Already long time there is talk about the need to replace the obsolete PM pistol. Back in the 80s, the development of a promising pistol on the "Rook" theme was started. Samples were created that met the requirements of the military. These were pistols SPS, GSh-18, PYa and upgraded pistol Makarova PMM. The PMM pistol used 9x18 mm PMM cartridges with a lightweight conical bullet and an increased powder charge, the SPS pistol used powerful cartridges with a 9x21 mm armor-piercing bullet (the cartridge was made on the basis of a standard 9x18 mm cartridge case), 9x19 mm Para cartridges are used in GSH-18 and PYa, more precisely, their Russian counterparts 7N21 and 7N31 with increased bullet penetration. Let's delve deeper to understand the challenges faced by Russian gunsmiths.

First, let's go back to the post-war competition for a new pistol for the USSR army and militia.


Revolver Nagant was adopted in service in tsarist Russia and by the beginning of the Second World War it was considered a morally obsolete model. In Nagan, cartridges were used with a cylindrical bullet recessed into the sleeve with a low penetration and stopping effect. The advantages of the revolver were the simplicity and reliability of the design, the subsonic speed of the bullet and the ability to use a silencer, the absence of a breakthrough of powder gases between the drum and the barrel by pushing the drum onto the barrel, rather high accuracy and accuracy of fire at a distance of up to 50 m. The disadvantages include a weak cartridge and inconvenience of reloading the 7 charging drum.

The TT pistol was created in 1930 by the famous gunsmith Fyodor Tokarev and put into service under the name TT-33. The weapon uses an automatic recoil scheme with the barrel coupled to the bolt. The design is reminiscent of the Colt M1911 and Browning 1903 pistols. The 7.62x25 mm cartridges, created on the basis of the German Mauser cartridge, are used for firing. A 7.62 mm bullet carries an energy of about 500 J and has a high penetrating effect (capable of penetrating kevlar body armor without rigid elements). The pistol has a single-action trigger trigger in the form of a single block, instead of a fuse, the trigger is set to a safety platoon, the pistol uses a single-row magazine for 8 rounds. The advantages of TT include high accuracy and accuracy of fire at a distance of up to 50 m, a powerful cartridge with a high penetrating effect of a bullet, simplicity of design and the possibility of minor repairs. The disadvantages include insufficient stopping effect of the bullet, rather low survivability of the structure, danger in handling due to the lack of a full-fledged fuse, the possibility of spontaneous loss of the magazine when the latch tooth is worn out, the inability to effectively use the muffler due to the supersonic speed of the bullet, and the absence of self-cocking.

The Makarov pistol was developed in accordance with the requirements of the military in the 1947-1948 competition to replace the TT pistol and the Nagant revolver.

PM pistol

The weapon was put into service in the pistol-cartridge complex. For firing, cartridges 9x18 mm with a round-nosed bullet of 9.25 mm are used, which are slightly more powerful than the foreign cartridge 9x17 K. A bullet weighing 6.1 grams leaves the PM barrel at a speed of 315 m / s and carries an energy of about 300 J. Standard army ammunition has a bullet with a mushroom-shaped steel core for increased penetration on non-solid objects. The stopping effect of a blunt-nosed bullet is quite high on an unprotected target, but the penetrating effect leaves much to be desired. In the 2000s, a 9x18 mm PBM cartridge with an armor-piercing bullet weighing only 3.7 g and a speed of 519 m / s was created. The armor penetration of the new cartridge is 5 mm at a distance of 10 m, while the recoil momentum has increased by only 4%. A slight increase in the recoil momentum allows the use of new ammunition in old PM pistols.


Cartridges 9x18mm PBM

The pistol outwardly resembles Walter PP, but this is only an outward resemblance. The internal structure is significantly different from the German. There are 32 parts in the pistol, many structural elements perform several functions. The PM has a double-acting trigger trigger with a convenient and reliable safety device (it blocks the trigger, trigger and bolt), uses a simple automatic operation scheme with a free breechblock, a single-row magazine for 8 rounds is used in the pistol. This is one of the most powerful pistols with a similar operating principle. Accuracy of fire for a pistol of this class is quite normal and is not inferior to other compact samples. On the basis of the PM, a silent pistol for the PB special forces was created.

The advantages of the pistol include: the highest reliability in operation and a high resource, simplicity of design, self-cocking, compactness and absence of sharp corners, sufficient stopping effect of a bullet on an unprotected target. The disadvantages include: low bullet penetration, inconvenient trigger (a matter of skill), inconvenient location of the magazine latch, insufficiently high accuracy of fire in comparison with full-size army pistols, insufficient magazine capacity by modern standards.

Despite the moral obsolescence of the design, the PM is still long years will be in service with many CIS countries and satellite states of the USSR. The pistol was produced under license in the German Democratic Republic, China, Bulgaria, Poland and a number of other countries.

To eliminate the shortcomings of the PM in the framework of the "Grach" program, a modernized pistol was created, which received the name PMM.


PMM pistol

By design, unification with PM is about 70%. The pistol has modifications with a magazine for 8 or 12 rounds (double-row with rebuilding in one row). The design difference from the PM is the presence of Revelli grooves in the chamber to slow down the opening of the bolt when fired. For firing, high-impulse cartridges 9x18 mm PMM are used with an initial velocity of a conical bullet of about 420 m / s and a recoil impulse by 15% more than the standard one. It is forbidden to use new cartridges in a conventional PM because of the danger of destruction of the structure during prolonged firing with a more powerful ammunition.


