Over last decades, counter-terrorism operations became very important for most ‘civilized world’ law enforcement organizations. Increased terrorism threats plagued Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, and over recent years local law enforcement organizations, especially the FSB – Federal Security Service, formulated requirements for some specialized equipment to deal with modern threats. One type of such threats is well-armed terrorists, equipped with relatively long-range weapons such as assault rifles and wearing body armor or hiding behind some sort of a barrier, such a car body. To engage such threats at stand-off ranges without causing unnecessary alert, in 2002, FSB requested development of a silenced sniper rifle, with an effective range of up to 600 meters. Existing silenced weapons, such as VSS or VSK-94 sniper rifles, which fire 9×39 subsonic ammo, are not up to the task, as their effective range is limited to 300-400 meters maximum against unprotected targets and is only about 200 meters or less against targets wearing body armor. Their accuracy at extended ranges also is not entirely sufficient.

Development program, codenamed “Vychlop” (exhaust) was handed over to a design team at the State-owned Central Design and Development bureau of Hunting and Sporting arms (TSKIB SOO), located in the city of Tula. The team started its work with development of a new subsonic sniper round, provisionally titled as STs-130. It is built upon a .338 Lapua Magnum case, shortened to 54 mm (2.125 inches) and necked out to 12.7mm (0.5 inch). Three types of projectiles were developed for this round – PT, PT2 and VPS. The first two are standard jacketed ball and solid brass bullets respectively, intended for sniping and the latter is a composite AP bullet with hardened steel/tungsten core exposed at the nose. Muzzle velocity with all bullets is about 295 m/s (970 fps). Bullet weight is about 48 gram (740 grains) for least expensive solid brass PT2 bullet, 59 gram (910 grains) for jacketed PT bullet (with typical Russian steel/lead core and gliding metal jacket) and 76 gram (1,173 grains) for VPS armor-piercing bullet.

With ammo at hand, the design team developed a new weapon, which was first displayed to the Russian public in 2005. Known officially as VKS – “Vintovka Krupnokalibernaya Specialnaya” – special large caliber rifle, it was originally built in very small numbers and issued to elite anti-terrorism units of Russian FSB. As time progressed, the VKS and its ammo apparently proved itself well enough to warrant more extensive acquisition and issue to regional SWAT-type law enforcement teams across the Russia, such as OMSN, SOBR and OMON.

The VKS rifle is a manually operated bolt action rifle of bullpup layout. It is built on the receiver, made from stamped steel, with a polymer stock/housing. The straight-pull bolt action employs a four-lug rotary bolt which locks into the barrel extension. The charging handle can be installed by the user on either side of the rifle, according to his preferences. Feed is from a detachable box magazine, made of plastic, with 5-round capacity. The manual safety is located on the left side of the stock behind the magazine. Obviously, this is not the best position for the safety switch, but over time Russian users used to live with ergonomics, optimized by and for production engineers rather than shooters. The rifle is provided with a detachable, screw-on silencer of impressive size and rather conventional design, made of steel. The front part of the silencer body contains a multi-baffle assembly, while its rear part is filled with a spool of fine steel mesh. Apparently, the rifle can be safely fired with the silencer removed, although this is not listed in the manual.

To provide necessary stability when firing, the rifle is equipped with an integral folding bipod, which can be folded up and rearward to be stored in the recess made at the bottom of the stock, in front of the trigger guard. The lever at the front of the trigger guard is the bipod lock/release.

Sighting equipment includes an integral Picatinny rail on top of the receiver and a set of back-up iron sights on folding bases. Unlike most Russian firearms, VKS has aperture-type rear sight, adjustable through micrometer screw and with two range scales on either side, for ball and AP rounds (which, due to different projectile weight, have noticeably different ballistics). The rifle is usually supplied to users with two sights – daytime variable-power 4-12X telescope of local manufacture or image-intensifying night sight with 6x magnification (also of Russian manufacture), with Gen 2+ or Gen 3 sensor, depending on particular departments’ funding. Other standard accessories include spare magazines, soft carrying bag, cleaning kit and manual. Ammunition is supplied in plastic boxes each containing five rounds, with bullet type pressed into the box cover.

Unfortunately, limited availability and high cost of the STs-130 ammo precluded informal test firing of VKS at the time of this writing. But it appears that in trained hands the VKS can live up to expectations delivering deadly and accurate sniper fire to ranges of up to 600 meters. Another interesting aspect of this rifle is that it is rumored to serve as a starting point for ongoing development of several new sniper weapons, including a long-range sniper rifle with similar hand-operated action and bullpup layout, chambered in .300 Lapua Magnum and .338 Lapua Magnum, as well as semiautomatic rifles of similar layout, also chambered for potent .338 Lapua ammunition. So far, no official info emerged on these weapons, but it appears that TSKIB SOO is making good progress with at least some of these prototypes.

VKS rifle specifications:

Weight: with empty magazine and silencer, less scope: 6.5 kg (14.3 lbs)
Overall length: 1125 mm (44.3 inches) with silencer, 650mm (25.6 inches) without silencer
Magazine capacity: 5 rounds
Muzzle velocity: 290-295 m/s
Maximum effective range: 600 meters
Accuracy at 100 meters, R100:
With PT and PT2 ‘sniper’ ammo – 35mm or less (1.5 MOA or less in five-shot groups)
With VPS ‘enhanced penetration’ ammo – 70mm or less (3 MOA or less)

It must be noted that listed accuracy is ‘factory guaranteed,’ that is, every rifle fresh out of the factory, shoots no worse than listed above. Many rifles can shoot noticeably better but actual accuracy may vary depending on many factors.

By the late 1980s, special operations elements of the Soviet Army, Internal Affairs Ministry and KGB were well equipped with silenced weapons which covered most bases and practical ranges. However, the rise of organized crime and political disturbances in the USSR during the late 1980s increased demand for other types of weapons, previously overlooked by Soviet “Force Departments.” In 1989, the 9th Department of the KGB, which was responsible for VIP protection, issued a request for a compact, easily concealable automatic weapon which would be significantly more powerful than the old Stechkin APS machine pistol, the preferred weapon of many Soviet VIP security teams of the time. The request was handed over to the Central Institute of Precision Machine Building (TsNII TochMash), a state-owned organization that was responsible for the development of most specialized small arms.

The feasibility study at TsNII TochMash began by converting a silenced 9×39 AS assault rifle. The bulky integral suppressor was discarded and the ports in the barrel blocked by a compact steel jacket, pressed over the muzzle part of the barrel. A new front sight was fitted and the weapon was tested as the MA – “Malogabaritnyj Avtomat Vikhr” (small-sized automatic rifle, code-name “Whirlwind”). The test of the MA showed enough promise to warrant further development, which was commenced under the factory designation RG051. The main goal was to make the new weapon as compact and concealable as possible. To achieve this, the rigid side-folding shoulder stock was replaced by a somewhat less comfortable but less space-consuming top-folding stock, and the fixed charging handle, which protruded from the right side of the gun, was replaced by dual sliders located above the fore end. To achieve faster transition from carry to combat mode, the safety lever was redesigned to provide easier handling, and was made ambidextrous. The top-folding stock was fitted with a powerful spring that automatically opened it into the ‘ready’ position once the user hit the lock button. The latter feature didn’t survive for long, however, as during one of the early demonstrations to senior KGB executives, one unlucky officer hit the lock button without knowing its effect, and got hit in the face with the automatically unfolding buttstock.

The first pre-production RG-051 weapons were delivered to the KGB in 1991, and after extensive field testing in 1996 the new weapon was designated SR-3 and adopted by the KGB’s successors, the FSB (Federal Security Service) and FSO (Federal VIP Protection Service). The weapon was manufactured by the same TsNII TochMash organization and on the same machinery that was (and still is) used to manufacture the suppressed AS and VSS weapons. Like many other TsNII TochMash products, the SR-3 was a ‘niche’ weapon. It was mostly intended for VIP protection, although some elite counter-terror units in Russia also got hold of these compact but powerful guns, which are well suited for CQB scenarios when opponents could be wearing body armor or hiding behind hard barriers. Despite the lack of the sound suppressor it was an excellent weapon for many police duties, but it was too expensive and too optimized for concealed carry. A demand arose for a weapon with similar capabilities, firing similar 9×39 ammo, but of more affordable cost and with better tactical flexibility. The famous Instrument Design Bureau (KB Priborostroenija or KBP in short) decided to fill this niche.

The goal of the new development, which was carried out with the company’s own funds, was to create a new CQB weapon for police use that would be lighter than the ubiquitous Kalashnikov 5.45mm AKS-74U compact assault rifle, while offering better stopping power and barrier penetration. Additionally, the new weapon had to be relatively inexpensive to make and maintain. These desired targets were achieved by selecting the 9×39 subsonic AP ammo as the core of the new system, which was designated 9-A91. Other goals were achieved by designing a new weapon from scratch, using standard manufacturing techniques and dispensing with the Kalashnikov heritage.

