In history, the T-34 tank and Kalashnikov assault rifle will forever remain. The traditions of domestic developers and manufacturers of short-barreled individual weapons are no less weighty. “TT” and the legendary “Makarov” have long become heroes of historical and criminal chronicles, books and films. Even now they remain in the service in army and law enforcement units, in legal and not very armed formations of many countries.
They are replaced by more modern pistols. Today, Russia needs an effective hand weapon both for the army and for soldiers of the most special purpose units. The issue of gas and pneumatic weapons as a means of self-defense and for practicing shooting sports and hunting is relevant.
Weapon selection
The idea of a compact and effective melee firearm came with the invention of gunpowder. Solving the tasks of increasing the rate of fire, range and accuracy of fire, compactness and ease of use, master gunsmiths created real masterpieces. Among them, the samples created by the masters of Tula and the Urals look quite worthy. Pistols of Russia have always possessed the qualities that distinguished the best models of small arms: reliability, ease of care and maintenance, low cost of mass production and special aesthetics.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the basic principles of the designation, layout and arrangement of firearms for firing at short (up to 50 m) distances were well established and were accepted for action by all the main participants in the market for hand weapons. Pistols of Russia, as well as European and American systems — Colt, Walther, Browning, Luger, Smith and Wesson and others — were supposed to be lightweight, allowing you to carry weapons with you effortlessly fire with one hand, do not spend too much time preparing for shooting.
Revolvers
The most famous of single-shot silicon pistols were dueling, which was used until the end of the XIX century. The invention of capsule cartridges, which allowed to significantly increase the rate of fire and revolving loading system, was revolutionary. The drum for several charges, rotating, fed the cartridge into the barrel. Camora, where there was a cartridge case with a bullet, became part of the barrel, where the shot occurred. Reloading - cocking the trigger, moving the drum and extracting the sleeve occurred due to the muscular efforts of the shooter and the use of part of the energy of the powder gases.
The most advanced and well-developed revolving system was the Belgian "Nagan" and Russian pistols, which were adopted by the tsarist army at the beginning of World War I and belonged to this type of personal weapon. Revolvers are still present on the market, but are more often referred to as police and civilian weapons.
"Tula, Tokarev"
The first successful model of a self-loading pistol that met the requirements for army personal weapons of the 20th century was the model developed by the Tula gunsmith Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev. The TT used the circuitry first used by Browning, but the design of the gun was completely original and so successful that it is still used in some countries. In 1930, the mass production of the TT began in the USSR, making it the most popular Soviet pistol for many years.
Reliable, easy to maintain and repair, convenient and balanced when shooting, not burdensome with long-term covert carrying, the Tula Tokarev has become a legendary weapon. Today you can buy "TT" - a gas gun. The price of traumatic weapons created using the basic details of the combat Tokarev is 20, 000 - 25, 000 rubles.
"Makarov"
The main disadvantage of the TT was the cartridge caliber - 7.62 mm. With all the advantages, this gun often could not meet the main purpose - the guaranteed stop of the attacker and incapacitation of him. Therefore, after the war, a competition was held to develop a pistol smaller in size and mass, but with a large stopping effect.
The competition ended by 1951. The winner was a creative group led by Nikolai Fedorovich Makarov, who proposed a model that became a cult. A pistol using a 9 mm cartridge was manufactured in Izhevsk. During the development of technology PM became an extremely reliable, convenient and effective weapon. Until now, it is the main type of personal weapon of officers of the Russian army and police. "Makarov" took a significant place in popular culture, becoming the hero of films and computer games.
Russian combat pistols
It is impossible to complete a combat mission in modern conditions without appropriate equipment. The specifics of the conditions in which an army intelligence officer or fighter of an anti-terrorist group operates requires weapons with special combat qualities. And the domestic military industry is trying to provide the power structures with infantry weapons of the required level.
An important condition for the success of fire support in close combat is its high density and power. Therefore, the development and production of the Stechkin Automatic Pistol, which began in the late 40s, laid the foundation for a number of models of increased power, rate of fire and increased ammunition, which are designed for power special forces. Today, such formations are armed with the most powerful pistol in Russia - the 9-mm self-loading pistol of the system of Peter Ivanovich Serdyukov. ATP is equipped with a special cartridge of 9x21 mm caliber, piercing bulletproof vests of the highest protection class.
Among the best examples of hand weapons that entered service with regular and special troops, we can distinguish:
- PB (Gun Silent) design A. A. Deryagin, equipped with an integrated silencer, providing convenient, accurate and silent shooting.
- SPP-1 (Special Submarine Pistol) systems of V.V.Simonov, weapons of combat swimmers, striking enemy manpower with swept bullets of 4.5 x 40 mm caliber.
- ПЯ (Yarygin Pistol) “Rook” - replacement of the outdated PM, has increased ammunition, reinforced cartridge,
Self Defense Weapons
The most effective means of self-defense, which is quite affordable, is a gas gun. The price of a weapon that can make a serious impression with its appearance and release a stream of annoying tear gas or give a sound or light signal starts at 2, 000 rubles.
Non-lethal weapons, which are similar to combat pistols, are especially popular. The gas and traumatic Tokarevs and Makarovs are a reliable means of resisting the most inappropriate aggressors.
The difficulty for those Russians who want to acquire means of self-defense is the lack of clear laws. For example, in many countries, a pistol chambered for Flaubert is considered a common weapon for sports and recreational shooting. In Russia they are banned. The meaning of such a supply is a low charge power. In such a cartridge there is only a capsule charge, whose power is not enough even for a loud sound when fired, which can play the role of a signal in a dangerous situation.