Cartridge 9x18mm PMM with a conical bullet weighing 5.8 g.

Although one of the PM's shortcomings was eliminated - the insufficient penetrating action of the bullet, the modernization was never able to correct all the shortcomings old construction... The issue of increasing the accuracy of fire was not resolved, the store's capacity was still inferior to foreign counterparts of similar dimensions and weight, the store's spring worked with overvoltage. In addition to all this, the quality of weapons manufacturing fell sharply after the collapse of the USSR. Formally, the pistol was adopted by some services. The task of completely replacing PM in the army and police was not solved.

Another pistol developed under the Rook program was Yarygin's PYa pistol. Adopted by the army in 2003.


Yarygin pistol

The pistol uses the widespread interlocking breech automation scheme. The frame of the pistol is made of steel, although a version with a polymer frame has been created. USM pistol trigger double action, two-row magazine holds 18 rounds. For firing, cartridges are used 9x19 mm 7N21 with a speed of 5.4 g of a bullet of about 450 m / s. These cartridges are somewhat more powerful than their Western counterparts and have an increased penetrating effect of a bullet with a bare armor-piercing core.

The advantages of the pistol include: high accuracy of fire, good stopping and penetrating action of the bullet, good balance, large magazine capacity. The disadvantages include: poor workmanship (especially the first batches), low resource when firing 7N21 cartridges, insufficient reliability of the automation, angularity of the structure and the presence of sharp corners, a very tight magazine spring with sharp jaws.

With all its advantages, the PM turned out to be raw and could not fully replace the outdated PM. Many law enforcement officers preferred the old, reliable PM. According to some experts, the level of technology of the Yarygin pistol is the mid-70s and in this moment the pistol is inferior in many respects to foreign counterparts. On the basis of PYa, a sports pistol with a polymer frame "Viking" is produced, which has a weakened structure and a magazine for 10 rounds.

The next candidate for an army pistol was the Tula GSh-18. The pistol was created at the KBP under the supervision of two outstanding designers of missile and cannon armament Vasily Gryazev and Arkady Shipunov. Introduced into service in 2003. Produced in limited quantities since 2001.


Pistol GSh-18

The pistol has an automatic mechanism based on an interlocked bolt with a turn of the barrel, a striker-type trigger with two automatic fuses, a magazine capacity of 18 rounds. The frame of the pistol is made of polymer, the shutter-casing is stamped from 3 mm steel using welding, the barrel has polygonal grooves. The weapon is compact and lightweight. For firing, very powerful cartridges 9x19 mm PBP (index 7N31) with a bullet weighing 4.1 g, a speed of 600 m / s and a muzzle energy of about 800 J. th class of protection.


Cartridges from left to right: normal 9x19 mm, 7N21, 7N31

Advantages of the pistol: small dimensions and weight, good stickiness, high accuracy of fire, powerful cartridge with high penetrating and stopping action, large magazine capacity, high handling safety. Disadvantages: strong recoil due to the powerful cartridge and the low weight of the weapon itself, the front part of the bolt casing, open to the ingress of dust and dirt, tight magazine spring, poor workmanship and finish.

The pistol was adopted by the prosecutor's office and is an award weapon. On the basis of GSh-18, sports pistols "Sport-1" and "Sport-2" are produced, which have minor differences from the combat model.

The SPS pistol was developed in Klimovsk by Petr Serdyukov in 1996. It is in service with the FSO and FSB.


Pistol SR-1MP

The weapon was created for firing at an enemy protected by a bulletproof vest or an enemy in transport. The pistol has an automatic mechanism with a locked bolt with a swinging cylinder (as in Beretta 92). Due to this, when fired, the barrel always moves parallel to the shutter-casing, which increases the accuracy of fire. The frame is made of polymer, trigger trigger double action with two automatic fuses, the magazine has a capacity of 18 rounds, sights are designed for a range of 100 m. Powerful cartridges of 9x21 mm are used for firing. Ammunition SP-10 (armor-piercing), SP-11 (low-ricochet), SP-12 (expansive) and SP-13 (armor-piercing tracer) were created. The SP-10 cartridge has a 6.7 g bullet with an initial velocity of 410 m / s. The bullet has a bare armor-piercing core and is capable of penetrating 5 mm steel plate at a distance of 50 m or standard US police body armor.


Armor-piercing cartridges 9x21 mm SP-10

The disadvantages of the pistol include large dimensions and weight, the use of rare ammunition, the inconvenience of an automatic safety device on the handle for people with short fingers.

On the basis of the SPS, the SR-1MP pistol was created with an enlarged safety key, a Picatinny rail, a mount for a silencer and an improved shutter lag... V currently on the basis of the Union of Right Forces a pistol "Udav" was created and is being tested.

There were attempts to adopt foreign-made weapons, for example, the Austrian Glock or the Russian-Italian Strizh. But these pistols did not pass Russian state tests for reliability in harsh conditions. The developers of the Strizh pistol announced the possibility of using Russian armor-piercing cartridges 9x19 mm 7N21 and 7N31 in their pistol.

At the Army-2015 forum, a prototype of the Kalashnikov pistol designed by Lebedev PL-14 was presented. The pistol has an automatic mechanism with an interlocked bolt, a striker-type trigger, an aluminum frame and a magazine for 15 rounds. The ergonomics of the pistol are created taking into account the human anatomy, the pistol is very handy and easy to use. During its creation, the developers consulted with IPSC athletes. When shooting, the widespread in the world cartridges 9x19 mm are used. In the future, it is planned to manufacture a version of the PL-14 with a polymer frame and barrels of various lengths.


