For a long time there has been talk about the need to replace the obsolete PM pistol. Back in the 80s, the development of a promising pistol based on the theme “Rook” began. Samples were created that met the requirements of the military. These were pistols SPS, GSh-18, PYA and upgraded pistol Makarova PMM. The PMM pistol used 9x18 mm PMM cartridges with a lightweight conical bullet and an increased powder charge, the SPS pistol used powerful cartridges with a 9x21 mm armor-piercing bullet (the cartridge is made on the basis of the standard 9x18 mm cartridge case), the GSh-18 and PYA cartridges use 9x19 mm Para cartridges, more precisely them Russian analogues 7N21 and 7N31 with increased bullet penetration. Let's delve into to understand the tasks assigned to Russian gunsmiths.

First, let's return to the post-war competition for a new pistol for the army and police of the USSR.

The Nagan revolver was adopted for service in Tsarist Russia and by the beginning of the Second World War it was considered an obsolete model. The Nagan used cartridges with a cylindrical bullet recessed into the sleeve with low penetration and stopping effect. The advantages of the revolver were the simplicity and reliability of the design, subsonic bullet speed and the ability to use a silencer, the absence of breakthrough of powder gases between the drum and the barrel due to pushing the drum onto the barrel, fairly high accuracy and accuracy of fire at a distance of up to 50 m. The disadvantages include a weak cartridge and inconvenience of reloading a 7-charge drum.

The TT pistol was created in 1930 by the famous gunsmith Fedor Tokarev and adopted for service under the name TT-33. The weapon uses an automatic recoil system with a barrel coupled to the bolt. The design is reminiscent of the Colt M1911 and Browning 1903 pistols. For firing, 7.62x25 mm cartridges are used, based on the German Mauser cartridge. A 7.62 mm caliber bullet carries an energy of about 500 J and has a high penetration effect (capable of penetrating a Kevlar body armor without rigid elements). The pistol has a single-action trigger trigger in the form of a single block; instead of a safety lock, the hammer is set to safety cock; the pistol uses a single-row magazine with 8 rounds. The advantages of the TT include high accuracy and shooting accuracy at a distance of up to 50 m, a powerful cartridge with high bullet penetration, simplicity of design and the possibility of minor repairs. The disadvantages include insufficient stopping power of the bullet, rather low survivability of the structure, danger in handling due to the lack of a full-fledged fuse, the possibility of the magazine spontaneously falling out when the latch tooth is worn, the inability to effectively use a silencer due to the supersonic speed of the bullet, and the lack of self-cocking.

The Makarov pistol was developed in accordance with the requirements of the military in the 1947-1948 competition to replace the TT pistol and Nagan revolver.

Pistol PM

The weapon was adopted as a pistol-cartridge complex. For shooting, 9x18 mm cartridges are used with a round-nosed bullet of 9.25 mm caliber, which is slightly more powerful than the foreign 9x17 K cartridge. A bullet weighing 6.1 grams leaves the PM barrel at a speed of 315 m/s and carries an energy of about 300 J. Standard army ammunition has a bullet with a mushroom-shaped steel core to increase penetration on non-solid objects. The stopping effect of a blunt-nosed bullet is quite high on an unprotected target, but its penetrating effect leaves much to be desired. In the 2000s, a 9x18 mm PBM cartridge was created with an armor-piercing bullet weighing only 3.7 g and a speed of 519 m/s. The armor penetration of the new cartridge is 5 mm at a distance of 10 m, while the recoil impulse has increased by only 4%. A slight increase in the recoil impulse allows the use of new ammunition in old PM pistols.

9x18mm PBM cartridges

The pistol looks like a Walter PP, but this is only a superficial resemblance. Internal organization significantly different from the German. There are 32 parts in the pistol, many of the design elements perform multiple functions. The PM has a double-action trigger trigger with a convenient and reliable safety lock (blocks trigger, trigger and bolt), uses a simple automatic operation scheme with a blowback bolt; the pistol uses a single-row magazine with 8 rounds. This is one of the most powerful pistols with a similar automatic operating principle. The accuracy of fire for a pistol of this class is quite normal and is not inferior to other compact models. On the basis of the PM, a silent pistol was created for the special forces of the PB.

The advantages of the pistol include: the highest operational reliability and long service life, simplicity of design, self-cocking, compactness and lack of sharp corners, sufficient stopping effect of a bullet on an unprotected target. The disadvantages include: low penetrating power of the bullet, inconvenient trigger (a matter of skill), inconvenient location of the magazine latch, insufficiently high accuracy of fire compared to full-size military pistols, insufficient magazine capacity by modern standards.

Despite the obsolescence of the design, the PM will be in service with many CIS countries and satellite states of the USSR for many years to come. The pistol was produced under license in the GDR, China, Bulgaria, Poland and a number of other countries.

