There has been a batch of Yugoslavian and Bulgarian PKMs that have just entered the deactivation market. These are rubbish in comparison to the real Soviet PKM’s. The equivalent of a Yugo made MG53 and a German MG42. There is no comparison! This is a 1987 dated Soviet manufactured Kalashnikov PKM. Like many others, Soviet military experts closely examined the German ‘heritage’ of WW2, they found the idea of a Universal (or General Purpose) MG to be very appealing, especially from the logistical and economical point of view. It was therefore decided to replace the separate company, battalion and tank MGs with a single universal design, adaptable to any of these roles. By the early 1950s, requirements were fixed for a new GPMG, firing 7.62x54R ammunition from belts and capable of firing from an integral bipod, an infantry tripod mound or a vehicle mount. After many false starts, by 1956-7 a new design became a favourite, the newly developed Nikitin GPMG. This was a gas operated, air-cooled, belt fed weapon with a quick-detachable barrel. It used a fairly typical rotating bolt locking along with less typical (at least, for Soviet guns of the period) features, such as self-regulating gas system and push-through feed system with open-pocket steel belts (incompatible with earlier Maxim and SG-43/SGM belts). By 1958, the Nikitin design was already recommended for adoption, and a batch of 500 guns was ordered for extended field trials with troops, but the situation then became surprisingly complicated. For some reason, General artillery department of Soviet army decided to spur the somewhat slow development of the Nikitin GPMG, and ordered Mikhail Kalashnikov to build his own machine gun to compete with the already established design. At the time Kalashnikov was busy finalizing his improved AKM assault rifle and its companion machine rifle, which later became the RPK. However, he accepted the challenge and put some men of his team onto the task of creating their own universal machine gun. The Kalashnikov design won the trials and was subsequently adopted in 1961 as the PK (Pulemet Kalashnikova), in four basic versions: PK LMG (on an integral bipod), PKS MMG (on a universal tripod), PKT (tank coaxial gun with electric trigger and other necessary changes) and PKB (armored personnel carrier version with appropriate mountings). When the basic weapon was improved in 1969 to become the PKM, all of its versions also received similar designations – PKMS and PKMT ect. Military black painted finish with some light flaking. In Immaculate condition. Complete with deactivation certificate.
