Since 1949, in the USSR, for the needs of the army, supplies of machine guns using 7.62 mm cartridges of 1943, the so-called intermediate ones, have been arranged. For this reason, the submachine guns used in the Great Patriotic War were forgotten by the army for several decades. The situation with machine guns for pistol ammunition changed only in the 1970s. As part of the competition theme "Bouquet", design work was started to create a new generation of machine guns-pistols. One of these rifle models was the OTs-02 "Cypress". Weapons began to be mass-produced only in 1992. In the technical documentation it is listed as TKB-0217. You will learn about the device, purpose and performance characteristics of the Cypress submachine gun in this article.
Introduction to the rifle unit
"Cypress" - a weapon for attack and defense. Classified as a light submachine gun. Weapon "Cypress" OTs-02 was developed in the Tula TsKIB SOO by orderMinistry of Defense of the Soviet Union. The author is N. M. Afanasyev, Hero of Socialist Labor. He is also the creator of the A-12, 7 heavy machine gun and the AM-23 aircraft gun (the latter model was developed jointly with N. M. Makarov). OTs-02 "Kiparis" - a weapon with a layout scheme identical to the Czechoslovakian Vz.61 Scorpion submachine gun of 1961.
About the history of creation
In the early 1970s, the Soviet army leadership became interested in the topic of compact weapons designed specifically for elite power units. As part of the Bouquet project, gunsmiths began to develop a small-sized submachine gun. At the same time, in Izhevsk, the Soviet designer of the Central Research Institute TochMash P. A. Tkachev improved the legendary AK on the topic "Modern". Soon, the gunsmith assembled a lightweight submachine gun chambered for a 5.4 mm submachine gun cartridge. The unified rifle unit in the technical documentation is listed as AKS-74U and weighs no more than a submachine gun.
The theme "Bouquet" was relegated to the background. Machine guns began to be produced in large quantities and delivered to law enforcement agencies. Nevertheless, the AKS-74U turned out to be quite ugly, and the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs returned to the theme of "Bouquet", namely to submachine guns.
Description
The Kiparis pistol (a photo of the rifle unit is presented in the article) has the same layout as the Czechoslovak-made Scorpion submachine gun. Such an arrangement is characterized by the location of the firing control handle at the butt plateand store in front of the trigger guard.
The shoulder rest is placed on top of the box lid. To do this, it is enough to turn it up and forward. Trigger-type USM is assembled separately from all automation. The connection of the trigger mechanism and the box is provided by means of hinges. The handle with which the shutter is cocked is located on the right side of the box. On the left there is a place for a flag fuse-translator of the shooting mode. Judging by the reviews, such a constructive solution turned out to be very successful, since it is more convenient for a fighter to control the fire mode with his thumb. On the left side of the body there are swivels, with which a belt is attached to the submachine gun. A two-position rear sight (designed for a distance of 25 and 75 m) and a front sight are used as sights.
How do weapons work?
"Cypress", the photo of which allows you to get an idea of its appearance, like all submachine guns, is equipped with automatic blowback. TKB-0217 differs from other rifle samples of this class in that it is fired from the front sear, and the primer breaks the trigger mechanism. Due to this, the fighter can make an aimed first shot. Also, during single-shot firing, dispersion is minimized, which cannot be said about weapons firing from the rear sear. Ammunition is fed into the chamber from straight box-type clips. Pistol stores are presented in three versions: 10, 20 and 30 rounds. They are arranged in a checkerboard pattern. Double exit. Extraction of used sleeves is carried out upwards. After the ammunition is used up, the bolt moves to the rear position.
What's special?
According to experts, the peculiarity of the "Cypresses" is the presence of special devices that slow down the rate of fire. Despite the fact that 1250 rounds per minute can be fired from Israeli-made ultrasound, American Ingrem and Izhevsk Klinov - 1200 each, many military experts are convinced that 450 rounds per minute is considered the most optimal for weapons of this class, since it is easier for a fighter to control. Also, "Cypress" is equipped with a special anti-bounce - a massive inertial body that can move freely in the bolt cavity.
About PBS
Since the "Cypress" was created as an elite weapon of the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to perform highly specific tasks, the developers provided the ability to install muzzle nozzles on it. To do this, the part of the barrel protruding from the box was made smooth and given a cylindrical shape. If necessary, a fighter can put on it a nozzle for silent and flameless shooting, which is often called a silencer.
ABOUT TTX
- The Cypress pistol was developed in 1972.
- In service with the special forces of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs since 1992.
- A rifle unit with 30 rounds of ammunition without PBS and a laser designator weighs 1.6 kg. With a full 20 round magazine,a device for silent shooting and a target designator - 2.6 kg.
- The length of the pistol barrel is 15.6 cm.
- The total length of the 9mm submachine gun (without silencer and stock) does not exceed 31.7 cm.
- With a silencer and an open butt, the size of the weapon is 73 cm, with a folded butt and a nozzle - 45.2 cm, with an open butt and without a silencer - 59.5 cm.
- The weapon is loaded with 9×18 mm Makarov pistol cartridges.
- Within one minute, from 850 to 900 shots can be fired from this model.
- The fired projectile moves at a speed of 320-335 m/s.
- Aimed fire is possible at a distance of up to 75 m.
- Fitted with clips of 10, 20 and 30 ammo.
In closing
According to weapons experts, the OTs-02 "Cypress" can be considered a fairly successful weapon. Although the main task, namely to create a compact submachine gun, was not fully realized by the developers, this rifle model turned out to be one of the best for use in urban environments and in confined spaces.