To eliminate the shortcomings of the PM, a modernized pistol was created within the framework of the Grach program, called the PMM.

PMM pistol

In terms of design, the unification with the PM is about 70%. The pistol has modifications with a magazine for 8 or 12 rounds (double-row with rearrangement into one row). The design difference from the PM is the presence of Revelli grooves in the chamber to slow down the opening of the bolt when fired. For firing, high-impulse 9x18 mm PMM cartridges are used with an initial conical bullet speed of about 420 m/s and a recoil impulse 15% greater than the standard one. It is prohibited to use new cartridges in a conventional PM due to the risk of structural destruction during prolonged firing with more powerful ammunition.

9x18mm PMM cartridge with a conical bullet weighing 5.8 g.

Although one of the PM's shortcomings was eliminated - the insufficient penetrating effect of the bullet, the modernization was not able to correct all the shortcomings of the old design. The issue of increasing the accuracy of fire was not resolved, the magazine capacity was still inferior to foreign analogues of similar dimensions and weight, the magazine spring worked with overvoltage. In addition to all this, the quality of weapons manufacturing dropped sharply after the collapse of the USSR. Formally, the pistol was adopted by some services. The task of completely replacing PM in the army and police has not been solved.

Another pistol developed as part of the Grach program was the Yarygin PYa pistol. Adopted by the army in 2003.

Yarygin pistol

The pistol uses a widely used automatic mechanism with a locked bolt. The frame of the pistol is made of steel, although a version with a polymer frame was also created. The trigger trigger of the pistol is double action, the double-row magazine holds 18 rounds. For firing, 9x19 mm 7N21 cartridges are used with a bullet speed of 5.4 g and about 450 m/s. These cartridges are somewhat more powerful than their Western counterparts and have an increased penetrating effect of a bullet with an exposed armor-piercing core.

The advantages of the pistol include: high accuracy of fire, good stopping and penetrating effect of the bullet, good balance, large magazine capacity. The disadvantages include: poor workmanship (especially the first batches), low service life when firing 7N21 cartridges, insufficient reliability of automatic operation, angular design and the presence of sharp corners, a very tight magazine spring with sharp jaws.

Despite all its advantages, the PM turned out to be crude and could not fully replace the outdated PM. Many law enforcement officers preferred the old, reliable PM. According to some experts, the level of technology of the Yarygin pistol is the mid-70s and in this moment the pistol is inferior in many respects to its foreign analogues. Based on the PYa, a sports pistol with a polymer frame "Viking" is produced, which has a weakened design and a magazine for 10 rounds.

The next candidate for an army pistol was the Tula GSh-18. The pistol was created at KBP under the supervision of two outstanding missile and gun designers Vasily Gryazev and Arkady Shipunov. Entered service in 2003. Produced in limited quantities since 2001.

Pistol GSh-18

The pistol has an automatic mechanism based on a linked bolt with barrel rotation, a striker-type trigger with two automatic safeties, and a magazine capacity of 18 rounds. The pistol frame is made of polymer, the bolt-casing is stamped from 3-mm steel using welding, the barrel has polygonal rifling. The weapon turned out to be compact and light. For shooting, very powerful 9x19 mm PBP cartridges (index 7N31) are used with a bullet weighing 4.1 g, a speed of 600 m/s and a muzzle energy of about 800 J. The bullet is capable of penetrating a sheet of steel 8 mm thick at a distance of 15 m or a bulletproof vest 3- th protection class.

Cartridges from left to right: regular 9x19 mm, 7N21, 7N31

Advantages of the pistol: small dimensions and weight, good grip, high accuracy of fire, powerful cartridge with high penetration and stopping effect, large magazine capacity, high safety in handling. Disadvantages: strong recoil due to the powerful cartridge and the low mass of the weapon itself, the front part of the bolt casing open to dust and dirt, a tight magazine spring, low quality workmanship and finishing.

The pistol has been adopted by the prosecutor's office and is a reward weapon. Based on the GSh-18, sports pistols "Sport-1" and "Sport-2" are produced, which have minor differences from the combat model.

The SPS pistol was developed in Klimovsk by Pyotr Serdyukov in 1996. It is in service with the FSO and FSB.

Pistol SR-1MP

The weapon was created for shooting at an enemy protected by body armor or an enemy in transport. The pistol has an automatic mechanism with a locked bolt and a swinging cylinder (like the Beretta 92). Thanks to this, the barrel always moves parallel to the bolt-casing when fired, which increases the accuracy of fire. The frame is made of polymer, the trigger trigger is double-action with two automatic fuses, the magazine has a capacity of 18 rounds, sights designed for a range of 100 m. Powerful 9x21 mm cartridges are used for shooting. Ammunition SP-10 (armor-piercing), SP-11 (low-ricochet), SP-12 (expansive) and SP-13 (armor-piercing tracer) were created. The SP-10 cartridge has a bullet weighing 6.7 g with an initial speed of 410 m/s. The bullet has an exposed armor-piercing core and is capable of penetrating 5mm steel plate at a distance of 50m or standard US police body armor.