The new weapon was also gas operated and utilized a more or less conventional rotary locking bolt, but it was almost a kilogram lighter than AKS-74U without the magazine. Extensive use of steel stamping and forming technologies helped to keep the cost down, and the first batches of the 9-A91 weapons were delivered to the MVD users in 1994. Since the original 9×39 SP-6 AP ammunition was quite expensive, KBP also took the time and effort to design a less expensive alternative, the PAB-9 AP cartridge in the same caliber. It also used a steel core but this was made by stamping rather than machining, and other cost-saving measures were introduced in the bullet manufacture. As a result, this cartridge worked well in the 9-A91, but caused excessive wear to the barrels of the AS, SR-3 and especially VSS weapons in the same caliber. For this reason, production of the PAB-9 ammunition, which was manufactured at the Tula Cartridge works, ceased by the late 1990s.

Following initial field testing of the 9-A91, KBP responded to user requests by improving the weapon. The primary changes, introduced in 1995, included a quick-detachable suppressor and a side-rail for mounting optical sights. Since the rail occupied most of the left receiver wall, the safety/fire selector lever was moved to the right side of the gun.

In view of the initial success of the 9-A91, KBP decided to build a family of weapons using the same basic design. One approach they tried was to convert the 9-A91 to fire pistol-caliber ammunition, such as the 7.62×25, but only one or two prototypes were built. Another approach was to try and develop a more economical alternative for the VSS silenced sniper rifle, firing the 9×39 SP-5 sniper ball ammunition. Work on this version commenced in 1994, and shortly afterwards a new weapon was offered to all law enforcement organizations across Russia. Designated VSK-94, it was nothing more than the 9-A91 rifle, hand-picked at the factory for best accuracy, and fitted with a non-folding skeletonized shoulder stock and a PSO-1-1 4X telescopic sight, calibrated for 9×39 ammunition. VSK-94s were also equipped with the same quick-detachable suppressors as the post-95 9-A91 rifles. These sniper rifles also retained the selective-fire capability of their parent weapon. Both the 9-A91 and the VSK-94 became quite popular among Russian law enforcement units, especially various OMON and SOBR SWAT-type teams that were engaged in fighting terrorism and organized crime. Since 2004, the VSK-94 has also been officially adopted by the Russian Army to complement the somewhat more accurate, but also more expensive, VSS sniper rifles used by Army Spetsnaz and reconnaissance units.

During the early 2000s, TsNII TochMash decided to develop a similar weapon to the 9-A91 to extend its market presence. The new SR-3M compact assault rifle, which is now in limited use by various FSB and police Spetsnaz units across Russia, is a mix of the original features of the AS and SR-3 weapons. Basically, it’s the AS rifle fitted with a non-ported barrel, a new fore end with an integral folding fore grip, and the new quick-detachable suppressor, so it can be fired in both suppressed or standard configurations depending on the mission profile. Also, in response to end user requests, TsNII TochMash developed a new 30-round magazine to complement the older 10- and 20-round magazines, manufactured for the AS, VSS and SR-3.

According to end user reports, both the SR-3M and 9-A91 weapons are excellent CQB tools. Both have the traditional high reliability of Russian military small arms and provide significant stopping power and hard barrier penetration at ranges of up to 100-150 meters (the SP-6 AP bullet can go through 6mm of mild steel at 100 meters range). Both can be used with suppressors as required, and both are often fitted with low-magnification telescopic or red-dot sights. The VSK-94 is also popular for short-range precision work, although its accuracy is certainly not up to the demanding standards of Western police snipers. With SP-5 ball ammo it can deliver 2-4 MOA accuracy at ranges of up to 300-400 meters, which is usually enough for its intended role. For more accurate work, police units are usually equipped with more traditional sniper rifles firing more powerful 7.62x54R ammunition, such as SVD or SV-98.

Many exclusive photos were kindly supplied by Russian Police Spetsnaz operators who prefer to remain anonymous except for their semi-official call signs “Karden” and “Junker81”.

Specifications and technical descriptions

Ammunition

All 9×39 ammunition is loaded into Berdan-primed steel cases with a lacquer coating. No headstamps are provided on SP-5 and SP-6 ammunition. SP-5 bullets are fully jacketed, with a tombac-plated steel jacket. The core is of the combination type – the front part of the core is made from steel, the rear part from lead. SP-6 bullets are semi-jacketed with the same tombac-plated steel jacket, but the pointed steel core/penetrator projects from the front of the bullet and the space between the penetrator and the jacket is filled with a thin layer of lead. The penetrator is made from hardened tool-grade steel and usually separates from the jacket when hitting armor plate or other hard barriers: the penetrator goes inside the target while the jacket remains outside the barrier/armor plate. When hitting soft armor or body tissue the SP-6 bullet normally stays intact, thus ensuring conformity with international conventions on warfare. Penetration for the SP-6 cartridge is usually listed as 7-8 mm (about 1/3 of an inch) of mild steel at 100 meters, or “guaranteed penetration of Class Three body armor at 400 meters.” The “Class 3” body armor, according to Russian standards, ensures protection against all conventional pistol rounds as well as against standard 7.62×39 ball bullets, fired from an AK assault rifle. The SP-5 bullets are unmarked, while SP-6 AP bullets are marked with black paint over the tip of the bullet.

The PAB-9 ammunition offers performance similar to that of the SP-6, but may cause excessive wear to the barrels of the AS, VSS and SR-3 weapons, so it should be used only in the 9-A91 and VSK-94 rifles. Unlike the SP-5 and SP-6 ammunition, the lacquered steel cases of the PAB-9 ammo bear standard Tula Cartridge Works headstamps with factory code, year of manufacture and caliber information. PAB-9 bullets are also marked with black paint over the tip of the bullet.

Newest in the line of 9×39 cartridges is the SPP “Sniper, Improved Penetration” loading, which features a hardened steel core, exposed at the nose like in SP-6 AP bullet, but the core is noticeably shorter. It is marked with blue tip and accuracy-wise it is on par with SP-5 ball (ballistics are also the same), but its penetration against body armor is close to the SP-6 AP. Not surprisingly, it is most expensive version of all 9×39 variants currently in production.

SR-3 and SR-3M Compact Assault Rifle

The SR-3 is a gas operated, selective-fire weapon. Its receiver is machined from a steel forging for improved strength and durability. The long-stroke gas piston is located above the barrel and is rigidly attached to the bolt carrier. The rotating bolt has six radial lugs and locks into the receiver. The bolt charging arrangements on the SR-3 consist of dual sliders, located above the barrel. To manually cycle the bolt, the user has to grip these sliders with his fingers and pull to the rear, then release. When the gun is fired, the sliders remain stationary. To facilitate manual bolt closure in the event of a failure to close the bolt completely, the right side of the bolt carrier has a tear-drop shaped and serrated dimple, accessible through the ejection port. When required, the user has to put his finger into this dimple to force the bolt carrier forward. The SR-3M reverts to a conventional cocking handle, permanently attached to the right side of the bolt carrier.

The trigger unit is somewhat similar to that of the Czech-made Sa.Vz.58 assault rifle, and is striker-fired. The striker spring is located below the bolt return spring, and both springs are assembled into the captive unit with spring guides and a polymer bolt buffer attached to the rear plate of the unit. The safety levers are ambidextrous and located above the trigger guard. On the SR-3M, the non-ambidextrous safety lever is similar to the one found on all Kalashnikov-type rifles. The fire mode selector is a separate cross-bolt button (on SR-3) or lever (on SR-3M), located within the trigger guard, just behind the trigger. The selector positions are marked with white dots on the pistol grip: three dots on the left side mark the full-automatic setting, and a single dot on the right marks the single-shot mode.

The flip-up rear sight has an L-shaped blade with settings for 100 and 200 meters. Both front and rear sights are protected, and the sight line is relatively short. The SR-3M is provided with a typical Russian side rail mount that accepts standard scope mounts; in view of their CQB role, these weapons are often fitted with red-dot sights.

The SR-3 is equipped with a compact muzzle brake/flash hider and cannot accept any suppressor. The quick-detachable suppressor for the SR-3M is of a conventional expansion type. It has seven baffles made from stamped steel and welded into a single removable unit. The suppressor is attached to the gun via short threads at the base of the modified flash hider/muzzle brake, with a plunger-type lock below the muzzle. The service life of the suppressor is normally equal to that of the entire gun system.

The furniture of the SR-3 consists of a short polymer fore end, a polymer pistol grip and a top-folding shoulder stock made from stamped steel. The SR-3M is fitted with a side-folding skeletonized shoulder stock, borrowed from the AS rifle, which is made of steel tubes with a plastic buttplate. It folds to the left side of the gun and does not interfere with the controls so the weapon can be fired with the stock folded. The SR-3M is also provided with an integral folding fore grip attached to the front of the fore end.

The SR-3 is usually issued with 10- and 20-round double stack, double feed magazines, made from plastic, and compatible with the AS and VSS rifles. The SR-3M rifle can use the same magazines but is normally issued with newly developed stamped steel magazines with a 30-round capacity.

