VPO Vepr 223

The VEPR Rifles and Carbines are sporting arms based on the famous Soviet designed RPK machine gun. VEPR rifles are manufactured at the historic Vyatskie Polyany Machine Building Plant (a.k.a. "MOLOT"). In the 1950's and 60's the MOLOT factory coped with a new product line and was the only producer of the 9mm Stechkin automatic pistols (APS), 7.62mm Kalashnikov light machine-guns (RPK). The years of political reconstruction changed much in the measured life of the plants staff. It was the time of great conversion which reduced the state order to the small arms. Prominent industrial capacities stood idle. The decision to organize the production of hunting and sporting firearms was taken by the administrative staff in a complicated situationof the post political reconstruction period. An experimental technicl group headed by Pyotr Mokrushin was created to carry out researh and development work. In 1994 the designers of this laboratory presented a "Vepr" autoloading hunting rifle chambered for the 7.62x39 cartridge. The year of 1995 was significant for the plant as teh first year when the "Vepr-308" autoloading hunting rifle designed for the 7.62x51 cartridge was produced. The "Vepr-308", "Vepr-Super", "Vepr-Pioneer", "Vepr-Hunter" rifles are only a small part of the Vepr family.