Armor-piercing cartridges 9x21 mm SP-10

The disadvantages of the pistol include its large dimensions and weight, the use of rare ammunition, and the inconvenience of the automatic safety on the handle for people with short fingers.

Based on the SPS, the SR-1MP pistol was created with an enlarged safety button, a Picatinny rail, a mount for a silencer and an improved bolt stop. Currently, a “Boa constrictor” pistol has been created and is being tested on the basis of the SPS.

There were attempts to adopt foreign-made weapons, for example, the Austrian Glock or the Russian-Italian Swift. But these pistols did not pass Russian state tests for reliability in harsh conditions. The developers of the Strizh pistol announced the possibility of using Russian armor-piercing cartridges 9x19 mm 7N21 and 7N31 in their pistol.

At the Army-2015 forum, a prototype of the Kalashnikov concern pistol designed by Lebedev PL-14 was presented. The pistol has an automatic mechanism with a locked bolt, a striker-type trigger, an aluminum frame and a 15-round magazine. The ergonomics of the pistol were created taking into account human anatomy; the pistol is very practical and easy to handle. When creating it, the developers consulted with IPSC athletes. When shooting, 9x19 mm cartridges, widely used in the world, are used. In the future, it is planned to produce a version of the PL-14 with a polymer frame and barrels of various lengths.

Prototype of the Kalashnikov concern pistol PL-14

The most promising, it seems to me, is the development from scratch of a completely new pistol-cartridge complex for a small-caliber pistol cartridge. An example of the successful introduction of pistols chambered for a powerful small-caliber cartridge into law enforcement agencies is the Belgian FN Five-Seven pistol of 5.7 mm caliber and the Chinese QSZ-92 of 5.8 mm caliber. The Belgian uses a 5.7x28 mm cartridge with an SS190 armor-piercing bullet. A powder charge accelerates a light bullet weighing 2 g to a speed of 650 m/s. The bullet is capable of penetrating a body armor with a titanium plate 1.6 mm thick and a package of 20 layers of Kevlar fabric. Cartridges with hollow-point and tracer bullets were created. The pistol's automatic system uses the semi-blowback principle, the trigger is double-action only, and the magazine capacity is 20 rounds. The pistol frame is made of polymer, and the steel casing-bolt is covered with a polymer shell.

The gun was widely used among Mexican drug cartels for its ability to penetrate standard police vests, and is also used by the US Secret Service.

FN Five-Seven pistol

Not much is known about the Chinese pistol. It uses 5.8x21 mm cartridges with a bullet weighing 3 g and an initial speed of 500 m/s. The bullet is capable of penetrating body armor that protects against standard military 9x19 mm NATO. There is a version chambered for 9x19 mm. Otherwise, the pistol is unremarkable and is inferior to its Belgian competitor in cartridge power and magazine capacity.

Chinese pistol QSZ-92

The USSR had already created a PSM pistol chambered for a small-caliber 5.45 mm cartridge. The pistol was created for concealed carry by the leadership of the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The bullet weighing 2.6 g had an energy of about 130 J, but due to its shape it pierced dozens of layers of Kevlar.

As you can see, pistols chambered for a powerful small-caliber cartridge have enormous advantages over their larger-caliber counterparts. The argument of critics of small-caliber weapons is the supposedly low stopping effect, but there are hollow-point bullets. And besides, even an ordinary high-velocity bullet creates a vast pulsating cavity around itself. The main advantages seem to be a large BC, high trajectory flatness due to the high initial velocity of the bullet, low recoil and barrel kick, good armor penetration and high lethality. So what prevents Russian gunsmiths from creating a worthy analogue, using, for example, a standard 5.45x39 mm low-impulse ammunition bullet as a basis?

Russian police adopts new more powerful pistols designer Yarygin 6P35 "Rook" and submachine guns PP-2000 "Vityaz". The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation claims that rearmament is a logical continuation of the reforms of last year (renaming the police into police). According to a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the police will be armed with pistols and submachine guns, adapted specifically for shooting in urban conditions. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation believes that there is only one inconvenience in this rearmament - the need to train people in the use of this particular, fundamentally new weapon. The ability to shoot a Makarov pistol and a Kalashnikov assault rifle will not help here. Namely, these models of weapons have been in service with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defense for decades. This was convenient: commanders could be sure that a young policeman who had served in the army would be able to shoot from a Kalashnikov assault rifle or a Makarov pistol. After rearmament, it will be necessary to spend weeks and months retraining the Ministry of Internal Affairs employees. Submachine guns "Vityaz" and pistols "Grach" - completely new powerful weapon, moreover, the Makarov pistol has only eight cartridges in its magazine, while the “Rook” pistol has seventeen, which is also a significant advantage.