The prototype of the pistol of the Kalashnikov concern PL-14

The most promising, it seems to me, is the development from scratch of a completely new pistol-cartridge complex for a small-caliber pistol cartridge. The Belgian FN Five-Seven pistol of 5.7 mm caliber and the Chinese QSZ-92 of 5.8 mm caliber can serve as an example of successful implementation of pistols chambered for a powerful small-caliber cartridge into power structures. The Belgian uses a 5.7x28 mm cartridge with an SS190 armor-piercing bullet. The powder charge accelerates a light bullet weighing 2 g to a speed of 650 m / s. The bullet is capable of penetrating a bulletproof vest with a titanium plate 1.6 mm thick and a bag of Kevlar fabric in 20 layers. Cartridges with expansive and tracer bullets were created. The automatic pistol uses the principle of a semi-free shutter, the trigger is only double-acting, the magazine capacity is 20 rounds. The frame of the pistol is made of polymer, and the steel casing-bolt is covered with a polymer shell.

The pistol has become widespread among Mexican drug cartels for its ability to pierce a standard police body armor, and is also used by the US Secret Service.


FN Five-Seven pistol

Not much is known about the Chinese pistol. It uses cartridges 5.8x21 mm with a bullet weighing 3 g and an initial speed of 500 m / s. The bullet is capable of piercing body armor that protects against the standard army 9x19 mm NATO. There is a version chambered for 9x19 mm. The rest of the pistol is unremarkable and inferior to the Belgian competitor in cartridge power and magazine capacity.


Chinese pistol QSZ-92

In the USSR, a PSM pistol has already been created for a small-caliber 5.45 mm cartridge. The pistol was created for concealed carrying by the leadership of the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A bullet weighing 2.6 g had an energy of about 130 J, but due to its shape it pierced dozens of layers of Kevlar.

As you can see, pistols chambered for a powerful small-caliber cartridge have huge advantages over their larger-caliber counterparts. The argument of critics of small-bore weapons is supposedly a small stopping effect, but there are also expansive bullets. And besides, even an ordinary high-velocity bullet creates a vast pulsating cavity around itself. The main advantages are seen as a large ammo, high flatness of the trajectory due to the high initial velocity of the bullet, low recoil and toss of the barrel, good armor penetration and high lethality. So what prevents Russian gunsmiths from creating a worthy analogue, taking, for example, the bullet of a standard low-impulse ammunition 5.45x39 mm as a basis?

In work law enforcement combat weapons are not the main tool. However, in the past few decades, police and security forces have become heavily armed. V different countries you can see the formation and increase in the number of armed response groups (UK) and special weapons and tactics (SWAT, USA), mobile special forces, special squads rapid response (Russia). This fad is a reaction to the rise in armed crime and the spread of terrorism. The modern police arsenal is extremely diverse. Beyond the pistols various modifications it can include automatic and smooth-bore weapons and even grenade launchers.

Faithful companion - pistol

It is difficult to imagine a police officer on duty without personal weapons, although in life police officers do not carry weapons with them as often as in the cinema. In system small arms police revolver or pistol is not an auxiliary weapon, as in the army, but one of the main and most widely used types of weapons, available in most services and units. It is interesting that combat pistols were divided into police use and military (army) almost from the very appearance of self-loading pistols.

Since then, the police have received a large number of samples, varied in system, caliber and size. These are such compact models as the German "Walter" PP and PPK (old models, to this day copied in the world), and the "full-size" American "Smith and Wesson" models 539 or 5946, "Ruger" series P-89 - P -94, German-Swiss "ZIG-Sauer" of the P-220 family, and Austrian "Glocks", and used in special forces such powerful models as the Russian SR-1 "Vector" (systems of P.I. Serdyukov, in the army version - SPS) or American "Springfield Armory Operator".

In a number of countries, including Russia, police services are armed with basically the same models as the army. At the same time, the requirements of police officers for a pistol in terms of reliability and unification are somewhat lower - the city police, for example, are not very interested in the ability of a weapon to shoot after it has been wet for a day in a swamp. Requirements such as the safety of handling and the speed of the first shot are also very important, because shootouts often occur suddenly and at a distance of less than 25 m. Weight and dimensions are important - the pistol should not burden the owner too much. Looking, say, at the belt of a police officer on duty, we, in addition to a holster for a pistol and a pocket for a spare store, will see on it a loop for a baton, holders for a flashlight and a gas canister, covers for handcuffs and a working folding knife. In addition, the ratio of cost and required functionality is essential. This, for example, the ability to shoot from both hands, the presence of mounts for such devices as laser designators or illuminators of visible and infrared light. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Austrian Glock pistols are especially popular in the world of police models.

The first pistol of the Glock-17 family, which appeared in the early 1980s, did not make a bright military career, but in various calibers and modifications it was adopted by the security forces and police in about 60 countries, including countries with their own developed arms industry. For example, US FBI agents were armed with Glocks. Russia was also included in this list - 9-mm Glock pistols of modifications 17 (17T), 19 (19T) and 26 are included in the number of foreign weapons that were adopted by the internal affairs bodies in 2007 in addition to the weapons of domestic development. The Glock owes its success not only to its relatively moderate weight and size characteristics with a large-capacity magazine and the ergonomics of the weapon, but also to its relative cheapness - plastics are widely used in its design. Simply put, "Glocks" have a good balance between price and quality, therefore, many companies engaged in the production of pistols with plastic parts in different versions, which were counting primarily on the police weapon market: armies are armed with such pistols more carefully.

