The AN-94 is a rifle of Russian origin. The initials stand for Avtomat Nikonova model of 1994, after its chief designerGennadiy Nikonov who previously worked on the Nikonov machine gun. The AN-94 was designed as a potential replacement to the AK-74 series of rifles currently in service with the Russian Armed Forces. Due to complex design and expense, its adoption has been very slow and it is in limited use, and it most likely will never become general issue. As of 2006, the production of the AN-94 has ceased. The stated great advantage of the AN-94 system is its ability to delay the recoil force until two fired rounds have left the barrel. This, it is claimed, increases hit probability under the most adverse combat conditions. The AN-94 offers a unique two-shot burst function at a stated 1800 rounds per minuterate of fire.
Design and operation
The most conspicuous identifying feature of the AN-94 is its magazine which is canted several degrees to the right of center. This design feature is necessary to accommodate the unique ammunition feed mechanism. The AN-94 is chambered in the same 5.45×39mm M74 cartridge as the AK-74, and it utilizes a rotating bolt to lock the action. Gennadiy Nikonov and his engineers used the Russian termсмещенный импульс свободного затвора to describe the rifle's method of operation, meaning "recoil shifted pulse." When a round is fired, residual energy from the propellant charge in the cartridge acts upon the safely locked breech and bolt carrier. Simultaneously, a quantity of powder gases driving the bullet through the barrel is tapped and acts upon the piston in the gas tube located above and parallel to the barrel. The movement of the piston and its connecting rod acts upon the locking bolt, causing it to rotate and allow the breech to safely open. This initiates the extraction and ejection cycle for the first spent cartridge. After the first round has been fired, the bolt and carrier group move toward the rear, ejecting the first casing towards the front of the ejection window. The movement of the Carrier is directly connected to a pulley system which is connected to a small metal rod on the rear side of the magazine well. The rod pushes a second round into the firing position. Once this action has completed the bolt and carrier group will stop and move back towards the front of the gun before it has hit the rear of the receiver. When the bolt has fully locked it will fire the second round. This whole process happens very quickly and it is how the 2 round burst works. For any follow-up rounds, the pulley is disengaged to prevent the gun from firing at the extremely high rate continuously. This means that after every bullet the bolt and carrier group will travel the whole distance of possible travel, resulting in a more manageable rate of 600 RPM.
