A tiny stud in the middle of the rod plays an important dual-functional role.
(A) In the automatic fire both the barrel and the extension rod, oscillating, may develop a resonation harmony. To break the frequency of oscillation of the rod and thus eliminate the bounce, the stud was placed in the middle of the extension rod.
(B) The rifle is adapted to deliver fire from firing ports of APCs. In its firing position the gun is usually locked by a special mechanism. To prevent the rifle from longitudinal sliding inside the lock, the stud is used as a retainer. The gas cylinder is located inside the carrier-stock above the barrel. All firing mechanisms, gas tube with cylinder and the receiver are placed inside the stock too. The latter, to be precise, is an integrated carrier-stock in performance very similar to a lafette of a conventional artillery piece. The barrel and the receiver integrated into a firing unit, travel inside the stock. The bolt and the bolt carrier perform their reciprocating motion inside the receiver. The polyamide handguard is integrated with the top cover. At the top rear part of the stock there is a rotary asterix-type (canted wheel) diopter with peepholes located at different levels for various elevations. One of the star points of diopter has two holes to hold a luminous element, which enables an operator to conduct fire in twilight or under conditions of poor visibility. A similar device is available in the round-post-type front sight placed inside a protection frame. The front sight has a possibility for zeroing both for elevation and the windage. The muzzle brake is an original two-chambered design, which also departs from most Russian designs. Unlike earlier designs of small firearms with underbarrel bayonet mount, Abakan has a side bayonet lug on the right side of the barrel to enable a better penetration capability in a hand to hand combat. In addition, the bayonet in a horizontal position can be used to make swinging side cuts. Thanks to the location both the bayonet and an underbarrel grenade launcher could be attached at a time. As could be seen from the photos, AN-94 looks significantly different from any of the Kalashnikov designs. There are only five AK-74 components borrowed by Nikonov from a well-know rifle. These are the following:
buttstock hinge with release knob,
pistol grip,
magazine,
optic sight base located on the left side of stock and
cleaning kit.

The two-row box-type 30-round magazine is attached at an angle to give extra space for the return spring.
To disengage and remove the top cover with handguard, the lever located at the front right-hand side of the stock should be turned around its axis to the lower position. The top cover taken off, pull the integrated firing unit holding the barrel with your right hand until it comes out from the guiding rails inside the stock and the stock extension rod. To strip the trigger mechanisms from the carrier-stock proceed as follows. Depress the buttstock’s lock/release knob all the way through, and, holding it in such a position, turn the smaller lever located above the pistol grip downwards.
The "Abakan" buttstock folds to the right in contrast to the AK-74 and AK-100 series. Folded in such a manner, the rifle unfolds easier and quicker from the ergonomic point of view and is handier to carry.
To absorb the shock of the firing unit in the rear position and to boost its return travel, the rifle has a buffer located inside the stock above the foregrip. The buffer interacts with the firing unit through the hook located under the barrel extension to the right of the receiver. To boost the return travel of the bolt carrier there is a shock absorber in the rear of the receiver.

The most significant feature of AN-94 is the variable automatic mode, which switches from the 1,800 rpm to a 600-rpm rate.
High rate of fire of the submachine gun is achieved thanks to the following:
Short travel of bolt carrier; return travel of bolt carrier is accelerated by the spring of the shock absorber located at the rear of receiver.
Construction of an integrated carrier-stock features a buffer (located above the foregrip inside the stock), which assists the return spring by giving an extra impulse and accelerates the firing unit in its return travel.
The construction of the hammer of a sliding type has a special device to minimize the time between the initial two shots.
Now about the pulley. The steel cable that runs from the bolt carrier via the pulley to the ammunition feeding mechanism is one of the smartest technical solutions. It allows performing the cycle of feeding in two stages. The first preliminary stage of feeding is in fact stripping the round from the magazine. When the bolt group begins its rearward travel after the shot, the motion is reversed by means of cable transmission so that the round is picked up from the magazine and placed into a special tray in the axis of the chamber and the bolt. As soon as the bolt carrier begins its motion forward, the bolt’s lower lug rams the cartridge into the chamber and the bolt locks the breech. This feature significantly shortens the time of the feeding cycle. Judge for yourselves. In a conventional auto-loading fire arm the bolt slides to the extreme rear point, as far as either the receiver permits it or the power of recoil throws it back. This amount of travel is required for the bolt to run over the magazine so that its face on the way back pushes the round clear from the magazine and sends it further into chamber. In the case of AN-94, with its "pulley-and-cable" array, the bolt does not remove the round from the magazine. A special device attached to the end of the cable does this part of the job for the bolt. So the function of the bolt is now limited only to ramming and locking. It mustn’t run over the magazine any more since the bolt now begins interaction with the round’s head when the cartridge is already prepared to perform the final phase of feeding! In a word, when the bolt group rushes back, the mechanism of preliminary feeding moves forward. The bolt group returns to its forward locked position, the feeding mechanism also returns to its initial position behind the head of the next round to come.

