Stechkin et al. Comparison. Comparison of pistols TT and PM. Currently in Russia there are a large number of models of small arms, including pistols. But definite interest is still represented by "veterans"

Currently in Russia there are a large number of models of small arms, including pistols. But the "veterans" - TT, PM and APS, who have served people for several decades, are still of definite interest.

Currently in Russia there are a large number of models of small arms, including pistols. They differ both in caliber, and in the principle of operation of automation, and in the tasks for which they are intended. But the most significant authority is still possessed by the "veterans" - TT, PM and APS, who have served people for more than a decade.

The most honored of the above is the "pistol of 1933", often called TT - Tula Tokareva.

It was adopted by the Red Army in 1930 to replace the morally and physically obsolete Nagant revolver of 1895. In terms of its tactical and technical characteristics, the TT surpassed all modern models. Exceptional simplicity, strength and reliability, as well as low cost of its production - these are the distinctive features of this pistol.

In 1933, the TT underwent minor modernization. Minor changes were made to the trigger mechanism, the back wall of the handle was made in one piece.

TT automatics worked using the recoil of the barrel with its short stroke. A movable shackle lowered its breech when the barrel moved back. At the same time, the weapon was being reloaded (the same principle was used by the Colt M1911A pistol, which allowed Western authors writing about weapons to call the TT "Tokarev-Colt pistol").

The pistol uses a 7.62x25 caliber cartridge (the same as in the Mauser pistol). Later, under this cartridge were developed submachine guns PPD (1934), PPSh (1941), PPS (1942).

However, the pistol also has a rather significant drawback - it lacks a fuse as an independent part. Its role is played by the safety cocking of the trigger. But if the pistol falls, a spontaneous shot is possible as a result of a break in the safety platoon.

The pistol passed the tests of the Great Patriotic War with honor, having established itself as a powerful, simple and reliable melee weapon. He remained in service for some time after the war. Its popularity is evidenced by the fact that the production of TT was established in China, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia and other countries. In some of them, TT is still produced today.

High accuracy of fire is ensured due to the successful layout of the pistol parts. Due to the fact that the center of gravity of the pistol and the axial barrel are shifted closer to the grip, the TT, with its rather significant weight (940 grams), is practically not felt in the hand.

But the development of individual small arms required new solutions. At some point, the TT ceased to be a self-sufficient weapon, and in 1951 it was replaced by the pistols of N.F. Makarov (PM) and I.Ya. Stechkin (APS).

Both of these pistols use the simplest, and therefore more reliable, principle in the operation of automation - the recoil of the free bolt. In both pistols, the return spring is put directly on the barrel (although in the first modification of the APS, the return spring was under the barrel, as in Browning pistols). For both of these pistols, a 9x18 cartridge has been developed, which is more powerful than that used in the TT.

The undoubted advantage of the PM is the design of the firing mechanism. The self-cocking device allows you to make the first shot (if there is a cartridge in the chamber) without first cocking the hammer. The fuse box is located in the rear of the bolt casing, on the left, which allows you to control the pistol with one hand (with the right hand holding the weapon). Bringing the pistol into a firing position for its further carrying in this position is carried out as follows. By twitching the bolt, the cartridge is driven into the chamber. Then the fuse is turned on, and the shot does not occur. Now, for the first shot, you just need to remove the safety catch and pull the trigger.

APS

Despite the apparent similarities, APS and PM are completely different types of individual small arms. APS is designed to arm officers directly involved in hostilities. The trigger mechanism of this pistol is also self-cocking, allowing not only single fire, but also burst fire. The fuse box, located in the same way as that of the Makarov pistol, also serves as a fire translator. The sight of this pistol is mobile, for shooting at distances of 25, 50, 100 and 200 meters. The magazine holds 20 rounds (staggered). The APS pistol is carried in a wooden or plastic holster, which, being fastened to the rear wall of the grip, acts as a butt when firing bursts. In extreme cases, bursts of fire can be fired directly from the hand, without a stock (the cartridge used allows you to do this). Unfortunately, despite the perfection of the design, during operation, serious shortcomings of the APS were revealed (first of all, its excessive weight and dimensions), therefore, at present, this pistol is no longer produced, giving way to submachine guns of the type "Kedr", "Kashtan "and" Cypress ", using the same cartridge 9x18 mm.

