Kurbatov Arms R-701 Pistol Caliber Carbine [Arms & Hunting 2018] -The Firearm Blog

During the Arms & Hunting 2018 exhibition, a Russian company called Kurbatov Arms introduced a new 9mm pistol caliber carbine called R-701. This PCC is a completely new design and has some cool features. Let’s take a closer look.

Kurbatov Arms R-701 Pistol Caliber Carbine [Arms & Hunting 2018] (6)

A version with a handguard extension installed

The Kurbatov Arms R-701 PCC is a simple blowback operated firearm chambered in 9x19mm. This carbine is compatible with standard AR-15 trigger mechanisms, buffer tubes, stocks, and grips.

Kurbatov Arms R-701 Pistol Caliber Carbine [Arms & Hunting 2018] (7)

Note the AR-15 trigger mechanism

This new carbine is fed from detachable box magazines borrowed from the Saiga-9. The magazine release button of the stock version is located inside the trigger guard. However, it can be easily retrofitted with an upgrade part that extends to either side of the trigger guard. The latter is a much better option in terms of the ergonomics and speed of releasing the magazine and it is also a much safer solution not requiring to stick your finger inside the trigger guard for releasing the magazine.

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The stock magazine release button is located inside the trigger guard

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The upgraded magazine release button is much safer and faster

The magazine release button extension is attached via a screw

This PCC is built around a central steel trunnion. The barrel and the lower receiver are permanently attached to that trunnion. The upper receiver is attached to the lower receiver via rails and retained in place by a spring loaded plunger located at the rear portion of the receiver. In order to disassemble the upper receiver, you need to press the plunger in and slide the upper receiver rearwards. The assembly requires sliding the upper receiver forward until it clicks in place.

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The field stripped Kurbatov Arms R-701 PCC

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The disassembly button is located at the rear end of the upper and lower receivers

Having the scope rails on the removable upper receiver which is not attached to the barrel doesn’t sound like the best solution in terms of the rigidity of the scope mounting platform. However, the company has acknowledged and solved this issue by incorporating two steel lugs into the upper receiver design. These lugs have corresponding recesses in the central trunnion that consistently align the upper receiver ensuring a retained zero.

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Note the two steel T-shaped lugs inside the upper receiver

Interestingly, the recoil spring of this gun is a shortened AK recoil spring. Other features of Kurbatov Arms R-701 PCC include the reversible non-reciprocating charging handle, optional extended handguards and quite a large polymer buffer inside the rear portion of the lower receiver where the bolt impacts.