Comments on: The Fedorov Avtomat battle rifle

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:48:18 +0000

What I find interesting is that despite having a 25 round detachable magazine-fed automatic rifle the SKS only had a 10 round internal magazine. Sure, the SKS was not automatic but I would have thought the benefits of high capacity detachable magazines would still have been evident.

By: James R

James R — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:36:47 +0000

This is the first assault rifle to see combat as the original claimant stated. The earlier Italian models which predate this by maybe 20 years were tested by militaries and possibly used by individuals in firefights but never issued to troops. The Fedorov, albeit in small numbers was issued in I believe 4 different wars to Russian troops. I find it amazing that the commanders used to be so critical of weapons like this though. Sure, WW1 Russia didn’t have the industrial capacity to churn out good rifles, let alone these but they gained the capacity after their civil war and yet insisted on over powered bolt action mosin nagants.

By: R.A.W.

R.A.W. — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:59:05 +0000

Indeed! Not only can it be considered one of the first of the breed of semi-auto battle rifles, but it can reasonably be claimed as the first assault rifle! In that sense it was exactly twenty six years ahead of its time, since it would not be until 1942 that the MKb42(h) (immediate forerunner of the MP-43) would replicate that performance, and might I add with the much less powerful 7.92×33mm and while being heavier.

I suppose hecklers might charge that the 6.5×50 Arisaka is perhaps too powerful to be considered a “true” intermediate cartridge, but many people have reported that short-recoil actions have a substantial recoil mitigating effect, so in all likelyhood the Federov was sufficiently controllable in full auto. Not only that, it would have been in the 6.5 caliber, which is widely considered to be optimal for assault rifles.

One wonders what might have been if the Federov had been allowed to mature more completely. Indeed, one wonders in general what the state of Russia might have been without the destructive revolution.

By: Ken Talton

Ken Talton — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:44:46 +0000

The Federov was capable of full auto fire and fired an intermediate cartridge.

I’d always heard it referred to as the first assault rifle.

Its listed as such on both Max Popnekers site (linked above) and Anthony Williams page.

http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/Assault.htm

Cool gun though…way ahead of its time.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:02:14 +0000

@ R.A.W.:

Thanks for that info, I have updated the entry.

By: Caposkaw

Caposkaw — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:03:33 +0000

nice! very nice!
it’s the first shot of this rifle that i have seen…
an russian weapon with japanese ammunitions…

By: R.A.W.

R.A.W. — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:17:54 +0000

I think that the Mondragon and Cei-Rigotti both predate it significantly, and both meet the weight requirements, but neither really worked that well.