MOSCOW, August 1. /TASS/. Russian Central Research Institute of Precision Machine-Building (TsNIITochMash, part of the state hi-tech corporation Rostec) has received an invention patent for modular firearms that can be easily converted into guns chambered for different calibers, the Institute’s press office reported on Thursday.

"The system patented by the Russian gunmakers gives a possibility to use both different calibers by replacing the barrel, the locking head and the magazine, and various types of gunstocks by standardizing mounts, making it possible even to install various trigger mechanisms. Besides, the system allows safely mounting all the modules on the frame, which simplifies the assembly and production of parts," the Institute said in a statement.

The barrel can be replaced without using any special tools, the statement says.

As TsNIITochMash specified, several types of modular guns exist in the world today. The patented German Mauser M03 hunting rifle is close to Russia’s new modular firearm system by its characteristics, the Institute said.

"However, it has serious drawbacks, first of all, the one-piece gunstock, which makes it inferior to the Russian invention. Secondly, its frame is heavy and difficult to handle and, thirdly, this model features the classical magazine attachment and trigger mechanism arrangement, which makes it impossible to reduce the gun’s length," TsNIITochMash explained.

The modular gun system being developed by the Institute features its complex central part’s functions distributed among different modules, which has made it possible to eliminate the faults that exist in similar foreign models, the Institute said.

The invention aims to improve the modular firearm’s ergonomics and the reliability of its operation, TsNIITochMash specified. A modular gun gives a hunter an advantage: instead of obtaining permits for several firearms, a hunter will get permission for a modular gun and will be able to change barrels to hunt for various types of game.