The variety of tasks solved by the police requires a wide selection of bullets and cartridges. These are bullets of increased penetration (since criminals use different personal protective equipment, and sometimes they have to shoot at cars), and bullets of increased stopping action, which quickly lose their destructive effect and are therefore necessary when shooting in crowded places. In addition, the police arsenal contains non-lethal cartridges - gas, traumatic.

From the "exotic"

Among the systems of police weapons, there are the most unexpected ones. Automatic pistols "Mauser" models 711 or 712, it would seem, have long found a place in museum collections. Meanwhile, on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, not so long ago, one could meet a soldier of the military police with a slightly modernized automatic "Mauser" - the old pistol was equipped with a stock with an additional hold handle and a shoulder rest. Other unusual designs were used by the Brazilian police. Her special forces used light machine gun"Madsen" Danish production in the version with a short barrel. Once upon a time, these long-obsolete machine guns were handed over to the police by the Brazilian army, where they peacefully coexisted with much more modern models. Police officers often have to carry with them, in addition to the main one, a spare pistol, as a rule, small-sized, designed for hidden carrying... The stock of cartridges and high rate of fire for such a weapon is a secondary issue, the main thing is its small size, ease of wearing, quickness of extraction and the first shot. It is not surprising that such an old type of personal weapon as the "derringer" - non-automatic pocket pistols with one, two or even four barrels, finds its application. True, they remain popular mainly in their historical homeland - in the United States.

Submachine gun

Submachine guns played a huge role in World War II. But with the advent of intermediate power cartridges, the scope of automatic weapons for a pistol cartridge began to sharply narrow. In service with the armies, submachine guns gradually replaced machine guns, assault rifles and carbines. The main consumers of submachine guns were various police services and formations special purpose.

Whatever tasks the fighters of law enforcement agencies solve - whether they are patrolling roads and settlements, guarding an object or freeing hostages - they, as a rule, have to conduct a fleeting firefight at short distances. The decisive factors are the compactness of the weapon, the speed of opening and transferring fire, and the stopping effect of the bullet. The relatively low power of the pistol cartridge makes it possible to make the weapon small and light without sacrificing reliability and controllability during automatic firing. Weapons and ammunition take up a smaller share in the overall layout of a fighter. The low muzzle velocity of the bullet reduces the range of its lethal action (for comparison, it reaches 350 m in the 9-mm pistol cartridge, and 1350 m in the 5.45-mm automatic cartridge), and the likelihood of ricochets decreases. Finally, the parameters of the pistol cartridge make it possible to create "silent" weapon modifications.

One of the most popular police models of automatic weapons is the German MP5 submachine gun, more precisely, a whole family created by the German company "Heckler und Koch" on its basis. After being adopted by the police, border guard and customs service of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1966, this weapon quickly gained popularity and has held it for more than 40 years. The excellent qualities of the MP5 have been confirmed in many police and counter-terrorism operations. MP5 submachine guns of various modifications - with a fixed and retractable butt, "silent", small-sized - in their native or licensed version, in caliber 9 or 10 mm - are used in more than 30 countries, from the USA and Great Britain to Sudan and Zambia. Heckler und Koch submachine guns MP5, MP5K and MP5SD of 9 mm caliber were included in the list of weapons and Russian law enforcement agencies. Although in Russia, of course, its own samples have been created. Characteristically, the revival of submachine guns in our country took place in the early 1990s. The weapons design bureaus offered the Ministry of Internal Affairs a number of developments, both new and based on previously created prototypes. Among the latter was, for example, the Kedr 9mm submachine gun (designed by Evgeny Dragunov), developed by E.F. Dragunov and modified by M.E. Dragunov. In 1994, this small-sized submachine gun was adopted by the authorities under the designation PP-91 "Kedr" and has since been purchased in a fairly large quantities... On the other hand, at the Izhevsk machine-building plant V.M. Kalashnikov and A.E. Dragunov developed a larger Bizon-2 submachine gun with a large-capacity auger magazine for the same 9 × 18 PM cartridge, which was put into service under the designation PP-19. Over time, the samples were modernized, for example, after the appearance of the domestic pistol cartridge 7N21 of the 9 × 19 type, modifications were created for this cartridge.

The experience of using submachine guns by the Ministry of Internal Affairs formations helped formulate in 2003 the tactical and technical assignment for a new 9-mm model, which received the designation "Vityaz" (officers of the special forces detachment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs "Vityaz" participated in the formation of requirements for the new weapon). This is how the PP-19-01 "Vityaz" submachine gun appeared chambered for 9 × 19, which also entered service with police units.

1. A variant of the equipment of a 12-gauge cartridge for a combat shotgun - a beam of feathered arrow-shaped elements (USA)
2. Self-loading smoothbore "special carbine" 18.5 KS-P (Russia). Cartridge - 12/70, 12/76, weight without cartridges - 4.0 kg, length with unfolded stock - 970 mm, optimal range 3. 4. 2. 1. shooting - shot - up to 35 m, lead bullet - up to 90 m, magazine capacity - 6 rounds. The Picatinny rail on the receiver is designed to accommodate various scopes
3. Combat smoothbore gun М1014 (USA) is made on the basis of commercial self-loading rifle "Benelli" М4 "Super 90". Cartridge - 12/70, 12/76, weight without cartridges - 3.8 kg, length with extended butt - 1011 mm, with retracted butt - 886 mm, effective range of shot - up to 40 m, magazine capacity - 7 or 6 rounds

Holstered submachine gun

Of considerable interest to law enforcement agencies are small-sized submachine guns, adapted to be carried in a holster and for firing both with two hands and with one. An example of a Russian-developed weapon is the 9-mm PP-2000, created for the 9 × 19 cartridge by the Tula Instrument Design Bureau and entered into service with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The magazine for this weapon is located in the handle; plastic is used in the manufacture of body parts. The features of the weapon include the tilt of the pistol grip, the trigger guard, which forms an additional holding handle, the detachable folding stock, the reloading handle, which allows operation with the right or left hand, as well as the mount for collimator sight- this type of sight can become the main one in close combat.

