To do so, the weapons designers at Izhmash began work on an assault rifle and the ASh-12.7 (АШ-12.7, which stands for “Автомат штурмовой 12.7мм” or “automatic assault 12.7mm”) was born. With this weapon, walls are no longer an issue when engaging people on the other side of the wall.”Īnother aspect of the design of this new weapon was to create a rifle that was able to successfully put down combatants who were under the influence of strong drugs or wearing bulletproof armor. “You see, the safest way to fight through a room is to not enter it in the first place. So the aim of designing a high caliber assault rifle was to create a weapon for the Russian authorities to use in close combat, particularly in urban areas where it was vital to combine high stopping power with limited penetration and a short-range to avoid collateral damage to civilian bystanders or hostages.

So in 2010, Russian gunsmiths designed a rifle to arm the urban combat units of the FSB intelligence services: The ASh 12.7.Īround the time of design of the ASh 12.7, Russia was still locked in various counter-terrorism operations in its unruly republics of Chechnya and Dagestan. But some scenarios require more firepower than your standard AK. Home of the humble Mosin Nagant and Kalashnikov, weapons which have changed the outcome of some of the 20th Century’s most infamous wars, Russia sure knows what they’re doing when it comes to making weapons.

Calibre 50 toppenish