The Makarov PM pistol, on the contrary, served as the base model for a number of new developments. In 1994, the PMM was launched into mass production - a modernized Makarov pistol. Outwardly, it practically does not differ from the base model (except for the grip cheeks), but its magazine holds 12 rounds of 57-N-181SM, which, while not differing in size from the standard "Makarov" cartridge, has increased penetration and stopping power. The design of the chamber has been slightly changed - three screw grooves are made on its surface, which ensure the slowdown of the shutter recoil and smooth out the difference in the dynamics of the automation when firing with conventional and reinforced cartridges. As for the rest, the design, which has proven itself well over more than 40 years of operation, has not undergone any changes.

IZH-71

In the mid-1990s, the IZH-71 pistol was developed specifically for security personnel, based on the PM, which uses the 9x17 Kurz cartridge and has specially lowered characteristics (for example, the initial bullet speed of the IZH-71 is 290 m / s versus 320 m / s for PM). The "IZH-71" magazine is produced in 2 versions - for 8 and 10 rounds (in the latter case, the pistol is called "IZH-71-10"). Outwardly, the "IZH-71" differs from the PM, again, by the cheeks of the handle.

PSM

The PSM pistol (self-loading small-sized pistol) was developed by the creative team of T.I. Lashnev, A.A. Simarin and L.L. Kulikov specially for arming the top command personnel of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the KGB-FSB. This pistol is designed for the new 5.45 mm cartridge. The trigger mechanism is self-cocking. The location of the fuse is interesting (above the rear of the bolt). When it is turned off, the trigger is cocked at the same time. The pistol has no protruding parts, so its thickness does not exceed 18 mm, which creates advantages for concealed carry. But due to the low penetration capacity of the cartridge, this weapon is of little use in real combat. Rather, its niche is an individual self-defense weapon. All of its design features indicate this.

Of course, now new types of pistols are being produced, designed to perform completely different tasks in different conditions., But TT, PM, APS and PSM have left their worthy contribution to history, serving the cause of defending the Motherland for more than a decade.

Currently in Russia there are a large number of models of small arms, including pistols. But the "veterans" - TT, PM and APS, who have served people for several decades, are still of definite interest.

The most honored of the above is the "pistol of 1933", often called TT - Tula Tokareva.

In 1933, the TT underwent minor modernization. Minor changes were made to the trigger mechanism, the back wall of the handle was made in one piece.

The pistol uses a 7.62x25 caliber cartridge (the same as in the Mauser pistol). Later, under this cartridge were developed submachine guns PPD (1934), PPSh (1941), PPS (1942).

APS

IZH-71

PSM

The Stechkin automatic pistol has become as much a "visiting card" of the Soviet weapons school as the Kalashnikov assault rifle. It was put into service more than 60 years ago, but it is still very popular among special forces soldiers.

The second half of the 40s of the last century was marked by an explosion of activity of Soviet designers of small arms. The Great Patriotic War showed the need for a qualitative change in the system of personal weapons of fighters, and the military and political leadership of the USSR tried to create conditions for these changes to be embodied in metal. For example, six weapon schools and designers took part in the competition for a new machine gun, which was then won by Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov with the famous AK-47 product. Ten gunsmiths took part in the competition for a new self-loading pistol, which was held in 1947-48, including the creator of "TT" Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev and the creator of "SKS" Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. However, in the end, a 9-mm pistol designed by Nikolai Fedorovich Makarov was adopted for service in 1951.

The Makarov pistol (PM), created according to the general layout of the Walther PP pistol, turned out to be simple to operate and manufacture, reliable and small-sized. At that time, he became the optimal personal weapon for senior officers, and was perfect for arming the police. Therefore, even in Soviet times, "PM" produced several million units, and the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant continues, albeit not on that scale, to produce various modifications of this product.

