P-53 assault rifle
| P-53 assault rifle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Assault Rifle |
| Place of origin |  Republic of Syara |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1953 - Present |
| Used by |  Syara |
| Wars | Granika Border War Hayren War Refusal War Imerti Conflict Zemplen War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Tanya Desislavova Yaneva |
| Produced | 1953 - Present |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3.70 kg |
| Length | 940 mm |
| Cartridge | 7.62x39mm |
| Action | Gas-operated rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 620 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 720 m/s |
| Effective firing range | 410 meters |
| Feed system | 30-round detachable magazine |
| Sights | Iron sights |
The P-53 is an assault rifle first developed by the Republic of Syara in the 1950s. Designed by gunsmith Tanya Desislavova Yaneva during the Occupation of Syara, the P-56 was designed as a general purpose automatic rifle intended to replace the various semi-automatic rifles that had been fielded by the Army of the Syaran Republic during the Siduri War. Yaneva, a daughter of a Siduri War veteran, was inspired by the proliferation of automatic weapons wielded by the occupying forces in Syara. With help from her father she designed and submitted the rifle to the Syaran Army, which after some testing and modifications adopted the rifle as the standard service rifle of the Armed Forces of the Syaran Republic. The P-53 would go on to become the basis for Syaran assault rifle design into present day, and earned a reputation for reliability and ease of use.
The P-53 is a gas-operated, select fire rifle with a rotating bolt capable of semi-automatic and automatic fire. It fires 7.62x39mm rounds in a detachable magazine. While the original variant of the rifle carried a fixed wooden stock, the most commonly produced models carried the distinct folding stock. The P-53 was mass produced by the Republic following its adoption and saw extensive service over the course of the rest of the 20th Century. Later modernized variants include the P-79 and P-95 rifles, although the P-53 remains in use among the Syaran Strategic Forces and the Realm Defense Forces of Syara. The P-53 became an icon of Syara's post-war rearmament and resurgence and has been featured prominently in popular media and literature. The rifle and its descendants are still affectionately referred to by Syaran soldiers as "Tanya's Rifle".