9A-91 and VSK-94

The 9A-91 rifle is a gas operated, selective-fire weapon that utilizes a long-stroke gas piston, located above the barrel, and a rotating bolt with 4 radial lugs. The charging handle is located on the right side of the bolt carrier. (It was welded solid on early production guns, or can be folded up on current production guns.) The safety/fire selector lever was located at the left side of the receiver on early guns (made before 1995), but has since been relocated to the right side to clear space for the sight mounting rail. The safety/fire selector lever on both 9A-91 and VSK-94 has three positions and allows for single shots and full automatic fire. The receiver is made from steel stampings and the fore end and pistol grip are made from polymer. Feed is from a double stack, double feed straight box magazines with a 20-round capacity, made from stamped steel. These magazine are not interchangeable with other families of 9×39 weapons, such as the AS / VSS / SR-3.

The barrels of the 9-A91 and VSK-94 are threaded at the muzzle. Early production 9-A91 rifles were issued with spoon-type muzzle flip compensators, but current production guns of both types are issued with screw-on suppressors of typical multi-baffle design. When the suppressor is not fitted, the muzzle threads are protected by a simple screw-on nut. Both guns can be routinely fired with or without the suppressor, depending on the mission profile.

The stamped steel buttstock folds up and above the receiver when not in use. On the VSK-94 the polymer buttstock and pistol grip are made as a single unit and can easily be detached for storage or transportation. The pistol grip on the VSK-94 is hollow and is used to store the muzzle protector nut when the suppressor is installed on the gun.

On the 9-A91 the L-shaped flip-up rear sight has settings for 100 and 200 meters range. On the VSK-94, the rotary rear sight is “+” shaped and has 4 settings, from 100 to 400 meters, but it is most often used with a 4X PSO-1-1 telescopic sight or some type of night sight, installed using the standard side mount on the left side of the receiver. 9A-91 rifles are often used with some type of red dot sight, more often than not of non-standard, aftermarket variety, as standard issue Russian red dot sights are usually far too heavy and bulky.

As discussed in previous articles on the subject, Soviet Army Spetsnaz troops and specialized KGB personnel (which acted both in and out of country) possessed a significant arsenal of silenced and noiseless handguns. The nature of the Spetsnaz operations, however, was much broader and often required the engagement of targets at longer ranges without attracting undue attention. The simplest and earliest approach was tried during World War II, when NKVD and Army recon units were issued with the so called “Bramit device” – a clip-on silencer for a Mosin-Nagant M1891/30 rifle, developed shortly before the war by the Mitin brothers. This was a more or less conventional expansion type silencer with two rubber baffles. It was to be used only with a special reduced charge 7.62x54R ammunition, loaded with standard “L” type ball bullet and about 1/3 of the standard powder charge. Rifles equipped with Bramit silencers were used throughout the war to good effect behind German lines, taking out sentries, guard dogs and other obstacles.

After the war the Soviet Army changed its main rifle from the long and powerful but slow-firing bolt-action rifle to the much more compact and somewhat less powerful (in terms of bullet energy, not firepower) assault rifles. During the late 1950s Soviet designers developed the first quick-detachable silencer for the Kalashnikov AK assault rifle. Known as the PBS (Pribor dlya Beshumnoj Strelby – device for noiseless firing), this device had a cylindrical body made of two halves, like a clam-shell, with the hinge at the front of the cylinder. Inside it had 12 baffles, machined integral to the semi-cylindrical walls of each half of the device. The halves were held together at the rear by the screw-on end-cap, which also had an interface (threads) for the rifle barrel. The device was also fitted with an additional rubber baffle, which was used to increase barrel pressure during the discharge and thus ensure reliable gas operation with reduced subsonic loads.

During the early 1960s this design was improved – the silencer body was made as a hollow steel cylinder, closed at the front, and the baffles were made as separate units, inserted from the rear and held inside by the screw-on end cap. The rubber baffle (which has a service life of about 200 rounds) was retained. These silencers were to be used only with “US” type reduced charge ammunition, which fired a specially designed bullet of increased weight at subsonic velocities. The typical 7.62×39 “US” round was loaded with a bullet weighing 12.5 grams (193 grains), propelled to a muzzle velocity of about 270-290 m/s (885-950 fps). As time passed, the nature of typical targets and the potential operation profiles for Spetsnaz troops changed.

For one, the NATO forces began to issue body armor on increased scales, and the basic combination of the AKM + PBS + US ammo was no longer effective enough. As a result, during the late 1970s an R&D program for new Spetsnaz long arm was ordered. The task was handed over to the Central Institute of the Precision Machine building (TsNII TochMash), which was responsible for most of the developments in the field of special purpose small arms and ammunition in the USSR. By 1983 the two prime customers for the proposed weapons, the GRU (Army Intelligence Department) and KGB finally agreed on a set of technical requirements for a new silenced sniper rifle. The new R&D program was named “Vintorez” (“thread cutter,” as usual, the name has no practical meaning).

According to the specification, the new weapon was to be effective against enemy personnel at ranges of up to 400 meters. It also had to reliably penetrate a typical steel helmet at the same range. Live fire trials proved that the readily available 7.62×39 US ammo was not up to the task, and new ammunition had to be developed. Several approaches were tried, including combinations of the 7.62×25 TT case and 7.62 7N1 bullet (a sniper-grade bullet for the 7.62x54R cartridge). This ‘Frankenstein’ round was accurate enough, but lacked the necessary penetration and was soon abandoned. A shortened (to 28mm) and necked up 5.45×39 case combined with specially designed 7.62mm AP bullet was tried next. This round showed much potential, but a change in requirements, which happened in 1985, effectively killed it. The reason for this was that the GRU and KGB now also requested a silenced assault rifle, firing the same type of subsonic ammunition, but capable of penetrating military-grade body armor (with steel or titanium armor plates). After examination of the updated requirements the developers decided to create a completely new family of rounds, capable of the necessary accuracy, range and penetration while maintaining subsonic muzzle velocities.

The new ammunition was based on the readily available 7.62×39 M43 steel case, necked up to 9mm and loaded with long and heavy bullets. For sniper work, the developers created the standard steel/lead core jacketed ball bullet. For assault work they also created a special AP round with a hardened steel core that projected forward from the jacket. Upon impacting armor plate, the bullet jacket is stripped off and the penetrator is then free to punch a neat hole through the plate, the underlying Kevlar and the poor guy who happened to cross the path of the Spetsnaz operator. The sniper ball round was designated 9×39 SP-5, and the assault/AP round the 9×39 SP-6. With ammunition now available, the designers quickly finalized the design of the sniper rifle, which was officially adopted by the Army and KGB in 1987 as the 9mm Vintovka Snayperskay Specialnaya VSS – 9mm Special Sniper Rifle.

This rifle was quite unusual by typical western standards for a sniper rifle. It was not only semiautomatic, but actually a select-fire weapon, issued with 10- and 20-round magazines. Noise reduction was achieved by using a fairly conventional silencer, made of steel and integrated into the gun design. The rifle was normally equipped with a 4X PSO-1-1 telescopic sight (the same as used on the Dragunov SVD rifle but with a different reticle, adapted for the 9mm round) or the NSPU-3 night sight. Both sights were installed using a standard side rail on the left side of the receiver. Iron sights were provided in the standard configuration as a back-up measure. The rifle was quite compact, reliable, and accurate enough for its intended purpose, and quickly became very popular among its users. Once the design of the sniper rifle proved itself satisfactory, it was quickly modified into a silenced assault rifle, with a minimum of modifications. The basic gas operated action remained the same, but the wooden skeletonized stock was replaced with a metal side-folding stock, and some minor changes were made to the barrel to better withstand automatic firing (the VSS was to be used in full automatic mode only under emergency conditions).

The new rifle was designated 9mm Avtomat Specialnyj AS (AS Special Automatic rifle), and put into production alongside the VSS at the Tula arms factory. The AS is also often referred in literature as ‘Val’ (“Shaft”), as it was the codename for the project used during its development. Like the VSS, AS became quite popular among its users, and is still widely used by special elements of the Russian army and law enforcement units. The VSS and AS were used during the closing years of the Soviet campaign in Afghanistan, but earned their real fame during several bloody campaigns against separatists, Muslim terrorists and various bandits in Chechnya, a mountainous semi-independent republic within the Russian Federation.

The AS and VSS were prized by both sides for their stealthiness and excellent stopping power, especially when compared with the “tiny” 5.45 bullets fired from standard issue AK-74 assault rifles. The AS became very popular for MOUT operations, especially for house clearing, as it was not so loud as to deafen the operators and their teammates when firing indoors, and was lethal even when firing through barriers and body armor. The opposite side also respected these weapons and paid premium prices for 9×39 guns and ammo on the black market. (Some sources said that one could buy a used car in good shape for the money offered by terrorists for an AS or VSS plus a useable amount of ammunition back in the mid-1990s). These weapons also became quite useful for other police operations, mostly against organized crime such as drug trafficking. The problem was that both the AS and VSS were relatively expensive to produce, and during the turbulent 1990s funds were scarce for many (if not most) law enforcement organizations throughout Russia.

