During the siege winter of 1941-1942, servicemen of the B altic Fleet identified shortcomings in the design of the TT pistol: at low temperatures, weapon parts froze. This was the impetus for the creation of such a new model as the B altiets pistol, designed specifically for the officers of the fleet.
What is known about this weapon?
“B altiets” is a pistol, information about which is not contained in any weapon reference book. The works of American and European researchers do not contain information about this model. In Moscow, Tula, Izhevsk - the cities in which the largest museums are located, copies of this weapon were also not found. An unknown gun of the Great Patriotic War "B altiets" was found in the Central Naval Museum, in the funds of which there are three copies of weapons. Each of them has its own serial number: No. No. 1, 2, 5.
How was the B altiets pistol created (USSR. Leningrad)?
In 1941, Rear Admiral of the B altic Fleet turned to higher authorities with a request to create a pistol with morereliable automation than the TT pistol.
VKP (b) after the meeting of the bureau decided to start design work on a model whose automation would not freeze in 30-degree frost. The first batch of pistol "B altiets" consisted of 15 pieces. The director of the Leningrad plant No. 181 B. P. was appointed responsible for the trial copies. Rumyantsev. The chief designer Yegorov and the factory technologist F. A. Bogdanov in January 1942 provided the first result - sketches for the B altiets model. The gun was approved by the head of the weapons shop A. I. Balashov and accepted for development. A limited circle of people was admitted to the process of creating this weapon.
Start
“B altiets – pistol”, which is based on the W alter PP model (a German-made weapon). The pistol created by Balashov A. I. was designed for TT cartridges, the caliber of which was 7.82 mm. The first 15 copies were made by hand. Burning was carried out by craftsmen using the artisanal method. Tooling was not provided in the manufacture of pistol parts.
Main Pattern
In the early spring of 1942, the workers of the Dvigatel Machine-Building and Instrument-Making Plant constructed the first B altiets. The gun is listed at number 1. This weapon is made very high quality. It was tested at temperatures below 30 degrees. "B altiets" is characterized by the precise operation of the system, reliability and non-failure operation. At the same time, high power and accuracy of hits were noted.
Artwork“B altiytsa” No. 1
A circle with an anchor inside is engraved on the ebonite cheek of the pistol grip. Below it are: a five-pointed star, a sickle, a hammer and the inscription “Plant No. 181”. On one side of the pistol there is an inscription “P. A. B altiets”, and from the opposite: “To the Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, Member of the Military Council of the Lenfront Comrade A. A. Zhdanov.”
On the right side of the bolt casing, the craftsmen engraved, which depicts two anchors. In the rectangle located in the crosshairs, there are the numbers “181”, indicating the factory where the B altiets pistol was assembled. The photo below represents the aesthetic design of this weapon model.
Tactical and technical characteristics
- The weapon is designed for 7.62 mm ammunition.
- Number of grooves – 4.
- The barrel is 129 mm long.
- The weight of the weapon without ammunition is 1100 g.
- Pistol magazine capacity - 8 rounds.
Creation of “B altiets” 2
The first sample of the pistol had a design flaw: it had an increased mass. As a result of the additional work carried out with the main model of this weapon, the second “B altiets” was assembled. The pistol, the design features of which differed from the main version, also had less weight. Its weight did not exceed 960 g. In the design of model No. 2, the barrel was shortened from 129 mm to 120 mm. The mainspring contained not 17, but 15 turns.
Testing of this weapon showed that in terms of its combat parameters, “B altiets” No. 2 was not inferior to the mainfirst model. As a result, it was decided to make the following batches, using the second “B altiets” (pistol) as a sample.
Design Features
The second instance is a frame, with a barrel fixed in it, a bolt and a trigger mechanism (USM). For the trunk of "B altiyets" No. 2, four grooves are provided. A safety lever is used as a shutter. The USM of these pistols are equipped with combat and return springs. For this pistol, a wooden case is provided with an internal cavity pasted over with cloth and a brass plate on the lid, on which there is an inscription: “To Admiral Kuznetsov Nikolai Gerasimovich.”
