PK Series Manual (English, 2005) - Forgotten Weapons

• Sluggish Operation & Corrective Procedures—Sluggish operation of the weapon
usually is due to excessive friction caused by dirt or carbon, lack of proper
lubrication, burred parts, or excessive loss of gas. Clean and lubricate the
weapon, then inspect for burred parts and replace if necessary.
-1 Cool Weapon = 200 cartridges fired
Barrel Quick Change. The changing of barrels prolongs the life of the barrel and
equalizes barrel wear. There are three rates of fire with a machinegun: sustained,
rapid, and cyclic. These rates indicate when a barrel change is desired.
• Sustained Fire. 100 cartridges per minute in bursts of 6 to 9 rounds with a 4-
to 5 second interval between bursts. A barrel change is recommended after
firing the sustained rate for 10 minutes.
• Rapid Fire. 200 cartridges per minute in bursts of 6 to 9 rounds with a 2- to 3-
second interval between bursts. A barrel change is recommended after firing
the rapid rate for 2 minutes.
• Cyclic Fire. 700 cartridges per minute or the maximum rate of ammunition
which can be expended in 1 minute. A barrel change is recommended after
firing in excess of rapid fire for 1 minute.
Conduct a quick barrel change with the PK machinegun in the following manner:
• Unload the weapon.
• Maintain the feed tray cover in the open position and swing the feedway up
(pivots on same pin as the receiver cover).
• Push the barrel locking latch completely to the left-hand side of the receiver (see
figures 3-7 and 3-8). Pull the barrel carrying handle away from the barrel (see
figure 3-9); this will lever a hot barrel out of its seat in the receiver, then pull the
barrel forward, completely off the gun (disengaging the barrel from the barrel
receiver group).
• Insert a new, cool barrel, seating it fully – ensure the gas tube is properly seated
(see figure 3-10). Press the barrel lock fully in and close the feed tray cover.
• Reload and resume firing.
UNCLASSIFIED
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