There was the market niche, and there were other organizations willing to fill it and earn some much needed cash to survive the hard times. One such organization was the Central Design Bureau for Sporting and Hunting Arms (TsKIB SOO), located in the city of Tula. During the early 1990s, the design team, lead by V. Telesh, designed two 9×39 weapons, intended for law enforcement use. To ensure a low cost of development and manufacture, both were based on the proven and tried Kalashnikov action, or, to be more precise, on the AKS-74U compact assault rifles, which were manufactured at the Tula Arms factory (TOZ) located nearby. The first of two weapons, known as the OTs-12 “Tiss,” was no more than the standard AKS-74U, rebarreled for the 9×39 ammunition, fitted with a new bolt with an enlarged breech face, and with newly developed 20-round magazines made of steel. The design of the OTs-12 was finalized by 1993, and a pilot batch was manufactured by TsKIB SOO, which had its own small-scale production facility. This pilot batch was distributed to some LE organizations across Russia, but mass production never commenced, and the “Tiss” quickly faded out of sight.

The other weapon from same design bureau earned much more fame, despite the fact that its production life was hardly any more successful. The OTs-14 “Groza” (Thunder) was created as a modular weapon for urban combat and special operations, and was widely publicized in the Russian gun-related press during mid- and late 1990s. The same AKS-74U action adapted for 9×39 ammo (as used in OTs-12), was put into the bullpup configuration to reduce the overall length in the ‘combat’ position. Modularity was achieved by supplying the gun with a detachable 40mm underbarrel grenade launcher firing standard Russian VOG-25 ‘caseless’ FRAG grenades, a quick-detachable silencer, an assault forward grip and a telescopic sight. That allowed the operator to configure his basic weapon according to the upcoming mission profile. Typical configurations were an ‘assault carbine’ with the forward grip, a ‘grenadier’s rifle’ with the underbarrel grenade launcher, a ‘silenced carbine’ with the silencer installed and, finally, a ‘para-sniper’ with a 4X telescopic sight fitted and a silencer where necessary. This sounded very promising but the basic design had some serious issues, some inherent to its parent Kalashnikov-type action, and some not.

The first issue was that the rifle ejected to the right and it was impossible to fire it from the left shoulder (a feature that can be quite useful during MOUT/CQB operations). Second, all the basic controls (bolt handle and safety/fire selector) remained in their original places on the receiver, way out of reach for the bullpup layout. Third, for some unknown reason, Telesh decided to use a single trigger for both rifle and grenade launcher. In the GL configuration, the user had to switch the single trigger between the rifle and the GL by rotating a lever, located on the left side of the trigger unit, through a 180 degree arc – hardly an intuitive operation, which can take precious seconds during the stress of combat. Nevertheless, TsKIB SOO managed to manufacture several hundred of the OTs-14 rifle kits, and sell these to some LE units and organizations across Russia. Production of the OTs-14 lasted between 1995 and 1998, with several hundreds made, and some OTs-14 rifles still can be found in various law enforcement armories across Russia. It must be noted that today OTs-14 rifles are seldom used in real operations, due to the lack of spares and the overall wear and tear of the guns, without even considering the ergonomic flaws listed above. The AS and VSS rifles, on the other hand, are still in production and in active service with the Russian Army and various law enforcement agencies.

Specifications and technical descriptions

All 9×39 ammunition is loaded into Berdan-primed steel cases with lacquer coating. No headstamps are provided on SP-5 and SP-6 ammunition. SP-5 bullets are fully jacketed, with a tombac-plated steel jacket. The core is of the combination type – the front part of the core is made from steel, the rear part from lead. SP-6 bullets are semi-jacketed with the same tombac-plated steel jacket, but the pointed steel core/penetrator projects from the front of the bullet and the space between the penetrator and the jacket is filled with a thin layer of lead. The penetrator is made from hardened tool-grade steel and usually separates from the jacket when hitting armor plate or other hard barriers: the penetrator goes inside the target while the jacket remains outside of the barrier/armor plate. When hitting soft armor or body tissue, the SP-6 bullet normally stays intact, thus ensuring conformity with international conventions on warfare. Penetration for the SP-6 cartridge is usually listed as 7-8 mm (about 1/3 of an inch) of mild steel at 100 meters, or “guaranteed penetration of Class Three body armor at 400 meters.” The “class 3” body armor, according to Russian standards, ensures protection against all conventional pistol rounds as well as against standard 7.62×39 ball bullets, fired from an AK assault rifle.

The description below is for the AS “Val” assault rifle. Differences with the VSS are noted where appropriate.

The AS is a gas operated, integrally silenced weapon. The receiver is machined from a steel forging for improved strength and durability. The long stroke gas piston is located above the barrel, and rigidly attached to the bolt carrier. The rotating bolt has six radial lugs and locks into the receiver. The front part of the barrel, ahead of the gas port, has several sets of holes drilled at the bottom of the rifling grooves. These holes are used to bleed some of the gun gas into the integral silencer.

The trigger unit is somewhat similar to that of the Czech-made Sa. Vz.58 assault rifle, and is striker-fired. The striker spring is located below the bolt return spring, and both springs are assembled into the captive unit with spring guides and a polymer bolt buffer attached to the rear plate of the unit. The safety lever is similar to the one found on all Kalashnikov-type rifles, but the fire mode selector is a separate lever located within the trigger guard just behind the trigger. The lever positions are marked with white dots on the pistol grip – three dots on the left side mark the full-automatic setting, and a single dot on the right marks the single-shot mode.

The tangent-type rear sight has a typical U-notch and is graduated up to 400 meters in 25 meter increments, but the actual effective range is about 200-300 meters due to the rainbow-shaped trajectory of the subsonic bullets. It is interesting to note that both rear and front sights are installed on the silencer body rather than on the barrel or on the receiver. The front sight is a protected post that can be adjusted for zeroing. The side rail for day/night scope mounting is machined on the left side of the receiver. The VSS has a slightly different rear sight, which is graduated for SP-5 sniper ball ammunition, with settings between 100 and 420 meters, in tens of meters. Between 100 and 200 meters the sight is graduated in 50-meter increments (“10”, “15” and “20”), but beyond 200 meters the graduations are in 20- and 30-meter increments, that is “22”, “25”, “27”, “30”, “32” and so on until “42”.

The integral silencer is of a conventional expansion type. Its rear part, which is located around the barrel, serves as an expansion chamber and the front part has four baffles made from stamped steel and welded into the single removable unit. The silencer is attached to the gun via the short thread at the front of the barrel and its co-axial alignment with the bore is ensured by the supporting ring installed on the barrel at the front of the handguard. The lock is located at the bottom of the handguard. The silencer is removed from the gun only for maintenance, transportation or storage; firing the gun with the silencer removed is prohibited due to safety and reliability concerns. The service life of the silencer is normally equal to that of the entire gun system.

The furniture of the AS consists of a short polymer fore end, a polymer pistol grip and a side-folding skeletonized shoulder stock, made of steel tubes, with a plastic buttplate. It folds to the left side of the gun and does not interfere with the controls so the AS can be fired with the stock folded. The VSS has a similar fore end, but the Dragunov-type shoulder stock is made from laminated wood and is integral with the pistol grip. It can be detached for transportation and storage, thanks to the dovetailed mount located on the bottom of receiver just behind the trigger guard. Both weapons have standard sling swivels.

The AS is optimized for high performance armor piercing 9x39mm ammunition, designated SP-6, but can also fire “ball” type SP-5 ammunition intended for VSS sniper rifles. The VSS, which is optimized for SP-5 ball ammo, can also fire SP-6 AP ammunition, but it is not normally recommended due to increased wear of the accurized barrel. The AS is usually issued with 20-round double stack, double feed magazines, made from plastic. VSS rifles are usually issued with 10-round plastic magazines of similar design, which are compatible with 20-round magazines.

The AS is most often used with basic iron sights, although some users try and customize their weapons to better suit their preferences and the combat environment. The VSS is usually issued with the 4X PSO-1-1 telescopic sight or with the NSPU-3 IR/night sight, using special quick-detachable mounts, installed on the side rail.

The OTs-12 “Tiss” is similar in design to the Kalashnikov AKS-74U compact assault rifle in all but a few details. The major differences are the bolt face, adapted to the larger cartridge head diameter (as compared with the standard AKS-74U bolt), the new barrel with the muzzle brake/compensator instead of the flash hider, and the new magazine made of stamped steel. The sights are similar in design to the parent weapon but re-calibrated for 9×39 ammunition. The rear flip-up sight has settings for ranges of 100 and 200 meters, due to the limited range of the subsonic ammunition. Despite the fact that the basic ammunition for the OTs-12 is optimized for use with a silencer, no such attachment was ever offered for the OTs-12.

