Russia / USSR
76.2 mm/59 (3") AK-726
Updated 19 November 2008
This gun was developed between 1954 and 1959 as the ZIF-67.  It successfully went through extensive trials in 1958-59 and then through shipboard trials in 1960-62.  Production started in 1963 with a total of 104 mounts being manufactured between 1958 and 1964.

This weapon was operated by a Fut-B control system which could control the guns against aircraft flying at speeds from 1,150 to 1,780 fps (350 to 650 mps) and at altitudes from 1,370 to 19,685 feet (500 to 6,000 m) and at ranges of up to 11 miles (18.3 km).  It could also be used against ship targets at ranges up to 5 miles (8.2 km).

Used a monobloc barrel with spring receiver.  The barrels were in a common cradle and the automatic mechanism operated from recoil forces.  This gun is not water-cooled during the firing, but during breaks between firing sea water was pumped through the barrels.  It usually took between two and three minutes to cool the guns.  The turret has an unusually deep cleft, so that the guns can be mounted aft of the center of the trunnion so as to be able to achieve high elevations.
WNRussian_3-60_ak726_Krasny-Kavkaz_pic.jpg

Krasny-Kavkaz, a Kashin Class guided missile destroyer, in 1985
U.S. Navy Photograph No. DN-SC-86-00469
WNRussian_3-60_ak726_pic.jpg

Close up of 76.2 mm (3") mounting
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Gun Characteristics
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Designation 76.2 mm/59 (3") AK-726
Ship Class Used On Kiev (Pr.1143), Kara (Pr. 1134B), Kynda (Pr.58), Kashin (Pr.61), Modified Kotlin (Pr.56U), Krivak I (Pr.1135), Ivan Rogov (Pr.1174), Koni (Pr.1159), Petya I (Pr.159), Grisha III (Pr. 1124M), Mirka (Pr.35) and Dobrynya Nikitich (Pr. 97P) Classes
Date Of Design 1954
Date In Service 1963
Gun Weight 1,810 lb. (821 kg)
Gun Length oa 176.54 in (4.484 m)
Bore Length N/A
Rifling Length N/A
Grooves 24
Lands N/A
Twist N/A
Chamber Volume 225.8 in3 (37 dm3)
Rate Of Fire 45 rounds per minute
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Ammunition
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Type Fixed
Weight of Complete Round AA (ZS-63) - 27.34 lbs. (12.4 kg)
FRAG (OF-62) - 27.34 lbs. (12.4 kg)
Projectile Types and Weights AA (ZS-63) - 13.0 lbs. (5.9 kg)
FRAG (OF-62) - 13.0 lbs. (5.9 kg)
Bursting Charge AA (ZS-63) - 1.06 lbs. (0.48 kg)
FRAG (OF-62) - 0.88 lbs. (0.4 kg)
Projectile Length AA (ZS-63) - 13.98 in (355 cm)
FRAG (OF-62) - 13.98 in (35.5 cm)
Propellant Container Type and Weight Cartridge - 14.33 lb. (6.5 kg)
Propellant Charge 6.72 lb. (3.05 kg)
Muzzle Velocity 3,215 fps (980 mps)
Working Pressure N/A
Approximate Barrel Life 3,000 rounds for barrel
5,000 rounds for automatic mechanism
Ammunition stowage per gun N/A
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Range
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Elevation With 27.34 lbs. (12.4 kg) AA (ZS-63) Shell
Max. Ballistic Range 17,169 yards (15,700 m)
Max. Ceiling 12,030 yards (11,000 m)
Lethal Radius Against Aircraft 26 feet (8 m)
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Mount / Turret Data
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Designation Twin Mount AK-726
Weight 25.24 tons (25.642 mt)
Elevation -5 / +85 degrees by hand
-2 / +84 degrees with hydraulics
Rate of Elevation 1.2 degrees per second by hand
30 degrees per second with hydraulics
Train -164 / +164
Rate of Train 1 degrees per second by hand
35 degrees per second with hydraulics
Gun Recoil 17.64 - 21.06 in (44.8 - 53.5 cm)
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Data from
"The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems 1991/92" by Norman Friedman
"Entsiklopedia Otechestvennoi Artillerii" (Encyclopedia of Fatherland [Russian] Artillery) by A.V. Shirokorad
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Special help from Vladimir Yakubov