STANADARD OPERATIONS

Operations of an assault rifle are based on utilization of propellant combustion gases diverted from the barrel bore into gas cylinder. To significantly enhance accuracy of fire the assault rifle uses the blow back shifted pulse (BBSP). The BBSP by nature is a delay of the shock of the firing unit in its rear position in relation to the moment the bullet escapes from the barrel, i.e. while the burst of the first two rounds are being fired at the rate of 1,800 rpm both the barrel and the firing unit are travelling along the guiding rail in the integrated carrier-stock toward its rear. The time before the firing unit compresses the buffer spring inside the carrier-stock above the foregrip and completes recoil cycle is enough for two bullets to escape from the barrel. The operator feels the recoil as a single aggregated shock which does not effect the trajectory of bullets already headed down range and, hence, allows a better hit probability. In the process of firing, two simultaneous actions are in progress: travel of the integrated firing unit inside the carrier-stock and movement of components of the firing mechanism.
A. Variable automatic fire.
To shoot in a full-auto mode, the operator should place safety shift into position "O" (ogon’ means fire in Russian), while the selector should be located in the "AB" position ( "AB" stands for avtomaticheskiy - automatic). The selector in this position shifts a trigger plate in such a manner that the disconnector comes into contact with one of the shoulders of the trigger plate. The operator pulls the extending side handle of the bolt carrier to bring it into rear position. At this moment the preliminary feeding of a round from the magazine by a special mechanism takes place. This operation takes place every time the bolt carrier travels to the rear. The bolt carrier pushes the hammer into its firing position while the sear holds it. Released and driven forward by both a return spring and the shock absorber, the bolt rams the round into chamber, and locks the barrel by entering its two locking lugs into recesses in the barrel extension. By pulling the trigger, its side lug presses upon the trigger plate. The latter turns around its axis to activate the sear. The sear also turns to release the hammer. The hammer, driven by the main spring, slides into its front position and hits upon the firing pin. The first round is fired.
Driven by blowback, the firing unit slides inside the integrated carrier-stock and compresses the buffer spring. As soon as the bullet passes the gas port in the barrel, a portion of gases escapes through the port into gas cylinder, activates the piston and, through the bolt carrier extension, pushes the bolt carrier with hammer rearward. The bolt turns to open the chamber. The empty case is extracted and ejected. When the bolt carrier and the hammer reach their rear position, the return spring, assisted by the shock absorber, pushes them forward. The sear being temporarily deactivated, the second cycle is initiated. The hammer in the high-rate mode, free from the sear, keeps on moving and decreases the time between shots.

After the second round is fired, the firing unit continues its rearward motion, while the bolt carrier and the hammer begin their next cycle. The sear is retained by the trigger plate.
After the second shot, the disconnector and the sear return into their initial position, the hammer being retained by the sear. The bolt carrier and the bolt, free from the hammer, complete their job by ramming the next round into chamber. At this instance the high-rate cycle is completed. The rifle commences its regular automatic rate of 600 rpm.
The firing unit, after the second shot, reaches its rear position and starts moving forward driven by the return spring and accelerated by an extra impulse of the buffer. The disconnector moves forward together with the firing unit. The hammer released from the sear, slides forward to hit the firing pin. The third round is fired. The firing unit begins to move rearwards. The bolt and the bolt carrier also move rearward. Immediately after the bolt carrier begins its motion forward, the sear catches the hammer. After the second shot is fired in a standard (600 rpm) rate, the disconnector interacts with the second shoulder of the trigger plate, which enables rate slowdown. At the beginning of return motion of the bolt carrier, the hammer is retained by the sear in its rear position. So, before the hammer is released, the firing unit completes its travel rearward, slams the buffer and begins to move forward. All these operations take extra time - the phenomenon which is called among the designer as "the time of exposition" or "waiting time". The greater the time of exposition, the slower the rate of fire. If at this instant the trigger is released, the trigger plate comes into its initial elevated position and disengages from the disconnector. Both the sear and the disconnector resume their initial position. The hammer is retained by the sear. The fire is ceased. To resume firing, pull the trigger. The whole cycle is repeated, i.e. two shots are fired in a high rate mode while other successive rounds are fired in a standard low rate. A noticeable interval between the end of the second shot and the beginning of the third one allows the operator to easily interrupt the fire by releasing the trigger. If the situation requires longer bursts, the operator can vary from the high rate fire to standard by longer depressing the trigger.
B. Two-round bursts.
To deliver automatic two-round bursts the selector should be placed in the "2" position. The safety is at the "O" mark. The rifle being loaded and the trigger depressed, the trigger plate comes into contact with the disconnected to turn the sear and to release the hammer. The hammer free from the sear comes off and the round is fired. The cycle of reloading, firing and interaction of mechanisms during the recoil cycle are similar to the operations in the high-rate phase of the variable full-auto mode.
The hammer is retained in a cocked position. The fire is ceased. To resume firing, first release the trigger. At this moment the trigger plate and the disconnector come into their initial position. The trigger is pulled again, the hammer comes off to hit the firing pin - the weapon commences the next two-round burst.

