Valmet KvKK 62

The Valmet KvKK 62, 'Kevyt Konekivaari' or Light machine gun has been the mainstay of the Finnish armed forces since the late 1960s. Designed by Valmet in the 1950s the prototypes of the KvKK 62 began appearing in 1960 and it was commissioned into the FDF in 1962. But the first guns actually entered service in 1966. It is still in service with the FDF though it is thought to be on its way out and is being replaced with the PKM Kalashnikov GPMG.

The KvKK 62 is a relatively heavy machine gun, weighing in at 8.3 kg without ammunition making it somewhat unfit to be used as a SAW. It has a very high rate of fire between 1000 - 1100 rpm and uses the 7.62 x 39 mm NATO ammunition from 100 round belts in detachable round bags. Since the KvKK 62 uses the same NATO standard 7.62 x 39 mm ammunition as the assault rifles used by the Finnish defense forces, such as the Rk 62 and the Rk 95, the machine gun can quickly receive ammunition from riflemen if such a need were to arise.

The KvKK 62 is a gas operated, belt fed light machine gun using a tilting bolt mechanism similar to the Czech ZB 26 MG. The tilting bolt locks into the roof of the receiver, which is machined from solid steel. The recoil spring is housed in the hollow metallic butt stock. Having been designed to serve in cold Finnish conditions, the KvKK 62 does not have a trigger guard so that it can be used with thick gloves. This could also make it potentially unsafe as it could make the weapon susceptible to accidental fire. The KvKK 62 also does not have a quickly detachable barrel and the gun would have to be completely taken apart to facilitate a barrel change. On the field this could lead to overheating at sustained rates of fire.

The belt feed for the KvKK 62 is from the right side of the gun and the detachable round ammunition bag is clamped onto the receiver wall. The gun is considered to be clumsy looking with its hollow metallic butt and tubular pistol grip and is extremely sensitive to dust, dirt and humidity and requires a lot of caring for. A cleaning rod is provided for the gun, which is attached to the right side of the butt and receiver. The KvKK 62 comes with an integral folding bipod and a side folding carrying handle.