PM-63 RAK

Infobox Weapon
name=PM-63 RAK


caption=The RAK submachine gun with stock collapsed
origin=flag|Poland
type=Submachine gun
is_ranged=yes
service=1965–present
used_by=See "Users"
wars=
designer=Piotr Wilniewczyc
design_date=1950s
manufacturer=Łucznik Arms Factory
unit_cost=
production_date=1964–1974
number=Approx. 70,000
variants=PM-70, PM-73, Type 82
weight=kg to lb|1.6|sp=us|abbr=on|precision=2|wiki=yes
length=mm to in|583|abbr=on|precision=1|wiki=yes stock extended / convert|333|mm|abbr=on|1 stock collapsed
part_length=convert|150|mm|abbr=on|1
width=
height=convert|145|mm|abbr=on|1 (short magazine) convert|213|mm|abbr=on|1 (long magazine)
diameter=
crew=
cartridge=9x18mm Makarov (PM-63) 9x19mm Parabellum (PM-70) .380 ACP (9x17mm Short) (PM-73)
caliber=
action=Straight blowback
rate=650 rounds/min
velocity=convert|320|m/s|0|lk=on|sp=us|abbr=on
range=75 and 150 m sight settings
max_range=
feed=15 or 25-round box magazine
sights=Flip rear sight, front blade convert|153|mm|abbr=on|1 sight radius

The PM-63 RAK is a Polish 9 mm submachine gun, designed by Piotr Wilniewczyc in cooperation with Tadeusz Bednarski, Grzegorz Czubak and Marian Wakalski.Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 4 R-Z. Bellona. 2002. pp32.] The RAK combines the characteristics of a self-loading pistol and a fully automatic submachine gun.

Development

Development of the RAK dates back to the late 1950s when the concept was first proposed at the Warsaw University of Technology in response to a requirement for a light hand-held defensive weapon for rear-echelon soldiers such as gun crews and vehicle drivers. After the death of the chief designer Piotr Wilniewczyc in 1960, the submachine gun’s development was assumed and completed by the state-operated Łucznik Arms Factory in the city of Radom, where it was produced until 1974. After close examination, the PM-63 was accepted into service with the Polish Armed Forces and police in 1965 as the "9 mm pistolet maszynowy wz. 1963" ("9 mm submachine gun model 1963"). Small numbers of the weapon were exported to several Arab countries, Vietnam and the former East Germany. A slightly modified, unlicensed version of the PM-63 was produced by the People’s Republic of China as the Type 82, which sold the weapon to politically allied nations in Asia.Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 4 R-Z. Bellona. 2002. pp11.]

Design details

The RAK (short for "Ręczny Automat Komandosów" – “hand-held automatic commando firearm”) is a selective-fire straight blowback operated weapon that fires from the open bolt position. The firearm feeds from two types of double-column box magazines: short 15-round and long, 25-round magazines (the magazines are seated inside the hollow pistol grip). The magazine catch is at the heel of the pistol grip. After the last cartridge has been fired from the magazine the slide is locked open on the slide catch. The pistol grip covers and folding vertical forward grip are made from a synthetic plastic material.

The submachine gun consists of the following main components: the barrel, frame (containing the shoulder stock, pistol grip and forward grip), slide, return spring and spring guide rod and the magazine. The external bolt (slide) houses an inertia buffer and spring retarder mechanism, designed to reduce the weapon’s rate of fire down to 650 rounds/min from a natural frequency of about 840 rounds/min. The slide telescopes around the barrel up to the muzzle and has an extension that serves as a recoil compensator which deflects muzzle gases upward to counteract the natural rise of the weapon when firing in automatic mode. The compensator is shaped like a long spoon and can be used to cock the weapon with just one hand, by pushing the compensator up against a rigid vertical surface until the slide locks back. A spring-loaded extractor is located inside the slide and a raised side surface of the seated magazine acts as the casing ejector. The striker firing mechanism has a firing pin fixed inside the slide. The trigger mechanism does not have a fire selector but is instead equipped with a two-stage trigger that enables semi-automatic fire (after pulling the trigger back to the first stop and releasing it rapidly) and continuous fire (pulling the trigger back completely to the rear and holding it back). The manual safety mechanism secures the firearm against accidental discharge by immobilizing the slide in its forward, rear and intermediate positions that the slide achieves when the weapon is being stripped or assembled. The safety toggle is located on the left side of the weapon’s frame, behind the pistol grip.

When the trigger is pulled the slide is released and driven forward by the return spring, stripping a round from the magazine and feeding it into the chamber. As soon as the cartridge is lined up with the chamber the extractor grips the cannelure and the gun fires while the slide is still moving forward. The firing impulse stops the slide and drives it back. The extractor grips the empty case until the ejector pushes it through the ejection port in the right of the slide. The slide continues to the rear and the return spring, located under the barrel, is fully compressed. The slide rides over a retarder lever which snaps up and holds the slide to the rear. The rate-reducing device, an inertia buffer in the rear of the slide, continues rearward under its own momentum and compresses the buffer spring. When the spring is fully compressed it throws the retarder forward and this pushes the retarder lever down out of engagement with the slide and, provided the trigger is still depressed and ammunition remains in the magazine, the slide goes forward to repeat the firing cycle.

The retractable metal stock (made from strips of flat bar) is ended with a pivoting shoulder pad. The stock is pulled out and used with the folding vertical grip to provide a steady hold during automatic fire. The weapon’s barrel, which can be removed by the operator in field conditions has a chrome-lined bore and 4 right-hand grooves with a 1 in 252 mm (1:10 in) rifling twist rate. The flip rear sight (open type) provides two notches with range settings for firing at 75 and 150 m. It and the front blade are fixed to the slide's top surface, making aiming the weapon and correcting the fall of shot, particularly in rapid fire mode, very difficult.Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 4 R-Z. Bellona. 2002. pp12.]

The PM-63 uses the 9x18mm Makarov pistol cartridge. The weapon can be deployed like a regular pistol, one-handed. Additional equipment supplied with the submachine gun includes three spare long magazines and one short magazine, a holster, sling, magazine pouch and a cleaning rod and lubricant bottle.

Variants

In 1971 a version of the PM-63 was developed in Radom for the 9x19mm Parabellum round, designated PM-70. Only several units of this version were built in a prototype pre-production batch and further production was abandoned due to lack of demand. A variant adapted for the .380 ACP (9x17mm Short) cartridge (known as the PM-73) and a silenced version were also built, but failed to gain orders.Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 4 R-Z. Bellona. 2002. pp12.]

Users

*flag|China
*flag|Cuba
*flag|East Germany
*flag|Poland
*flag|Vietnam

Notes

References

*pl icon cite book| last = Woźniak| first = Ryszard| authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 2002| chapter = p. 11-12| title = Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 4 R-Z| publisher = Bellona| location = Warsaw, Poland| id = ISBN 83-11-09312-1

External links

* [http://www.lucznik.com.pl Łucznik Arms Factory]