-replaceable in the field, includes a new front sight base and a gas block without a bayonet lug or cleaning rod guide. A folding bipod mounted near the muzzle and a lug on the front sight base restrict the bipod’s rotation. The barrel, with a threaded muzzle for various muzzle devices, is pinned to a reinforced and ribbed receiver, which is slightly wider than that of the AKM.
The RPK was widely produced and exported during the Cold War, appearing with numerous allied and client states and in many postwar conflicts. Its fixed barrel simplified the weapon and kept it closely aligned with AK-pattern rifles, but also limited sustained-fire performance compared with belt-fed general-purpose machine guns. Later Kalashnikov light machine gun developments, including the RPK-74 series, gradually replaced the original 7.62×39mm RPK in many services.


Additionally, the RPK has a longer receiver by about 20 mm to slightly decrease the fire rate to around 600 rounds per minute. Its receiver is stamped from a thicker 1.5 mm steel sheet compared to the AKM's 1.0 mm. The weapon uses a modified recoil spring assembly, a thick laminated wood foregrip, and a "club-foot" buttstock for easier prone shooting. It accepts standard AKM pistol grips and magazines, including 40-round boxes or 75-round drums, though part interchangeability with the AKM is moderate.
===Sources===
<br>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPK SOURCE]
* [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30029938 Imperial War Museums – RPK (collection entry)]
* [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30029747 Imperial War Museums – Soviet RPKS light machine gun (collection entry)]
* [https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/nmah_1071309 National Museum of American History (Smithsonian) – RPK (collection entry)]
* [https://shop.janes.com/products/weapons/janes-weapons-infantry Jane’s – ''Weapons: Infantry'' (reference work)]
<hr>
<hr>


 
<div class="mw-collapsible" style="border:1px solid #ccc; padding:5px; width:100%;">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
  <div style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold;">Real-Life Photos</div>
File:Fa mg rpk p04.jpg
  <div class="mw-collapsible-content" style="margin-top:0.5em;">
File:Rpkokk.jpg
    <gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
File:RPK-fire.jpg
File:Fa mg rpk p04.jpg|RPK light machine gun.
File:Main-qimg-89239b84d902867ddad546b0eb8462b0.jpg
File:Rpkokk.jpg|RPK with bipod deployed.
</gallery>
File:RPK-fire.jpg|RPK firing.
 
File:Main-qimg-89239b84d902867ddad546b0eb8462b0.jpg|RPK with magazine fitted.
    </gallery>
  </div>
</div>


<hr>
<hr>


 
<div class="mw-collapsible" style="border:1px solid #ccc; padding:5px; width:100%;">
{{#evt:
  <div style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold;">Videos</div>
service=youtube
  <div class="mw-collapsible-content" style="margin-top:0.5em;">
|id=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXRcwtdgaOY
    {{#ev:youtube|jXRcwtdgaOY}}
|alignment=inline
    {{#ev:youtube|xOdrSwo58Kk}}
|description=
    {{#ev:youtube|HeFqOgIQQqU}}
}}
    {{#ev:youtube|LzLf0jJW244}}
 
  </div>
{{#evt:
</div>
service=youtube
|id=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOdrSwo58Kk
|alignment=inline
|description=
}}
 
{{#evt:
service=youtube
|id=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeFqOgIQQqU
|alignment=inline
|description=
}}
 
{{#evt:
service=youtube
|id=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzLf0jJW244
|alignment=inline
|description=
}}

Latest revision as of 04:32, 25 February 2026

Factions Weapon Icon Classes Ammo

VC
RPK		 Gunner
 75+1 / 150
Damage Base Headshot × Chest × Stomach × Leg × Arm × Bayonet Rifle Grenades Reload Speed
Partial Empty
41 ×2.52 = 103.32 ×1.2 = 49.2 ×1.15 = 47.15 ×0.8 = 32.8 ×0.75 = 30.75 NO NO 2.433 Seconds 3.2 Seconds
Designation Weapon Type Fire Modes Fire Rate Bullet Spread ° Bipod Bullet Spread ° Range Modifier Muzzle Velocity Projectile weight Weight
RPK LMG Auto+Semi 600 RPM 7.47° & 1.87° ADS 2.47° & 1.02° ADS 0.940 745 m/s 7.9 g (121.9 gr) 6.8 kg (15 lbs)
Full name Caliber Place of Origin Date Manufacturer Barrel Length Total Length Weapon Script Name
Ручной пулемёт Калашникова/РПК 7.62x39mm Soviet Union 1961 Vyatskiye Polyany Machine-Building Plant 23.2 in (590 mm) 40.9 in (1,040 mm) weapon_rpk


The RPK is a Soviet light machine gun chambered in 7.62×39mm (M43) and built around the Kalashnikov family of weapons. It was designed as a squad automatic weapon, combining AK-pattern handling and parts commonality with a longer, heavier barrel, a bipod, and improved sights for sustained automatic fire. The RPK is best known for using standard AK magazines as well as dedicated 40-round box and 75-round drum magazines.

HISTORY

The RPK (Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova) was developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s alongside the AKM to give Soviet motor rifle squads a dedicated automatic weapon that shared the Kalashnikov operating system and much of its logistics. Adopted in the early 1960s, it strengthened the AKM concept for automatic fire with a heavier barrel, a reinforced receiver, and a bipod, while retaining magazine feeding rather than adopting a belt system.

The RPK was widely produced and exported during the Cold War, appearing with numerous allied and client states and in many postwar conflicts. Its fixed barrel simplified the weapon and kept it closely aligned with AK-pattern rifles, but also limited sustained-fire performance compared with belt-fed general-purpose machine guns. Later Kalashnikov light machine gun developments, including the RPK-74 series, gradually replaced the original 7.62×39mm RPK in many services.

Sources

Real-Life Photos
  • RPK light machine gun.
    RPK light machine gun.
  • RPK with bipod deployed.
    RPK with bipod deployed.
  • RPK firing.
    RPK firing.
  • RPK with magazine fitted.
    RPK with magazine fitted.
Videos
Load video
YouTube
Load video
YouTube
Load video
YouTube
Load video
YouTube
Retrieved from "https://wiki.militaryconflictvietnam.com/index.php?title=RPK&oldid=10720"