AS assault rifle

AS Val
The AS VAL (Special Automatic Rifle)
Type	Assault Rifle
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1987–present
Used by	Russian Federation
Wars	First Chechen War and Second Chechen War, 2008 South Ossetia war, War in Donbass, Insurgency in the North Caucasus (used by Russian special forces)
Production history
Designer	Pyotr Serdyukov
Designed	1987
Manufacturer	Tula Arms Plant
Unit cost	Unknown
Produced	1987
No. built	Unknown, estimated to be relatively low due to its production costs.
Variants	VSS "Vintorez", SR-3 "Vikhr"
Specifications
Weight	2.5 kg (5.51 lb) empty
Length	875 mm (34.4 in) stock extended / 615 mm (24.2 in) stock folded
Barrel length	200 mm (7.9 in)
Cartridge	9x39mm SP5 and SP6 also PAB-9
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	900 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	295 m/s (968 ft/s)
Effective firing range	300 m
Maximum firing range	400 m
Feed system	20-round detachable box magazine (optional 10-round magazine from the VSS or 30-round magazine from the SR-3M)
Sights	Front post, rear sector sight; day or night-time optics

The AS «Val» (Avtomat Special'nyj Val, Russian: Автомат Специальный Вал or Special Automatic Rifle, code name: "Shaft", GRAU designation 6P30) is a Soviet-designed assault rifle featuring an integrated suppressor. Development of a special rifle (AS) "Shaft" began in the first half of the 1980s in the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (), in the city of Klimovsk, Moscow region. The lead designer of the rifle is .

It was developed in 1987 by (Central Institute for Precision Machine Building). Since 1987, it was added to the arsenal of the Soviet Army and the KGB and is used by Russian Spetsnaz special forces and the MVD, FSB, OMON, SOBR, GRU, and select units of the Russian Army.

Due to the rifle being both expensive and in limited quantity, it is very rarely deployed according to some Russian Spetsnaz operators. It is deployed in special operations that are either sabotage or reconnaissance units behind enemy lines and is a favorite of Spetsnaz operators.

Its effective range is approximately 300 m, as it uses heavy subsonic 9x39mm SP-6 (high-performance armor-piercing) ammunition, as well as the SP-5 ball round used by the VSS Vintorez suppressed sniper rifle. It can also use the same 10 or 20-round magazines as the VSS. Controls are similar to all AK-type rifles with charging handle on the right side, tangent rear sight, magazine release button behind the magazine well, and safety lever above the trigger guard. The fire selector is, however, located within the trigger guard, behind the trigger. The "Val" has two modes of fire, semi-automatic and fully automatic fire at a rate of 900 RPM. According to its users, the "Val" is reliable, accurate, and well liked.