M1916 Fedorov: Russias First Assault Rifle

Cool Forgotten Weapons merch I have been trying to get my hands on Fedorov M1916 rifle for a while, and I finally had the opportunity at the NFC, part of the British Royal Armouries. The Fedorov was designed in the years just before World War One, and originally chambered for a proprietary 6. 5mm cartridge (also designed by Fedorov) and using a fixed magazine. It was a development of the understanding of infantry firepower that came from the RussoJapanese War, although Czar Nicholas II did not think it was a useful type of rifle. Once the Great War changed attitudes of many military figures, the Fedorov saw a comeback. Inspired by the tactical concept of the French Chauchat automatic rifle, Fedorov fitted the rifle with a 25round detachable box magazine and rechambered it for the 6. 5mm Arisaka cartridge (which Russia had supply of by way of the UK). In this new format, a small number were produced an br, br,