NKV-058 (NATO Reporting Name: Skullhound)
Guide to the NKV-058 Skullhound Machine Gun.
Model 1964
Soviet Origin
12.7x70mm Rimmed Cartridge
Contents.
1. Introduction
2. Features of the NKV-058 Skullhound
3. The 12.7x70mm cartridge
4. The Recoil-Reduction system
1. Introduction to the NKV-058 Skullhound:
The NKV-058 Skullhound is a revolutionary 12.7x70mm general purpose shoulder-fired machine gun powered by a gas piston, with a recoil-reducing system built into the fore-end.
2. Features of the NKV-058 Skullhound:
- Magazine:
The Skullhound is equipped as standard with a large polymer tub serving as a magazine for 50-100 round fabric ammunition belts, and is held in place by a catch similar in design to the catch used as standard on Kalashnikov pattern rifles.
- Sights:
The rear sight on the NKV-058 is an adjustable and folding leaf-style sight, but shrunken in size compared to the sights of machine guns such as the M60 GPMG. The front sight is a simple post which can be moved to three positions of right, left, and central depending on wind conditions.
- Furniture:
The Skullhound is equipped with a modern polymer left-side folding stock and stamped aluminium handguard. The pistol grip is integral to the receiver.
- Barrel:
The barrel of the Skullhound is finned to aid cooling, and captured examples have been fitted with varying lengths of barrels, from 20” up to 38”. Pictured is a 30” barrel. Barrels are unthreaded and come equipped with a tubular flash hider.
The barrels are thick and heavy, able to withstand high temperatures from sustained fire.
- Operating System:
The NKV-058 Skullhound is cycled by a large gas piston housed below the barrel.
3. The 12.7x70mm Rimmed Cartridge:
The 12.7x70mm cartridge is the result of the need for a Squad Automatic Weapon capable of delivering high-powered blows to soft-skinned vehicles and lightly armoured targets as well as infantrymen. While less effective than the .50 Browning Machine Gun cartridge, the 12.7x70mm is a hard-hitting round capable of penetrating 12-16mm of steel armour plate. These intermediate half-inch bore rounds are often fired in bursts of four to eight rounds. Fabric belts for the NKV-058 come in standard lengths of 50, 100, and 250 rounds.
4. The Recoil Reduction System:
The NKV-058 Skullhound is unique as it is installed with an active recoil reduction cylinder to the front of the gas cylinder, beneath the barrel. It runs off gases produced from firing, and the gas block ports gas rearward to the piston, and forward to a weight, which is pushed forward, creating a force to cancel a proportion of the weapon's recoil. This cylinder is adjustable via the knob on the end of the recoil-reducing cylinder. This allows more gas into the piston, causing the gun to cycle better when dirty, at the cost of a slight increase in felt recoil.