PPS-43
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| PPS-43 | |
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| Type | Submachine gun |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1942- |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Aleksei Sudaev |
| Designed | 1942 |
| Number built | 500,000 |
| Variants | PPS-42, PPS-43 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3.04 kg |
| Length | 615 mm (stock folded) 820 mm (stock extended) |
| Barrel length | 272 mm |
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| Cartridge | 7.62 x 25 mm TT |
| Action | Blowback, open bolt |
| Rate of fire | 700 round/min |
| Effective range | 200 m |
| Feed system | 35 rounds |
Designed by Aleksei Sudaev and first issued during the Siege of Leningrad, PPS-43 (Pistolet-Pulemet Sudaeva, Russian: Пистолет-пулемёт Судаева) was a result of further simplification of the PPSh-41, and it is often considered the best submachine gun of World War II.
It was initially produced as PPS-42, but soon after improved and redesignated PPS-43. The use of a folding stock allowed the weapon length to be reduced from 820 mm to 615 mm. This compactness made it ideal for tank crews, paratroopers, and reconnaissance units.
In technical terms, the PPS is a fully automatic weapon, based on the simple blowback principle, and is fired from an open bolt. The gun can be fired in full automatic mode only. The safety catch is located in the front side of the trigger guard. The receiver and barrel shroud are made of stamped steel. Rear sight is of an L-shaped flip type and is marked for 100 and 200 meters distance, front sight is fixed blade type. The barrel is equipped with a simple muzzle brake. The folding stock is made from steel and folds over the receiver.
Finding too many flaws with the heavy, bulky ammunition drums used by PPD and PPSh, PPS was designed to utilize 35-round box magazines. This magazine would also fit the PPSh, but PPS could not use the PPSh drum. While the weapon had a slightly slower firing rate of 700 round/min compared to PPSh, it more than made up for this with its lighter weight, small size and greater ease of manufacture. About 500,000 were made during the war. It was also given to and copied by several Soviet client states.
Captured PPS-43s were used by the Germans as the MP719(r). Unlike with PPSh-41, captured examples were not converted to fire 9mm Parabellum rounds. However, a slightly modified copy of PPS-43 was produced in Finland under designation m/44 and it used 9mm Luger/Parabellum cartridge; 10 000 examples were produced. After the war, it was license-produced in small numbers in West Germany (under the designation DUX see Ian Hogg's "Encyclopedia of Small Arms") and Spain.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Soviet infantry weapons of World War II |
|---|
| Side-arms |
| TT-33 | Nagant M1895 |
| Rifles & carbines |
| AVS36 | SVT40 | Mosin-Nagant |
| Submachine guns |
| PPD-40 | PPSh-41 | PPS-43 |
| Grenades |
| F1 | RGD-33 | RG-41 | RG-42 | RPG-43 |
| Machine guns & other larger weapons |
| M1910 Maxim | DS-39 | DP | SG-43 Goryunov | DShK | PTRD | PTRS ROKS-2/ROKS-3 |
| Cartridges used by the USSR during WWII |
| 7.62 x 25 mm TT | 7.62 x 38 R | 7.62 x 54 mm R | 14.5 x 114 mm |