However, the "PM", with its effective firing range of up to 50 meters (in reality, of course, it is much less) and the magazine for 8 rounds was not "strong" enough in a real clash with a prepared enemy. In addition, the short barrel of the "Makarov" at a distance of already 25 meters gave a significant dispersion of bullets. Therefore, to equip the crews of combat vehicles, the first numbers of heavy weapons crews, as an individual defense weapon for snipers, grenade launchers and platoon-company officers, at the same time - at the end of the 40s of the last century, it was decided to develop an automatic pistol, but under the same pistol cartridge - 9x18 PM. Such a pistol was the "APS", designed by a young talented Tula gunsmith Igor Stechkin.

For the sake of fairness, it must be said that there is still a lot of incomprehensible and even mysterious in the history of the APS pistol. Let's start with the fact that Igor Yakovlevich himself was a very extraordinary person. For example, the members of the commission remembered for a long time the defense of his thesis on the topic “Self-loading pistol of 7.65 mm caliber” (Stechkin graduated from the weapons and machine gun department of the Tula Mechanical Institute). According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the project was so original that one of the members of the diploma commission publicly expressed doubt that this weapon would work. In response, the student pulled a pistol of this design that he had made with his own hand from his jacket pocket, and fired three times with blank cartridges at the ceiling of the auditorium, where the defense was in progress ...

As a result, Stechkin received a "red" diploma and was sent to work straight to one of the main "weapons" of the country - TsKB-14 (now - the Tula Instrument Design Bureau). Moreover. The 26-year-old graduate of the institute at the Central Design Bureau is almost immediately instructed to create a new army 9-mm pistol, which, with single and automatic firing modes, could effectively hit the enemy at distances up to 200 m. Moreover, this happens at the end of 1948, when the battle between ten weapon designers for the right to equip the Soviet army and navy with a new self-loading pistol reaches its climax. And already, in principle, it is clear that the victory in this battle is won by Nikolai Fedorovich Makarov, who, by coincidence, has been working at TsKB-14 for the fourth year already, and, moreover, was a scientific consultant of such a sensational thesis of a student of the Tula Mechanical Institute Igor Stechkin.

Now it is difficult to say what kind of participation Nikolai Makarov, in addition to developing and "fine-tuning" his pistol, could have taken in the creation of the "Stechkin automatic pistol" (APS). Some design features and the order of assembly and disassembly of the APS are similar to the PM. Both pistols, despite the fact that work on "Makarov" began several years earlier than on "Stechkin", were adopted at the same time - in 1951. And both designers also received the Stalin Prize together - in 1952. Stechkin - for "APS", Makarov - for "PM". But at the same time, in the memoirs of Igor Yakovlevich Stechkin, it still sounded that "APS" was his own engineering brainchild. “The task I got was to design a 9mm pistol that allows single and automatic firing at distances up to 200 meters, has a large-capacity magazine and uses a holster as a stock. After the development and approval of the project, a sample was made, which successfully passed the factory tests. After revision and elimination of shortcomings, field tests of two pistols were carried out in comparison with Mauser, Astra pistols and Sudaev's submachine gun. My pistol, showing excellent results, was noticeably superior to Mauser and Astra, and was practically not inferior to the PPS ”- Igor Stechkin recalled in 1966.

Beginning in 1952, "APS" went to the troops. Its serial production was launched at the facilities of the Vyatka-Polyansky Molot plant. However, already in 1959 the production of the "Stechkin automatic pistol" was discontinued. And this became another mystery of this pistol.

The tactical and technical data of the "APS", as an individual weapon intended for use in a combat situation in a collision with a trained enemy, suited the Soviet military. The barrel lengthening up to 140 mm (for the PM - 93.5 mm) made it possible to partially compensate for the weakness of the 9x18 PM pistol cartridge, and, together with the greater mass compared to the Makarov, and smoother operation of the automatics, made it possible to achieve good firing accuracy - the dispersion of bullets with single shots at a distance of 50 meters from the "APS" did not exceed 5 cm. At a distance of 200 meters, the radius of dispersion of bullets when firing from the "APS" increased to 22 cm, but for a trained shooter, effective fire from this pistol at distances and more than 100 meters was not particularly difficult ...