Armament and equipment

Compactness is not last question for police weapons. They have to be controlled in cramped conditions, sometimes it is also necessary to carry various devices: means for opening doors (a sledgehammer, a hand ram, a safe detonation charge), assault ladders, observation devices. The equipment itself should facilitate the action with the weapon, providing the ability to quickly use it.

Police machine

Police and counter-terrorist formations also have in their arsenals such typical army weapons as machine guns and assault rifles. Yet the specific requirements of the police weapon require specific solutions. An example of such a solution is domestic small-sized machines created for special cartridges of the 9 × 39 type - SP5 and SP6 and their analogues 7N9 and 7N12. Cartridges SP5 and SP6 were developed for use in "silent" weapon systems and combine the low (less sonic) muzzle velocity of heavy bullets with their stability on the trajectory at distances up to 400 m, high penetrating and stopping action. In addition, such cartridges have a low recoil momentum, bullets are less prone to ricochets and therefore make it possible to create a compact weapon that is convenient to use in populated areas, confined spaces. Armor-piercing cartridges allow you to hit the enemy in a bulletproof vest of the 3rd protection class at distances of up to 200 m.

The 9-mm small-sized submachine gun 9A-91, created by the Tula Instrument Design Bureau, is very popular in the system of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Moreover, the developers have tried to make it as simple and cheap to manufacture as possible. It is worth mentioning the Klimovsk CP3 and CP3M "Vikhr" submachine guns and the Izhevsk AK-9. These "noisy" samples have undergone their own evolution and formed the basis of new "silent" machine guns and sniper rifles. So, on the basis of 9A-91, a "silent" sniper rifle VSK-94 was created, a set of accessories for the SR3M allows you to get both a "silent" machine gun and a sniper rifle. True, the same special cartridges make the ammunition of machine guns more expensive than that of submachine guns.

Smooth barrel brings order

One of the original features of police weapons is a rather wide niche reserved for smooth-bore samples, which are sometimes called shotguns for simplicity. Many experts believe that for short-range combat, hand-held smooth-bore weapons of the 20th and 12th "hunting" calibers are preferable to rifled ones. It is capable of firing various types of charges, from shot to bullet, with the necessary damaging characteristics, depending on the task. At the same time, the rapid loss of the damaging effect by the shot and the bullet that flew out of the smooth barrel significantly reduces the risk of injury to accidental people.

Traditionally, to create combat smooth-bore samples, commercial samples of the store scheme were used in production - it is enough to recall the popular American "pump" (rechargeable by the movement of the forearm) models "Remington-870" or "Mossberg-500" and "Mossberg-590". Over time, more and more attention began to attract self-loading models: a large number of such samples appeared in the last 25-30 years. When conducting police and counter-terrorist operations, they are used to arm not only fighters, but also remotely controlled vehicles - to destroy explosive devices or open locked rooms.

In our country, in the 1990s, smooth-bore guns began to be widely used by security structures, at the same time, weapons enterprises launched the production of corresponding guns and " smoothbore carbines". They also aroused the interest of law enforcement agencies. In 2006, entered service with the internal affairs bodies whole complex smoothbore weapons SSK-18.5, which included self-loading "special carbines" 18.5 KS-K and 18.5 KS-P and a number of 12-gauge ammunition. The number 18.5 in the designation of the weapon corresponds to the diameter of the 12-gauge bore (about 18.5 millimeters), the indexes "K" and "P" - to box and under-barrel magazines. The 18.5 KS-K carbine with a detachable box magazine was made by the designers of the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant on the basis of the Kalashnikov assault rifle system, or rather, the Saiga carbine. It is curious that the muzzle device of the KS-K carbine is designed for firing with the barrel resting on an obstacle, for example, when the door locks are destroyed by a shot. The 18.5 KS-P carbine with a permanent underbarrel magazine was created at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant on the basis of the MP-153 self-loading smoothbore rifle.

From "small" to DShK

The range of calibers and power of cartridges, under which sniper rifles can be executed, are demonstrated by two Russian samples. At one pole is the SV-99 rifle, created by Izhevsk designers on the basis of a biathlon rifle chambered for a 5.6-mm rimfire cartridge - a well-known "small". The use of a low-power cartridge gives a decrease in the size, weight of the weapon, a small recoil impulse, a low level of muzzle pressure and a small shot flame. A shellless bullet has a sufficient stopping effect at short ranges, but requires hitting unprotected parts of the body. It turns out a special weapon designed to work at short ranges, for example, in settlements, where aimed shooting is often carried out across the width of the street. Since the requirements assumed the possibility of working in a cramped room, the butt was made removable, instead of it you can put a pistol grip. The other pole is sniper rifles for powerful large-caliber cartridges for hitting targets at long ranges in personal body armor, vehicles, and counter-sniper warfare. This type of weapon is popular in special forces, but with the growth of the role of the police special forces, it also fell into service. The internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB, for example, use a self-loading 12.7-mm rifle OSV-96, created by the Tula Instrument Design Bureau chambered for 12.7 × 108. TO characteristic features This rifle is foldable to reduce the size of the weapon.