The basic action of the OTs-14 rifle hardly deserves any attention, as it is a direct copy of the standard Kalashnikov AKS-74U action. The receiver, however, is slightly modified and a detachable receiver extension, made of polymer, is added below the barrel in front of the receiver. This extension serves as the base for the installation of the removable pistol grip and trigger unit. The opening at the base of the receiver, which is normally used for the trigger, is protected by a stamped steel cover, pinned in place, and the new, removable forward trigger group is linked to the sear via a push-rod which passes through the forward receiver extension and the bottom of the receiver around the magazine housing. The pistol-grip/trigger unit is locked to its base by a protruding lip at the front and the manually released lock at the rear. The lock is operated by a push-button located on the left side of the pistol grip unit in its rear part. The rifle is normally supplied with two pistol grip/trigger units, one standard and another combined with the grenade launcher. In the latter case, the unit has a large switch on its left side, which selects which barrel to fire – the front position of the switch is for firing the rifle, and the rear for firing the grenade launcher. The manual safety/fire mode selector for the rifle is retained from the parent Kalashnikov design, as well as the reciprocating bolt handle.

The stock of the weapon consists of a hinged buttplate, attached to the rear of the receiver. It must be unlocked and opened to the left before the gun can be disassembled. In the ‘assault carbine’ configuration the gun is equipped with a forward vertical grip with a tubular barrel extension, which has the purpose of holding the grip and protecting the holding hand from the muzzle blast. The front of the barrel is threaded and, depending on the configuration, accepts the forward assault grip, the detachable silencer or the protective muzzle nut.

The sights are installed on the short carrying handle, which is made integral to the gun. The rear sight has two alternative openings – a U-notch and an aperture, selectable to the user’s preferences through the 180-degree rotation of the circular rear sight blade. The range adjustment mechanism has four settings – for 50, 100, 150 and 200 meters, with a dial located on the left side of the carrying handle. Zeroing is achieved by adjusting the position of the front sight post. The sight line is quite short, and accuracy with open sights is somewhat limited. The carrying handle is provided with a proprietary quick-detachable mount for a telescopic sight, which is usually a fixed power 4X telescope. In the GL configuration, the barrel extension is fitted with the folding ladder-type grenade sight with range settings between 100 and 400 meters in 50-meter increments.

Feed is from detachable box magazines made from stamped steel with a 20-round capacity. Magazines are compatible with those originally made for OTs-12 “Tiss,” but are not compatible with plastic magazines made for the AS and VSS.

The detachable silencer is similar in design to the ones used for the AS and VSS, although the mounting arrangements are different and the barrel of the OTs-14 has no gas escape ports. The silencer body is made of steel with a screw-on end cap at the rear end. The rear part of the silencer, which is of larger diameter, serves as a large expansion chamber. The front part of the silencer contains five baffles, which are made from steel and spot-welded to two side struts to form a single removable unit. Late production silencers had their outer surface covered with a thin layer of rubber to provide some heat insulation and gripping surface.

The OTs-14 weapon was usually shipped in a special fitted case, containing the rifle, two trigger units (one standard and one integral with the grenade launcher), silencer, two magazines, sling, and a detachable forward “assault” grip.

As discussed in previous articles on the subject, by the early 1970s, Soviet Spetsnaz troops and specialized KGB personnel (which acted both in and out of country) already had some highly specialized and practically noiseless pistols with the 7.62mm S4M and MSP. The key problem with both of these was that either one was nothing more than a 2-shot derringer, which was more or less adequate for a last-ditch self defense weapon for secret agents, but certainly insufficient for Spetsnaz or KGB anti-terrorism units operators (the USSR also had its share of political terrorists, airplane hijackers and all other types of dangerous and organized crime).

Therefore, in the late seventies a requirement was set to develop a multi-shot, self-loading compact weapon that would fire internally silenced ammunition. The problem, however, was that existing ‘noiseless’ ammunition was either overly bulky (as in the case with the 7.62×63 PZAM cartridge), or badly suited to self-loading applications (as in the case with the 7.62×37 SP-3, which had a protruding telescoping piston and a case that was expanded at the neck during the discharge). Consequently, work commenced with development of new ammunition that was better suited for self-loading applications. Since the users of the proposed weapon were intended to operate in circumstances where foreign criminal investigation of results would be irrelevant, it was decided to use a specialized bullet optimized for penetration and stopping power at relatively low velocities. The new cartridge featured a flat-point, cylindrical bullet 35mm (1.38 inches) long, made of mild steel, with a brass driving band at the front. When fired, this bullet is said to penetrate a standard steel military helmet at 25 yards and still have sufficient killing power to disable the helmet’s owner. The new cartridge, designated as SP-4 (Spetsialnyj Patron 4 – Special cartridge 4), employed a bottlenecked case 42mm (1.65 inches) long, with short neck. The case is made of steel and is copper washed. When loaded, the bullet is fully seated in the case with its flat tip being flush with the case mouth. Below the bullet there’s a short steel piston, which separates the powder charge and the bullet. The piston’s diameter is larger than that of the cartridge mouth/bullet diameter, so when the powder charge is fired the piston jams itself in the cartridge mouth, sealing powder gases inside the case. Like its predecessor, the SP-4 cartridge uses standard primers which are securely crimped in the base. The cartridge is devoid of any headstamps or markings, save from a ring of red lacquer around the primer pocket in the base. The muzzle velocity of the 9.9 gram (153 grains) bullet is about 200 meters per second (655 fps).

With the new ammunition on hand, designers at the TSNII TochMash (Central Institute of the Precision Machine Building, the prime Soviet/Russian developer and supplier of Spetsnaz-type arms) commenced development of a new semiautomatic pistol to fire it. It took about three years to design and refine a quite unusual and unique firearm, which was adopted in 1982 as PSS (Pistolet Samozaryadnyj Spetsialnyj – special self-loading pistol): official military index 6P28. It was quite compact, being even shorter than the standard Makarov PM pistol, and featured a 6-round detachable box magazine, which greatly increased firepower compared to the earlier 2-barreled noiseless pistols. This pistol was soon issued to military Spetsnaz units that were to operate behind enemy lines, and to specialized KGB units, such as the famous anti-terrorism unit ‘A’ (better known as ‘Alpha’ group). Today the PSS can be found in armories of a large number OMON and SOBR (SWAT-type) units across the Russia that are engaged in operations against terrorism, separatism, organized crime and drug trafficking. Originally top secret equipment, today it is widely known among Russian gun enthusiasts and professionals alike, and offered for export to qualified foreign government buyers through the Russian state arms export agency, RosOboronExport.

Based on interviews with law enforcement operators who use the PSS in their line of duty (operating against drug dealers and armed separatists in the more troublesome parts of Russia), the PSS gets quite positive reviews. It is compact, reliable, and quite quiet when fired. It is often used to dispatch guard dogs and armed sentries, as well as during room clearing when entering especially tight corners. This author also was told that the PSS is a preferred ‘last resort’ weapon for many LE officers operating against terrorists in Chechnya, as it can be readily concealed, to be used in case of attempted capture of said officer by terrorists. (The proposed future of those officers, if captured by terrorists, is usually quite short and extremely painful).

While the PSS was quite successful for its intended purpose, it left something to be desired, and in around the turn of the 21st century the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) sponsored the R&D program called “Vorchun” (Grumbler). Exact requirements of this program were never published in the open press, but its final result is a rather unique sidearm, developed by the late Igor Stechkin – author of several weapons, including APS and APB machine pistols described in previous articles. This new weapon, known under its factory index OTs-38, as produced in Tula by KBP (instrument Design Bureau), looks like a more or less conventional double action revolver – until you take a closer look. It was officially adopted in 2002 but first displayed in public several years later.

OTs-38 fires the same 7.62×41 SP-4 noiseless ammunition as the PSS pistol described above, but it does not eject the fired brass automatically, and has a specially designed trigger unit with manual safety that allows for “cocked & locked” carry, which is impossible with the PSS that has a decocking safety borrowed from the Makarov PM pistol. Thus, the OTs-38 allows for more accurate first shots (at least in theory). It also has a built-in integral laser pointer, which may or may not have any real value for a special-purpose weapon like this, but nonetheless is a cool thing to have. In any event, the OTs-38 seems to be well favored by the personnel who use it (mostly in some territorial anti-terror units of Russian MVD and FSB). This author was unable to test fire either the PSS or the OTs-38, but was told by officers who did that the PSS is ‘almost noiseless’ (due to the slide cycling back and forth with a noticeable, although not loud, sound), and the OTs-38 is almost perfectly noiseless, with the only sound produced by the gun itself being the click of the hammer falling on the firing pin. In both cases the sound of discharge of SP-4 ammunition is almost inaudible, with no visible flash or smoke. Fired cases remain hot and under dangerous pressure from inside for some time after the discharge, but once cooled down, can be handled safely.