The process of rearmament in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation will be divided into stages. At the first stage, the rearmament of police special forces special forces began (the first pistols of the new Grach design were received by the Moscow special forces). Police Major General Vyacheslav Khaustov, head of the Special Forces Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for Moscow, promised that the center’s employees special purpose will switch to using new, more convenient pistol Yarygina "Rook", as soon as possible.

In the near future, it is also planned to replace the outdated army Kalashnikov assault rifle with a more modern and more powerful weapon. According to the plan, the PP-2000 "Vityaz" - a fundamentally new powerful automatic weapons 9mm caliber (the Kalashnikov assault rifle has a 5.45 mm caliber). The PP-2000 "Vityaz" has a number of other advantages over the Kalashnikov assault rifle - the PP-2000 "Vityaz" has: greater accuracy of fire, increased penetration, greater lethality (the wound from a 9mm bullet is much more serious than from a 5.45 mm bullet), magazine capacity is PP-2000 "Vityaz" 44 rounds instead of 30 for the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the rate of fire of the PP-2000 "Vityaz" is higher than that of the AKSu-74.

It is for these reasons, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation claims, that the Grach pistol and the PP-2000 Vityaz submachine gun are more suitable for them than the Makarov pistol and Kalashnikov assault rifle.

Reference:

9mm pistol MP443 "Rook"

Pistol "Rook"

Pistol "Rook" disassembled

At the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, the development of the Grach pistol was carried out by a design group led by leading engineer Vladimir Yarygin, who was known as a designer of sports pistols. The standard small-caliber pistol IZH-35 (since 1986 - IZH-35M), developed with his direct participation, has been mass-produced at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant since 1978. With a pistol of this model, the leading shooters of the Soviet Union/Russia national team won a number of top titles at world, European and Olympic Games.

During the development of the design, the main attention was paid to achieving high reliability characteristics. And therefore, most of the incorporated design solutions are traditional. The automation operates on the principle of recoil of the barrel with a short stroke, locking by warping the barrel due to a cam groove located in the lower part of the barrel, located on the protrusion of the barrel, interacting with the shutter stop axis. The barrel is locked by inserting a protrusion on the breech of the barrel into the extraction window. The pistol frame is steel. The trigger mechanism is of the hammer type, with a compression spring and self-cocking. The double-sided safety lever is located on the frame. When turned on, the hammer mechanism can be blocked in both the cocked and deflated state. In the “safety” position, the sear, trigger, hammer and bolt are blocked. The ability to lock the striking mechanism in the cocked state allows you to fire the first shot after turning off the safety with a low trigger force, which increases the probability of a hit on the first shot. The ejector, which protrudes noticeably above the surface of the bolt when a cartridge is chambered, simultaneously serves as an indicator of the presence of a cartridge.

The cartridges are fed from a double-row 17-round magazine, secured with a latch located on the left side of the frame, under the thumb. right hand. If necessary, it can be remounted to right side framework.

The 6P35 pistol has a barrel length of 114.5 mm, dimensions 190x140x38 mm, unloaded weight 1.00 kg.

Disassembling the pistol for cleaning and lubrication in the field is done without special tools: to do this, you need to sequentially separate: the magazine, stop the bolt, and move the bolt forward from the frame with the barrel and the return mechanism.

How did it become traditional for Russian small arms, choosing a pistol for rearmament Russian army was held on a competitive basis. The Izhevsk "Rook" passed competitive tests with a sample developed at the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (Klimovsk, Moscow Region). At the research site of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the samples were tested for service life and trouble-free operation in normal and difficult conditions (shooting without lubrication, at temperatures from minus 50 to plus 50 degrees Celsius, in dusty conditions, in rain). The total volume of tests in difficult conditions amounted to almost 1.5 thousand shots. As a result, the Izhevsk model met most of the strict requirements of the army. The effectiveness of the shooting was assessed by members of the FSB unit. When performing the exercises of the FSB shooting course with the new pistol, 65 percent of the participants completed them “excellent” and “good.” In general, the Yarygin design sample demonstrated its advantages over a competing design and was recommended for adoption by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB and the Russian Army, but has so far been adopted only by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation,

According to its consumer qualities and technical specifications the MP443 "Rook" pistol from the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant is at the most modern level, and in some respects it is superior to its Western counterparts.