For a police sniper

The rise of terrorism and armed crime around the world has forced the Special attention snipers in the police and counter-terrorism units. The variety of tasks that a sniper may face, and, accordingly, the variety of tools for their solution can be judged by the samples received by the Russian law enforcement agencies.

First of all, these are, of course, sniper rifles of normal caliber and increased accuracy. It is worth noting the differences in the requirements for military and police rifles. The military must constantly be with its owner on foot, in a transport-combat vehicle, withstand the ingress of dust, snow, moisture. The police station is usually operated in a less harsh environment. At the same time, if an army sniper's miss may not have fatal consequences, then the cost of a police officer's miss may be the death of a hostage or injury of an accidental person.

The first place here has long been taken by magazine rifles. Izhevsk gunsmiths offered the 7.62-mm SV-98 rifle, adding a number of devices to the "cartridge - weapon - optical sight" complex: this is a low-noise firing device, an anti-mirage tape stretched over the barrel to protect the sight field from distortions by heated air. At the same time, snipers of Russian law enforcement agencies are armed with 7.62-mm AW and AWP rifles, created by the British company Accuresie International. The list of models adopted for service in the Russian Federation also includes the Austrian SSG Steyr rifle and the Finnish TRG-22. Also, such an original type has entered service with the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. sniper weapon, like SVU-AS (shortened sniper rifle, automatic, with a bipod). Made by TsKIB SOO specialists on the basis of the Dragunov self-loading sniper rifle, it differs from it in a shortened barrel, the ability to fire in bursts, the installation of a low-noise firing device and a folding bipod, and a number of other changes.

Combat and special

Already in the "dashing nineties" the Tula Instrument Design Bureau created a 43-mm GM-94 grenade launcher - a multipurpose weapon for firing special (non-lethal) and military ammunition. The design of the grenade launcher is based on the scheme of a pump-action shotgun with the location of the store above the barrel and reloading by the longitudinal movement of the barrel back and forth. For firing, VGM-93 shots of several types are used - gas, equipped with an irritating formula, shock-shock with an elastic striking element, thermobaric. A thermobaric grenade is capable of striking manpower within a radius of 3 m from the point of detonation, equipment with an armor thickness of up to 8 mm.

Shotgun revolvers

The revolving scheme has found original application in the weapons of a police officer and special purpose. An example of this are the 12-gauge South African Stryker and Protect 12-gauge shotguns. In addition to the revolving scheme, they also differ in the way the drum rotates. In the Stryker, this was done by a spring wound with a special key; in the Protect, the shooter turns the drum before firing, shaking the front handle of holding the weapon. Note that the Russian 6G30 hand grenade launcher also has a revolving scheme, but in it the spring that rotates the block of 40-mm rifled barrels starts up when the shooter turns the block, loading the weapon.

Police grenade launchers

Police officers sometimes have to use special and even combat grenades. Hand grenades are not widely used, but law enforcement agencies have hand grenade launchers... They can have different schemes and principles of grenade stabilization (rifled or smooth-bore with stabilization of the grenade tail), have a single-shot and magazine type. Throwing is usually carried out according to an active scheme, since you have to shoot in conditions when jet weapon it would be too dangerous. As a rule, grenade launchers are designed for non-lethal ammunition, which are used in the fight against riots, in operations to capture armed criminals, and release hostages.

An example is the evolution of the domestic special 50-mm grenade launcher complex, created in the late 1980s and included a single-shot breech-loading smooth-bore manual special grenade launcher RGS-50 and non-lethal shots - with GS-50 annoying grenades, GSZ-50 light and sound, EG-50 and EG-50M shock-shock grenades. In the future, not only was the grenade launcher itself modernized (RGS-50M, manufactured by the V.A. combat - with a GO-50 fragmentation grenade, cumulative GK-50.

Illustrations by Rostom Chichyants, Oksana Alekseevskaya

In the near future, it is planned to change the type of standard weapons for all internal affairs officers. In particular, Makarov pistols will be replaced with Yarygin pistols, and Kalashnikov assault rifles - with PP-2000 or Vityaz submachine guns, - said M. Sukhodolsky.

According to him, the new weapon differs in that the bullet used in it has a lower recocheting ability. "This is important for urban use," he said.

Also, in the arsenal of Russian police officers will appear stun devices, including remote action, reports NEWSru.com. "The rearmament will go on as planned and it will take several years," Sukhodolsky said.

PP-2000 submachine gun

The PP-2000 submachine gun was developed at the Instrument Design Bureau in Tula. The patent for its design was registered in 2001. The ability to use high-power armor-piercing ammunition allows the PP-2000 to be used to fight opponents in personal protective equipment (helmets, body armor), as well as to effectively engage targets inside vehicles.

Moreover, compared with small-caliber counterparts released in Western countries, such as the Belgian 5.7mm FN P90 or the German 4.6mm HK MP-7, the PP-2000, thanks to the use of 9mm bullets, provides greater effectiveness against targets not protected by body armor. He is currently in serial production.
Caliber: 9x19mm Luger / Para and 9x19 7N31
Weight: about 1.4 kg
Length (stock closed / open): 340/582 mm
Rate of fire: 600 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity: 20 or 30 rounds
Effective range: up to 100 meters.