After the second round is fired, the firing unit continues its rearward motion, while the bolt carrier and the hammer begin their next cycle. The sear is retained by the trigger plate.
After the second shot, the disconnector and the sear return into their initial position, the hammer being retained by the sear. The bolt carrier and the bolt, free from the hammer, complete their job by ramming the next round into chamber. At this instance the high-rate cycle is completed. The rifle commences its regular automatic rate of 600 rpm.
The firing unit, after the second shot, reaches its rear position and starts moving forward driven by the return spring and accelerated by an extra impulse of the buffer. The disconnector moves forward together with the firing unit. The hammer released from the sear, slides forward to hit the firing pin. The third round is fired. The firing unit begins to move rearwards. The bolt and the bolt carrier also move rearward. Immediately after the bolt carrier begins its motion forward, the sear catches the hammer. After the second shot is fired in a standard (600 rpm) rate, the disconnector interacts with the second shoulder of the trigger plate, which enables rate slowdown. At the beginning of return motion of the bolt carrier, the hammer is retained by the sear in its rear position. So, before the hammer is released, the firing unit completes its travel rearward, slams the buffer and begins to move forward. All these operations take extra time - the phenomenon which is called among the designer as "the time of exposition" or "waiting time". The greater the time of exposition, the slower the rate of fire. If at this instant the trigger is released, the trigger plate comes into its initial elevated position and disengages from the disconnector. Both the sear and the disconnector resume their initial position. The hammer is retained by the sear. The fire is ceased. To resume firing, pull the trigger. The whole cycle is repeated, i.e. two shots are fired in a high rate mode while other successive rounds are fired in a standard low rate. A noticeable interval between the end of the second shot and the beginning of the third one allows the operator to easily interrupt the fire by releasing the trigger. If the situation requires longer bursts, the operator can vary from the high rate fire to standard by longer depressing the trigger.
B. Two-round bursts.
To deliver automatic two-round bursts the selector should be placed in the "2" position. The safety is at the "O" mark. The rifle being loaded and the trigger depressed, the trigger plate comes into contact with the disconnected to turn the sear and to release the hammer. The hammer free from the sear comes off and the round is fired. The cycle of reloading, firing and interaction of mechanisms during the recoil cycle are similar to the operations in the high-rate phase of the variable full-auto mode.
The hammer is retained in a cocked position. The fire is ceased. To resume firing, first release the trigger. At this moment the trigger plate and the disconnector come into their initial position. The trigger is pulled again, the hammer comes off to hit the firing pin - the weapon commences the next two-round burst.

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C. Semi-automatic fire.
To shoot in a semi-auto mode, the selector should be located in the "ÎÄ" position ("ÎÄ" in Russian means odinochniy - single). The rifle being loaded and the hammer cocked - pull the trigger. The hammer comes off to hit the firing pin. The round is fired. Reloading is accomplished like in the full-auto mode. The hammer, however, will be retained by the sear. The disconnector rests in initial position.
The buffer spring sends the firing unit into its front position. To deliver the next shot, the trigger should be released and depressed. As soon as the trigger is released the whole mechanism stays ready to fire.
Reloading is similar to the operations in a variable full-auto mode.

[url = http://club.guns.ru/images/video/an94.rm]AN-94 in operation: Real Video (450K)

Fig. 419. Location of the bayonet.
Fig. 420. AN-94, rear portion, with rotary peep-sight , buttstock hinge and buttstock release knob, with trigger mechanism release lever, magazine latch.


AN-94 Specifications
Caliber: 5.45 mm.
Cartridge: 5.45x39 mm.

Operation: gas-operated without regulator, locked breech with a rotary bolt, fires from the closed-bolt position.

Cyclic rate: 1,800 and 600 rpm, variable
Feed: black, fiberglass-reinforced polyamide, 30 round, two-position-feed, detachable box-type magazine.

Weight, empty and without magazine: 3.85 kg
Length, overall: 943 mm with stock extended,
728 mm with stock folded.

Barrel: chrome-plated bore and chamber, four-grooved RH rifling of one turn in 195 mm.
Barrel length: 405 mm.

Sights: round-post-type front sight inside protective frame, adjustable for both elevation and windage zero;
the notch on the upper part of the frame is intended to hold a pair of luminous capsules enabling the operator to conduct fire in twilight;
rear sight is a rotary asterisk-type diopter with a peephole in every of the five points located at different levels for various elevations;
two holes in the edge of one of the points are intended to hold two luminous capsules enabling the operator to conduct fire in twilight.

Finish: black phosphate.

Furniture: black fiberglass-reinforced polyamide buttstock, pistol grip, top handguard integrated with top cover and integrated carrier-stock.

Accessories: bayonet, sling, cleaning kit including cleaning rod; optical sight, night vision devices and underbarrel grenade launcher optional.


The latest news is that IZHMASH has just completed development of a new assault rifle, based on the prototype AS (PU-192), and chambered for the 7.62x 39 mm cartridge. The Abakan program is not over yet ! But this is a different story