The magazine for 20 rounds and the originally made retarder of the rate of fire made it possible to conduct automatic fire from the "APS". At the same time, Stechkin provided for a mechanism that made the reloading of the pistol almost instantaneous. After the ammunition is used up, the magazine feed tooth raises the shutter stop, which delays the shutter in the rear position. And after replacing the magazine, the shooter needs to press the bolt stop head to be ready for firing again - the bolt stop will go forward and send the cartridge into the chamber, while the trigger remains on the alert platoon.

In addition to the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, "APS" and its modifications, according to foreign experts, were supplied to Angola, Cuba, Bulgaria, Libya, Mozambique, Zambia, etc. There are photographs where Ernesto Che Guevara poses with "APS", it is reliably known that "Stechkin" was one of Fidel Castro's favorite weapons. And not in vain. “Unlike the Makarov pistol, the recoil of which is felt by the hand as sharp, it is very pleasant to shoot from the Stechkin. Accuracy is also excellent. The shop is very easy to equip. The trigger mechanism and its characteristics are very good for military weapons "- the American expert on small arms Nick Steadman assessed this pistol. In addition, the APS proved to be a very reliable weapon. There are known cases of shooting 40 thousand rounds without any damage to the main parts of this pistol.

However, in the Soviet Army in massive quantities, "APS", paradoxically, did not take root. The most common version is the inconvenience of carrying this weapon. In order to ensure the stability of automatic fire, especially at long distances, a wooden holster was attached to the Stechkin, which at the same time played the role of a butt. The mass of the pistol with a holster - butt was almost 2 kg. In addition, the army's requirements assumed that each serviceman armed with the Stechkin had to carry with him 4 more loaded magazines of 20 rounds each. Therefore, a murmur arose in the army of that time on the topic that the new weapon was too "heavy and cumbersome." As a result, in the 60s of the last century, most of the army "Stechkin" migrated to the weapons depots, and in return in the 70s the crews of combat vehicles, aircraft and gun crews were armed with "clamshells" - a shortened modification of the AK-74 - AKS-74U.

However, "Stechkin" did not die, because by that time, for its power and accuracy, he had already managed to fall in love with the employees of special units of the Ministry of Defense and the State Security Committee. Moreover, at the end of the 60s, specially for them on the basis of "APS" by the designer A.S. Neugodov (TsNIITOCHMASH) developed a "silent" version of "APS" - "APB" (silent automatic pistol). Reducing the sound level when fired in it was achieved due to the perforation of the barrel and a special expansion chamber, worn on the barrel, ease of wearing and use - due to a removable wire shoulder rest and a soft holster. Of course, the use of a silencer reduced the effective range of the shot. But at a distance of 50 meters "APB" and now there are few equals.

This modification of the "APS" was put into service in 1972, and from that time on, "Stechkin" began, in fact, a "second life". "APS" and "APB" were actively used by Russian special forces during the war in Afghanistan (1979-1989) and in all local conflicts that arose in the post-Soviet space. Moreover. In the 90s, during the rampant banditry in Russia, army "Stechkins" began to actively arm the structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. And this is also understandable, since this automatic pistol just occupies a niche between two other types of standard weapons of Russian law enforcement agencies - Makarov pistols and Kalashnikov assault rifles. However, the Russian militia was not original in this respect - after the fall of the Berlin Wall, some of the FRG police officers also armed themselves with the "Stechkin".

Thus, the "Stechkin automatic pistol" outlived its creator for a long time (Igor Yakovlevich died in November 2001) and is still a popular weapon in the structures of the Russian Ministry of Defense, FSB, FSO, Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as special forces of a number of foreign countries. Perhaps this is one of the most important signs of a designer's genius - when a product created by him, despite the emergence of new ideas and designs, continues to work even after the death of the creator.

TT or PM?

