Design
The Type 81 incorporates elements of the Dragunov, SKS, and AK series of rifles. The design criteria it met included accuracy of 1.78 in R50, 50% of the hits within a 1.78 in diameter at 100 m; improved controllability in full-automatic; the same reliability of the AK but a longer service life to approximately 20,000 rounds; and the ability to use AK and SKS production tooling at the time.[10] Development was placed under Wang Zi Jun after the end of the Sino-Vietnamese border clashes in 1979.[9]
The rifle retains the general layout of the AK-47 and Type 56 assault rifles, but it has an SKS-like short-stroke gas-piston design and other improvements to reduce recoil and muzzle jump, giving better firing accuracy.[11] Notable physical differences from the Type 56 assault rifle include the stock of the rifle, the length of the action, bayonet, and the positioning of the front sight. The most easily distinguishable feature of the Type 81 is the more exposed muzzle part of the barrel. The front sight has been moved back as a modification to be able to fire 22mm rifle grenades, which are slid over the unobstructed barrel muzzle now formed into a spigot-type rifle grenade launcher.
A horizontal crossbar was added to cover the rear sight notch, as the finish on the non-hooded rear sight leaf on the Type 56 assault rifles were found to be wearing off during service in the Sino-Vietnamese conflicts (1979–1991), creating glares that disrupts the shooter's aim. The T-shaped aperture created by the addition of the crossbar could be used as a makeshift rear aperture in a pinch.
There is a significant gap between the trigger guard and the magazine on Type 81 rifles, while on the Type 56 assault rifle the magazine is adjacent to the front of the trigger guard.
The non-detachable swing-out spike-shaped bayonet of the Type 56 carbine and assault rifle was also replaced on Type 81 rifles with the detachable Type 81 knife-bayonet.[12]
Like its predecessors, the Type 81 is a series of weapons. The Type 81 (fixed stock) and Type 81-1 (folding stock) are 7.62×39mm caliber assault rifles with 30-round magazines, and the heavier Type 81 light machine gun (LMG) fitted with a 75-round drum magazine is used in the squad automatic weapon (SAW) role.[13] Its sight remains at the front of the LMG barrel.
The Type 81 can be fitted with a Picatinny rail, bipod, foregrip, and flashlight.[14] One such attempt to market Picatinny rails for the Type 81 came from Bao Wa, a Hong Kong-based law enforcement supplier.[15]