Yarygin pistol

Yarygin pistol (ПЯ "Grach", Index GRAU - 6P35) is intended to replace the PM. It was adopted by the Russian army in 2003. Used by Russian special forces. The design is reminiscent of the Italian Beretta 92 pistol.
Caliber - 9 mm
starting speed bullets - 465 m / s
Weight with magazine without cartridges - 0.95 kg
Overall length - 210 mm
Magazine capacity, number of rounds - 18
Combat rate of fire - 35 / m
Chuck length ~ 29.7 mm.

Vityaz submachine gun

The PP-19-01 "Vityaz" submachine gun is a further development of the PP-19 "Bizon" submachine gun. "Vityaz" was developed by the IZHMASH concern specifically for the requirements of the special forces detachment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia "Vityaz", from where it got its name. Currently, the PP-19-01 "Vityaz" submachine gun is in serial production and is already entering service with the Russian Interior Ministry units.
Caliber: 9x19mm (Luger / Parabellum / 7N21)
Weight: ~ 3 kg empty
Length (stock closed / open): 460/698 mm
Barrel length: 230 mm
Rate of fire: 750 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds
Effective range: 100-200 meters.

The Russian police are adopting new, more powerful pistols designer Yarygin 6P35 "Grach" and submachine guns PP-2000 "Vityaz". The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation argues that rearmament is a logical continuation of last year's reforms (renaming the police into police). According to a spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the police will be armed with pistols and submachine guns, adapted specifically for shooting in the city. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation believes that this rearmament has only one inconvenience - the need to train people to use this particular, fundamentally new weapon. The ability to shoot from a Makarov pistol and a Kalashnikov assault rifle will not help here. Namely, these models of weapons have been in service with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defense for decades. It was convenient: the commanders could be sure that a young policeman who served in the army would be able to shoot from a Kalashnikov assault rifle or a Makarov pistol. After rearmament, it will take weeks and months to retrain employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Vityaz submachine guns and Rook pistols - brand new powerful weapon, moreover, the Makarov pistol store has only eight rounds, while the Grach pistol has seventeen, which is also a significant advantage.

The rearmament process in the RF Ministry of Internal Affairs will be divided into stages. At the first stage, the rearmament of the police special forces of the special forces began (the first pistols of the new design of the Grach were received by the soldiers of the Moscow special forces). Police Major General Vyacheslav Khaustov, head of the Special Forces Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in Moscow, promised that the employees of the special purpose center would switch to using a new, more handy pistol Yarygin "Rook", as soon as possible.

In the near future, it is also planned to replace the outdated army Kalashnikov assault rifle with a more modern and more powerful weapon. According to the plan, the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and detachments of the traffic police will receive the PP-2000 "Vityaz" - a fundamentally new powerful automatic weapon with a 9mm caliber (the Kalashnikov assault rifle has a 5.45mm caliber). PP-2000 "Vityaz" has a number of advantages over the Kalashnikov assault rifle - PP-2000 "Vityaz" possesses: greater accuracy of fire, increased penetration, greater destructive effect (the wound from a 9mm bullet is much more serious than from 5.45 mm), magazine capacity is mind PP-2000 "Vityaz" 44 rounds instead of 30 for the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the rate of fire for the PP-2000 "Vityaz" is higher than that of the AKSu-74.

It is for these reasons, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, that the Grach pistol and the PP-2000 Vityaz submachine gun are more suitable for them than the Makarov pistol and Kalashnikov assault rifle.

Reference:

9mm pistol MP443 "Rook"


Pistol "Rook"


Disassembled pistol "Rook"

At the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, the development of the Grach pistol was carried out by a design group led by the leading engineer Vladimir Yarygin, who was known as the designer of sports pistols. The standard small-bore pistol IZH-35 (since 1986 - IZH-35M), developed with his direct participation, has been serially produced at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant since 1978. With a pistol of this model, the leading shooters of the national team of the Soviet Union / Russia won a number of top titles at the championships of the world, Europe and Olympic Games.

During the development of the design, the main focus was on achieving high reliability characteristics. And therefore, most of the incorporated design solutions are traditional. Automation works on the principle of recoil of the barrel with a short stroke, locking - by tilting the barrel due to a cam groove located in the lower part of the barrel, located on the protrusion of the barrel, interacting with the bolt stop axis. The barrel is locked by entering the protrusion on the breech of the barrel into the extraction window. The frame of the pistol is steel. The firing mechanism is a hammer type, with a mainspring of compression and self-cocking. The double-sided safety lever is located on the frame. When turned on, the percussion mechanism can be blocked both in the cocked and deflated state. In the "protection" position, the sear, trigger, trigger and bolt are blocked. The possibility of blocking the percussion mechanism in the cocked state allows you to fire the first shot after turning off the fuse with a low trigger force, which increases the likelihood of hitting the first shot. The ejector, noticeably protruding above the surface of the bolt when the cartridge is sent into the chamber, also serves as an indicator of the presence of the cartridge.

Feed of cartridges - from a double-row magazine for 17 cartridges, fixed with a latch located on the left side of the frame, under the thumb right hand... If necessary, it can be remounted on the right side of the frame.

The 6P35 pistol has a barrel 114.5 mm long, dimensions 190x140x38 mm, unloaded weight 1.00 kg.

Disassembly of the pistol for cleaning and lubrication in the field is carried out without a special tool: for this, it is necessary to sequentially separate: the magazine, the shutter stop, moving forward - from the frame, the shutter with the barrel and the return mechanism.