Description of the PSS Pistol

The PSS pistol is made almost entirely of steel except for the grip panels, which are plastic. The action is of more or less the usual blowback type, but the barrel is made from two parts. The front part of the barrel is rifled and fixed to the frame. The rear part, which contains the cartridge chamber, is allowed to recoil inside the frame against its own spring for a short distance. The slide return spring is located above the barrel, around the guide rod. When the pistol is fired, the rear part of the barrel and the slide initially recoil together. This is necessary to use the friction of the bullet, as it leaves the cartridge case and enters the barrel, to push the chamber and slide back for the reloading cycle. After some 6 millimeters (about 1/4 of an inch) of travel the rear part of the barrel is stopped against the frame and the slide recoils alone; as soon as the barrel stops, it then returns to battery under the pressure of its own spring, while the slide still moves back. At the very end of the slide recoil cycle, it catches the sliding barrel part to use its mass as a brake, to slow down the recoil and decrease the sound of the moving parts hitting the frame in their rearmost position. The extraction and ejection cycle is standard and, while all this may sound rather complicated, the gun actually works quite well. The trigger is double action, with an exposed hammer and a slide-mounted safety/decocker (overall trigger and safety design is similar to that of Makarov PM pistol). The magazine is single-stack, and the magazine release is located at the base of the grip. The sights are fixed; the rear sight blade is dovetailed to the frame.

Description of the OTs-38 Revolver

The OTs-38 resembles a traditional double-action revolver, but it has many uncommon features. First, it has a more or less common exposed hammer with double-action trigger, but the action is fitted with an ambidextrous manual safety, with levers located on either side of the frame, which allows for safe “cocked & locked” carry. Next, the OTs-38 fires from the bottom chamber of the cylinder, as opposed to most revolvers that fire from upper chamber. Therefore, the barrel axis of the OTs-38 is relatively low and muzzle jump is minimal. The large cylindrical housing located above the barrel of the OTs-38 contains an integral laser pointer/sight. The cylinder fixture is also of most unusual nature. The cylinder axis is hinged to the frame at the front, so once the cylinder release (at the left side of the frame) is pushed forward, the cylinder can be swung open to the right and forward (while on most modern revolvers cylinders are swung down and to the left). Upon the opening of the cylinder, an automatic ejector partially withdraws the clip with rounds (or empty cases) from cylinder. This unusual cylinder mounting is essential to provide minimum play between the firing chamber in the cylinder and barrel throat, since the SP-4 bullets are of pure cylinder shape, and thus cannot self-align itself with the barrel upon firing, unlike most conventional bullets that have conical or an ogive nose shape. Since SP-4 ammunition is rimless, it is loaded into the OTs-38 using special flat clips that hold 5 rounds together. As said above, the OTs-4 is fitted with an integral laser sight. It is also fitted with traditional fixed iron sights that have contrast white inserts.

PSS Specifications:

Caliber: 7.62×42 SP-4
Weight unloaded: 880 g (with integral laser sight)
Length: 191 mm
Barrel length: n/a
Magazine capacity: 5 rounds in special flat clip

OTs-38 Specifications:

Calibre / ammunition used: 7.62×42 SP-4
Weight, empty: 850 g empty
Length: 170 mm
Barrel length: n/a
Magazine capacity: 6 rounds

By Maxim Popenker

Soviet Spetsnaz troops played a key role in Soviet military doctrine, in both local operations (mostly in third world countries such as Afghanistan) and in possible global war in Europe. In either case, Spetsnaz required, among other things, weapons that could be used with at least some degree of stealth. The silenced 9×18 PB pistol, as well as 9×18 APB machine pistol, filled the bill for military-type silenced pistols, but only to the certain extent.

What is even more important to our story is that there was another customer of highly specialized small arms within the Soviet ‘power’ system – the all-mighty Committee of the State Security, or the KGB in short. Among other things, the KGB was deeply engaged in secret espionage and counterespionage operations across the world, with many undercover agents looking for western secrets while trying to keep Soviet secrets from Western rivals. This game, obviously, was quite dangerous and undercover agents sometimes were required to protect themselves with lethal force while maintaining maximum stealth. Another part of the game was political murders and termination of defectors, which also required highly specialized weapons for stealth execution.

The father of the current breed of such weapons in Soviet service was Igor Stechkin, author of the famous APS machine pistol. During the mid-fifties, he was requested by KGB to create a deep-concealment weapon, disguised as something that looks completely safe, and firing poison-tipped bullets without any noise or flash. To achieve the latter effect, Stechkin employed a rather old principle of capturing hot powder gases (prime source of the sound and flash during the discharge) within a confined space. The first attempts to produce weapons using this idea in the USSR can be tracked to just prior to WW2, when Soviet designer Gurevich converted a Nagant revolver to fire saboted .22 caliber bullets. Each bullet was loaded into standard 7.62mm Nagant cases using 7.62mm sabots. The muzzle of the revolver was fitted with a second cylinder with a tapered bore (7.62mm at the rear, 5.6mm at the front), so, when gun was fired, the bullet was able to pass through the front cylinder, while the following sabot was jammed in the tapered bore and captured most of the powder gases inside the barrel. After a short while both cylinders (mounted on the same extended axis pin) could be rotated for the next shot. After shooting, captured sabots were to be pushed out of the front cylinder manually. Of cause, such a system was extremely bulky and complicated. It also must be noted that simpler versions of the same concept were known (or at least patented) well before Gurevich. The author was able to find a U.S. patent No. 692,819, dating back to 1902 and titled “Means for effecting noiseless discharge of guns,” which describes a cartridge that contains an internal piston to capture powder gases within the cartridge case, once the piston has moved all the way to the front of the long case, pushing the bullet out with some energy.

The first noiseless cartridge developed by Stechkin was designated SP-1 (Spetsialnyj Patron 1 – Special Cartridge model 1). It was based on a 9×18 case, loaded with a special bi-caliber bullet and small piston, which was located between the bullet base and powder charge. The bullet had a front part of 7.62mm caliber, with the base being of 9mm caliber, and it was intended to be fired through the squeeze-bored barrel with decreased caliber muzzle. That way, the bullet base was squeezed to the 7.62mm and then free to exit the bore, while the piston was jammed in the bore, capturing powder gases inside the barrel. Of course, this system was to be used only in manually loaded single-shot weapons, and one such weapon (recently declassified) was made to imitate a tin cigarette case, with three 9/7.62mm barrels and firing mechanism fitted inside.

The SP-1 cartridge never went past the prototype stage, but within several years Stechkin designed his next internally silenced cartridge, known as SP-2. This one also contained a small powder charge behind the piston, but this time powder gases were to be captured inside the bottlenecked cartridge case, which looked somewhat similar to that of the 7.62×39 M43 round. Since the pusher piston was relatively short, and before discharge seated deep in the cartridge case, the bullet had to be made long, but relatively light. To achieve this, Stechkin used a metal jacket taken from an unassembled 7.62mm pistol (7.62×25) bullet and fitted it with an aluminum core that extended back from the jacket to rest on the piston.

This round apparently was produced in very limited numbers and used in some ‘Q-style’ weapons, such as the three-shot pistol disguised as a tin cigarette container. Also, it was probably used in the earliest model of the more convenient-looking two-barrel derringer-type pistol, which served as a predecessor to the MSP pistol described below.

The following part of the history is very dim at its best, but what is known is that in around 1965 the KGB, as well as its most important rival within the Soviet intelligence system, the GRU (Intelligence Department of the General Staff, Soviet Army), both adopted the “noiseless pistol complex,” which consisted of the integrally silenced 7.62mm cartridge, known as PZ (Patron “Zmeya” – “Snake” cartridge) and the 2-barreled, derringer-type pistol known as the S4. The PZ ammunition, which was the heart of the system, consisted of the machined steel case 63mm long, with screw-in base. It featured a tapered inner bore, with a single stage pusher piston inserted from the rear. A small amount of special propellant was loaded behind the piston, and the base was securely screwed in to form an air-tight, variable volume container for powder gases. The cartridge base itself was a complicated subassembly as it contained a standard primer, a small firing pin behind it, and a screw-in bushing to keep the primer and pin in the base under the pressure of powder gases. The projectile was inserted from the front. It was a standard 7.62mm pointed bullet as used in 7.62×39 M43 ammunition, with possible intent to fool the investigators and make them look for a sniper that fired an AK or SKS rifle from a stand-off distance, rather than to look for a secret agent that shot the target from almost point-blank range. Over time, the PZ cartridge evolved through several minor variations in the shape, design of the base plug and primer retaining arrangement, with the definitive version known as PZAM. It is believed that this weapon complex saw at least some use in the hands of the GRU Spetsnaz during the Soviet incursion into Afghanistan, and, in modified form (S4M pistol and PZAM ammunition) it can still be found in the armories of certain highly specialized units within the Russian Military and Internal Affair ministry.