9mm pistol MP443 "Rook" TTX
Caliber, mm 9x19 7N21; 9x19 Luger
starting speed, m/s 460; 340
Overall dimensions, mm 190x140x38
Barrel length, mm 114.5
Rifling 6, right-hand -
Cutting pitch, mm 350 -
Weight without cartridges, kg 1.0
Magazine capacity, 17 rounds
Trigger gain, N:
With trigger cocked<25,5
When firing by self-cocking<57,0

Submachine gun PP-2000 "Vityaz"

The PP-2000 submachine gun was developed at the Instrument Engineering Design Bureau (KBP) in Tula, Russia, and was first shown publicly in 2004, although a patent for its design was registered back in 2001. The PP-2000 is clearly intended to be either a self-defense weapon for military personnel (PDW) or as a close-combat weapon for special operations forces, both army and police/militia, primarily for operations in urban environments. PP-2000 is extremely compact and lightweight, with a minimum number of parts and a simple design, ensuring easy operation and low cost. The ability to use high-power armor-piercing ammunition 7N21 and 7N31, originally developed for the GSh-18 pistol, allows the PP-2000 to be used to combat opponents wearing personal protective equipment (helmets, body armor), as well as to effectively hit targets inside vehicles. Moreover, compared to small-caliber analogues produced in Western countries, such as the Belgian 5.7mm FN P90 or the German 4.6mm HK MP-7, the PP-2000, thanks to the use of 9mm bullets, provides greater effectiveness against targets not protected by body armor. Currently, the PP-2000 is already in serial production and is entering service with the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The PP-2000 submachine gun is built on the basis of automatic blowback action. The PP-2000 fires from a closed bolt, with a trigger mechanism. The body of the submachine gun is made of integral plastic with a pistol grip and an enlarged trigger guard, allowing, if necessary, to hold the weapon with two hands. The bolt protrudes from the body above the barrel; in its front part there is a bolt cocking handle that can be tilted to the right or left. The magazine is inserted into the pistol grip, the magazine release button is located at the base of the trigger guard. The safety switch is located on the left side of the weapon, above the pistol grip, and ensures firing of both single shots and bursts. A distinctive feature of the PP-2000, protected by a patent, is that there is a slot for a spare magazine in the rear part of its body. With a magazine inserted into this socket, it can be used as a rudimentary shoulder rest (stock). Modern serial versions of the PP-2000 are equipped with a detachable side-folding buttstock, installed in a slot for a spare magazine. On the upper surface of the receiver cover there is a Picatinny rail type guide, which allows the installation of various additional sighting devices on the corresponding brackets.

Submachine gun PP-2000 "Vityaz" TTX
Caliber: 9x19mm Luger/Para and 9x19 7Н31
Weight: about 1.4 kg
Length (stock folded/opened): 340 / 582 mm
Barrel length: no data
Rate of fire: 600 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity: 20 or 30 rounds
Effective range: up to 100 meters.

In early September, patrol officer Andrei Raisky died at the Kurskaya metro station in Moscow: the policeman was killed by a bullet from his own Makarov pistol. This is not the first time recently that service weapons not only fail to help police officers, but even turn against them. And this despite the fact that attackers are increasingly attacking law enforcement officers every year. The conclusion is disappointing: Russian police have big problems with fire training. I understood the difficult relationship between law enforcement officers and their service weapons.

Victims in uniform

In the last two months, several high-profile attacks on police officers have been carried out in Russia, during which law enforcement officers showed surprising defenselessness. On July 27, at the Slovak Embassy in Moscow, a 17-year-old youth stabbed a 30-year-old police captain, platoon commander of a special police regiment for the protection of diplomatic missions. The captain received several stab wounds, including one to the chest, and was hospitalized. He did not use his service weapon. The policeman's attacker escaped; he was detained two days later.

On August 23, 31-year-old native of Kabardino-Balkaria Renat Kunashev, in Sivtsev Vrazhek Lane, not far from the main building, shot at two policemen from a Stechkin traumatic pistol, converted to a live cartridge. Law enforcement officers returned fire from their service weapons. The recording shows that the shootout in a narrow alley lasts half a minute, while Kunashev does not even try to hide from the bullets, while the police are hiding behind cars. The attacker, according to various sources, managed to fire from 10 to 20 shots, wounding one policeman in the leg. In the end, Kunashev received a bullet in the head, the wound turned out to be fatal.

Youtube / Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation

On the evening of August 21, a 23-year-old resident of the Moscow region, armed with a knife, confronted two police officers in Klin. To stop the attacker, they fired into the air, which had no effect. As a result, the robber was subdued, but he managed to wound both law enforcement officers.

Finally, on the night of September 3, patrol service officer Andrei Raisky was found dead in an office building at the Kurskaya metro station; The cause of his death was a gunshot wound to the head. A 42-year-old visitor from Orenburg, Nurlan Muratov, was detained on suspicion of committing a crime. According to the investigation, Raisky stopped Muratov for inspection and took him to an office building. There, Muratov snatched the policeman’s service pistol and shot him. According to another version, which, however, raises doubts, the accused hit Raisky several times on the head with a blunt object, but he managed to take out a pistol and shoot, but the bullet ricocheted in a cramped room and hit him in the eye.

