Valmet M60/M62 (RK 62)

History of Valmet M60/M62 (RK 62)

After World War II, the Soviet Union retained some presence in Finland. Although the communist empire did not directly occupy the country, it involved in some ways the orientation of its neighbors against whom it waged bloody campaigns during the war. As a result, many of Finland's policies sought not to upset the post-war balance with the Soviet Union, while the country remained independent and its economy pro-Western.

In any case, Soviet influence can be seen in the Finnish army, as its Cold War stockpile is largely Soviet in nature, including all types of tanks, armored personnel carriers, armored vehicles, artillery, and small arms. To this end, the famous Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle was modified locally and became the "m/60".

m/60 is more or less a "universal" clone of Soviet design, with some modifications to fit the Finnish army. Internally, the m/60 is very close in function to the AK series - most closely related to the AKM (the "modern" AK-47 of 1959). So the m/60 is actually Finland's attempt to modernize its own AK.

So far, the Finns have gained some experience with the Soviet AK-47 assault rifle, which the Finns call the "m/54" ("Rynnakokivaari Malli 54" or "Type 54"), and take this experience to heart in the Design work for the modernization and localization of the AK began in 1958. Testing and additional development led to the "m/60" ("Rynnakokivaari Malli 60" or "Type 60") in 1960.

Production was taken over by Sako and Valmet, and the weapon was fitted with the Soviet 7.62x39mm rifle cartridge.

Internally, the m/60 emulates many of the features and layouts that have made the AK series a global success. However, the Finns were keen to develop the appearance of this weapon to suit the taste and teachings of the Finnish army.

Therefore, the m/60 lacks all the wooden furniture that corresponds to many previous Kalashnikov models. The AK's solid wood stock - considered the weak point of the original construction - gave way to a solid tubular steel construction. The wooden front end has been replaced by perforated plastic handguards. The receiver has been redesigned and cleaned up for the better, and the mirrors are moved to the rearmost position.

The fire selector, charging handle and ejection port are all retained on the right side of the fuselage. Interestingly, some production models (from Sako) do not have a trigger guard, which allows the use of heavily gloved hands when fighting in arctic conditions, but can open the gun to obstacles. Compared to the AK series, the pistol grip is more comprehensive and the barrel assembly is covered with a triple-barreled flash suppressor.

Combat knife holders for melee combat were also introduced.

In general, however, the m/60 retains the overall look and feel of the AK series. It is fed by a curved 30-round detachable magazine, has a recognizable magazine release/lock function behind the magazine well, and retains the original pneumatic/rotary bolt action. The gas cylinder is mounted on the barrel assembly and is attached by an angled bracket that also holds the rear-view mirror.

The overall length is approximately 36 inches and the barrel is 16.5 inches. The cyclic rate of fire is 650 rounds per minute, while the muzzle velocity is estimated at 2,400 feet per second.

The design of the m/60 eventually evolved into the "m/62", which differed only slightly from the original m/60 - the trigger guard was restored and the front was further lengthened. It also appears on the wooden stock, but retains the general look of earlier brands. The m/62 became the standard assault rifle for the Finnish Army, and a light machine gun version was also introduced - this gun had a heavier barrel, thicker tubular stock, folding bipod, low-mounted gas cylinder and chain strap Bomb feeder. Another related m/62 developed into the m/71, which included a stamped steel receiver with a fully synthetic stock.

These appeared in limited numbers between 1971 and 1973 before being replaced by the newer m/76 models.

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