How it became traditional for the Russian small arms, the choice of a pistol for rearmament Russian army was held on a competitive basis. Izhevsk "Grach" passed competitive tests with a sample developed at the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (Klimovsk, Moscow Region). At the research site of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, the samples were tested for resource, failure-free functioning in normal and difficult conditions (shooting without lubrication, at temperatures from minus 50 to plus 50 degrees Celsius, in dusty conditions, in rain). The total volume of tests in difficult conditions amounted to almost 1.5 thousand shots. As a result, the Izhevsk model met most of the stringent requirements of the army. The effectiveness of the shooting was assessed by the fighters of the FSB unit. When performing the exercises of the FSB firing course with a new pistol, 65 percent of the participants performed them as "excellent" and "good". In general, a sample of Yarygin's design demonstrated its advantages over a competing design and was recommended for adoption by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB and the Russian army, but so far it has been adopted only by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

By its consumer qualities and technical specifications the MP443 pistol "Grach" of the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant is at the most modern level, and in some parameters surpasses Western counterparts.

9mm pistol MP443 "Rook" TTX
Caliber, mm 9x19 7H21; 9x19 Luger
Initial speed, m / s 460; 340
Overall dimensions, mm 190x140x38
Barrel length, mm 114.5
Rifling 6, right-handed -
Cutting step, mm 350 -
Weight without cartridges, kg 1.0
Magazine capacity, rounds 17
Descent gain, N:
When cocked trigger<25,5
When firing self-cocking<57,0

PP-2000 "Vityaz" submachine gun


The PP-2000 submachine gun was developed at the Instrument Design Bureau (KBP) in Tula, Russia, and was first shown to the public in 2004, although a patent for its design was registered back in 2001. The PP-2000 is clearly intended to be either a military self-defense weapon (PDW), or as a melee weapon for special operations forces, both army and police / militia, primarily for operations in urban environments. PP-2000 is made extremely compact and lightweight, with a minimum number of parts and simple design, providing simple operation and low cost. The ability to use high-power armor-piercing ammunition 7N21 and 7N31, originally developed for the GSh-18 pistol, allows the PP-2000 to be used to fight opponents in personal protective equipment (helmets, body armor), as well as to effectively engage targets inside vehicles. At the same time, in comparison with small-caliber counterparts released in Western countries, such as the Belgian 5.7mm FN P90 or the German 4.6mm HK MP-7, the PP-2000, due to the use of 9mm bullets, provides greater efficiency against targets not protected by body armor. At present, the PP-2000 is already in serial production and is being adopted by the forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

The PP-2000 submachine gun is built on the basis of an automatic breechblock. Fire from PP-2000 is carried out from a closed bolt, the trigger mechanism is hammer. The body of the submachine gun is made of plastic completely with a pistol grip and an enlarged trigger guard, which provides, if necessary, holding the weapon with both hands. The bolt protrudes from the body above the barrel, in its front part there is a bolt cocking handle that is tilted to the right or left. The magazine is inserted into the pistol grip, the magazine latch button is located at the base of the trigger guard. Translator - the fuse is located on the left side of the weapon, above the pistol grip, and provides firing both single shots and bursts. A distinctive feature of PP-2000, protected by a patent, is a slot for a spare magazine in the back of its body. When inserted into this slot, the magazine can be used as a rudimentary shoulder rest (butt). Modern serial versions of the PP-2000 are equipped with a detachable side-folding butt, installed in the slot for a spare magazine. On the upper surface of the receiver cover, a Picatinny rail is made, which allows the installation of various additional sighting devices on the corresponding brackets.

Submachine gun PP-2000 "Vityaz" TTX
Caliber: 9x19mm Luger / Para and 9x19 7N31
Weight: about 1.4 kg
Length (stock closed / open): 340/582 mm
Barrel length: no data
Rate of fire: 600 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity: 20 or 30 rounds
Effective range: up to 100 meters.

The Russian police are abandoning the PM pistol and switching to the Glock 44 pistol developed for their requirements. The first deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Alexander Gorovoy, said: “The Makarov pistol used today is outdated for a long time. police officers. However, there was still nothing to replace him with. "

Indeed, back in the mid-90s it was planned that the OTs-01 "Cobalt" revolver, developed by I.Ya. Stechkin, but it was not possible to establish its large-scale production for economic reasons. The license for "Cobalt" was sold to Kazakhstan, where it is produced for local law enforcement officers. And their Russian colleagues had no alternative to Makarov.

Gorodovoy recalls: “In 2008, they decided to switch to the Yarygin pistol, but the army pistol turned out to be difficult for the police: not everyone could master the assembly and disassembly, some details were constantly lost ... - for cartridges that did not fit into it and not holsters. The police had to buy them with their own money. In 2013, we turned to an Austrian company with a proposal to develop a pistol for our requirements, and the Austrians went to meet us ... "

The development was attended by specialists from the Russian company Orsis, which will become the manufacturer. Glock pistols are already being produced at a plant near Moscow. Since the pistol was developed jointly, and its production was established in Russia, there is no reason for it to fall under anti-Russian sanctions.

The Glock 28 was taken as the basis for the development of the pistol. The pistol uses an automatic action with a free breechblock, it is similar to the PM in ease of handling. However, the Glock 44 looks somewhat unusual: the shape of the polymer frame repeats the contours of the Makarov pistol. This was the requirement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: so the Glock 44 can be worn in a standard police holster. The double-row magazine holds 12 rounds, as opposed to 9 rounds in the PM. The ammunition is similar: the Glock 44 will be the first Austrian-designed pistol to use 9 * 18 cartridges. The Glock-44's curb weight is only 685 grams, and by this parameter it is lighter than even an unloaded Makarov pistol. This year, the Russian police will receive a Glock 44.