In all cases, the service weapon did not help the police in any way. During the attack at the Slovak Embassy, ​​the police did not even use it; In Klin, for some reason, the patrolmen fired into the air; in the case at Kurskaya, the law enforcement officer apparently died from his own pistol. True, during the shootout near the Foreign Ministry building, the police still shot the attacker, but before that, the two of them had spent half a minute trying to hit the enemy, who was standing not far from them like a living target, without even trying to hide! It’s scary to think what would have happened if some militant with a serious weapon had been in the place of this shooter.

Weapon mess

According to Vladimir Vorontsov, founder of the Police Ombudsman community, today there is a Special Combat Training Center (CSBT) in the capital - it is located in the west of Moscow. Police speak highly of his instructors and methods. But there is one problem: the Center is not able to cover the entire metropolitan police garrison.

For employees working “on the ground,” shooting takes place once or twice a month, says Vorontsov. - What kind of classes are these? Pull the pistol out of the holster and hit the target with three bullets in ten seconds (exercise No. 2). That's all. But management cannot send employees to such classes without violating their labor rights. For example, a teaching staff employee works day and night. In theory, he should be called by order to shoot on a day off and given time off for this, but the units are catastrophically short-staffed, so there can be no time off. They get out of it as best they can.

Metropolitan Police departments periodically conduct staff assessments to determine their suitability for situations involving the use of firearms. True, for some reason the test tasks included the assembly and disassembly of pistols and theoretical questions about how much the weapon weighs and at what speed the bullet flies. Of course, this is useful knowledge, but it has a rather distant relationship with developing practical skills in using weapons.

The main place where ordinary police officers in the capital undergo their six-month initial training is the Professional Training Center of the Moscow Main Directorate on Klyazminskaya Street, popularly known as “Klyazma,” continues Lenta.ru’s interlocutor. - There is still an old shooting gallery there. They shoot there, but not nearly as thoughtfully as in the TsSBP. But at Klyazma, much attention is paid to all kinds of household work, cleaning the territory, drill and guard duty. It turns out that the employee must regularly visit shooting complexes at his own expense, but how can this be done with a salary of 43 thousand rubles? The most amazing thing is that some police somehow manage to do this.

Today, a lot of all kinds of new products in the field of weapons and equipment are being developed for security forces of various departments, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Meanwhile, the material and technical equipment of the police, Vorontsov notes, leaves much to be desired. These are old, uncomfortable holsters and pistols—sometimes from the 60s—and well-worn bulletproof vests. They weigh eight kilograms, and if you wear them 12 hours in a row for two years, health problems cannot be avoided.

A separate story is the legal assessment of the use of weapons, says Vorontsov. - The police are simply afraid to use it. On the one hand, the law says that every armed officer is an authorized representative of the authorities and himself interprets the requirements of the law in a specific situation. On the other hand, this interpretation of his has no meaning or authority for management and employees (TFR). They will then judge in their own way and accuse the policeman of exceeding his authority. In the end, the policeman with the pistol is faced with the choice of “either six will be punished or three will be judged.”

Ammo in short supply

Meanwhile, back in the 70s of the 20th century, a new sport appeared in the USA - practical shooting. It was created precisely as an applied discipline for American police: it turned out that standard exercises with weapons at a shooting range were not enough for law enforcement officers. Practical shooting fills these gaps: it reinforces the ability to quickly and correctly draw and hold a weapon, aim and pull the trigger. In addition, this sport involves the creation of increasingly new and more complex scenarios for the use of weapons. Exercises in it are carried out for a while, using special elements that distract and irritate the shooter.

Today, practical shooting is actively developing in Russia, and against this background, the low level of fire training of Russian police officers is especially noticeable. However, this is not surprising: since the times of the USSR, shooting ranges have not been provided for in standard police department buildings - they began to be included in projects only recently, in new buildings. This means that most police officers cannot regularly practice shooting by dropping into a shooting range before or after their shift. Of course, there are places like TsSBP, but it is unlikely that a law enforcement officer who is overloaded beyond measure will be able to visit them regularly, especially if he lives on the other side of the city or in the region.

Yes, in some police departments there are premises equipped for shooting - as, for example, on the famous Petrovka, 38. However, according to Lenta.ru's source in law enforcement agencies, training there is very rare, and when they do happen, ammunition They are frankly saving money. While a typical training session at private shooting ranges may involve hundreds of rounds, being able to fire two eight-round magazines in a police shooting class is considered a great success. And there are no instructors nearby.

