In the 60s, at the height of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and NATO, military designers of both warring parties began to create silent small arms. The situation at that time contributed to this as never before. 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 assigned primarily to reconnaissance and sabotage units operating, without attracting too much attention, behind enemy lines. Soviet designers were required to create such a weapon, firing from which would not be accompanied by loud sounds and flashes of flame knocked out of the barrel. As a result, several silent and small-sized samples were created for the Soviet special services.
One of them was the silent pistol PB 6P9. With its appearance, the problem of eliminating sound and light accompaniment duringfiring time has been decided. An overview of the PB silent pistol is presented in this article.
History
Design work on the silent PB pistol was started by employees of TsNIItochmash after an order received in 1960 from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. The design was carried out under the guidance of the weapons designer A. A. Deryagin. Contrary to the firm belief of some small arms enthusiasts that the Makarov pistol was used as the basis for this model, the designers borrowed only the USM and the magazine for the silent PB pistol from the PM. Despite the outward resemblance to the Makarov pistol, the new sample is considered a completely original small arms.
Creating a silent PB pistol, Soviet gunsmiths developed the main principles to effectively muffle the sound of a shot. In the process of research work, 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 PB silent pistol (GRAU 6P9 index) was officially adopted by the KGB of the USSR.
What has been improved?
In its original version, the PM barrel, according to the military leadership, was not suitable for silent shooting. Design improvements needed to be made. As a result, the barrel of the silent PB pistol was honed, and the weapon itself was equipped with a special PBS device that reduces the bullet speed to sonic speed.
PBS device
Device for silentfiring was a two-section silencer. Especially for the barrel expansion chamber, a mesh metal roll was developed, which absorbed powder gases during firing. Holes were drilled in the barrel bottom through which powder gases entered the expansion chamber. Its front end was fastened to a removable muffler assembly with a rusk joint.
The muffler itself was equipped with a special separator, which has a special design, consisting of washers located at different angles relative to the axis of the barrel channel. With their help, during the shooting, crushing and "swirling" of powder flows were carried out. This reduced the muzzle velocity to 290 m/s. Since the speed of the bullet became less than the speed of sound, no shock wave was formed when firing.
What is the feature of the muffler?
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 the weapon with the nozzle (silencer) removed. In this form, it is less overall, which is especially convenient when carrying or storing.
When operating a PB that is not equipped with a silencer, the sound of a shot is no louder than that of a Makarov pistol. If the fighter needs to shoot without attracting attention, it is enough to put the silencer back on the barrel. Despite the fact that shooting with attachments does not provide complete noiselessness(metal parts hitting each other make a distinct sound at a distance of 50 meters), the shot is much quieter.
How does a gun work?
PB (6P9) uses a self-cocking trigger mechanism borrowed from the PM. On the left side of the shutter there is a fuse, 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 that of the PM. The small length of the shutter eliminates the possibility of placing a return spring in it. Therefore, the pistol grip became the place for it. The spring interacts with the shutter using a long rocking lever. The PB is equipped with fixed non-adjustable sights. In addition, special mounts have been developed for this model, with the help of which weapons can be equipped with a laser designator and a detachable optical sight. Store-bought ammunition is provided for the PB. The cartridges are contained in a single-row magazine, at the bottom of which there is a special locking latch.
Parts
PB (6P9) consists of the following parts:
1) expansion chamber body;
2) front camera sleeve;
3) expansion chamber core;
4) rear hub;
5) shutter;
6) frames;
7) trunk;
8) grip pads;
9) drummer;
10) springs for ejector;
11) oppression;
12) ejector;
13) trigger;
14) trigger;
15) whispered;
16)fuse;
17) trigger rod containing the cocking lever;
18) shutter lag;
19) trigger guard;
20) return spring;
21) transmission arm;
22) valves;
23) mainspring;
24) silencer housings;
25) separator;
26) pistol magazine.
Characteristics of the silent gun PB
- Producing country - Russia.
- Chief developer - A. A. Deryagin.
- Model adopted in 1967.
- The price of a silent PB pistol is 70 thousand rubles per unit.
- Designed to fire 9 x 18 mm Makarov pistol cartridges.
- The length of the PB without a silencer is 17 cm. With a silencer - 31 cm.
- Barrel length - 105 mm.
- Pistol height - 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.
- Magazine holds 8 rounds.
- The pistol has an aiming range of up to 25 m and a maximum range not exceeding 50 m.
- Rate of fire - 30 rounds per minute.
- The weapon was used by the KGB of the USSR. The weapon was equipped with a special holster for carrying a removable silencer for the PB (6P9) silent pistol.
Reviews
According to the military, using this silentpistol, this model has the following advantages:
- High service strength and durability.
- Shooting accuracy. Unlike the Makarov pistol, the PB has a large mass. Its extra weight has a positive effect on the accuracy of the battle. According to the military, during firing, the weapon does not throw up so much from the line of fire, which cannot be said about the PM. In addition, the PB is characterized by less recoil, which is especially important for high-speed shooting.
- The Silent Pistol is highly balanced. 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 pistol has established itself as a very high-quality and reliable example of small arms, according to the military, using PB, it has the following disadvantages:
- Presence of a manual fuse.
- Metal parts collide loudly in the gun while firing
- Weapons without a silencer mounted on the barrel are not suitable for silent use. According to users, every time you need to shoot quietly, you have to mount a removable attachment to the weapon.
During the operation of the PB, it was noticed that in cases where the fire from the PB is carried out in series of six shots, the sound becomes stronger. If the shooting is carried out slowly, then the soundremains unchanged.
Conclusion
At one time, the PB silent pistol was used in army intelligence and in the KGB by members of the Alpha and Vympel special forces. Today, special forces of the FSB and internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia are equipped with these small arms.
