| AS Val and VSS Vintorez | |
| Type: | Assault rifle (AS Val)[1] Sniper rifle (VSS Vintorez)[2] |
| Origin: | Soviet Union |
| Is Ranged: | Yes |
| Service: | 1987–present |
| Used By: | See Users |
| Wars: | Iraq War[3] Russo-Georgian War 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Designer: | TsNIITochMash Pyotr Serdyukov and Vladimir Krasnikov |
| Design Date: | 1980s |
| Manufacturer: | Tula Arms Plant |
| Production Date: | 1987–present |
| Variants: | ASM and VSSM |
| Weight: | 2.52NaN2 AS (empty) 3.542NaN2 AS with PSO-1-1 4.952NaN2 AS with 1PN51 2.62NaN2 VSS (empty) |
| Length: | 875mm AS (stock extended) 615mm AS (stock folded) 894mm VSS |
| Part Length: | 200mm |
| Cartridge: | 9×39mm |
| Action: | Gas-operated, closed rotating bolt |
| Rate: | 800–900 rounds/min |
| Velocity: | 280–295 m/s |
| Feed: | 10-, 20-, 30-round detachable box magazine (shared with the SR-3M) |
| Sights: | Open sights Rear notch on tangent (graduated from 100 to 425 m) and front post mounted to suppressor housing |
The AS Val "Shaft" (Russian: АС «Вал»; Автома́т Специа́льный, romanized: Avtomát Spetsiálny "Val", lit. 'Special Automatic')[4] and VSS Vintorez "Thread Cutter" (Russian: ВСС «Винторе́з» Винто́вка Сна́йперская Специа́льная, romanized: Vintóvka Snáyperskaya Spetsiálnaya "Vintorez", lit. 'Special "Sniper" Rifle'),[5] 6P30 and 6P29 (GRAU designation) respectively, were a Soviet-designed assault rifle featuring an integral suppressor based on the prototype RG-036 completed in 1981 by TsNIITochMash. The two rifles hereafter are referred to as the Vintorez and Val. The Vintorez (beginning in 1983) and Val (beginning in 1985) were developed by TsNIITochMash to replace modified general-purpose firearms, such as the AKS-74UB, BS-1, APB, and PB, for clandestine operations, much like the PSS Vul. Manufacturing began at the Tula Arms Plant after its adoption by the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union in 1987.
The ASM (6P30M) and VSSM (6P29M) are modernized variants of the AS and VSS respectively The VSSM is equipped with an aluminium buttstock with an adjustable cheek and butt pad and a new 30-round magazine was introduced to be intended for use with the ASM. Both rifles are also outfitted with a Picatinny rail on the top of the dust cover and on the sides and bottom of the suppressor, forward of the handguard. The mounts which shroud the suppressor can be removed. Deliveries began in 2018.[6]
The AS Val and VSS Vintorez are integrally suppressed and chambered for the 9×39mm subsonic cartridge. Four rows of nine holes are drilled in the barrel which follow the rifling and allows gas to escape the barrel behind the projectile into the expansion chamber which surrounds the barrel and extends ~20 cm forward of the end of the barrel where three baffles are located. The baffles are stamped out of a single sheet ~1 mm thickness and welded to a removable frame which is pressed against the front of the suppressor housing by a spring placed between the baffle assembly and the end of the barrel. The suppressor effectively reduces muzzle flash and muzzle report of the firearm to 130 dB. There are no design features which reduce the noise of the action.
Manipulation is similar to many AK-type rifles: charging handle on the right side, tangent rear sight, magazine release button behind the magazine well, and safety lever above the trigger guard. The fire selector is, however, located behind the trigger within the trigger guard. The rifle also has an "AK-type" Warsaw Pact rail for various optical sights, namely the PSO-1-1, PSO-1M2-1, and 1-PN-51 calibrated for use with the 9x39mm cartridge. The standard open sights are graduated from 100 to 425 m in 25 m increments.
The action is also similar to that of AK-type rifles with a similar long-stroke gas system with the piston located above the barrel. However, the design characteristically uses a rotating bolt with six locking lugs and a milled steel receiver. The AS and VSS share the same standard 10 or 20-round double-stack detachable box magazines and are compatible with the 30-round magazine of the SR-3M. Many of the components are shared between the AS and VSS with the main discrepancy being the fixed wooden buttstock on the VSS and tubular metal buttstock which folds to the left on the AS. The AS can be fired with the stock folded but the mounting of an optic will not allow the buttstock to close completely (like many other rifles with similar mounting solutions for optics). The handguard, pistol grip, and magazines are made of a synthetic polymer.
Both the AS Val and VSS Vintorez can be disassembled to fit into a special compact case for transportation.
The SR-3 Vikhr (Russian: СР-3 «Вихрь», romanized: Spetsialnaya Razrabotka "Vikhr", lit. 'Special Development') was designed for improved concealability by replacing the stock and omitting the integral suppressor and charging handle. The design process began in 1989, manufacturing began in 1994, and the rifle was adopted in 1996.
The 9A-91 and VSK-94 (Russian: ВСК-94 Войсковой Снайперский Комплекс, romanized: Voyskovoy Snayperskiy Kompleks, lit. 'Military Sniper Complex') are cost-reducing redesigns of the two rifles by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau completed in 1992 which also omit the integrated suppressor. Manufacturing began in 1994.
Armenia: a small quantity of weapons were received from Russia among other arms before 2014.[7]
Belarus: Used by various special forces.[8]
Georgia: used by army and police special forces,[9] some configured with Aimpoint and Kobra red dot sights.[10]
Ukraine: Used by SBU Alpha Group.[18]
Cuba: Used by the Mobile Brigade of Special Troops[19]