As a result, by training once or twice a month, police officers consolidate not their shooting skills, but rather their characteristic mistakes when shooting. This even affects the performance of the elementary and most important exercise for assessing the “combat readiness” of an employee, Exercise No. 2. A Lenta.ru source notes: in the fall of 2008, even in the legendary Moscow Criminal Investigation Department (MUR), many operatives were unable to complete exercise No. 2 with a satisfactory rating. As for police officers whose positions are not directly related to maintaining order on the streets, there are many among them who are simply afraid to pick up their service weapons. It is not surprising that when such a need arises, the most basic safety requirements are violated.

Transatlantic parallels

The only people who shoot well and shoot a lot are special forces soldiers, but not ordinary police officers,” says the chairman of the “Right to Arms” movement in an interview with Lenta.ru. - If we take the police in the USA for comparison, then, like ours, law enforcement officers report for every shot - they are strict about this. But every American police officer is a priori determined that the enemy may be armed, because there are a lot of weapons in the country. And across the ocean, law enforcement officers are immediately conditioned to the fact that they have the right to use weapons, because their main task is to return from their shift alive and healthy.

According to Shmelev, despite the fact that crime in Russia has changed a lot and has become more armed, police officers are still trained according to Soviet methods of the 60s of the last century. For example, the standard for drawing a weapon and the first aimed shot is approximately 3.5-4 seconds. For comparison: for people who are passionate about defensive shooting (by no means top shooters), this standard is 1.2-1.3 seconds. Judging by the regulations, the police clearly have nowhere to rush.

But even for this, law enforcement officers are trained in a traditional shooting range, while in the training of Russian special forces today elements of training athletes in practical shooting are increasingly used, and competitions among special forces are conducted by certified judges in practical shooting. In the USA, police departments (analogues of our Ministry of Internal Affairs) take advantage of the opportunity to invite instructors from the National Rifle Association and pay them for training personnel.

For the American police, shooting training is one of the main disciplines; tests are regularly taken in it, continues the Lenta.ru interlocutor. - If you don’t pass, you lose bonuses, part of your salary, up to and including dismissal. In our police force, shooting training is taught by the same police officers. At the same time, there are practically no shooting ranges in local police departments; they cope with the situation as best they can. On the other hand, what choice do they have?

Rare trunks

Another important difference between American police and their Russian colleagues is that they carry weapons constantly, 24 hours a day. Even while not on duty, a law enforcement officer in the United States, if necessary, is obliged to take measures to suppress illegal actions. Russian police, on the contrary, carry weapons only at work, handing them over at the end of their shift. And then in uniform, but unarmed, they go home.

Finally, an important nuance is the weapon itself, notes Igor Shmelev. - American law enforcement officers can choose a service weapon from several options or purchase their own and carry it on duty. The only caveat: if the caliber is non-standard, the policeman will provide himself with ammunition. Plus, law enforcement officers both overseas and in Europe have very ergonomic service equipment that allows them to quickly draw weapons. In our country, only special forces can boast of this.

The Makarov pistol, the main service weapon of the Russian police, was put into service in 1951 and became obsolete by the end of the 20th century, just like the 9x18 cartridge for which it was developed. Supporters of the pistol cite a number of its advantages, in particular its special stopping power. But in the modern world this is far from the main thing. But the Makar’s unsuitability for short-term skirmishes makes it useful only at the firing line.

For comparison: in the USA and many European countries, revolvers and pistols of a larger caliber than the 9x18 cartridge are considered to be the service weapons of the police. Such ammunition is more powerful and deadlier, but more expensive. And the weapons themselves, which are in service with law enforcement forces abroad, are much newer: the same Glock 17 (adopted into service in 1980) today has several special straps for attaching target designators, sights and flashlights, and a pair of pads are always included with it on the handle, taking into account the individual characteristics of the owner. And Glock-19, SIG Sauer 266, Colt, Heckler und Koch are even younger. What can I say - both in the USSR and in Russia, the pistols in service with the police were developed for army officers. Simply put, for completely different tasks. Any foreign company, even a Chinese one, clearly distinguishes between army and police pistols.

***

When asked about shooting training for police officers, the press center of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs explained to Lente.ru that citizens recruited to serve in internal affairs bodies undergo professional training to perform official duties, including in conditions involving the use of firearms. This training is carried out in universities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, as well as in professional training centers of the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

“After completing professional training, fire training classes are held at the employees’ place of duty at least once every two weeks. Monitoring of professional readiness, including skills in using firearms, is carried out during professional service and physical training classes at the employees’ place of service,” the department reported.

As noted in the press service, a set of exercises is provided to confirm skillful use of service weapons. According to a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, each of them is designed in such a way that during training an employee acquires the skills of firing in a wide variety of situations. The use of firearms by employees is regulated by the requirements of Article 23 of the Federal Law “On Police”.