How do weapons work?
The B altiets series of pistols uses a blowback recoil scheme. This becomes possible due to the location of the return spring on the barrel fixed on the frame. USM refers to the trigger type and is designed for double action.
Combat food is provided from box-shaped pistol magazines, in which cartridges are arranged in one row. The magazine is snapped into the pistol using a special button on the top left of the handle. The aiming function is performed by such devices as the front sight and the rear sight. The front sight is part of the shutter - casing. The rear sight is mounted in a dovetail groove, which makes it possible to make lateral corrections if necessary.
Dignity of “B altiets”
The advantages of this gun are:
- Automation has a simple design.
- The gun is reliable in operation.
- The production of B altiyets, compared to TT, is less costly and labor-intensive.
- The presence of a comfortable grip increases the accuracy of hits during shooting.
- The double-action trigger mechanism allows the owner to use the weapon always ready for use at any time.
- The presence of a fuse makes carrying this pistol safe, even with the trigger pulled and ammunition in the chamber, which is unacceptable in a TT pistol.
Flaws
Unlike the Tokarev pistol, which weighs 110 grams, the B altiets is overweight and oversized. This circumstance is the main disadvantage of this weapon. The greater weight is explained by the fact that the 7.62 mm caliber cartridge used in the B altiyets was originally intended for pistols with a short barrel stroke. For weapons whose automatics contain a blowback, the caliber 7.62 mm is too powerful. To fire such ammunition, the developers of the Leningrad plant No. 181 in the B altiyets made the bolt casing heavier. Since this gun was created for the command staff, the presence of excess weight and dimensions turned out to be a big drawback.
Spring Compression Training Weapon
In 1974, the chief designer of the TsKTB (Central Design and Technology Bureau) Viktor Khristich began to develop a wind version of the B altiets weapon model. The air gun was readyin 1977. After testing in the city of Klimovsk, the wind model was named “B altiets” No. 77.
When creating the wind version of the “B altiyets”, designed for mass training, the plant workers took into account convenience, simplicity, reliability and safety in operation. Particular attention was paid to the ergonomic features of adolescents.
Device model 77
In the manufacture of handles, barrel blocks, triggers and rear sights, impact-resistant glass-filled plastic was used. The manufacturing process of parts was carried out using the injection molding method. The springs underwent progressive thermo-chemical treatment (springs from pilot chutes). The barrel is taken from the IZH-22 blowgun.
This wind weapon used the principle that is characteristic of all spring-compression pneumatic pistols: air was pushed out with the help of a piston, which, in turn, was affected by a compressible-expanded spring.
The design of the “B altiyets” 77 differed from other wind pistols by the presence of a “reverse scheme” in it, which consisted in the fact that during the shot the bullet and the piston moved in the opposite directions. As a result, with the help of a piston with a diameter of 2 cm with a short stroke (6 cm), a bullet flying out of the barrel acquired a speed of up to 130 m/s.
Conclusion
Two gift models “B altiets” No. 77 were assembled, one of which was intended for Leonid Brezhnev.
Work onthe creation of combat pistols "B altiets", which began in 1942, was soon discontinued. The planned production of fifteen units did not take place. When recalculating the parts, it was revealed that they were enough to assemble only fourteen pistols. The use of repressive measures against the employees of the plant did not change the current situation: only fourteen copies were assembled, and mass production was canceled. One "B altiets" was presented as a gift to the Deputy People's Commissar for Armaments N. Samarin. Weapon models with serial numbers 1, 2 and 5 once belonged to Vice Admiral N. K. Smirnov. Today they are taken into storage by the Central Naval Museum. The fate of the remaining eleven units is unknown.
The “B altiets” pistol remained an experienced weapon, which went to high ranks from a narrow circle of command.
