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Weapons · Soviet Union · 1916-1928

Fedorov Avtomat

select-fire automatic rifle

A short-recoil, select-fire rifle designed by Vladimir Fyodorov and completed as a prototype in 1916, chambered for the Japanese 6.5mm Arisaka round after his own intermediate cartridge proved impractical to produce. Fielded in small numbers by the Russian Imperial Army from 1916 and by Red Army units after the revolution, it is regarded by many historians as one of the world's first operational automatic rifles and an early forerunner of the assault rifle concept, decades before the German StG 44. Production and issue were limited by industrial chaos through the Russian Civil War, and the weapon was withdrawn in 1928 as the Soviets standardised on other designs, though stockpiled examples were pulled back into service for the 1939-40 Winter War when automatic firepower was in short supply.

Wikipedia

caliber6.5x50mm SR Arisaka
weight4.4 kg (unloaded)
magazine25-round detachable box
rate of fire~600 rounds/min
produced~3,200 (1915-1925)

Eastern Front

Fedorov Model 1916 Automatic Rifle
Fedorov Model 1916 Automatic Riflehttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Hmaag · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Military Museum: Modern Weapons, Small Arms Gallery. Complete indexed photo collection at WorldHistoryPics.com.
Military Museum: Modern Weapons, Small Arms Gallery. Complete indexed photo collection at WorldHistoryPics.com.Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China · CC0 · source
6.5 mm Fedorov Avtomat M/1916 automatic rifle. Cropped from File:Red army pistols and automatic weapons.JPG.
6.5 mm Fedorov Avtomat M/1916 automatic rifle. Cropped from File:Red army pistols and automatic weapons.JPG.MKFI · Public domain · source
The History of World War I (the ongoing series, issue IV). The Russian weapon of World War I. The 6.5 mm Fedorov Avtomat model 1916. The stamp of Russia, 24.00 ₽, 28 July 2016, PTC Marka Catalogue No. 2115. Coated paper.
The History of World War I (the ongoing series, issue IV). The Russian weapon of World War I. The 6.5 mm Fedorov Avtomat model 1916. The stamp of Russia, 24.00 ₽, 28 July 2016, PTC Marka Catalogue No. 2115. Coated paper.Russian Post, Publishing and Trade Centre "Marka" (ИТЦ «Марка»). The design of the stamp by V. Beltyukov. · Public domain · source