In the life of an average citizen, the booming sounds of shots are an unusual phenomenon. Every time a civilian hears gunfire, they instinctively tense up.
Party attention, attracted by noisy shooting, often interferes with the competent authorities in carrying out their tasks, the specificity of which requires silence and secrecy. The loud noises accompanying the shots and the flames knocked out from the muzzle of the weapon, especially noticeable at night, jeopardized the conduct of covert special operations.
That's why the APB pistol was invented.
It became the solution to the task set for weapons designers to invent a way to eliminate the sound and light accompaniment of the use of firearms.
History of Creation
The APB pistol began to be created by order of the ChiefIntelligence Directorate of the USSR Ministry of Defense in 1960. The weapons designer of TsNIItochmash, candidate of technical sciences A. S. Neugodov became the senior developer of the silent pistol sample.
The invention of a new silent model was carried out on the basis of the proven Stechkin automatic pistol - APS. By order of the army leadership, he was subject to revision, allowing the use of weapons for silent shooting. To this end, a significant refinement of the barrel was carried out and a special PBS device was developed that eliminates flashes of flame and the sound of a shot.
As a result, the muzzle velocity of the regular cartridge was reduced to sonic speed.
Additionally, a special wire shoulder rest was designed.
In 1972, an improved and silent analogue of the APS received its index - "6P13" - and was adopted as a pistol APB.
USSR during these years conducted military operations in Afghanistan. The new silent model was first used in this conflict by Soviet paratroopers and special forces to eliminate patrol caravans that supplied supplies to dushmans.
Used by whom?
APB - a pistol created by A. S. Inappropriate from 1979 to 1989, it was actively used by the Limited Contingent of Soviet Troops in Afghanistan. Over time, its silent model began to be used to resolve military conflicts and local wars by the special forces of the Soviet Army, members of the special forces of the KGB and the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. Nowadays, the APB pistol is in service with the Russian Federation. The tool is intended for use by soldiers of the army special forces, special forces of the FSB and the Interior Ministry.
APB pistol: specifications
The weapon is designed to hit a target at a distance of up to 50 m, with a maximum range of 200 m. The muzzle velocity is 290 m/s. The APB pistol is equipped with a special, very convenient wire attachment that acts as a buttstock for the shoulder rest, as well as a PBS attachment that provides silent, flameless shooting.
Parameters:
- Double action trigger;
- cartridge caliber: 9x18 under PM;
- weapon height: 15cm;
- pistol length without silencer is 246mm;
- without shoulder rest with PBS: 255 mm;
- with shoulder rest and PBS nozzle: 785 mm;
- the gun barrel is 14 cm long;
- Magazine capacity: 20 rounds;
- weight of weapon with shoulder rest and PBS without cartridges: 1650 g;
- total weight with cartridges, PBS and stop: 1800 g;
- PBS nozzle weight: 400g;
- wire stock weight: 200g
The weapon is considered portable, since the PBS can be easily removed from it and used separately in a field situation. For the convenience of carrying all accessories of the pistol, a special holster is attached to it.
Device
APB (pistol) is equipped with a trigger mechanism, automatics operating on the principle of recoil covering the barrel of the casing - the shutter, and an inertial retarder, whichintended to reduce the rate of fire.
Weapons equipped with sights:
- a front sight that cannot be adjusted;
- sight with a cam control that allows you to calculate the range of fire at 25, 50, 100 and 200 m.
The silent automatic pistol (APB) contains an expansion chamber into which powder gases enter through small holes in the barrel wall. The holes are located at the bottom of the cuts and occupy almost the entire length of the barrel at a distance of 1.5 cm from the chamber and 1.5 cm from the muzzle. After the shot is fired, the bullet leaves the bore, the powder gases pass through the holes through the expansion chamber and fall back into the barrel of the pistol, through the muzzle of which they exit. The movement of powder gases through the expansion chamber reduces their temperature and pressure and, as a result, the muzzle velocity is lower than the sound velocity.
PBS is attached to the gun with the help of a special thread in its muzzle. The symmetrical axis of the nozzle for silent firing passes below the axis of the muzzle channel. This prevents the attachment from blocking the line of sight.
Features of air pistol
APB is designed for Makarov pistol cartridges, because they are characterized by a low muzzle velocity and high damaging effect. Due to these qualities, they are considered the most suitable for silent pistols. But still, when firing, the APB makes a clanking sound of the shutter and other parts of the automation. This sound is characteristic ofmany air pistols.
The energy source in the pneumatic version is a carbon dioxide cylinder. Such weapons are produced using light alloys (body) and plastic (handle). The difference from the combat version lies in the reduced false barrel and the inability to use pneumatics for firing bursts. This is due to the fact that despite the external similarity of the safety lever with a firearm analogue, there is no possibility of switching it to automatic mode.
From the pneumatic version of the pistol, only single shots can be fired. At the same time, the accuracy of hits does not decrease.
Benefits
An automatic silent pistol can be used for both single shots and bursts. Due to the removal of powder gases into the expansion chamber, part of the energy is lost. As a result, when the sound and power of the cartridge are lowered, the recoil is significantly reduced. This, in comparison with the APS, increases the accuracy of hits, makes it easier to control the weapon, even during burst firing. Ease of operation is also ensured by the presence of a device for silent shooting. This is due to the fact that the PBS is a massive structure that shifts the center of gravity forward, preventing the weapon from tossing up when firing.
The presence of the PBS facilitates the process of fixing the weapon, since the attachment for silent shooting with single shots can be used as a handguard. When firing in a burst, thisfixing is difficult because PBS tends to heat up quickly.
Flaws
The APB pistol, compared to other models, is characterized by a reduced volume of sounds, which can still be heard in a quiet environment. Therefore, despite the name, this pistol cannot be considered a completely silent weapon. A better name would be: “automatic with reduced volume.”
In which countries is it in service?
APB is considered a very effective weapon in situations where massive shelling is not required. Most often, this weapon is used during close combat, when the target being hit does not have reliable protection.
Along with the rest of the automatic pistols, the A. S. Neugodova occupies a worthy place and is adopted by the special forces of Bulgaria, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Germany and Russia. In the Russian Federation, APB is actively used by such special forces as Alpha, Lynx, and the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate.
