Chuckie’s Toy: It’s not child’s play…

Brahma

23 Oct 2009

DIY Vityaz by Chuckie "Renegade Cow" and this is written by him and reported by Brahma.Among the growing community of military enthusiasts, many have come to admire and idolize Russia's special purpose regiments Spetsnaz (спецназ). However, there is one unit which distinguishes itself among the elites: the Vityaz (Витязь, "Knight") counter-terrorist forces.

Because of the importance of their role, the Vityaz are catered with the country's top-of-the-line equipment, armor and ordnance much to the extent that one particular submachine gun was tailor made from their demands. Formerly outfitted with the PP-19 "Bizon", the members of the team requested for a superior and more reliable assault weapon for close-quarters combat. Adapting to a conventional box magazine instead of a helical one and chambered for the 9x19 Parabellum/NATO, the PP-19-01 was made by Izhevsk Mechanical Works (Izmash) to meet their demands. In fact, the new weapon had not only met their needs but actually exceeded them and so the gun had been dubbed with a name after the units' own.

Despite the numerous models of Russian federation small arms that have been replicated into airsoft form, none exist for the Vityaz. My desire for one was only reinforced by this fact and so I came to the conclusion that making one would be my only resolve.

The real PP-19-01 actually shares a lot of details with more modern Kalashnikovs, which led me into choosing a CYMA AK74 as a base. However, as the butt stock on my donor gun is of a fixed configuration, I had to modify the receiver to fit the correct folding stock as well as its locking mechanism.

Using a receiver already with a folding stock equipped would be the easier and logical route but I was constrained by what I had. Also, a large portion off the receiver had to be cut to emulate the real guns shorter receiver being made to take pistol rounds.

Because the receiver was shortened, all of the front parts had to be moved backwards which proved to be a major hurdle in keeping the internal airsoft working of the gun functional. The sight block, outer barrel, and hop chamber had to be modified so that the alignment of the gearbox against the magazine would not be altered.

The magazine itself (MP5 magazine chosen as closest analog) had to be modified, chopping off material from the front and back in order for it to fit and feed into the AK hop chamber.

One defining feature of the Vityaz is its plastic magazine well. I had to fabricate this part completely from scratch out of PVC. The part simply holds the magazine steady making the AK magazine latch engage properly against the modified magazine. Other details such as the barrel, dust cover, and dummy bolt had to be chopped down to size. I also had to modify and install an AKS74U-type gas block for the shortened look.

Although a lot of details are lacking from my modifications to make it done, I've accomplished so much with a budget well under $100, a time span of three weeks, and access to minimal power tools such as a jigsaw, drill and a dremel tool. I'll still pursue to refine this project into a complete replica but only later on in the future as I come across the parts needed; I'm having enough fun as it is using it in skirmishes and having show-and-tell discussions with friends and interested onlookers alike.

Quick Note on Chuckie’s Vityaz
by Ogre

Sporting a slightly shorter length than an AKS-74U, the Vityaz features a modified receiver, receiver cover and bolt carrier. It has been modified further with a PVC mount for the folding stock and a PVC magwell that accommodates a modified MP5 magazine. The muzzle break is fabricated out of aluminum.

Since the base gun for this project is an AK, it retains the Version 3 gearbox and the HOP-UP assembly, and adopts a battery compartment suited for stick-type battery packs.