In the 60s, at the height of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and NATO, the military designers of both warring parties began to create silent small arms. The situation prevailing at that time contributed to this more than ever. In the Soviet Union, a possible armed confrontation with the United States was taken very seriously. In the conditions of the Cold War, a special role was given primarily to reconnaissance and sabotage units operating without attracting too much attention behind enemy lines. Soviet designers were required to create such a weapon, the firing of which would not be accompanied by loud sounds and flashes of a flame knocked out of the barrel. As a result, several silent and small-sized models were created for the Soviet special services.
One of them was a silent gun PB 6P9. With his appearance, the problem of eliminating sound and light accompaniment during firing was resolved. An overview of the silent PB gun is presented in this article.
History
Design work on the silent PB pistol was started by employees of the Central Research Institute of Automotive Engineering after an order from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Moscow Region received in 1960. Design was carried out under the guidance of a weapons designer A. A. Deryagin. Despite the steady conviction of some small arms lovers that the Makarov pistol was used as the basis for this model, for the silent PB pistol from PM, the designers borrowed only the trigger and the store. Despite the resemblance to the Makarov pistol, the new model is considered a completely original small arms.
Creating a silent PB pistol, Soviet gunsmiths developed the main principles that effectively suppress the sound of a shot. In the process of research, the necessary theoretical and practical base was created, which could be used in the future for the manufacture of other similar systems. After successful field testing in 1967, the silent pistol PB (GRAU 6P9 index) was officially adopted by the KGB of the USSR.
What has been finalized?
In its original version, the PM barrel, according to the military leadership, was not suitable for silent shooting. It was necessary to carry out design improvements. As a result, the barrel was refined in the silent PB pistol, and the weapon itself was equipped with a special PBS device that reduces the speed of the bullet to sound.
PBS device
The device for silent shooting was a two-section muffler. Especially for the barrel expansion chamber, a mesh metal roll was developed that absorbed powder gases during firing. Holes were drilled in the bottom of the barrel through which powder gases entered the expansion chamber. Its front part was attached to the removable muffler assembly using a crack joint.
The silencer itself was equipped with a special separator having a special design consisting of washers located at different angles relative to the axis of the barrel channel. With their help, during firing, the powder flows were crushed and “twisted”. This reduced the initial velocity of the bullet to 290 m / s. Since the speed of the bullet became less than the speed of sound, no shock wave formed during firing.
What is the feature of the silencer?
PBS, designed for the 6P9 silent pistol, unlike other models, consists of two parts. Thanks to this design feature, the shooter has the opportunity to use weapons with the nozzle removed (silencer). In this form, it is less overall, which is especially convenient when carrying or storing.
During the operation of an air gun not equipped with a silencer, the sound of a shot is not louder than that of a Makarov pistol. If the fighter needs to shoot without attracting attention, it is enough to put the muffler back on the barrel. Despite the fact that shooting with the use of nozzles does not provide complete noiselessness (metal parts striking against each other make a clearly distinguishable sound at a distance of 50 meters), the shot is made much quieter.
How does the gun work?
PB (6P9) uses a self-cocking trigger mechanism borrowed from PM. A fuse is located on the left side of the shutter; when turned on, the trigger is removed from the cocking. Since there is a silencer in front, the PB is equipped with a smaller shutter than the PM. The short shutter length makes it impossible to place a return spring in it. Therefore, the place for her was the pistol grip. The spring interacts with the shutter using a long swing arm. PB is equipped with fixed unregulated sights. In addition, special mounts were developed for this model, with which the weapon can be equipped with a laser target indicator and a removable optical sight. For PB, store-based ammunition is provided. The cartridges are kept in a single-row magazine, in the lower part of which there is a special locking latch.
Spare parts
PB (6P9) consists of the following details:
1) the housing of the expansion chamber;
2) the front sleeve for the camera;
3) the core of the expansion chamber;
4) the rear hub;
5) shutter;
6) framework;
7) the trunk;
8) pads for the handle;
9) drummer;
10) springs for the ejector;
11) oppression;
12) the ejector;
13) trigger;
14) trigger;
15) whispered;
16) fuse;
17) trigger thrust containing the cocking lever;
18) shutter lag;
19) trigger guard;
20) return spring;
21) gear lever;
22) gate valves;
23) combat spring;
24) silencer housings;
25) a separator;
26) pistol magazine.
Silent PB pistol features
- Country of origin - Russia.
- The main developer is A. A. Deryagin.
- The model was adopted in 1967.
- The price of a silent pistol PB is 70 thousand rubles per unit.
- Designed for firing cartridges of 9 x 18 mm caliber Makarov pistol.
- The length of the PB without a silencer is 17 cm. With a silencer - 31 cm.
- Barrel length - 105 mm.
- The height of the gun is 134 mm.
- Width - 32 mm.
- The fired bullet has an initial velocity of 290 m / s.
- Weighs a pistol without ammunition - 970 g, with cartridges - 1.02 kg.
- The store is designed for 8 rounds.
- The gun has an aiming range of up to 25 m and a maximum range of not more than 50 m.
- Rate of fire - 30 rounds per minute.
- The weapon was used by the KGB of the USSR. A special holster was intended for the weapon to carry a removable silencer for a silent pistol PB (6P9).
Reviews
According to the military, using this silent pistol, this model has the following advantages:
- High service strength and durability.
- Accuracy when shooting. Unlike the Makarov pistol, the PB has a large mass. His excess weight has a positive effect on the accuracy of the battle. According to the military, during the shooting the weapon does not throw so much up from the line of fire, which cannot be said about the PM. In addition, the PB is characterized by lower recoil, which is especially important when shooting fast.
- The silent gun has a high balance. According to some users who first picked up this model, they had the feeling that the gun would “peck” the barrel. However, during the application they were pleasantly surprised: the PB fits perfectly in the hand.
Despite the fact that this silent gun has established itself as a very high-quality and reliable example of small arms, according to military reviews using PB, it has the following disadvantages:
- Presence of a manually controlled fuse.
- Metal parts loudly hit in a pistol during firing
- Weapons without a silencer mounted on the barrel are not suitable for silent use. According to users, each time you need to shoot quietly to a weapon, you have to mount a removable nozzle.
During the operation of the PB, it was noted that in cases where fire with the PB is carried out in a series of six shots, the sound becomes stronger. If the shooting is carried out slowly, the sound remains unchanged.