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The Russian police are abandoning the PM pistol and are switching to the Glock 44 pistol, developed to their requirements. First Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Alexander Gorovoy, said: “The Makarov pistol used today has long been obsolete. It is heavy, inconvenient, has a small magazine, and has not met the requirements for a long time.” police officers. However, until now there was nothing to replace him."

Indeed, back in the mid-90s it was planned that the PM would be replaced by the OTs-01 "Cobalt" revolver, developed by I.Ya. Stechkin, but its large-scale production could not be established for economic reasons. The license for Cobalt was sold to Kazakhstan, where it is produced for local law enforcement. And their Russian colleagues had no alternative to Makarov.

The policeman recalls: “In 2008, they decided to switch to the Yarygin pistol, but the army pistol turned out to be difficult for the police: not everyone was able to master assembly and disassembly, some parts were constantly lost... “Rooks” did not fit into the well-established supply system from -for cartridges and holsters that did not fit into it. Police officers had to buy them with their own money. In 2013, we turned to an Austrian company with a proposal to develop a pistol to our requirements, and the Austrians met us halfway..."

Specialists from the Russian company Orsis, which will become the manufacturer, participated in the development. Glock brand pistols are already being produced at a factory near Moscow. Since the pistol was developed jointly, and its production was established in Russia, there is no reason for it to fall under anti-Russian sanctions.

The Glock 28 was taken as the basis for the development of the pistol. The pistol uses automatic action with a blowback bolt; it is easy to handle and is similar to the PM. However, the Glock 44 looks somewhat unusual: the shape of the polymer frame follows the contours of a Makarov pistol. This was the requirement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: this is how the Glock 44 can be carried in a standard police holster. The double-row magazine holds 12 rounds, as opposed to 9 rounds in the PM. The ammunition is similar: the Glock 44 will be the first Austrian-designed pistol to use 9*18 cartridges. The curb weight of the Glock-44 is only 685 grams, and according to this parameter it is lighter than even an unloaded Makarov pistol. This year, Russian police will receive Glock 44.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation is switching to a new type of weapons, abandoning the Kalashnikov assault rifle and Makarov pistol and acquiring stun guns, ITAR-TASS reports with reference to First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Mikhail Sukhodolsky.

“In the near future it is planned to change the type of standard weapons for all internal affairs officers. In particular, they will be replaced by Yarygin pistols, and by submachine guns,” said M. Sukhodolsky.

According to him, the new weapon is different in that the bullet used in it has less rebound ability. “This is important for use in urban environments,” he noted.

Also, stun devices, including remote ones, will appear in the arsenal of Russian police officers, reports NEWSru.com. “The rearmament will proceed as planned and will take several years,” Sukhodolsky noted.

Submachine gun PP-2000
The PP-2000 submachine gun was developed at the Instrument Design Bureau in Tula. A patent for its design was registered in 2001. The ability to use high-power armor-piercing ammunition allows the PP-2000 to be used to combat opponents wearing personal protective equipment (helmets, body armor), as well as to effectively hit targets located inside vehicles.

Moreover, compared to small-caliber analogues produced in Western countries, such as the Belgian 5.7mm FN P90 or the German 4.6mm HK MP-7, the PP-2000, thanks to the use of 9mm bullets, provides greater effectiveness against targets not protected by body armor. It is currently in mass production.
Caliber: 9x19mm Luger/Para and 9x19 7Н31
Weight: about 1.4 kg
Length (stock folded/opened): 340/582 mm
Rate of fire: 600 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity: 20 or 30 rounds
Effective range: up to 100 meters.

Yarygin pistol
The Yarygin pistol (PYa “Grach”, GRAU Index - 6P35) is intended to replace the PM. Adopted by the Russian Army in 2003. Used by Russian special forces. The design is reminiscent of the Italian Beretta 92 pistol.
Caliber - 9 mm
Initial bullet speed - 465 m/s
Weight with magazine without cartridges - 0.95 kg
Total length - 210 mm
Magazine capacity, number of rounds - 18
Combat rate of fire - 35 v/m
Chuck length ~ 29.7 mm.

Submachine gun "Vityaz"
The PP-19-01 "Vityaz" submachine gun is a further development of the PP-19 "" submachine gun. "Vityaz" was developed by the IZHMASH concern specifically for the requirements of the special forces detachment of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs "Vityaz", which is where it got its name. Currently, the PP-19-01 "Vityaz" submachine gun is in serial production and is already entering service with units of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Caliber: 9x19mm (Luger/Parabellum/7H21)
Weight: ~3 kg without cartridges
Length (stock folded/opened): 460/698 mm
Barrel length: 230 mm
Rate of fire: 750 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds
Effective range: 100-200 meters.