Sometimes you can witness a dispute between "experts" in the field of weapons. For example: until recently, it was customary to argue about which of the pistols is better, the Makarov pistol (PM) or the Tulsky Tokarev pistol (TT). In general, such disputes concerning absolutely any small arms, practically of the same class, are at least not correct. Two different samples, in this case a pistol, can only be compared in a specific situation. And even then, all the disadvantages and advantages of this or that will be indirect. During use, not on a shooting range, but in a real pistol fight for life and death, the advantages and disadvantages of weapons are determined, first of all, by the qualifications and experience of the shooter, this also includes the technical condition of the pistol and ammunition, that is, their reliability and quality at the current time. And the tactical and technical characteristics of weapons will be an advantage only if they are used correctly.

The production of TT pistols (model 1930) began in 1933. Mass production fell on the years of the Great Patriotic War. The pistols produced during this period do not differ in the quality of workmanship and assembly. Weapon conveyors at that time did not always have qualified personnel (adolescents, women), and the necessary steel for the manufacture of weapons was not always at hand. Pistols were also received from the front for repairs. In addition, pistols produced before 1943 suffered from design flaws and defects. The shot of such pistols, as a rule, was no more than 700 - 750 shots, after which the automation began to malfunction. Malfunctions such as the loss of the magazine and the loss of the drummer were also frequent. On the hands, more often in the criminal world, there may be TT pistols found on the sites of past battles and restored by "black diggers". The reliability of such specimens is extremely low. To date, the TT pistol remains in service in individual units of various law enforcement agencies, these are usually pistols produced in the post-war period, but the technical condition of many of them leaves much to be desired. The main disadvantage of the "modern" TT, in comparison with the PM, is its low reliability. But this unreliability is not related to the design of the pistol, it is the result of poor-quality manufacturing, assembly and harsh operation, significantly affects the reliability and time factor. The disadvantages in comparison with PM include weight and dimensions. TT is heavier and larger (with a magazine without cartridges TT - 850 PM - 730). The impossibility of self-cocking is also considered a disadvantage. The advantage of the TT over the PM is its ammunition, which has a fairly high penetrating effect. The TT uses a cartridge 7.62X25 with a bullet weighing 5.5 g and an initial speed of 420 - 450 m / s. From TT, you can hit an object in a body armor up to class II armor protection (PM only up to class I). Therefore, TT is in great demand among killers. It can be attributed to the advantage of a fairly widespread and cheap ammunition (cheap and cheerful).

The PM pistol was put into service in 1951 to replace the TT pistol, and to this day it is actually in the ranks of the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other power structures of Russia, although more advanced and modern-day samples have been officially put into service (ПЯ "ГРАЧ "; GSh-18, etc.). PM differs from TT primarily in high reliability. To this day, the PM is one of the most reliable pistols in the world. In terms of reliability, it is on a par with such a pistol as GLOK. The main disadvantage in comparison with TT is ammunition with a relatively low penetration effect of a bullet. Therefore, for the Armed Forces, the PM pistol is of little use as a modern weapon. It is also not suitable as a means of disabling or stopping vehicles, if used, for example, in traffic police units. However, during a firefight within the stairwell, the PM is still preferable to the TT. Since practically not one modern door can resist a bullet fired from a TT, if it is not armored in the appropriate class, therefore, third parties may suffer, which is not acceptable when carrying out operational activities by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There is such a thing as stopping the action of a bullet. Here, theoretically, an equal sign can be put between PM and TT. But in practice (according to statistics), the stopping effect of the PM bullet is considered higher. This is due to the cross section of the bullet. The cartridge used in the PM - 9X18 with a bullet mass of 6.1 g and an initial speed of 315 m / s. The advantage over TT and the presence in the PM of a self-cocking shock-shock mechanism, as well as automatic free shutter.

Output. Of course, the PM is a more modern and reliable weapon than the TT. But the Makarov pistol in modern conditions is more suitable only as a police or security weapon, and even then not always, but for the army it is already outdated. If there is nothing to choose from, the TT pistol can be used to defeat protected targets, where the PM is of little use due to the low penetrating effect of the bullet. Reduced to normal combat, debugged TTs are good to use as a training, sporting weapon. The ammunition is cheap and there are still many cartridges of this caliber.

So which is better - PM or TT? The question remains open.