RK 62
Finnish 7.62 mm caliber assault rifle
The RK 62 (Finnish: Rynnäkkökivääri 62, lit. 'Assault rifle 62'), officially 7.62 RK 62 and commercially M62, is an assault rifle manufactured by Valmet and Sako. It is the standard issue infantry weapon of the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF).
History
The development of a Finnish assault rifle in 7.62×39mm Soviet intermediary cartridge began in the 1950s. Various foreign models were looked at, the Soviet AK-47 being the most important.
The RK 62 was designed in 1957–1962 by a Valmet engineer Lauri Oksanen and is based on the Polish licensed version of the Soviet AK-47 design.
In October 2025, the Finnish Defence Forces announced that they intend to replace the RK 62 with a 5.56x45mm rifle by the end of the decade. The replacement is part of a plan to switch to NATO-standard calibres for all small arms in Finnish service.
Design
The RK 62 uses the same 7.62×39mm cartridge as the AK-47. Between 1965 and 1994 350,000 M62 rifles were produced jointly by Valmet and Sako.
The RK 62 has a three-pronged flash suppressor, and a groove for a specially designed knife bayonet, which can be used alone as a combat knife.
The public source identifies “RK 62” as finnish 7.62 mm caliber assault rifle. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Finnish, caliber and assault.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “RK 62”, the useful work is to connect “finnish 7.62 mm caliber assault rifle” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q291078. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1957, 1962, 2025 and 1965.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “RK 62”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow RK 62 primary sources, RK 62 archive and Finnish research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “RK 62”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “RK 62” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.