Being more or less effective, the S4M apparently still left something to be desired, especially from the point of view of the plain-clothes agents of both KGB and GRU. Both pistol and ammunition were too heavy and bulky for intended use, and during the late sixties Igor Stechkin returned to his drawing board with the intent to design a more compact weapon of comparable performance. He started with the ammunition. The limiting factors in size and weight of the internally silenced ammunition are the strength of the case (which has to withstand high pressures without bursting even when removed from the chamber) and the length of the piston, which takes space between the bullet and the powder load. The case strength issue was apparently solved with the use of a special propellant of somewhat reduced power and by allowing the case to be fire-formed at the neck by the moving piston when fired, and the piston length was decreased with adoption of the two-part telescoped piston. Of course, the two-part piston is more complicated and thus expensive to make, but during the Soviet times KGB budgets were never short for new toys, and, in fact, it is possible that the overall new cartridge was still less expensive than the PZ series due to the use of a single-piece drawn steel case with conventional primer (crimped in the base) instead of the multi-part machined steel case of the PZ series. Load for the new round was the same M43 bullet, weighing 7.9 grams (122 grains), but the muzzle velocity dropped to about 145 m/s (475 fps), resulting in muzzle energy of only 83 Joules (61 Ft-Lbs) – about 2 times less than that of .32 Auto/7.65 Browning ammunition. This performance may look quite marginal at its best, but one must remember that this ammunition used relatively heavy pointed bullets, which provided better penetration than lighter, blunt-nosed pistol bullets, and, not less important, that this gun was to be used by highly trained personnel that knew where to put each bullet for maximum effect.

With new ammunition on hand (index SP-3, metric designation 7.62×37), Stechkin and his team at the Tula arms factory then developed another derringer-type, break-open pistol with two barrels, which was adopted by the KGB and Soviet military in 1972 as MSP (Malogabaritnyj Spetsialnyj Pistolet – small special pistol), and it still remains in limited service with elite units in Russian law enforcement (mostly in anti-terrorism units).

Shooting the Guns

The author was only able to fire the MSP, as the military facility which had both MSP and S4M in its reference collection was out of PZAM ammunition at the time. Loading the clip with two rounds was a relatively simple operation. The pistol was then loaded with the clip and cocked using the lever. Firing commenced from 15-meters range; off-hand. The noise of the firing was almost unrecognizable even in the indoor range and without earmuffs, and the loudest sound came from steel backstop behind the target being struck by the bullets. It is easy to imagine that, if being fired in the streets even in the quiet time, the shots will not be noticed unless someone will directly spot either the gun or the fallen target. The accuracy was rather acceptable – both bullets struck about an inch one from another (spaced vertically) very close to point of aim (about 2 inches below POI, in fact, but I personally would attribute that to the inaccuracy of the shooter rather than the gun). Penetration was not tested, but it seems that it was considered adequate for its intended purpose by those who used this gun in the line of duty.

S4M Noiseless Pistol

The S4M is a two-barreled pistol with tip-up barrels. Cartridges are loaded and unloaded in pairs, using a specially designed steel clip. The pistol has neither ejector nor extractor, as the clip is removed manually during reloading. The trigger is single action, concealed hammers being cocked manually by pulling down a special lever, located at the base of the grip. A manual safety is located at the left side of the frame, above the grip and, quite unusually, has three positions – topmost is for safe, middle is to fire only one (bottom) barrel, and bottom position allows firing both barrels consecutively by pulling the trigger twice. One might only speculate the reasons for this arrangement. Sights were fixed, with drift-adjustable rear blade. The barrel lock lever was located on the left side of the frame behind and slightly above the trigger. Not surprisingly, the gun is devoid from any manufacturer or model markings or proofs. Ammunition is also devoid from any headstamps and markings.

MSP Noiseless Pistol

The MSP is a two-barreled pistol with tip-up barrels. Cartridges are loaded and unloaded in pairs using a specially designed steel clip. The pistol has a special extractor that retracts the clip with spent cases partially from the gun, and then the clip is removed manually. The trigger is single action; concealed hammers being cocked manually by pulling down and to the rear a special two-piece lever located at the base of the trigger guard. A manual safety is located at the left side of the frame just behind the trigger. Sights were fixed with drift-adjustable rear blade. The barrel lock lever is located on the left side of the frame behind the breech area of the barrel cluster and must be pushed up for unlocking.

Like its predecessor, the MSP is devoid of any manufacturer or model markings or proofs. Ammunition is also devoid of any headstamps and markings.

MSP Noiseless Pistol

Trigger type: Single action
Caliber/Ammunition: 7.62×37/SP-3
Muzzle velocity: 145 m/s (475 fps)
Weight empty: 530 g (18.7 oz)
Length: 101 mm (4 inches)
Barrel length: N/A
Capacity: 2-rounds in separate barrels

S4M Noiseless Pistol

Trigger type: Singe action
Caliber/Ammunition: 7.62×63/PZAM
Muzzle velocity: 170 m/s (557 fps)
Weight empty: 600 g (21.2 oz)
Length: 147 mm (5.8 inches)
Barrel length: N/A
Capacity: 2-rounds in separate barrels

Soviet Spetsnaz troops played a key role in post-WW2 Soviet military doctrine, in both local operations (mostly in third world countries such as Afghanistan) and in possible global war in Europe. In either case, Spetsnaz required, among other things, weapons that could be used with at least some degree of stealth. The silenced 9×18 PB pistol was the first mass issue Spetsnaz silenced handgun. It was quite effective, but Spetsnaz was always on the lookout for the more firepower, and one request was for a weapon to match (at least partially) the western silenced 9mm submachine guns, such as the Sterling L34A1 and others.

At the time, submachine guns had no place in Soviet military doctrine, and the closest thing in the Soviet arms inventory was the 9mm Stechkin APS machine pistol. Many thousands of these guns were produced in the USSR during the mid-to-late fifties, and by the early seventies most were replaced by Kalashnikov assault rifles. For a variety of reasons, most APS pistols were withdrawn from service and put into storage. This large pistol featured a 20-round magazine, detachable holster/shoulder stock and a select-fire mechanism with rate reducer, which permitted for a controllable rate of fire of about 600 rounds per minute. Effective range, with shoulder stock attached, was 70-100 meters (although the sights were optimistically marked up to 200 meters). Holstered, this weapon was certainly more compact than most of the contemporary western submachine guns, although a wooden or plastic holster/shoulder stock added significant weight.

The task of designing a silenced version of the APS was handled to TsNII TochMash (Central Scientific Research Institute of Precision Machine building), the key Soviet R&D organization for Spetsnaz equipment and weapons. The development team was led by designer Neugodnov, and the modified weapon was provisionally marked AO-44. After mandatory tests and evaluation, this weapon was officially adopted for use by the Soviet Army in 1972, as “Avtomaticheskij Pistolet BeschumnyjAPB” – automatic noiseless pistol, official military index 6P13. All APB pistols were remanufactured at TsNII TochMash from old APS pistols, and thus bear manufacturing dates from the late 1950s. These pistols were widely used by Soviet Spetsnaz in Afghanistan and are still in limited issue with military and law enforcement of Russia and certain other ex-USSR states: although most were retired from service due to their age, and replaced by more effective and modern weapons.

The author had the chance to fire an APB at one of Russia’s military organizations, and was quite impressed with it. The heavy pistol, with addition of the large silencer, handles already mild recoil of the 9×18 cartridge quite well, in both semiautomatic and automatic modes. Due to the built-in rate reducer, two- and three-round bursts are easy to master; even single shots in full automatic mode are easy to obtain with minimal practice. The single-shot accuracy at 25 meters was hard to judge due to the age of the gun and the well-worn barrel, but it was generally acceptable. In full automatic mode and at 25 meters, when using the standard wire shoulder stock and two-hand grip (both hands holding the pistol grip), the author was able to put 3-4 round bursts into the area 4 to 6 inches in length (with hits spreading mostly in a vertical direction). With the left hand holding the silencer of the gun (with proper heat insulation provided by the piece of cloth wrapped around it) the vertical spread in short bursts can be further decreased by about 30%.

The sound of the firing is mild and roughly similar to that of powerful air-gun or .22LR rifle, although the slide slams back and forth with a loud metallic sound. The wire stock, supplied with APB pistols, is significantly lighter and more compact than the wooden stock-holster of the original APS, but the latter provides a better control over the weapon, at least by the author’s own impression. Unfortunately, no special holster was available for the APB at the time of the informal test, but almost any holster would be more comfortable to carry than the original wooden or plastic holster-shoulder stock of APS. In the field, the APB was carried in the leather flap-type holster with an integral pocket holding shoulder stock with the silencer attached to it. Spare magazines were carried in a double leather pouch, with two pockets each holding two magazines. The standard ammunition load for each APB issued for combat was 100 rounds (one magazine in the gun and four spares in pouch on the belt).

The Stechkin APS pistol, which served as a base for the APB, could in some respects be considered the first “Wondernine” – the high capacity, double action, nine-millimeter caliber pistol. Also, in some respects, it was still influenced by the pre-war machine pistols like the Mauser C96 Schnellfeuer, Astra Modelo F or Star MM. All considered, when originally issued, it failed to fill a predetermined niche as it was too bulky and heavy for a pistol and too weak for a carbine or submachine gun, still less an assault rifle.

The APB pistol is blowback operated, with a fixed barrel. To achieve subsonic velocities under all environmental conditions and with a relatively long barrel (the APS barrel was 140mm long and accelerated the standard 9×18 bullet to transonic velocity of 340 m/s), the barrel of the APB is ported. Two sets of radial holes are drilled, one near the chamber (four holes) and another about an inch from the muzzle (two rows of eight holes total). The barrel is then enclosed in the removable steel tube, which then flows the excessive powder gases forward to the muzzle and protects the internals of the gun from hot gases and burnt residue. This tube extends forward from the muzzle of the barrel for about an inch to provide a necessary mounting interface for a quick-detachable silencer. This interface consists of a single turn of the thread made on the outside of tube. In the original APS design, the return spring was located around the barrel. A new return spring of larger diameter was manufactured and the slide was machined from inside to provide more room for the enlarged diameter spring. During disassembly, the tube can be easily detached from the barrel once the slide and return spring are removed. This is necessary for routine cleaning and maintenance of the gun. Although the gun examined by the author was probably not cleaned for years, it ran flawlessly.

The trigger is double action with an exposed hammer. A three-position safety works as a fire mode selector (safe – semi – auto), and also forces the hammer to decock safely when the gun is set on “safe”. To provide controllable full automatic fire, the APB is fitted with an inertia-type rate reducer made in the form of a steel plunger that reciprocates up and down in the grip just behind the magazine channel. When the pistol is fired in full automatic mode, at the end of its forward movement the slide hits the plunger and forces it down against its spring while at the same time the hammer is held cocked by the automatic sear. Once the plunger completes its down-and-up cycle, it strikes the automatic sear and thus releases the hammer to fire the next shot. The magazine is of the double-stack type with a double feed with the magazine release located at the base of the grip. The sights are of somewhat unusual design with a fixed front and a range-adjustable rear. Rear sight adjustments are made by the rotation of a small drum, which has pre-sets for 25, 50, 100 and 200 meters range. The grip is slotted, originally to accept the shoulder stock-holster, which in the APB version was replaced by a detachable steel wire stock. The stock has spring-loaded clamps, which are used to attach a silencer to it for storage and transportation.

The quick-detachable silencer is of a relatively simple and robust design. It consists of a steel tube, open at the rear, and a steel insert that runs the entire length of the silencer and provides mounting surfaces on the rear and holds four steel baffles at the middle and front. Baffles are permanently welded to the insert, so for all practical purposes, the silencer can be broken down to just two parts: the outer shell and insert. To provide an unblocked sight line with the original sights, the silencer is of an eccentric design, with most of its volume being moved downward from the axis of the bore. It is probably not the most effective design, but it is certainly robust, can withstand rough handling and serve for years without any cleaning and maintenance. To protect the silencer from unscrewing itself through use, it has a spring-loaded lock.

Manual safety: a lever at the left side of the slide. Rotate lever forward and up to turn the safety on; rotate it down about 60 degrees (position marked with a dot) to turn the safety off for single shot mode. Rotate it all the way back to set to the automatic fire mode. When applied, the safety blocks the movement of the slide and decocks the hammer automatically.

Field stripping procedure: 1) remove the magazine by pressing the magazine release button; 2) check that the chamber is empty; 3) pull the trigger guard downwards, then swing it to one side to lock it in the open position; 4) pull the slide all the way back, then raise the rear of the slide to the top, and off the frame rails; 5) carefully ease the slide forward and off the barrel; 6) remove the return spring from the barrel; 7) rotate the gas evacuation tube left or right for 1/4 of a turn, then pull it forward and out of the barrel. Reassemble in reverse order.

APB Spetsnaz Pistol

Trigger type: Double / single action
Caliber / ammunition used: 9×18 PM
Muzzle velocity: 290 m/s (950 fps)
Weight, empty gun w/o accessories: 1100 g (2.4 lbs)
Weight, with silencer and shoulder stock: 1600 g (3.5 lbs)
Length: 780 mm (30.7”) with stock and silencer, 257 mm (10.1”) gun w/o accessories
Barrel length: 140 mm (5.5”)
Magazine capacity: 20 rounds

Soviet (Red) army and NKVD (Internal affairs) troops began to use silenced weapons during WW2. Those weapons included the Mosin M1891/30 rifle and Nagant M1895 revolver, both fitted with Maxim-type quick-detachable silencers known as “Pribor Bramit” (Bramit Device; Bramit was an acronym for Mitin brothers who developed the unit). The M1891/30 rifles were used with special subsonic ammunition (often hand loaded by troops, the process involved disassembling of the standard round, removing most of the powder charge and filling the empty space with some inert filler). Silenced Nagant revolvers were most often used with special ammunition, loaded to standard velocities (which happened to be subsonic) but loaded with a pointed bullet that ensured longer service life of the rubber baffle used in the Bramit silencer.

For some period after WWII, silenced weaponry disappeared from the Soviet military scene, as the minds were mostly occupied with stuff like nuclear bombs and missiles. However, with the appearance of NATO tactical nuclear missiles, which were located in Europe and aimed at the USSR, brought to life an idea of missile killers – elite stealth units capable of infiltration into the enemy territories to strike at missile launchers, C&C posts and ammunition dumps at the moment of “Hour X.” Obviously, such troops, known as “Voiska Spetsialnogo Naznachenija” (special purpose troops) or Spetsnaz for short, required some special weapons to operate in stealth mode, and silenced pistols were on the top of their shopping list.

The integrally silenced PB (Pistolet Beschumnyj – noiseless pistol, official military index 6P9) was introduced in 1967 for use by various Spetsnaz units. Manufacture of the PB pistols was stopped in the mid-eighties, but was resumed about fifteen years later due to constant demand for such specialized weapons. It was, and still is, made at the same factory that makes PM pistols – the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant.

The PB is based on the Makarov PM but heavily modified to accept a semi-integral silencer of unusual design. The pistol is designed to fire standard 9×18 PM ammunition, and to ensure that the velocity of the bullets remains subsonic regardless of the external conditions (i.e. temperature), the barrel has small ports that allow some of propellant gas to escape into the rear part of the silencer. The front part of the silencer can be quickly detached and is mounted onto the rear part by the means of an interrupted thread lock. The front part of the silencer contains three steel baffles that are formed from sheet steel as a single removable unit, and, while the pistol is intended to be fired with both parts of the silencer in place, in emergency situations it also can be safely fired without the front part of the silencer. The latch for the front part of the silencer is located at the front of the frame, just below the rear part of the silencer. The rear part of the silencer is filled with rolled steel mesh, which acts as a heat sink for powder gases. The sound signature in this case will be more significant, of course. The rear part of the silencer, that surrounds the ported barrel, is removed only for maintenance and inspection, and the pistol cannot be fired with the rear part of the silencer removed. The use of an integral silencer resulted in a shorter slide; because of that, the return spring is located inside the plastic grip panel, at its rear, and linked to the slide by the long swinging lever which is located at the right side of the grip frame, under the grip panel. The trigger unit is similar to the one used in the Makarov pistol, with a double-action trigger, an exposed hammer and a slide-mounted safety/decocker. Magazines also are the same as in the Makarov PM. The button located at the base of the trigger guard, on the left side of the grip, is not a magazine release – it is used to remove the grip panels for disassembly and maintenance. The magazine release is located at the base of the grip. Sights are fixed, with drift-adjustable rear blade, and equipped with two-dot luminous inserts (one dot at the rear sight under the notch, one on front sight) for night shooting. Grip panels were of wrap-around U-pattern, similar in shape but not interchangeable with grips of Makarov PM pistols. PB grips were usually made from brown-red plastic and featured checkered surfaces with a diamond-shaped symbol in the middle that replaced the standard star of the PM grips.

PB pistols were issued with special flap-type leather holsters, which had additional compartments for a separated front part of the silencer and a spare magazine. A PM-type cleaning rod was attached to the outside of the holster by two leather loops.

Disassembly for cleaning, inspection and maintenance was similar to the PM pistol, with additional steps to remove and disassemble the silencer and grip panels.

Firing the PB

The author had the chance to fire the PB at one undisclosed military facility in Russia, and found this experience quite enjoyable. The report of the gun, when fired fully assembled, is somewhat similar to the sound of a powerful airgun, except for the relatively loud metallic sound of the slide cycling back and forth. Ear protection is not mandatory when firing the PB. Accuracy in both slow and rapid fire at 25 meters was somewhat better than with the standard Makarov pistol, probably because of better (larger) sights and of more muzzle-heavy balance, which helped to recover from recoil for faster follow-up shots. The standard issue holster is good at keeping the gun protected from the elements and strapped to the body, but requires some time to assemble the gun for action. It is known that some real-life operators simply cut off the bottom of the holster so the gun could be holstered with the silencer attached, if it is required by tactical situation. There are reports about some hand-made shoulder holsters for the PB, which allowed carrying the assembled gun in a vertical position, with muzzle down; although the author has not observed any of these.

Specifications

Trigger type Double / single action
Calibre/ammunition 9×18 PM
Weight, empty 970 g
Length 310 mm assembled. 170 mm w/o detachable part of the silencer
Barrel length 105 mm
Magazine capacity 8 rounds